Lyakhovsky Islands Explained

Lyakhovsky Islands
Location:	Laptev Sea
Coordinates:	74.66°N 141.9872°W
Archipelago:	Lyakhovsky Islands
Total Islands:	6
Country:	Russia
Country Admin Divisions Title:	Federal subject
Population:	uninhabited

The Lyakhovsky Islands (Russian: Ляховские острова|r=Lyakhovskiye ostrova; Yakut: Ляхов арыылара) are the southernmost group of the New Siberian Islands in the Arctic seas of eastern Russia. The islands are named in honour of Ivan Lyakhov, who explored them in 1773.

Geography

They are separated from the mainland by the Laptev Strait (60km (40miles) wide), and from the Anzhu Islands group by the Sannikov Strait (50km (30miles) wide). Two islands dominate the group:

• Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island (Great Lyakhovsky Island) 5156.6km2 with a maximum altitude of 311m (1,020feet) on Emy Tas^[1]
• Maly Lyakhovsky Island (Little Lyakhovsky Island) 975.5km2^[2]
• Stolbovoy is a large island detached from the group.
  • Yaya island zatoplaimi island
• Off Great Lyakhovsky Island's southwestern cape lies a small islet called Ostrov Khopto-Terer.
• Semyonovsky Island has now disappeared after heavy erosion. Before its disappearance, it was at 4 km², one of the smallest islands in the archipelago.^{[3] [4]}

In popular culture

Part of the action of two novels by Jules Verne, Waif of the Cynthia (1885) and César Cascabel (1890), takes place there. In the latter, the term "Liakhov Islands" refers to the New Siberian group as a whole, as the principal action is on Kotelny Island.

Notes and References

1. http://islands.unep.ch/IEO.htm#1062 Bol. Lyakhovskiy (Liakhov)
2. http://islands.unep.ch/IEO.htm#1042 Mal. Lyakhovskiy (Lachovski)
3. Grigorov, I.P., 1946, Disappearing islands. Priroda, pp. 58–65 (in Russian)
4. Gavrilov, A.V., N.N. Romanovskii, V.E. Romanovsky, H.-W. Hubberten, and V. E. Tumskoy (2003). Reconstruction of Ice Complex Remnants on the Eastern Siberian Arctic Shelf. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. vol. 14, pp. 187–198.