Kolguyev
Encyclopedia
Kolguyev Island is an island in Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Russia
located in the south-eastern Barents Sea
(east of the Pechora Sea
) to the north-east of the Kanin Peninsula
. The approximately circular-shaped island has a diameter of 80 kilometres (50 mi) and is 4968 square kilometres (1,918 sq mi) in area. The highest point on the island is at 166 meters (545 feet). The vast wetland consists of many bog
s and morainic hills
, covered by vegetation characteristic of the tundra
.
There is only one inhabited settlement on the island, Bugrino, located on the southeast coast. Nenets
form the majority of the population, with fishing, reindeer
farming and trapping being their main economic activities. Oil
and gas are also present.
naturalist
Aubyn B.R. Trevor-Battye
. He landed in June with an assistant, intending to spend about one month studying the wildlife, especially the birds. Due to mechanical problems with the vessel, and a misunderstanding, they were left stranded on the island for 12 weeks. He published his study of the natural history and topography of Kolguyev as: "Ice-bound on Kolguev"
(Trevor-Battye 1895). The book includes observations on the Nenets
(whom he called Samoyed) who brought their reindeer to the island for summer grazing and to trap
geese for trade in Russia. Trevor-Battye eventually left the island with these reindeer herders in September 1894, and had to travel 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) overland from the Pechora River
to Archangel
. He described this adventurous journey in: "A northern highway of the Tsar" (Trevor-Battye 1898).
Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Nenets Autonomous Okrug is a federal subject of Russia .It has an area of 176,700 km2 and population of 42,628 as of the preliminary results of the 2010 Census , 21,296 of whom live in Naryan-Mar, the administrative center.-Geography and ecology:The arctic ecology of this...
Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
located in the south-eastern Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
(east of the Pechora Sea
Pechora Sea
Pechora Sea , is a sea at the northwest of Russia, the southeastern part of the Barents Sea. The western border of the sea is off Kolguyev Island, while the eastern border is the western coasts of Vaygach Island and the Yugorsky Peninsula, and the northern border the southern end of Novaya...
) to the north-east of the Kanin Peninsula
Kanin Peninsula
Kanin Peninsula is a large peninsula in Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Latitude : 68° Longitude : 45°It is surrounded by the White Sea to the west and by the Barents Sea to the north and east. Shoyna is one of the few communities on the peninsula....
. The approximately circular-shaped island has a diameter of 80 kilometres (50 mi) and is 4968 square kilometres (1,918 sq mi) in area. The highest point on the island is at 166 meters (545 feet). The vast wetland consists of many bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s and morainic hills
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
, covered by vegetation characteristic of the tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
.
There is only one inhabited settlement on the island, Bugrino, located on the southeast coast. Nenets
Nenets people
The Nenets are an indigenous people in Russia. According to the latest census in 2002, there are 41,302 Nenets in the Russian Federation, most of them living in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Nenets Autonomous Okrug...
form the majority of the population, with fishing, reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
farming and trapping being their main economic activities. Oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and gas are also present.
Report by Trevor-Battye
The island was explored in 1894 by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naturalist
Aubyn B.R. Trevor-Battye
Aubyn Trevor-Battye
Aubyn Bernard Rochfort Trevor-Battye, MA, MBOU, FLS, FRGS, FZS was a British traveller, naturalist and writer....
. He landed in June with an assistant, intending to spend about one month studying the wildlife, especially the birds. Due to mechanical problems with the vessel, and a misunderstanding, they were left stranded on the island for 12 weeks. He published his study of the natural history and topography of Kolguyev as: "Ice-bound on Kolguev"
(Trevor-Battye 1895). The book includes observations on the Nenets
Nenets people
The Nenets are an indigenous people in Russia. According to the latest census in 2002, there are 41,302 Nenets in the Russian Federation, most of them living in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Nenets Autonomous Okrug...
(whom he called Samoyed) who brought their reindeer to the island for summer grazing and to trap
geese for trade in Russia. Trevor-Battye eventually left the island with these reindeer herders in September 1894, and had to travel 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) overland from the Pechora River
Pechora River
The Pechora River is a river in northwest Russia which flows north into the Arctic Ocean on the west side of the Ural Mountains. It lies mostly in the Komi Republic but the northernmost part crosses the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. It is 1,809 km long and its basin is 322,000 square kilometers...
to Archangel
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
. He described this adventurous journey in: "A northern highway of the Tsar" (Trevor-Battye 1898).