The amazing Wrangel Island is one of the few places on Earth where northern nature has been preserved in its original form. It is carefully protected from external influences, thanks to which it still remains in the form in which it appeared and passed through all geological epochs. Getting here is not easy, but if you are not indifferent to the harsh beauty of the North, it’s worth it.
Interesting facts about Wrangel Island
- It got its name in honor of the famous Russian navigator Ferdinand Wrangel.
- The island is part of the reserve of the same name, which is fully recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Three islands bear the name of Wrangel, two of which belong to Russia, and one to the United States.
- In 1987 it was published autobiography of a former prisoner of the Gulag, who claimed that he was serving his sentence in a camp on Wrangel Island.
- Mountains occupy two-thirds of the entire surface of Wrangel Island.
- Only in July and August, the average daily temperature here rises above 0 degrees.
- Snow on Wrangel Island lies 8-10 months a year.
- The lowest temperature ever recorded on Wrangel Island, was -57 degrees, and the highest – +18.
- Polar night and polar day last two and a half months here.
- Each year, less precipitation falls on Wrangel Island than in some hot deserts (interesting facts about deserts).
- More polar bears are born on Wrangel Island each year than anywhere else in the world.
- The remains of mammoths, which are only about 3.5 thousand years old, have been discovered here. This means that they lived at the same time as the representatives of the local ancient civilizations (interesting facts about ancient civilizations).
- There are freshwater reservoirs on Wrangel Island, but there are no fish in them at all.
- Despite the cold climate, there are 30 species of spiders, 33 species of butterflies and about 20 species of beetles.
- Wrangel Island is inhabited by about 1500 deer.
- Sometimes snow storms hit the island, the wind speed in which reaches 120-140 km/h. For comparison, even at the top of Everest, the speed of a hurricane wind does not exceed 200 km/h (interesting facts about Everest).
- Once upon a time, Canada and the United States also claimed their rights to Wrangel Island, but it ended up with Russia.
- The highest point of the island is Mount Sovetskaya, 1096 meters high.
- There was a permanent population on Wrangel Island only in the last century. Since 1994, there have been no permanent residents here, but a military camp was built in 2014.
- The average depth of the lakes on Wrangel Island does not exceed 2 meters.
- The reserve of the same name occupies not only the Wrangel Islands, but also Herald Island, as well as the adjacent sea spaces.
- About 100 thousand walruses live here (interesting facts about walruses).
- Five rivers on Wrangel Island are more than 5 kilometers long , and more than 140 rivers and streams – more than 1 kilometer.
- There are about 900 lakes on the territory of the island, but only 6 of them have an area of more than 1 square kilometer.
- The waters washing Wrangel Island very clean. When the sea is calm, their transparency level reaches 50 meters.
- Summer in these parts is often interrupted by snowfalls and frosts.
- About 20 species of birds constantly nest on Wrangel Island, and the same number arrive here from time to time.
- There are no amphibians or reptiles in the whole reserve – it’s too cold here for them.