![]() ![]() During these completely dark winters, temperatures can plunge to below -30° C. Here, the polar night lasts an average of 128 days a year. Today however, whilst around 150 hardened military personnel remain on the island of Alexandra Land, most humans visiting Franz Josef Land are researchers, Arctic cruise ship tourists and wildlife photographers.Īt a latitude of between 80.0° and 81.9° north, Franz Josef Land is subjected to the peculiar conditions of polar day and night. ![]() Later, the Soviet Union used Franz Josef’s extreme isolation to its advantage, establishing secret bases on the island. Historical sites and ruins are still scattered around the archipelago to this day, remnants of the various expeditions who attempted to use the islands as a springboard to reach the North Pole. The islands are also a sanctuary for the two great Arctic giants, the polar bear and the walrus.Īs inhospitable to human life as these islands may seem, the spirit of human endeavour has made its mark on Franz Josef Land. The underwater world is similarly pristine – a feeding ground for an amazing abundance of marine mammals, including some of the world’s rarest whale species. This is a birdwatcher’s paradise, providing shelter to over 41 species in total. Every year, around five million migratory birds nest on the archipelago. Part of the huge Russian Arctic National Park, one of the most important areas for ecotourism in the Arctic region, Franz Josef Land’s remoteness has made it a truly undisturbed paradise for all kinds of incredible wildlife.įranz Josef Land is a harsh and breathtakingly beautiful kingdom of glacial valleys, wildflower-speckled tundra, moss, lichen and stone covered beaches, magnificent rocky headlands and vast polar deserts. This uninhabited polar wilderness may seem like a strange place to go on a pleasure cruise, but in fact, these islands are anything but barren and lifeless. Beyond them, nothing but thousands of kilometres of deep, desolate Arctic Ocean stretch all the way to the North Pole itself.Ĩ5% of the islands are completely frozen over by glacial ice, year-round. mi) of the Barents Sea, the 191 islands of Franz Josef Land mark the most northerly extent of Russia’s territory. Look out for patrolling polar bears on Jackson IslandĬovering 16,134 square kilometres (6,229 sq.Walk amid the colourful landscapes of Cape Flora on Northbrook Island.Cruise alongside giants at the Apollonoff and Stolichka Island walrus colonies.Admire Majestic Rubini Rock on historic Hooker Island.Marvel at the Mysterious Stones of Champ Island.Cruising Franz Josef Land – What to Expect.Plants, Birds and Wildlife of Franz Josef Land.Exploration, Espionage and Environmentalism on Franz Josef Land. ![]()
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