What is unique about Wrangel Island? A Brief History of the Discovery of Wrangel Island

Wrangel Island - on the border of the East Siberian and Chukchi seas, part of Russian Federation. Area approx. 7.3 thousand km2. Height up to 1096 m. It is located at the junction of the western and eastern hemispheres and is divided by the 180th meridian into two almost equal parts. It is separated from the mainland (northern coast of Chukotka) by the Long Strait, which is about 140 km wide at its narrowest part. Administratively it belongs to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. It is part of the reserve of the same name. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It got its name in honor of the Russian navigator and polar explorer Ferdinand Wrangel.

The territory of Wrangel and Herald Islands, with the exception of the low-lying plains of Wrangel Island, remained dry throughout the Cretaceous period and the entire Cenozoic era. During powerful Pleistocene transgressions, the territories of the islands were repeatedly separated from the mainland, and during periods of regression of the seas, coinciding with ice ages, they were part of the vast Beringian landmass, which united the shelves of the East Siberian, Chukchi and Bering seas and connected Asia and North America. At the same time, the territory of the modern islands was located almost in the center of the Arctic part of Beringia, located north of the modern Bering Strait. It is especially important that throughout the Pleistocene the islands never experienced cover glaciation (there are only traces of mountain-valley glaciation in the central part of Wrangel Island), nor were they ever completely flooded (transgressions covered only the plains of Wrangel Island, and even then no more than half their length). That is, the organic world of the islands has developed continuously since the end of the Mesozoic era.

During the periods of the existence of the Beringian landmass, the territory of the modern islands found itself at the crossroads of migratory flows of plants and animals leading from Asia to America, from America to Asia and from Central Asia to the Arctic region (thanks to the existence during this period of a single “tundra-steppe” hyperzone throughout central arid to the highest latitude regions of Eurasia and North America) and is generally considered to be at the center of the largest area of ​​evolution of modern Arctic biota. During periods of transgressions, when most of the shelf land was under water, the islands served as a refugium for many species and communities common on drained shelves. In addition, periodic isolation contributed to the activation of speciation processes on the islands themselves. All this was the reason for the initially high biological diversity of the territory.

The last separation of the islands from the mainland occurred about 10 thousand years ago, which coincided with the global restructuring of Arctic landscapes - the collapse of a single tundra-steppe zone and the massive expansion to the north of hypoarctic flora and fauna.

The latter, due to island isolation, appeared in a very weakened form on the islands, which, together with the peculiarities of the physical-geographical situation (landscape diversity, while maintaining the “refugia” of continental conditions), ensured the survival of many relict elements here, as populations of individual species, and entire communities.

At the same time, thanks to the same diversity natural conditions, relatively thermophilic hypoarctic elements survived here, having managed to penetrate the island and other similar territories at the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary, but in most cases disappeared as a result of the late Holocene cooling. Until the mid-Holocene, large mammals remained on the island, including the local subspecies of mammoth, which became extinct over the last 5-2 thousand years.

It is known that about 3.5 thousand years ago the island was inhabited by sea hunters, whose culture is classified as Paleo-Eskimo. The results of studies of the only known Neolithic site on south coast The Wrangel Islands indicate that this ancient population of the island used exclusively marine resources (no remains of terrestrial animals were found in the cultural layer of the site). By the time the Wrangel and Herald Islands were discovered by Europeans, there was no indigenous population on them. There were no traces of large land mammals.

Existence large island in this sector of the Arctic Ocean was predicted by M.V. Lomonosov. In 1763, Mikhailo Vasilyevich showed on a map the polar regions north of Chukotka big Island"Doubtful". The location of this supposed landmass turned out to be close to real island Wrangel.

In 1820, the Russian government sent two expeditions to the northern coast of Siberia. One, under the command of Anzhu, to search for the “land of Sannikov” and the other, under the command of Ferdinand Wrangel, to find the mythical “land of Andreev”

With amazing persistence, energy and courage during 1820-1824. Wrangel undertakes a number of trips across the ice on dogs. On some of these trips he is removed by sea ​​ice 250 km north of the coast of Siberia. But all these trips were to no avail. Finally, when meeting with the Chukchi foreman (in Chukchi “kamakai”), he learned from him that “between Cape Erri (Shelagsky) and Cape Ir-Kaipio (Northern), near the mouth of one river, from low coastal cliffs into clear summer days High, snow-covered mountains can be seen in the north across the sea, but in winter they are not visible.

In previous years, large herds of deer came from the sea, probably from there, but, pursued and exterminated by the Chukchi and wolves, now they do not appear. He himself once, in April, chased a herd of deer all day on his sleigh drawn by two reindeer, but at some distance from the shore sea ​​ice became so uneven that he was forced to return.” Other Chukchi confirmed to Wrangel and his companions that “they themselves saw the land on clear summer days from a place called Yakan.”

According to Chukchi legend, the foreman of the Onkilons, a people who used to live in northern shores Siberia, - Krekhai, retired with his people to this overseas land.

Convincing stories from the Chukchi forced Wrangel to attempt to achieve unknown land on the ice on dogs. Having reached Cape Yakan, Wrangel and his assistant midshipman Matyushkin did not see any signs of land in the north. However, Matyushkin decided to make an attempt to reach the island. April 9, 1723 He set out across the ice on three sledges, having provisions for 15 days. The huge ice holes he encountered along the way did not allow him to move further than 16 km from the coast. Thus, this attempt ended in failure. Nevertheless, Wrangel put this land on his map, noting: “The mountains are visible from Cape Yacana in the summer.”

Thus, based on the stories of the Chukchi, with great accuracy, the island was first mapped, which later received the name “Wrangel Land”, or “Wrangel Islands”.

For the first time I saw Wrangel Island Collet, who passed by the ship "Herald" and discovered the island called "Herald". From the top of o. He saw the Herald about. Wrangel (August 17, 1849). He failed to land on the island. He quite reasonably notes that the island he saw is a continuation of the land indicated by Wrangel.

The island has been seen by many whalers. It was put on the map by Long, who was passing (August 14, 1867) on the schooner “Nile” in sight of the island. Long first called the land he saw “Wrangel Island.” After much debate, this name was accepted by all outstanding geographers of that time. In 1879 north of the island Wrangel drifted in the ice of De Long on the ship "Zhannetta". "Zhannetta" died in the ice.

Ships were sent to search for “Jeannette.” Two of the braves managed to land on Wrangel Island for the first time. The first to arrive was the Thomas Corwin. On August 12, 1881, the captain of this ship, Hooper, landed at the mouth of the Clark River and declared the island to belong to the United States under the name "New Caledonia." On Skeleton Island at the mouth of the Clerk River he planted an American flag, at the foot of which the New York Herald newspaper and two notes with the following content were left in a bottle

1. “United States Customs Fleet steamship “Corwin”, Wrangel Land, August 12, 1881 (n.s.).

United States Customs Fleet steamship "Corwin" Captain C.L. Hooper landed here to search for traces of the Jeannette. The box with provisions is placed in the second cliff, from here to the north. All is well on the ship."

We arrived here today, having previously landed on Herald Island. On the north-eastern hill of this island, a stone mound was erected in which the report was deposited. The finder is asked to send the contents in the bottle to the editors of the New York Herald.

12 days after the ship “Corwin” to the south-eastern part of the shores of Wrangel Island, having also previously visited the island. Herald, the Rogers has arrived, under the command of Captain Berry. On August 27, three parties were sent from Rogers to search for traces of the death of the Jeannette, to describe the island and its position on the map. The main party, under the command of Berry, went deep into the island, climbed to its highest point, called “Berry Peak,” and mapped the internal contours of the island. The other two, under the command of Waring and Hunt, almost completely described its coast. The ship stayed off Wrangel Island on September 12, 1881.

From 1881 to 1911, not a single ship was able to approach Wrangel Island. September 2, 1911 (old style) Russian hydrographic vessel “Vaigach” under the command of K.V. Loman dropped anchor off Cape Thomas, the southwestern tip of Wrangel Island. The ship remained off the coast of the island until September 4, 1911 (old style). During this time (within 24 hours), a short excursion to the shore was made, during which geologist I.P. Kirichenko collected geological collections. Dr. Arngold (the ship's doctor on the Vaigach) describes this excursion as follows: “The greatest interest was geological exploration; I call it that because in one day, apart from a cursory examination, nothing could be done. However, we managed to find many fossils, shells of different types, and plant imprints. Everything indicated that there had once been, if not a completely tropical, then at least a warmer climate here, and in the exposed layers of a mountain in the interior of the island, about 20 kilometers from our site, we discovered large deposits of coal.

Dr. Arngold's testimony is the first and only indication of the presence of minerals on the island. Wrangel. In a note by Academician Tolmachev, who processed the geological collections and diaries of I.P. Kirichenko, there is no indication of the presence of coals, nor is there any mention of prints of fossil flora, which Dr. Arngold so definitely speaks of in his diary.

After a short stop at Cape Thomas, "Vaigach" with a sea inventory was the first to go around the island from the north. Enemy and at the top of its northernmost tip he placed an iron sign with a copper plate, on which the year, month and date of Vaigach’s visit to Fr. Wrangel. To the north, no ice was visible anywhere to the horizon.

