Kotelny Island

Kotelny Island is a massive landmass in the Russian Arctic. It is part of the Anzhu Islands subgroup within the New Siberian Islands. This island sits between the Laptev Sea and the East Siberian Sea. It is one of the 50 largest islands in the world. The total area of the island is 23,165 square kilometers. It belongs to the Bulunsky District of the Republic of Sakha.

The island consists of several distinct geographical sections. The western part is known as Kotelny proper or Kettle Island. This section covers 11,665 square kilometers. It is a rocky and hilly region. The highest peak here is Mt. Malakatyn-Tas, which reaches 374 meters. The Chukochya River flows through this area toward the Laptev Sea. Cape Anisy marks the northernmost point of the island. It also serves as the northeast limit of the Laptev Sea.

Between Kotelny and Faddeyevsky Island lies a unique zone called Bunge Land. This area is a huge, empty, and almost barren plain. It is sandy and flat, covering 6,200 square kilometers. The maximum height of Bunge Land is only 8 meters above sea level. Because it is so low, storm surges flood over 80% of its surface. This makes the area practically devoid of vegetation. Only a small southeast section rises to 11 or 21 meters.

Faddeyevsky Island is another major part of this group. It is a large peninsula that projects from the north of Bunge Land. It covers an area of 5,300 square kilometers. Unlike the rocky Kotelny, Faddeyevsky is relatively flat. Its highest point is only 65 meters. This island is covered in tundra vegetation and small lakes. It was named after a fur trader named Faddeyev.

Explorers discovered the island through careful observation. In 1770, Ivan Lyakhov saw reindeer tracks on the sea ice. These tracks headed seaward across the ice. In 1773, Lyakhov and a merchant named Protod’yakonov followed these tracks by boat. They discovered the Lyakhovsky Islands first. Then, they found Kotelny Island. They named it "Kettle Island" after finding a copper kettle there. The identity of the person who left the kettle remains unknown.

Other explorers sought mysterious lands in this region. Yakov Sannikov conducted hunting and mapping trips between 1800 and 1810. In 1805, he discovered Faddeyevsky Island. In 1811, Sannikov reported seeing a "new land" north of Kotelny. This idea became known as the myth of Sannikov Land. Later, in 1886, Baron Eduard Von Toll also thought he saw unknown land there. He believed it might be the legendary Sannikov Land.

The geology of the island is very complex. It contains sedimentary rocks from the Early Paleozoic to the Late Cenozoic. These rocks include limestone, dolomite, sandstone, and conglomerate. Many of these layers are faulted or folded. The island also features thick permafrost. This is frozen ground that can be 400 to 500 meters thick. On Faddeyevsky Island, the melting of permafrost creates thermokarst processes. This creates deep cuts in the land and mounds called baydzharakhs.

The environment is a harsh Arctic tundra. Plants like mosses, lichens, and grasses cover the ground. In Bunge Land, the tundra is a prostrate dwarfshrub type. This means the plants, like Salix arctica, stay very low to the ground. The climate is extremely cold. Temperatures only rise above freezing for a very short time in summer.

Kotelny Island has held great strategic importance. From 1933 to 1993, it hosted a Soviet naval base. After the Soviet Union fell, the base was evacuated. A civilian research station remained for a time. In 2013, Russia began reactivating the base. A naval task force landed supplies and built a temporary airstrip. In 2014, the 99th Tactic Arctic Group established a permanent base. This base is called Northern Shamrock. It includes an airfield that can receive large aircraft all year.