Karl-Alexander Island

Karl-Alexander Island
Karl-Alexander Island
Russian: Остров Карла-Александра

Location of Karl Alexander Island in the Franz Josef Archipelago.
Geography
Location Arctic
Coordinates 81°22′N 57°20′E / 81.37°N 57.34°E / 81.37; 57.34
Archipelago Franz Josef Archipelago
Area 329 km2 (127 sq mi)
Length 29 km (18 mi)
Width 18 km (11.2 mi)
Highest elevation 365 m (1,198 ft)
Country
Demographics
Population 0

Karl Alexander Island (Russian: Остров Карла-Александра), also known as Zemlya Karla-Alexandra (Земля Карла Александра), is an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia.

Contents

Location

Its latitude is 81° 28' N and its longitude 57° 50' E.

Karl Alexander Island's length is 29 km (18 mi) and its maximum width is 18 km (11.2 mi). Its area is
329 km2 (127 sq mi), but very little of it is ice-free. The highest point on the island is 365 m (1,198 ft).

This island is part of the Zemlya Zichy subgroup of the Franz Joseph Archipelago. It is separated from Rainer Island in the east by a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) narrow sound and from Jackson Island in the South by a 6 km (3.7 mi) wide sound.

Karl Alexander Island was named by the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition after one of the noblemen that financed the venture, Austro-Hungarian aristocrat Alfred Wilhelm Karl Alexander Graf von Salm-Hoogstraeten (born 25 May 1851 in Münster, died 17 January 1919 in Vienna).

This island should not be confused with Alexandra Land, also in the Franz Josef Archipelago.

Adjacent islands

  • Off Karl Alexander Island's northwestern point lie the Chichagov Islands (Острова чичагова; Ostrova Chichagova). These islands were named after Arctic explorer Pavel Vasilievich Chichagov (1767-1848), the son of Admiral Vasili Yakovlevich Chichagov of the Russian Navy.
  • To the west of Karl Alexander Island's souththwestern point lie the Pontremoli Islands (Острова Понтремоли; Ostrova Pontremoli), at lat 81° 24' N; long 56° 27' E. They are named after Pontremoli, a town in Tuscany.

There are four small islets off Karl Alexander Island's northeastern shores:

  • The largest one is called Torupa Island (Остров Торупа; Ostrov Torup), located at lat 81° 31' N; long 58° 27' E . It is named after Torup, a town in Scandinavia.
  • Ostrov Solov'yëva is located at lat 81° 31' N; long 58° 23' E.
  • Northeast of Torup Island lies smaller Coburg Island (Остров Кобург; Ostrov Koburg), at lat 81° 52' N; long 58° 14' E. This island is named after the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, the wife of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria (after whom Rudolf Island was named) belonged to this dynasty.
  • Ostrov Khouena (Гоуэн), is located at lat 81° 49' N; long 58° 32' E. The island was named by Fridtjof Nansen after Anton Christian Houen (1823-1894) [1], a Norwegian merchant whose philanthropy supported construction of Nansen's ship, the Fram. [2].

Coordinates: 81°22′N 57°20′E / 81.37°N 57.34°E / 81.37; 57.34

See also

References

  1. ^ Høvik A (1993) Anton Christian Houen. Reisedagbok 1841-1858. Larvik.
  2. ^ Nansen F (1897). Farthest North. London: McMillan. Vol 1, p40 and Vol 2, p 215.

External links