On January 10, 1914, the Stefanson expedition ship Karluk was crushed by ice. It sank 80 miles from the island. Wrangel and 200 miles from the coast of Siberia. The team under the command of Captain Bartlett, R. Peary's companion during his discovery of the North Pole, safely descended onto the ice, managed to unload food, clothing, dogs, sledges, etc., and headed across the ice on dogs to the nearest land - about. Wrangel. Of the 25 people who were on the Karluk, 8 people died for various reasons, the remaining 17 (including two children, girls 3 and 11 years old) reached the island. Wrangel. On March 18, Captain Bartlett, accompanied by one Eskimo, with seven dogs, having provisions for 60 days, set off across the ice from Fr. Wrangel to the Siberian coast for help for his comrades. Having safely reached the mainland and from there crossed to Alaska, he organized help for the people remaining on Wrangel.

On September 7, 1914, the schooner King and Wing, under the command of Olaf Swenson, approached the island and picked off the people. Among the Karluk team, who lived on the island for six months. Wrangel, there was a geologist Malloch, a Canadian by birth, but since he soon arrived on the island. Wrangel died (May 17, 1914), and before that he was ill, he probably did not do any geological survey.

In 1921, Stefanson sent a party consisting of Gell, Maurer and Knight to the island, under the command of Allan Crauford, the 22-year-old son of a famous Canadian professor; An Eskimo woman went with them as a cook and to sew clothes. The party arrived on the island on September 1, 1921; She only had food supplies for six months and missed the hunting season. The auxiliary vessel was able to arrive only in 1923. The head of the rescue party, Noyce, found only the Eskimo alive. Knight died June 23, 1923; Crawford, Gell and Maurer died trying to cross the ice to the shores of Siberia. Having removed the Eskimo, Noyce left a colony of 13 Eskimos on the island, under the command of prospector exploration geologist Wells. The landing of a colony with the aim of alienating the island was contrary to international laws on polar countries. To restore their rights, remove the colony and plant the Soviet flag on the island. Wrangel in 1924, the Soviet government sent the gunboat "Red October", under the command of hydrograph Davydov. August 12, 1924 at 2:50 a.m. "Red October" dropped anchor in Rogers Bay.

A mast and a hut were discovered on the shore. They immediately began building a new mast; the next day, August 20, 1924, at 12 o'clock. day, the Soviet flag was raised on the island for the first time, and the island was solemnly annexed to the USSR. After raising the flag, Red October went to Doubtful Bay, where it photographed the American colony together with Wells, who had a large geological collection. In 1926, the first Soviet colony was landed on the island, consisting of the head of the island G.A. Ushakova with his wife, Doctor N.P. Savenko and his wife, manager. trading post of Pavlov, industrialist Skurikhin with his wife and eight-year-old daughter, industrialist Startsov and about 60 Eskimos.

Head of the island G.A. Ushakov, during his three-year stay on the island, put its coast on the map, and made very important changes to the previous maps of the island, collected a large botanical collection, processed by Academician Komarov, and a geological collection, subsequently processed by P.V. Wittenburg. .

Since during 1927 and 1928 not a single ship was able to approach Wrangel Island due to heavy ice, in 1929 an expedition was sent to the island under the command of Captain K.A. Dublitsky on a powerful ice cutter "F. Litke" with the task of reaching the island and changing the colony. Despite heavy ice, broken propeller blades, a hole through which water rose in the forepeak at three feet per hour, the ice cutter “F. Litke" reached the island, bypassing the island from the north. Herald and passing to Rogers Bay by Long Strait. A scientific unit headed by geophysicist Prof. was sent on the ship for scientific work. V.A. Berezkin, consisting of: hydrologist G.E. Ratmanov, zoologist P.V. Ushakov and geomorphologist V.A. Kalyanova [Dublitsky, 1931; Nazarov, 1932; Kalyanov, 1934]. The ship stayed off the island for six days, during which all the scientists did a lot of work for such a short period of time. Kalyanov walked to the upper reaches of the Klerk River, compiled an altitude profile (barometric), collected a collection of geological samples, and found fauna in the inner parts of the island - on the banks of the river. Clerk, took about 300 photographs. He also described the tundra of the interior of the island and the coast from Rogers Bay to Somnitelnaya Bay, collected a botanical collection (45 species), processed by M.I. Nazarov, took three soil monoliths and two fragments of hummocks. The work was greatly hampered by a two-day 8-point snow storm. Due to a strong storm, unloading of the ice cutter was even stopped.

The expedition of the ice cutter Litke removed the chief G.A. from the island. Ushakov and Doctor Savenko with their wives, the wife of the industrialist Skurikhin and their daughter, unloaded a three-year supply of food and left the head of the island, Comrade Mineev, his wife Comrade Vlasova, Doctor E.N. Sinadsky, radio operators Bogaiov and Shatinsky, meteorologist Comrade Zvantsev. From that moment on, regular weather reports began to be received from the island.

In 1932, geologist V.A. flew to the island. Obruchev and topographer K.A. Salishchev, who carried out an aerial topographic survey of the island. Wrangel, significantly correcting the map of the island compiled by sea captain E.D. Bessmertny based on materials by G.A. Ushakova.

As can be seen from the review of the discovery and exploration of the island, the most scanty information is available about its geology. There is no information in the press about mineral resources, with the exception of indications of Dr. Arngold's coal.

Wrangel Island lies within the Siberian shallow continental platform. The depths of the sea separating it from the mainland do not exceed 50-60 m. From the north towards the polar basin, the depths abruptly end. Thus, the Wrangel and Herald islands lie on the edge of the Siberian continental platform and represent a horst on the edge of a fault depression.

In 1948, a small group of domesticated reindeer was brought to the island and a branch of the reindeer-breeding state farm was organized. In addition to the main settlement in Rogers Bay (Ushakovskoye village), in the 60s the village of Zvezdny was built in the bay. Doubtful, where an unpaved reserve airfield for military aviation was built (liquidated in the 70s). In addition, a military war was organized at Cape Hawaii radar station. In the center of the island, near the mouth of the stream. Khrustalny, for several years rock crystal mining was carried out, for which the small village, subsequently completely destroyed.

In 1953, administrative authorities adopted a resolution on the protection of walrus rookeries on Wrangel Island, and in 1968, a reserve for the protection of walruses was organized on the island,

polar bears,

nesting grounds of the white goose, brant goose and colonial settlements of seabirds.

For a long time The island was rarely visited by border guards until hundreds of butchered walrus carcasses were discovered on its northeastern coast in 1967. Experts, having studied them, agreed that poaching was carried out by foreign fishing vessels. The very next year, an outpost on Wrangel, with a base in the village of Ushakovsky, was set up.

It existed until the end of the 90s of the last century, briefly outliving the once very populous “capital” of Wrangel. Then, due to lack of funding, Moscow decided to remove the outpost from the island, but as soon as the border guards left Wrangel, the scientists created here biosphere reserve They began to report about mysterious ships passing near the island.

In the absence of sufficient material support, the command of the North-Eastern Border Department decided to set up a post in the summer consisting of several people led by an officer. And then it turned out that the island was indeed visited by foreign guests...

In 1975, an experiment on the acclimatization of musk oxen began. Two groups of animals were brought from North America from Nunivak Island. The first - consisting of 30 individuals - was released into the wild in Taimyr. The second, in the amount of 20 animals, will go to Wrangel Island.

The animals did not immediately adapt to local conditions, and in the first few years the population was halved. However, from the beginning of the 80s, the number of musk ox on the island began to grow steadily, and by 2003 the population reached 600 animals. Moreover, they turned out to be even more adapted to local conditions than reindeer. The reason, according to experts, is simple: in winter, the musk ox mainly feeds on accumulated fat reserves. He needs pasture in minimal quantities.

The well-known advantages of the musk ox over deer were clearly demonstrated in the winter of 2003-2004, when due to ice on Wrangel Island the deer could not reach the moss moss. From the total herd of eight and a half thousand heads, about 6 thousand deer died. The sight was terrible. The deer lay in herds. And among musk oxen, due to the peculiarities of their winter nutrition, losses were relatively small.
Currently, the musk oxen herd on the island reaches 900 heads and there are plans to relocate part of the herd to the mainland.

On March 23, 1976, Resolution N°189 of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR was signed on the organization of the Wrangel Island state reserve, including Wrangel and Herald islands, to protect the unique natural complexes of the islands. 12/26/83. A resolution was signed by the Magazhan Regional Executive Committee on organizing a 5 km wide protective zone around the islands. By the 80s, the state farm branch on the island was liquidated and the village of Zvezdny was practically closed, and hunting was also stopped, with the exception of a small quota of marine mammals for the needs of local population. In 1992, the radar station was closed and the only settlement left on the island was the village of Ushakovskoye.

In 1997, at the suggestion of the Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the State Committee for Ecology of Russia, the area of ​​the reserve was expanded to include the water area surrounding the island with a width of 12 nautical miles, by decree of the Government of the Russian Federation N° 1623-r dated November 15, 1997, and in 1999, around the already protected water area by decree of the Governor of Chukotka JSC N° 91 dated May 25, 1999, a security zone 24 nautical miles wide was organized.

Posted Sun, 16/11/2014 - 07:49 by Cap

Wrangel Island is washed by the East Siberian Sea on the western side and the Chukchi Sea on the eastern side. Herald Island is a mountain outcrop located 60 km east of Wrangel Island in the Chukchi Sea.
Wrangel Island is located north of Chukotka, between 70-71° N latitude. and 179° W. - 177°E Important feature geographical location The island is the fact that it is the only large landmass located at high latitudes in the northeastern sector of the Asian Arctic, in the continental shelf zone, the boundary of which ends approximately 300 km north of the island. At the same time, Wrangel Island is located close not only to Asia, but also to North America, and to the Bering Strait, which separates these continents, which serves as the only highway connecting the Pacific and Arctic oceans and a breeding ground for many species of marine animals.

The island is separated from the mainland by the Longa Strait, whose average width is 150 km, which ensures reliable isolation from the mainland. At the same time, the area of ​​Wrangel Island is large enough to provide biological and landscape diversity. Other Arctic islands and archipelagos are separated from Wrangel Island by hundreds of kilometers.

Until the last rise in the level of the world's oceans, Wrangel Island was part of a single Beringian landmass.

The greatest length diagonally from northeast to southwest (between Capes Waring and Blossom) is about 145 km, and the maximum width from north to south (traverse Pestsovaya Bay - Krasina Bay) is slightly more than 80 km. Approximately 2/3 of the island's area is occupied by mountain systems with greatest height 1095.4 m above sea level (Sovetskaya).
Wrangel Island is one of the highest islands in the Euro-Asian sector of the Arctic and the highest island without glaciation in the Arctic in general. The island is characterized by highly dissected relief and a wide variety of geological and geomorphological structures.
Wrangel and Herald Islands, due to climatic conditions, landscape characteristics and vegetation cover, belong to the arctic tundra subzone (the northernmost subzone of the tundra zone).

GEOGRAPHY OF WRANGEL ISLAND
Wrangel Island (Chuk: Umkilir - “island of polar bears”) is a Russian island in the Arctic Ocean between the East Siberian and Chukchi seas. Named in honor of the Russian navigator and statesman of the 19th century Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel.

It is located at the junction of the western and eastern hemispheres and is divided by the 180th meridian into two almost equal parts.
Administratively it belongs to the Iultinsky district of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
It is part of the reserve of the same name. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2004).

Archaeological finds in the area of ​​the Devil's Ravine site indicate that the first people (Paleo-Eskimos) hunted on the island as early as 1750 BC. e.
Russian pioneers knew about the existence of the island from the middle of the 17th century from stories local residents Chukotka, however geographic Maps he arrived only two hundred years later.

Opening
In 1849, British explorer Henry Kellett discovered in the Chukchi Sea new island and named it Herald Island after his ship Herald. To the west of the island, Gerald Kellett observed another island and marked it on the map. The island received its first name: “Kellett's Land”.

In 1866 western island visited by the first European - Captain Eduard Dallmann (German: Eduard Dallmann), who conducted trade operations with the residents of Alaska and Chukotka.
In 1867, American whaler by profession and explorer by vocation Thomas Long - perhaps unaware of Kellett's previous discovery, or having misidentified the island - named it in honor of the Russian traveler and statesman Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel.
Wrangel knew about the existence of the island from the Chukchi and during 1820-1824 unsuccessfully searched for it.

In 1879, near Wrangel Island, the route of the expedition of George De Long lay, who tried to reach the North Pole on the ship USS Jeannette. De Long's voyage ended in disaster, and in search of him in 1881, the American steam cutter Thomas Corwin, under the command of Calvin L. Hooper, approached the island. Hooper landed a search party on the island and declared it US territory.
In September 1911, the icebreaking steamship Vaygach from the Russian hydrographic expedition of the Arctic Ocean approached Wrangel Island. The Vaygach crew filmed the coast of the island, landed and raised the Russian flag over it.

Herald Island, a satellite of Wrangel Island

Canadian Arctic Expedition 1913-1916
On July 13, 1913, the brigantine of the Canadian Arctic expedition “Karluk”, led by anthropologist V. Stefanson, left the port of Nome (Alaska) to explore Herschel Island in the Beaufort Sea. On August 13, 1913, 300 kilometers from its destination, the Karluk was caught in ice and began a slow drift to the west. On September 19, six people, including Stefanson, went hunting, but due to ice drift they were no longer able to return to the ship. They had to make their way to Cape Barrow. Later, accusations were made against Stefanson that he deliberately abandoned the ship under the pretext of hunting in order to explore the islands of the Canadian Arctic archipelago.
25 people remained on the Karluk - the crew, members of the expedition and hunters. The brigantine's drift continued along the route of George De Long's barque Jeannette until it was crushed by ice on January 10, 1914.
The first batch of sailors, on behalf of Bartlett and under the command of Bjarne Mamen, set out for Wrangel Island, but mistakenly reached Herald Island. The first mate of the Karluk, Sandy Anderson, remained on Herald Island with three sailors. All four died, presumably due to food poisoning or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Another party, including Alistair McCoy (participant of Shackleton's Antarctic expedition in 1907-1909), undertook an independent trip to Wrangel Island (a distance of 130 km) and went missing. The remaining 17 people under the command of Barlett managed to reach Wrangel Island and went ashore in Draghi Bay. In 1988, traces of their camp were found here and a memorial sign was erected. Captain Bartlett (who had experience participating in the expeditions of Robert Peary) and the Eskimo hunter Kataktovik together set off across the ice to the mainland for help. Within a few weeks they successfully reached the Alaskan coast, but ice conditions prevented an immediate rescue expedition.

The Russian icebreaking steamships Taimyr and Vaigach tried twice in the summer of 1914 (August 1-5, then August 10-12) to break through to help, but were unable to overcome the ice. Several attempts by the American cutter “Bear” were also unsuccessful.

Of the 15 people remaining on Wrangel Island, three died: Mallok from a combination of reasons such as overwork, hypothermia, gunren and eating spoiled pemmican; Mamen as a result of kidney failure, apparently caused by the same pemmican; Braddy, according to some members of the group, was killed by Williamson, who staged an accident while cleaning a revolver. The reason is the difficult psychological atmosphere in the group’s camp. The murder was never proven; Williamson denied all charges. The survivors earned their living by hunting and were rescued only in September 1914 by an expedition on the Canadian schooner King & Wing.

Northern Lights over Wrangel Island

Stefanson's expeditions of 1921-1924
Inspired by the survival experience of the Karluk crew and the prospects for marine fishing off Wrangel Island, Stefanson launched a campaign to colonize the island. To support his enterprise, Stefanson tried to obtain official status from first the Canadian and then the British government, but his idea was rejected. The refusal, however, did not prevent Stefanson from declaring support for the authorities and then raising the British flag over Wrangel Island. This ultimately led to a diplomatic scandal.

On September 16, 1921, a settlement of five colonists was founded on the island: 22-year-old Canadian Alan Crawford, Americans Halle, Maurer (participant of the Karluk expedition), Knight, and an Eskimo woman, Ada Blackjack, as a seamstress and cook. The expedition was poorly equipped, as Stefanson relied on hunting as one of his main sources of supply.
Having successfully survived the first winter and having lost only one dog (out of seven), the colonists hoped for the arrival of a ship with supplies and a replacement in the summer. Due to severe ice conditions, the ship was unable to approach the island and the people remained for another winter.

In September 1922, the White Army gunboat Magnit (a former messenger ship armed during Civil War) under the command of Lieutenant D. A. von Dreyer, but the ice did not give her such an opportunity. Opinions differ about the purpose of Magnit's campaign to Wrangel Island - it is to suppress the activities of Stefanson's enterprise (expressed by contemporaries and participants in the events), or, on the contrary, to provide assistance to him for a fee (expressed in the newspaper of the FSB of Russia in 2008). Due to the military defeat of the White movement in Far East, the ship never returned to Vladivostok; the Magnit crew went into exile.
After the hunt failed and food supplies ran low, on January 28, 1923, three polar explorers went to the mainland for help. Nobody saw them again. Knight, who remained on the island, died of scurvy in April 1923.
Only 25-year-old Ada Blackjack survived. She managed to survive alone on the island until the ship arrived on August 19, 1923.

In 1923, 13 settlers remained on the island for the winter - American geologist Charles Wells and twelve Eskimos, including women and children. Another child was born on the island during the wintering period. In 1924, concerned by the news of the creation of a foreign colony on Russian island, the USSR government sent the gunboat “Red October” (the former Vladivostok port icebreaker “Nadezhny”, on which guns were installed) to Wrangel Island.

"Red October" left Vladivostok on July 20, 1924 under the command of hydrographer B.V. Davydov. On August 20, 1924, the expedition raised the Soviet flag on the island and removed the settlers. On way back, On September 25, in the Long Strait near Cape Schmidt, the icebreaker was hopelessly jammed by ice, but a storm helped it free. Overcoming heavy ice led to excessive fuel consumption. By the time the ship dropped anchor in Providence Bay, there was only 25 minutes of fuel left, and there was no fresh water at all. The icebreaker returned to Vladivostok on October 29, 1924.

Soviet-American and then Chinese-American negotiations on the further return of the colonists to their homeland through Harbin took a long time. Three did not live to see their return: the expedition leader, Charles Wells, died in Vladivostok from pneumonia; two children died along the subsequent journey.

DEVELOPMENT OF WRANGEL ISLAND
In 1926, a polar station was created on Wrangel Island under the leadership of G. A. Ushakov. Together with Ushakov, 59 people landed on the island, mostly Eskimos who had previously lived in the villages of Providence and Chaplino.
In 1928, an expedition was made to the island on the icebreaker “Litke”, on which the Ukrainian writer and journalist Nikolai Trublaini worked as a boiler room attendant, who described Wrangel Island in a number of his books, in particular “To the Arctic - through the Tropics”. In 1948, a small group of domesticated reindeer was brought to the island and a branch of the reindeer-breeding state farm was organized. In 1953, administrative authorities adopted a resolution on the protection of walrus rookeries on Wrangel Island, and in 1960, by decision of the Magadan Regional Executive Committee, a long-term reserve was created, which was transformed in 1968 into a reserve of republican significance.

LIES ABOUT THE GULAG
In 1987, former prisoner Efim Moshinsky published a book in which he claimed that he was in a “corrective labor camp” on Wrangel Island and met Raoul Wallenberg and other foreign prisoners there. In reality, contrary to legend, there were no Gulag camps on Wrangel Island.

Wrangel Island (reserve)
In 1975, musk oxen from the island of Nunivak were introduced to the island, and the executive committee of the Magadan region allocated the lands of the islands for a future reserve. In 1976, to study and protect the natural complexes of the Arctic islands, the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve was founded, which also included the small neighboring Herald Island. In connection with the reserve, a reserve protection zone 5 nautical miles wide was established around the islands. The total area of ​​the reserve was 795.6 thousand hectares. In 1978, the Scientific Department of the reserve was organized, whose employees began a systematic study of the flora and fauna of the islands.
In 1992, the radar station was closed, and the only settlement left on the island was the village of Ushakovskoye, which was deserted by 2003.
In 1997, at the proposal of the governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and the State Committee for Ecology of Russia, the area of ​​the reserve was expanded to include the water area surrounding the island with a width of 12 nautical miles, by order of the Russian government No. 1623-r dated November 15, 1997, and in 1999, around the already protected water area, by decree of the governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug No. 91 dated May 25, 1999, a protective zone 24 nautical miles wide was organized. Wrangel Island

Modernity
Various military exercises are regularly held on the island.
In 2014, the Eastern Military District, as part of the northern delivery, will for the first time deliver more than 2.5 thousand tons of various cargo to Cape Schmidt and Wrangel Island.
On August 20, 2014, sailors of the Pacific Fleet under the command of Captain 3rd Rank Evgeniy Onufriev, who arrived on Wrangel Island to carry out hydrographic work on the ship "Marshal Gelovani", raised the Naval Flag over the island, thus establishing the first base of the Russian Pacific Fleet on it.

NATURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND
The island's area is about 7670 km², of which about 4700 km² is mountainous. The shores are low, dissected by lagoons, separated by sand spits from the sea. In the central part of the island the terrain is mountainous. There are small glaciers and medium-sized lakes, arctic tundra.

Climate
The topography of Wrangel Island determines significant thermal differences within its boundaries. Yes, at different points south coast the average July temperature ranges from 2.4 to 3.60C, which corresponds to the range of the Arctic tundra subzone; on the northern coast, a similar indicator fluctuates around 10C (as in the polar deserts), and in the intermountain basins of the central part of the island, it reaches 8-100C, which is typical for the southern edge of the tundra zone.

The climate in the area of ​​the islands is arctic with a significant influence of cyclonic activity. For most of the year, cold arctic air masses dominate here, which are characterized by low temperatures and low moisture and dust content. In summer they are displaced by warmer and more humid air masses from the Bering Sea. Dry, dusty or continental air masses from Siberia are also not uncommon here. The average annual air temperature is - 11.3°C. The coldest month is February (- 24.9°C), the warmest month is July (2.5°C).

The frost-free period on the islands usually does not exceed 20-25 days, often lasting only about 2 weeks. An average of 152 mm of precipitation falls here annually, about half of which occurs in the snowy months. The winter period is characterized by strong and prolonged northeastern winds, the speed of which often exceeds 40 m/s. At the same time, the snow precipitation is significantly redistributed depending on the shape of the relief and the direction of the wind, forming a very uneven snow cover - from its absence in windy areas to multi-meter thicknesses in the lowlands and on leeward slopes. A significant portion of snow precipitation is blown into the sea by the wind.

Meso-climatic differences are well expressed on the territory of Wrangel Island. The central sector of the island is characterized by a more continental climate compared to the coastal (western and eastern sectors), which are characterized by lower summer temperatures, later snow melting and a much greater frequency of cloudy weather and fog.

Relief
Approximately 2/3 of the island's territory. Wrangel is occupied by mountains. In the central part of the island, to the north and south of the Central Mountains, two longitudinal wide (up to 3 km) valleys can be traced in the latitudinal direction. The highest point of the island is Mount Sovetskaya 1096 m. The central mountainous part of Wrangel Island is a mid-mountain area, towering above the entire island.
The mid-mountain massif is strongly dissected by numerous valleys. The peaks of the mountains, with the exception of a few of the highest ones with alpine-type outlines, have a predominantly plateau-like shape. From the west, north and south, the middle mountains are surrounded by a strip of low mountains and hillocks, which are strongly dissected peneplains with altitudes from 200 to 600 m. The low mountains are also densely dissected by valleys, among which there are several particularly large ones, forming extensive intermountain basins. The mountain structures of the island from the north and south are bordered by accumulative plains, composed mainly of alluvial deposits, with ridges and ridges rising 10-15 m above the general level.

The northern valley is confined to a large latitudinal fault, and the southern valley is confined to the boundary of strata of different ages and different facies. The northern and southern parts of the island are occupied by low-lying tundra. The northern lowland Tundra of the Academy is a slightly hilly lowland with absolute elevations from 5-10 to 30-50 m. The flat tundra in the southern part of the island is identical in surface character to the Tundra of the Academy. The absolute heights of its heights at the foot of the Central Mountains reach 100 m. On the western side of the island there is a narrow coastal plain.

The flat shores of the island are predominantly of the lagoon type and are characterized by an abundance of sand and pebble spits and bars. Where mountain structures reach the sea, various types of abrasion coasts develop, characterized by rocky cliffs up to several tens of meters high. Herald Island is a high outlier composed of granites and gneisses, ending on all sides in the sea with steep rocky ledges up to 250 m high. Both islands are characterized by various cryogenic forms of nano- and micro-relief, among which various polygonal and spotted forms predominate. In the low-lying areas of the plains of Wrangel Island, thermokarst basins are also developed, and in the intermountain valleys there are complexes of bayjarakhs, formed as a result of the melting of polygonal ice wedges.

In accordance with the landscape-ecological zoning of the territory of Russia (Isachenko, 2001), Wrangel Island is part of the Chukotka-Koryak group of provinces of the Far Eastern sector of the subarctic zone. However, most researchers (Alexandrova, 1977; Khromov, Mamontova, 1974, etc.) attribute it to the Arctic zone. The island as a whole is characterized by the development of arctic-type landscapes, including polar-desert and arctic-tundra subtypes. In accordance with the botanical and geographical zoning of the Arctic (Alexandrova, 1977), Wrangel Island belongs to the Wrangel subprovince of the Wrangel-Western American province of the Arctic tundra. All main types of Arctic landscapes are represented on Wrangel Island. Plains, abrasive and accumulative in origin, provide a wide range of morphological types, including lowland and elevated, flat, hilly and sloping.
On the territory of the island, Markov (1952) and V.V. Petrovsky (1985) identified 5 areas characterized by relatively homogeneous geological and geomorphological conditions and characteristics of plant communities: the Academy tundra, the Southern region, the Western region, the Central region and the Eastern region.

Wrangel Island, Chukchi Sea coast

Hydrology and hydrography
In total, the island has more than 140 rivers and streams with a length of more than 1 km and 5 rivers with a length of more than 50 km. All watercourses are fed by snow. Of the approximately 900 lakes, most of which are located in the Academy Tundra (north of the island), 6 lakes have an area exceeding 1 km². On average, the depth of lakes is no more than 2 m. Based on their origin, lakes are divided into thermokarst lakes, which include the majority, oxbow lakes (in the valleys of large rivers), glacial, dammed and lagoon lakes. The largest of them are: Kmo, Komsomol, Gagachye, Zapovednoe. The entire surface of the island is dissected by an intensively developed river network. All more or less large rivers originate within large mountain ranges, where their valleys are usually narrow, with steep slopes and canyons in some areas. Mountain streams and rivers have a relatively shallow depth with a small channel width. Their valleys are deeply incised and differ in an equilibrium profile that has not yet been established. Mountain rivers that flow across the strike of the structures have steep rocky banks almost throughout their entire length. With access to the plains, the channels of watercourses expand sharply: the streams are divided into several branches, meanders, reaches, and rifts appear. The watercourses of the Academy Tundra are characterized by a calm flow in winding channels. The erosion incision in them is weakly expressed. There is an abundance of oxbow lakes, especially in the floodplain area.

The water area of ​​the East Siberian and Chukchi seas adjacent to the Wrangel and Herald islands is distinguished as a separate Wrangel chemical-oceanographic region, characterized by special types of surface waters with low salinity, high oxygen saturation and a high content of nutrients. A flow of warm Pacific waters comes here from the Bering Sea, forming a clearly defined layer at a depth of 75-150. IN northern part Warm Atlantic waters also penetrate into the water area, at a depth of about 150 m.

The ice regime of the water area adjacent to the islands is characterized by the almost constant presence of ice in the summer. The edge of drifting ice, during the period of its minimum distribution, is located in the immediate vicinity of the islands, or slightly to the northwest (in exceptional cases, far to the north). In the Long Strait, throughout the warm period, an ice mass known as the Wrangel ice mass remains. In the East Siberian Sea, not far from Wrangel Island in the summer, there is a spur of the Aion oceanic ice massif. In winter, to the north or northwest of the island, the Zavrangelskaya stationary polynya operates.

East-Siberian Sea. Due to shallow depths, the temperature is characterized by a uniform distribution from the surface to depth. IN winter time it is -1-20C, in summer +2+50C, in bays up to +80C. The salinity of water is different in the western and eastern parts of the sea. In the eastern part of the sea at the surface it is usually about 30 ppm. River flow in the eastern part of the sea leads to a decrease in salinity to 10-15 ppm, and at the mouths of large rivers to almost zero. Near ice fields, salinity increases to 30 ppm. With depth, salinity increases to 32 ppm in the Chukchi Sea. The temperature in winter is -1.70C, in summer it rises to +70C. From the southern part of the island, the tides are small, about 15 cm. In winter, increased salinity (about 31-33 ‰) of the under-ice layer of water is typical. In summer, salinity is less, increasing from west to east from 28 to 32 ‰. At the melting edges of the ice, salinity is lower; it is minimal at river mouths (3-5 ‰). Typically, salinity increases with depth.
The Chukchi Current is described, running from west to east from East Siberian Sea and the Herald and Longovskaya branches of the Bering Sea Current running north, northwest and west into the Long Strait.

Geology
The island is composed of various sediments (metamorphic, sedimentary, igneous, etc.) of a wide age range - from the late Precambrian to the Triassic, which are overlain by Neogene-Quaternary sediments, filling depressions in the north and south. Excellent exposure, easy passage of the tundra and in most cases moderate elevations, good decipherability of objects make the island convenient for geological study. In addition, contacts between strata of different ages are in most cases well expressed in the relief.

Wrangel Island is composed of two main complexes: metamorphic formations and deposits of the Paleozoic-Mesozoic cover.

METAMORPHIC FORMATIONS are exposed in the axial part of the Central and Mammoth Mountains. Sedimentary and volcanic rocks, strongly dislocated and metamorphosed in greenschist and epidote-amphibolite facies, intruded by dikes and small intrusions of mafic and felsic composition, are distinguished as the Wrangel complex [Ivanov, 1969], the lower part of the Berry Formation [Tilman et al., 1970; Ganelin et al., 1989; Bogdanov, 1998], Gromovskaya and Inkalinskaya formations [Kameneva, 1975]. The total thickness is estimated at 2000 m. G.I. Kameneva, based on microfossil finds, attributed the Gromov Formation to the Middle and Upper Riphean, and the Inkalin Formation to the Vendian. ON THE. Bogdanov, S.M. Tilman and V.G. Ganelin and co-authors are inclined to consider these formations as the result of dynamometamorphism of Devonian or Early Paleozoic rocks, which is confirmed by K-Ag dating of 457 ± 25 million years. During the work of the Soviet-Canadian expedition, determinations of zircons were obtained indicating a Late Proterozoic age: 699 ± 1 million years (zircons from mafic rocks), as well as 609 ± 10, 633 ± 21 and 677 ± 163 million years (zircons from granites). Our field observations (2006) most likely indicate that the metamorphic complex contains both ancient and Paleozoic formations.

The PALEOZOIC-MESOZOIC COVER is composed of Silurian-Devonian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian and Triassic deposits. The contact of the Wrangel complex with the non-metamorphosed cover is most likely tectonic. In the upper reaches of the river. Predators, it is clearly expressed in relief by a ledge and a conjugate saddle, covered with vegetation with numerous outcroppings of black shales.

Silurian-Devonian. Terrigenous and carbonate deposits of this age are known only in the northern part of the island. The total thickness is 400-500 m.

Devonian. It is represented by sandstones, often quartzites and shales with horizons of conglomerates, gravelites and limestones. M.K. Kosko et al describe an unconformable Devonian stratigraphic contact with conglomerates at the base on rocks of the Wrangel Complex. Thickness 600-2000 m.

Lower Carboniferous. In the upper reaches of the river. Predator, the lower part of the section is composed of dark gray and black shales with interlayers of dark organogenic limestones. Above is a unit of alternating greenish-gray and brown calcareous sandstones, siltstones and shales. Gradational layering is clearly visible. Along the strike there are marly-calcareous packs, interlayers and lenses of carbonate rocks and dolomites with gypsum. This part of the section is characterized by variegated brown, yellow, gray, green and pinkish colors.

Carbon. Pelitomorphic and organogenic limestones with horizons of terrigenous rocks, the number of which increases in the northern direction. The total thickness of sediments is 500 -1500 m. In the middle reaches of the river. Unknown there are outcrops of volcanic rocks of acidic and basic composition with relics of spherical separation and lenses of jasperoids.

Permian. Shales with interlayers of bituminous limestones and sandstones. The southern part is dominated by shales, while the northern, shallower part contains lens-shaped conglomerate horizons. The thickness of the deposits is 800 m in the southern part and 1200 m in the northern part [Kosko et al., 2003].

Triassic. Terrigenous deposits, distributed mainly in the southern part, where they can be traced in a wide strip from Cape Ptichiy Bazar to the eastern coast. The Triassic is characterized by turbidites and an internal folded-scale structure.

Triassic turbidites overlie various horizons of Paleozoic sediments. Some researchers tend to consider these relationships as an unconformable stratigraphic contact, others as a thrust. In the places studied by the authors (Khishchnikov River, Somnitelny Creek, Zanes Cape) the contact is tectonic. At the same time, a long history of contact formation cannot be ruled out.

Initially, stratigraphic relationships could exist, then a thrust with a general northern vergence typical of Wrangel was formed, and at the very later stages faults could arise, including along the thrust plane, caused by general extension and the formation of young sedimentary basins on the shelf south of the island.

Soil cover
The entire territory of the reserve is located in the permafrost zone. The soil cover of the islands is relatively well formed. Arctic-tundra turf and tundra or arctic gley soils predominate. In the most continental central regions The islands are widespread and the soils are completely uncharacteristic for the Arctic islands - steppe cryoarid and tundra-steppe, characteristic of the sharply continental regions of Siberia and the north of the Far East. Typical salt marshes of lithogenic origin, i.e., are also described on the island under the name arctic-tundra saline soils. Owing their existence to the exudate water regime, which is typical for arid territories and completely atypical for the Arctic. In the central regions of the island, the type of carbonate arctic-tundra soils, which is endemic to Wrangel Island, is quite widespread.

On Herald Island, seabird colonies at an altitude of 100-200 m have well-formed peat-humus zoogenic soils, on which the vegetation cover is unusually lush.

Flora
The first researcher of the vegetation of Wrangel Island B. N. Gorodkov, who studied in 1938 East Coast islands, classified it as a zone of arctic and polar deserts. After a complete exploration of the entire island from the 2nd half of the 20th century. it belongs to the arctic tundra subzone of the tundra zone. Despite the relatively small size of Wrangel Island, due to the sharp regional characteristics of its vegetation, it stands out as a special Wrangel subprovince of the Wrangel-Western American province of the Arctic tundra.

The vegetation of Wrangel Island is distinguished by a rich ancient species composition. The number of species of vascular plants exceeds 310 (for example, on the much larger New Siberian Islands there are only 135 such species, on the Severnaya Zemlya islands there are about 65, on Franz Josef Land there are less than 50). The flora of the island is rich in relics and relatively poor in plants common in other subpolar regions, of which, according to various estimates, there are no more than 35-40%.
About 3% of plants are subendemic (silver grass, Gorodkov poppy, Wrangel's cinquefoil) and endemic (Wrangel's bluegrass, Ushakov's poppy, Wrangel's cinquefoil, Lapland poppy). In addition to them, another 114 species of rare and very rare plants grow on Wrangel Island.

This composition of the flora allows us to conclude that the original Arctic vegetation in this area of ​​​​ancient Beringia was not destroyed by glaciers, and the sea prevented the penetration of later migrants from the south.
The modern vegetation cover on the territory of the reserve is almost everywhere open and low-growing. Sedge-moss tundra predominates. In the mountain valleys and intermountain basins of the central part of Wrangel Island there are areas of willow thickets (Richardson's willow) up to 1 m high.

bird market, Wrangel Island

Quite often, birds from North America fly or are blown into the reserve, including sandhill cranes that regularly visit Wrangel Island, as well as Canada geese and various small American passerines, including finches (myrtle warblers, savannah buntings, gray and Oregon juncos, black-browed and white-crowned Zonotrichia).
The mammal fauna of the reserve is poor. The endemic Vinogradov's lemming, previously considered a subspecies of the hoofed lemming, the Siberian lemming and the arctic fox live here permanently. Periodically, and in significant numbers, polar bears appear, whose maternity dens are located within the boundaries of the reserve. At times, wolves, wolverines, stoats and foxes enter the reserve. Along with people, sled dogs settled on Wrangel Island. A house mouse has appeared and lives in residential buildings. For acclimatization, reindeer and musk ox were brought to the island.

Reindeer lived here in the distant past, and the modern herd comes from domestic reindeer brought from the Chukotka Peninsula in 1948, 1954, 1967, 1968, 1975. The deer population is maintained at up to 1.5 thousand heads.
There is evidence that musk oxen lived on Wrangel Island in the distant past. In our time, a herd of 20 heads was brought in April 1975 from the American island of Nunivak.
The island has the largest walrus rookery in Russia. Seals live in coastal waters.

In the mid-1990s, in the journal Nature, one could read about a stunning discovery made on the island. Reserve employee Sergei Vartanyan discovered here the remains of woolly mammoths, whose age was determined to be from 7 to 3.5 thousand years. Despite the fact that, according to popular belief, mammoths went extinct everywhere 10-12 thousand years ago. Subsequently, it was discovered that these remains belonged to a special, relatively small subspecies that inhabited Wrangel Island back in the days when Egyptian pyramids, and which disappeared only during the reign of Tutankhamun and the heyday of the Mycenaean civilization. This places Wrangel Island among the most important paleontological monuments on the planet.

remains of the village of Domnitelny

Settlements
Ushakovskoe (non-residential)
Zvezdny (non-residential)
Perkatkun (non-residential)

Population
Officially, the village of Ushakovskoye on Wrangel Island was declared uninhabited in 1997. However, several people refused to leave him.
The last 25-year-old female islander, Vasilina Alpaun, was killed by a polar bear in 2003.
After her, the only civilian left on the island was the man Grigory Kaurgin, who practices shamanism. The presence of people on the island was again ensured by the Russian military from the troops of the Eastern Military District (VMD), who on October 1, 2014 settled in the military town created for them.

WRANGEL ISLAND RESERVE
"Wrangel Island" - state nature reserve, occupies the most northern position(located mainly north of 71° N) from protected areas in Russia.
The Wrangel Island State Nature Reserve was established by Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR dated March 23, 1976 No. 189. The total area is 2,225,650 hectares, including the water area of ​​1,430,000 hectares. The area of ​​the protected zone is 795,593 hectares. It occupies two islands of the Chukchi Sea - Wrangel and Herald, as well as the adjacent water area, and is located in the Shmidtovsky district of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
This northernmost of the reserves of the Far East occupies two islands of the Chukchi Sea - Wrangel and Herald, as well as the adjacent water area, and is located in the territory Eastern region Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

Landscape
Approximately 2/3 of the island's territory. Wrangel is occupied by mountains. Arctic tundra and mountains are the dominant landscape. The hydrographic network of Wrangel Island consists of about 150 relatively small rivers and streams, only 5 of which have a length of over 50 km, and about 900 medium-sized shallow lakes.

The flora of Wrangel Island has no analogues in the Arctic in its richness and level of endemism. To date, 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants have been identified in the reserve. This is more than is known for the entire Canadian Arctic Archipelago and is 2-2.5 times higher than the number of species in other Arctic tundra areas of similar sizes. About 3% of the flora of Wrangel Island consists of subendemic species. Among the vascular plants, 23 taxa are endemic to the island. In terms of the number of endemics, Wrangel Island has no equal among the Arctic islands, including Greenland. A number of endemic plants (Oxytropis ushakovii, Papaver multiradiatum and Papaver chionophilum) are common on the island. Endemics also include a variety of anthrax, a subspecies of Lapland poppy, Gorodkov and Ushakov poppies, and Wrangel's cinquefoil. The number of known species of mosses (331) and lichens (310) on Wrangel Island also exceeds other areas in the Arctic tundra subzone.
Sedge-moss tundras predominate; the middle and lower zones of the mountains are occupied by grass-lichen and shrub-forb tundras. There are swamps with sphagnum, low and creeping willow thickets. In the upper belts of the mountains there are extensive rocky areas.
Natural conditions are not conducive to the richness of the fauna.

There are absolutely no amphibians or reptiles in the reserve; fish (cod, capelin and some others) can only be seen in coastal waters. But on the island there are 169 species of birds, most of which are vagrants; nesting is registered for 62 species, of which 44 species nest on the islands regularly, including 8 species of seabirds. For example: gulls, guillemots, etc. Among birds, we must first of all mention the white goose, which forms its only large autonomous nesting colony of several tens of thousands of pairs preserved in Russia and Asia. Brent geese nest regularly (moreover, non-breeding geese fly here in the thousands from mainland Chukotka and Alaska to molt), common eider and common eider, in very limited large quantities Siberian eider, pintails and waders. On the steep seashores there are bird colonies, which numbered in the 60s, according to famous researcher North S. M. Uspensky, 50-100 thousand thick-billed guillemots, 30-40 thousand kittiwakes, 3 thousand cormorants. V.V. Dezhkin in the book “In the World of Reserved Nature,” published in 1989, writes “Now there are fewer of these birds,” and on the official website of the reserve the total number of seabird colonies is estimated at 250-300 thousand nesting individuals.

The bulk of the bird population consists of tundra species, most of which have circumpolar ranges and are common throughout the Arctic tundra. These are the Lapland plantain, snow bunting, tules, turnstone, Icelandic sandpiper and a number of other species. At the same time, there are known cases of nesting of species uncharacteristic for the Arctic, such as the turukhtan, the ruby-throated sandpiper, the puffin and puffin, and the common warbler, for which Wrangel Island is the most northern point nesting. In recent years, the mottled moth has begun to nest regularly on the seabird colonies of Wrangel Island, and its numbers are growing.

The world of mammals is poorer, and its most typical representatives are the Siberian lemming and Vinogradov’s lemming, which in years of high numbers are very important in the ecosystems of the reserve. Arctic fox, ermine, wolverine, wild reindeer, wolves live, and red foxes wander in. But a particularly famous resident of both islands is the polar bear. Wrangel and Herald Islands are known as the world's largest concentration of polar bear maternity dens. V.V. Dezhkin writes: “In some years, up to 200-250 bears had dens in the reserve.” On the reserve’s website there is information that “every year from 300 to 500 bears lie in dens on the islands. Approximately 100 ancestral dens from this number are located on a small island. Herald." In the spring, with slightly stronger offspring, they set off on a journey through the expanses of the Arctic.

Ungulates are represented in the reserve by two species - reindeer and musk ox. Reindeer were brought to Wrangel Island in the late 40s and early 50s: they were brought in two batches of domesticated reindeer from the coast of Chukotka. Currently, they represent an island population of wild reindeer, unique in history and biological characteristics, the number of which in certain periods reached 9-10 thousand individuals. In 1975, a year before the establishment of the reserve, 20 musk oxen, caught on American island Nunivak. The period of adaptation of musk oxen on the island and their development of the entire territory passed with difficulties and was extended for several years, after which the survival of the original herd was no longer in doubt and the population began to actively grow. Currently, the number of musk oxen on the island is about 800-900 individuals, according to the situation in the fall of 2007 - possibly up to 1000. According to paleontological data, both species of ungulates lived on the territory of Wrangel Island in the late Pleistocene, and reindeer much later - only 2 -3 thousand years ago.

Finally, walruses, the most interesting and valuable sea animals, set up rookeries on the coasts of the reserve. Their protection and study are the tasks of local scientists. The Pacific walrus lives here, for which this water area is the most important summer feeding area. In certain years, during the summer-autumn period - from July to the end of September-beginning of October - most of the females and young animals of the entire population accumulate near the islands. Walruses stay near the edge of the ice and prefer to crawl out onto the ice floes to rest, as long as they are in the water area. When ice disappears near the most feeding shallow areas, walruses approach the islands and form the largest coastal rookeries in the Chukchi Sea on certain spits. At the same time, a total of up to 70-80 thousand animals were recorded in the coastal rookeries of walruses on Wrangel Island, and taking into account the animals swimming in the water, up to 130 thousand walruses gathered here. Walruses migrate to the Bering Sea for the winter.

Ringed seals and bearded seals are common in coastal waters throughout the year. The ringed seal is the main food for polar bears throughout the year, providing the complete life cycle of the predator.
In the summer-autumn period, the water area adjacent to Wrangel and Herald islands is a feeding and migration area for cetaceans. The gray whale is the most numerous here. In recent years, the number of gray whales in the summer-autumn period off the coast of Wrangel Island has noticeably increased. Every year large herds of beluga whales pass along the shores of Wrangel Island during their autumn migration. Based on satellite tagging data, it was established that beluga whales approach Wrangel Island in the fall and gather to give birth in the Mackenzie River delta (Canada).
The purpose of creating the reserve is to preserve and study the typical and unique ecosystems of the island part of the Arctic, as well as such animal species as the polar bear, walrus, the only breeding population of the white goose in Russia, and many other species of Beringian flora and fauna with a high level of endemism. In 1974, the musk ox was acclimatized on the island.

Particularly valuable natural objects

Thomas Creek Valley with Adjacent Slopes
high concentration of polar bear birth dens, high density of family groups and female polar bears in the autumn

Cape Blossom area
walrus rookery on the spit; high concentration and activity of polar bears in autumn; concentrations of pink and white gulls on autumn migration; area where walruses and gray whales feed in coastal waters

Scythe Doubtful
walrus rookery; a place of high activity and concentration of polar bears in autumn

Southern coast near Domnitelnaya Bay
cryophyte-steppe and tundra-steppe plant communities; rare and endemic plant taxa; yellowjacket nesting sites; area of ​​concentration for migration of pink and white gulls; area of ​​high polar bear activity in autumn

Mouth area of ​​the Mammoth River and Jack London Lake
high concentrations of molting brent geese; concentrations of waders on autumn migration; a large colony of Sabine-tailed Gull; area of ​​high polar bear activity in autumn

Middle reaches of the Mamontovaya River
cryophyte-steppe and tundra-steppe plant communities; relict communities of Arctic continental halophytes; high density of snowy owl nests and Arctic fox reproductive burrows; numerous small colonies of snow goose and other lamellar-billed birds around the nests of snowy owls; nesting sites of yellow shank and Baird's sandpiper; high density and diversity of lemming settlement types

Gusinaya River Valley
relict tundra-steppe communities, willow growths; high nesting density of snowy owls; numerous colonies of white goose around the nests of snowy owls; Baird's sandpiper nesting sites; high concentration and diversity of lemming settlement types

Whale mountain range
nesting area of ​​Baird's sandpiper, yellow shank, concentration of molting brent geese; a large colony of Sabine-tailed Gull; high diversity of lemming settlements

West coast (section from Cape Thomas to the mouth of the Sovetskaya River)
high concentration of polar bear birth dens on the coastal slopes of the mountains, high activity of polar bears in the autumn; large colonies of seabirds (kittiwakes, thick-billed guillemots, Bering cormorants, mottled guillemots); Baird's sandpiper nesting sites; unique and highly aesthetic geological structures (I-VI); arctic continental halophytes

Cape Warring area
high concentration of polar bear birth dens; high activity of polar bears in autumn; large colonies of seabirds (kittiwakes, thick-billed guillemots, Bering cormorants, mottled guillemots); highest densities of Baird's Sandpiper, Ringed Sandpiper; location of rock crystal and calcite; unique geological structures

Upper reaches of the Unknown River (key section “Upper Unknown”)
the most stable and densely populated breeding colony of snowy owls known in the species' range; mixed reproductive populations of snowy owl and arctic fox; very high concentration of lamellar-billed colonies around snowy owl nests; high concentration of micropopulations and communities of relict, endemic and rare plant taxa; willow growth

The main breeding colony of the white goose in the upper reaches of the Tundravaya River
the only large colony of snow geese remaining in Eurasia; with an accompanying unique ecosystem formed in a given habitat under the influence of zoogenic factors

Herald Island
the highest concentration of polar bear natal dens known in the species' range; walrus rookery; the largest colonies of seabirds with a community of associated species in this sector of the Arctic; unique and highly aesthetic geological structures

Drem Head mountain ranges, Western Plateau, Warring, part of the Eastern Plateau in the area of ​​​​Cape Pillar
the main areas of concentration of polar bear maternity dens on Wrangel Island, areas of high concentration and activity of polar bears in the autumn

Lower reaches of the Tundra River
high concentration of white geese with chicks during the molting period; the most stable and densely populated reproductive colony of arctic foxes known in the species' range; high-density nesting area for the common gull; high concentration and diversity of lemming settlement types

Lake basins in the Academy Tundra from the Bear River to the Hydrographs River and the lower reaches of the Neizvestnaya, Pestsovaya, Krasny Flag and Hydrographs rivers
areas of concentration of white geese with chicks during the post-breeding molt period; main nesting sites for the ragged gull

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTO:
Team Nomads
Leontyev V.V., Novikova K.A. Toponymic dictionary of the north-east of the USSR. - Magadan: Magadan Book Publishing House, 1989, p. 384.
Wikipedia website.
Magidovich I. P., Magidovich V. I. Essays on history geographical discoveries. - Enlightenment, 1985. - T. 4.
Shentalinsky V. The shore of non-random meetings. Magazine "Around the World" (September 1988). Retrieved March 2, 2010. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012.
Krasinsky G.D. On a Soviet ship in the Arctic Ocean. Hydrographic expedition to Wrangel Island. - Publication of Litizdat N.K.I.D., 1925.
Klimenko I. N. Expedition to Wrangel Island, or two lives of the icebreaker “Reliable”. Primorsky State United Museum named after V.K. Arsenyev.
Wiese V. Yu. Seas of the Soviet Arctic: Essays on the history of research. — Ed. Glavsevmorputi, 1948. - 416 p.
Shentalinsky V. A. Home for man and wild beast. - Thought, 1988. - 236 p.
Shentalinsky V. A. Ice captain. - Magadan Book Publishing House, 1980. - 160 p.
Vitaly Shentalinsky. Reserved autumn on Wrangel // Around the World. - 1978. - No. 9 (2635).
Vitaly Shentalinsky. Shore of non-random encounters // Around the world. - 1988. - No. 9 (2576).
Gromov L.V. A fragment of ancient Beringia. - Geographgiz, 1960. - 95 p.
Mineev A.I. Five years on Wrangel Island. - Young Guard, 1936. - 443 p.
Mineev A.I. Wrangel Island. - Glavsevmorput Publishing House, 1946. - 430 p.
Gorodkov B.N. Polar deserts about. Wrangel // Botanical Journal. - 1943. - T. 28. - No. 4. - P. 127-143.
Gorodkov B.N. Soil and vegetation cover of Wrangel Island // Vegetation of the Far North of the USSR and its development. - L.: Nauka, 1958. - V. 3. - P. 5-58.
Gorodkov B.N. Analysis of the Arctic desert zone using the example of Wrangel Island // Vegetation of the Far North of the USSR and its development. - L.: Nauka, 1958. - V. 3. - P. 59-94.
http://www.photosight.ru/
photo: S. Anisimov, V. Timoshenko, A. Kutsky.

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Only one Neolithic site of Paleo-Eskimos is known - on the southern coast of the island. Archaeologists did not find bones of land animals in the cultural layer, which indicates that the diet ancient population The islands consisted exclusively of marine animals and fish. When the islands were discovered by Europeans, there were no local residents here for a long time.
There are direct indications that M.V. Lomonosov spoke about the presence of a large island in this sector of the Arctic. In 1763, the great Russian scientist indicated on a map of the Arctic in the area north of Chukotka a certain island, which he called “Doubtful”. From this approximate name, the name of the bay - Doubtful - has been preserved on the modern map of the island.
In 1820, the Russian government sent two expeditions to the northern coast of Siberia: the first was looking for the legendary “Sannikov Land”, the second, under the command of the outstanding Russian navigator and polar explorer Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel (1796/1797-1870), went in search of the completely mythical “Andreev Land” "
For four years, Wrangel explored the North, trying to find an unknown land. His persistence was also explained by the fact that the Chukchi had long known about the existence of the island. The Chukotka kamakai (leader) told Wrangel that near the mouth of one of the rivers on clear summer days high snowy mountains. The Chukchi, who themselves were unable to reach the unknown land, formed a legend that the Krekhai Kamakai of the fabulous Onkilon tribe, a people who supposedly lived earlier on the shores of the ocean, went to this land along with the entire tribe.
The stories of the Chukchi gave Wrangel additional strength, and in 1823 he set off towards an unknown land on a dog sled. He did not reach the ground, but he saw the mountains and put them on the map. Later this land was called “Wrangel Land”.
In 1849, the English captain-polar explorer Henry Kellett on his ship searched for the expedition of fellow countryman John Franklin frozen in the ice and also saw the peaks of the mountains of “Wrangel Land”.
The first European to become personally convinced of the reality of the island’s existence in 1867 was the American whaler Thomas Long. The enlightened whale hunter knew about “Wrangel Land,” and he named the island after the Russian explorer.
The first person to set foot on this island was an American: in 1881, the crew of the US ship Thomas Corwin visited here, also searching for the captive ship. The Americans planted their flag here, called the island “New Caledonia” and declared it property of the United States.
Only in 1911 did the Russian hydrographic vessel “Vaigach” arrive here and manage to circumnavigate the entire island.
In 1924, the Soviet flag was raised on the island, American claims to the island were rejected, and the planned development of this completely wild land began. IN different time Experiments on breeding domestic reindeer were conducted here, and even a reindeer herding farm was created. Three villages were built, an unpaved military airfield was built, a military radar station was installed, rock crystal was mined, and musk ox acclimatization was carried out.

Population

In addition to scientists and military personnel, the island was inhabited mainly by the Chukchi, who were resettled on the island to organize hunting for arctic fox, walrus, polar bear, white geese, and geese.
Currently, the villages on the island are abandoned, there is no permanent population, the island is periodically visited by border guards and rare groups of tourists.

Nature

The Wrangel Island State Nature Reserve was established by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR in 1976.
Currently, the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve is the northernmost of the environmental protection zones in Russia. His total area- 2.3 million hectares, including water areas - 1.4 million hectares. The reserve is located on two islands of the Chukchi Sea - Wrangel and Herald. Two-thirds of the territory is mountains. The climate here is extremely harsh.
The purpose of the reserve is to organize the protection of the natural complex of the island, its unique ecological systems, both on land and in the ocean. For this purpose, a five-kilometer security zone was created around the island, the reindeer herding farm and the radar station were closed.
The status of the reserve helps preserve the polar bear population: this is the only place in Russia where female bears from 330 to 600 individuals come to set up a maternity den and give birth to offspring. Here they protect the walrus, which is hunted by poachers from several countries.
The most numerous species of pinnipeds here is the Pacific walrus. During the summer feeding period, the largest coastal rookeries in the Chukchi Sea are formed here: up to 80-100 thousand walruses.
In total, 15 species of mammals live on Wrangel Island, including seals (ringed seal, bearded seal), Siberian and hoofed lemmings, arctic fox, fox, wolf, wolverine, and ermine. Having found its way here along with people, the house mouse has taken root in abandoned buildings.
There are a lot of birds: 400 species, among which the most numerous are kittiwake gull, thick-billed guillemot, brent goose, puffin, loon, Icelandic sandpiper, Arctic guillemot, Bering cormorant, long-tailed skua. Here is the largest colony of white goose in Eurasia.
The waters around the island are poorly studied. As summer draws to a close, gray whales, killer whales, beluga whales, humpback whales, fin whales and bowhead whales come to the island's shores to feed and migrate. There are no fish in hundreds of lakes on the island.
Surprisingly, there are even insects on Wrangel Island: 31 species of spiders, 58 species of beetles, 42 species of butterflies. Such a diversity of invertebrate species, concentrated in one place in the Arctic tundra, is characteristic only of Wrangel Island.
Despite the harsh climate and other conditions natural area Arctic tundra, 417 species and subspecies of plants grow here, including many endemics. There are species preserved from the Pleistocene era: anesthesia, Wrangel's cinquefoil, Wrangel's cinquefoil, Wrangel's bluegrass, Gorodkov's poppy, Lapland poppy. All these species are included in the Red Book of Russia.
The domestic reindeer brought here for breeding has already gone completely wild and multiplied: its number is 1.5 thousand individuals. The 20 musk oxen released onto the island in 1975 have also successfully settled in, and there are now about 700 of them here.
When people still lived here, traditional nature management for the Chukchi was allowed in the reserve - and this was the only exception for Soviet reserves: they engaged in hunting and fishing on an extremely limited scale. Small tour groups coming here are allowed to travel around the island along coastline, it is prohibited to fly by helicopter at an altitude below 2 km, observation of musk oxen, deer, gray whales, tundra and seabirds is allowed. When ice conditions allow, visitors to the reserve can walk several water routes by boat along Somnitelnaya Bay and Krasina Bay.

general information

Location:, between the East Siberian and Chukchi seas.
Administrative affiliation: Shmidtovsky district of the Russian Federation.
Distance from the mainland (northern coast of Chukotka): 140 km - Longa Strait.
Origin: mainland.
Settlements (all abandoned): Ushakovskoe, Zvezdny, Perkatkun.
Largest rivers: Claire, Mammoth, Unknown, Tundra.
Lakes: Gagachye, Zapovednoe, Kmo, Komsomol.

Numbers

Area: 7670 km2.
Population: no permanent population.
Highest point: Mount Sovetskaya (1096 m).
Rivers: 1,400 rivers and streams more than 1 km long, 5 rivers more than 50 km long.
Lakes: about 900, thermokarst, total area - 80 km 2

Climate and weather

Arctic.
Active cyclonic activity.
Average annual temperature:-11.3°C.
Coldest month: February (-24.9°C).
Warmest month: July (+2.5°C).
Frost-free period: 20-25 days a year.
Average annual precipitation: 152 mm.
Polar day - from the 2nd decade of May to the 20th of July; polar night - from the 2nd ten days of November to the end of January.
Blizzards with wind speeds of up to 40 m/s and higher.
Relative humidity: 82%.

Attractions

Reserve "Wrangel Island"

Mountain Sovetskaya

Mount Perkatkun

White goose colony

Pacific walrus rookery

Bird markets

Paleo-Eskimo site (Devil's Ravine)

Landing site of Canadian settlers at the mouth of the Predator River

Doubtful Bay

Lagoon Traitor

Krasina Bay

Curious facts

F.P. Wrangel was widely known as a fierce opponent of the sale of Alaska to the United States of America and did not hesitate to openly express his disagreement with Emperor Alexander II.

Until the mid-1960s, there was no border post on the island. In 1967, hundreds of butchered walrus carcasses were discovered on the northeastern coast: the result of poaching by foreign fishing vessels. After this, an outpost appeared here, which served until the end of the 1990s.

Since the 1980s. The number of musk ox on the island increased steadily; by 2003, the population numbered 600 individuals. The reason is that musk oxen are more adapted to the living conditions on Wrangel Island than deer: in winter, the musk ox survives on accumulated fat reserves and does not need a large amount of pasture.

Devil's Ravine is a Paleo-Eskimo site on Wrangel Island, discovered in 1975. Valuable artifacts dating back to 1750 BC were found here. - the time when the last mammoths died out.

In 1993, a number of scientific publications reported that an employee of the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve discovered the remains of a small mammoth, 3.5-7 thousand years old, while mammoths became extinct 10-12 thousand years ago. This means that the very last mammoths on Earth lived on Wrangel Island.

Contrary to popular belief, there were never Gulag forced labor camps on Wrangel Island.

The biological diversity of plant communities on Wrangel Island has no equal among the Arctic island territories and surpasses in this regard the entire Canadian Arctic archipelago.

The reserve on Wrangel Island contains the world's largest walrus rookeries: up to 75 thousand accumulate on Cape Blossom, and up to 20 thousand on Somnitelnaya Spit.

The walrus is able to stay under water without air for up to 10 minutes.

Vinogradov's lemming, endemic to Wrangel Island, builds complex burrows with an area of ​​up to 30 m2, with three dozen entrances and a depth of up to half a meter.

Judging by the finds of archaeologists, the first people appeared here in 1750 BC. e., Wrangel Island was put on maps in the middle of the 19th century. In 1921, the colonization of the island began: first, settlers from the USA and Canada arrived here, and in 1924, the Soviet flag was raised over the island. The first polar station, under the leadership of the Russian Arctic explorer Georgy Ushakov, was created already in 1926.

The geographical position of this territory is surprising: Wrangel Island is divided by the 180th meridian into two almost equal parts, which means it is located simultaneously in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Today the island administratively belongs to the Iultinsky district of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The reserve, washed by the Arctic Ocean, is the northernmost in the Far East, and in terms of the number of endemic plants and animals (that is, living in only one climate zone), it has no analogues in the world and surpasses even Greenland.

The territory of the protected zone on Wrangel and Herald islands is almost 800 thousand hectares. Mountains, occupying two-thirds of the territory, are the main type of landscape. The rest is arctic tundra with small lakes and streams, of which there are about 900. Despite the proximity of the Arctic Circle, there are no glaciers on the island.

Flora and fauna of the island

The Chukchi name of Wrangel Island, Umkilir, translates as “island of polar bears.” Indeed, the number of dens of this northern predator here is the largest in the world. Every year, 400–500 bears hibernate on the island. And the history of creating a full-fledged reserve began with another mammal - the musk ox. They were brought in in 1975 in the amount of 20 individuals and after many years of adaptation they took root. There are currently about 900 individuals on the island. Another ungulate, reindeer, was introduced here in the early 1950s, and today it is the only large population of reindeer on the islands (9-10 thousand individuals). The coast is home to walruses that migrate to the Bering Sea for the winter. And in the waters of the reserve, scientists study cetaceans; The most common species are beluga whales and gray whales, and sometimes the bowhead whale. The island is home to Asia's largest colony of white geese. And in general, the fauna is unique in terms of population size. Also inhabited here are the arctic fox, wolverine, wolf, red fox, Siberian lemming and Vinogradov's lemming - the aborigines of this territory.

The harsh climate does not contribute to the diversity of flora: there are no frosts only 20 days a year; The polar night, when the air temperature drops to -30°C and the wind reaches 40 m/s, lasts over three months. However, the island has 417 plant species: more than anywhere else in the Arctic climate zone. These are mainly lichens, mosses and dwarf trees.

Tourist routes

Because of climatic conditions the only village on this territory was officially declared non-residential in 1997: only groups of research scientists and reserve employees are on the island. Visits to the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve are limited, but there are about 10 tourist routes summer and autumn. They include traveling along rivers and ravines on all-terrain vehicles or, very rarely, on foot, but most importantly, watching animals: deer, polar bears... and whales, if you're lucky, of course. You cannot move more than 20 m away from the guide, so as not to meet one-on-one with the ferocious northern predators.

In 2004, the Wrangel Island Nature Reserve was included in the list of objects World Heritage UNESCO.

The existence of a large island in this sector of the Arctic Ocean was predicted by M.V. Lomonosov. In 1763, Mikhailo Vasilyevich showed on a map of the polar regions north of Chukotka the large island “Doubtful”. The location of this supposed land turned out to be close to the real Wrangel Island. Indigenous residents of Chukotka - subjects Russian Empire, the existence of the island was known long before its discovery by Europeans. The first European who informed the world about the existence of the island was Lieutenant of the Russian Navy Ferdinant Petrovich Wrangel. He learned about the existence of land north of Chukotka from a Chukotka elder. In 1821-1923, the expedition of F. P. Wrangel undertook three trips into the ice in order to find this land. Each time, vast expanses of open water blocked the squad's path, forcing them to turn back to the mainland. The island was not found, but Wrangel was sure that it existed and put it on the map, showing the location correctly in latitude, but slightly shifted to the west.

In 1849, Captain Kellett, commanding the ship Herald, sent to search for the missing expedition of J. Franklin, approached a previously unknown island and landed on it, giving the island the name of his ship, but without even taking its coordinates. To the west of Herald Island, members of Captain Kellett's crew saw the tops of other mountains, believing them to be islands, but did not continue the geographical survey.

The European who formally discovered Wrangel Island in 1867 was the American whaler Thomas Long. Knowing about the geographical works of F.P. Wrangel, Captain Long gave the island the name of a Russian officer.

The first landing of Europeans on the island occurred only in 1881 - people from the crew of the American ship Corwin, under the command of Lieutenant Berry, set foot on land.

In 1911, the first Russian expedition reached Wrangel Island on the ship "Vaigach", planting the Russian flag on the island, and in 1916 the tsarist government declared the island to belong to the Russian Empire.

In 1924, the gunboat Red October planted the Soviet flag on the island, followed two years later by the Soviet government's resolution on sovereignty over Wrangel Island.

In 1926, by decision of the Soviet government, a permanent Soviet settlement was founded on the island, the head of which was the famous Russian Arctic explorer Georgy Alekseevich Ushakov. A meteorological station was established on the island and regular scientific research began.

The first settlers of the island were mainly indigenous residents of Eastern Chukotka, resettled to the island to organize hunting. From the moment they founded settlements on the island, hunting of arctic fox, walrus, polar bear, white geese, and geese began on the island.

In 1948, a small group of domesticated reindeer was brought to the island and a branch of the reindeer-breeding state farm was organized. In addition to the main settlement in Rogers Bay (the village of Ushakovskoye), in the 60s a second village, Zvezdny, was built on the island in the bay. Doubtful. An unpaved reserve airfield for military aviation was built here (liquidated in the 70s). In addition, a military radar station was established at Cape Hawaii.

In the center of the island, near the mouth of the stream. Khrustalny, rock crystal mining was carried out for several years, for which a small village was built at the foot of Mount Perkatkun, which was later completely liquidated.