{{About|the island group in the East Siberian Sea|the island in the Sea of Okhotsk|Medvezhy Island}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Medvezhyi Islands | native_name = Эhэлээх арыылар | native_name_lang = Sakha language | other_name = Медве́жьи острова́ | settlement_type = Island group | image_skyline = Medvezhy.PNG | image_alt = | image_caption = Map of the Medvezhiy Islands. | nickname = | motto = | image_seal = | image_map = Medvyezhi map.png | mapsize = | map_alt = | map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|70|52|N|161|26|E|display=inline}} | coordinates_footnotes = | seat_type = | seat = | leader_party = | leader_title = | leader_name = | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_rank = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = | population_as_of = | population_rank = | population_density_km2 = | population_density_rank = | population_demonym = | population_note = | pushpin_map =Russia Sakha Republic <!-- name of a location map as per Template:Location_map --> | pushpin_label_position =top <!-- position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none --> | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_map1 = | pushpin_label_position1 = | pushpin_map_alt1 = | pushpin_mapsize1 = | pushpin_map_caption1 = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | iso_code = | website = | footnotes = <!-- location ------------------> | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Russian Federation<!-- the name of the country --> | subdivision_type1 = Federal subject | subdivision_name1 = Far Eastern Federal District | subdivision_type2 = Republic | subdivision_name2 = Sakha Republic<!-- etc., subdivision_type6 / subdivision_name6 --> }} The '''Medvezhyi Islands''', or '''Bear Islands''' ({{langx|ru|Медве́жьи острова́}}; {{langx|sah|Эhэлээх арыылар}}, ''Eheleex Arıılar'') is an uninhabited group of islands at the western end of the Kolyma Gulf of the East Siberian Sea.
==History== The first recorded European to report the existence of the Medvezhyi Islands was Russian explorer Yakov Permyakov in 1710. While sailing from the Lena to the Kolyma River, Permyakov observed the silhouette of the unknown island group in the then little explored East Siberian Sea.
In 1820-1824, during Ferdinand Wrangel's Arctic expedition to the East Siberian Sea and the Chukchi Sea, Arctic explorer Fyodor Matyushkin surveyed and mapped Chetyryokhstolbovoy Island in the Medvezhyi group.
On September 3, 1878, Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld recorded that he sailed close to the island group in the steamship ''Vega''. This report was made during the famous expedition that made the whole length of the Northeast passage for the first time in history.<ref>Albert Hastings Markham. ''Arctic Exploration'', 1895</ref>
The group was also explored during the Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition of 1910–1915.<ref>[http://epic.awi.de/Publications/Polarforsch1975_1_6.pdf The Arctic Ocean Hydrographic Expedition 1910-1915] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101016154350/http://epic.awi.de/Publications/Polarforsch1975_1_6.pdf |date=October 16, 2010 }}</ref>
==Geography== The Medvezhyi Islands are located about {{convert|100|km|nmi|round=5|abbr=off}} north of the mouths of the Kolyma River. They are part of the East Siberian Lowland.<ref name="OLK">Oleg Leonidovič Kryžanovskij, ''A Checklist of the Ground-beetles of Russia and Adjacent Lands.'' p. 16</ref> The coast of Siberia is about {{convert|35|km|nmi|abbr=on}} southwest of Krestovsky, the largest island, which is about {{convert|15|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} in length.
The sea surrounding the Medvezhyi Islands is covered with fast ice in the winter and the climate is severe. The surrounding sea is obstructed by pack ice even in the summer months. There is commercial fishing in the area of the islands during the summer.<ref>[http://www.grida.no/ecora/pdfb/actreports/act5.doc Commercial fishing] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629192600/http://www.grida.no/ecora/pdfb/actreports/act5.doc |date=2011-06-29 }}</ref>
This island group is a part of the territory of the Sakha Republic of Russia. As their name indicates, these islands are a refuge and breeding ground for polar bears.
===Islands=== There are six islands in the group: Krestovsky, Leontyev, Pushkarev, Lysova, Andreev and Chetyryokhstolbovoy, where there is a polar station which was inaugurated in 1933.<ref>[http://www.arktika-antarktida.ru/arktikast2.shtml История полярных арктических станций с 30-х годов XX века]</ref> The islands are formed of stacked granite, clay and shale. They are mostly covered with tundra vegetation.<ref>[http://land.worldcitydb.com/respublika_sakha_(yakutiya)_in_russian_federation_state.html Geography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927035803/http://land.worldcitydb.com/respublika_sakha_%28yakutiya%29_in_russian_federation_state.html |date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>
===Climate=== <div style="width:82%;"> {{Weather box |location=Medvezhyi Islands |metric first=yes |single line=yes |Jan mean C = -28.7 |Feb mean C = -29.5 |Mar mean C = -26.7 |Apr mean C = -19.6 |May mean C = -7.0 |Jun mean C = 0.4 |Jul mean C = 2.2 |Aug mean C = 1.8 |Sep mean C = -0.7 |Oct mean C = -9.8 |Nov mean C = -21.2 |Dec mean C = -26.8 |year mean C = -13.8 |Jan precipitation mm = 9.0 |Feb precipitation mm = 6.7 |Mar precipitation mm = 4.5 |Apr precipitation mm = 5.0 |May precipitation mm = 6.3 |Jun precipitation mm = 10.0 |Jul precipitation mm = 20.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 21.1 |Sep precipitation mm = 16.1 |Oct precipitation mm = 14.7 |Nov precipitation mm = 11.5 |Dec precipitation mm = 7.4 |year precipitation mm = 132.3 |unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm |Jan precipitation days = 3.0 |Feb precipitation days = 1.7 |Mar precipitation days = 1.3 |Apr precipitation days = 1.1 |May precipitation days = 1.0 |Jun precipitation days = 2.5 |Jul precipitation days = 4.0 |Aug precipitation days = 5.5 |Sep precipitation days = 5.3 |Oct precipitation days = 5.1 |Nov precipitation days = 3.3 |Dec precipitation days = 1.8 |year precipitation days = 35.6 |Jan sun = 0 |Feb sun = 48 |Mar sun = 205 |Apr sun = 292 |May sun = 233 |Jun sun = 245 |Jul sun = 230 |Aug sun = 126 |Sep sun = 57 |Oct sun = 39 |Nov sun = 5 |Dec sun = 0 |year sun = 1480 |source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>{{Cite FTP | url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_II/RA/21965.TXT | server = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | title = Cetyrehstolbovoj IL Climate Normals 1961–1990 | access-date = 27 February 2016}}</ref> }} </div>
==Features of the islands== <gallery perrow="6" widths="150" heights="120"> File:Chetyrekstolbovoy 1 2014-08-22.jpg|Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island (70°37‘50‘‘N, 162°22’30’’E) File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 2 2014-08-22.jpg|Kigilyakh stone pillars on Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island. Kigilyakh means "stone man" in Yakut. File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 3 2014-08-22.jpg|Kigilyakhs on Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 4 2014-08-22.jpg|Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island (Polar Station) File:Chetyrokhstolbovoy 5 2014-08-22.jpg|Chetyrokhstolbovoy Island File:Krestovsky 1 2014-08-22.jpg|Krestovsky Island <br>(70°48’N, 160°40’E) </gallery>
==See also== *List of research stations in the Arctic *Fyodor Matyushkin *[https://dxnews.com/ri0li/ Amateur Radio Expedition to Leontyeva Island, Medvezhyi Islands RI0LI]
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{East Siberian Sea Islands}}
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Category:Archipelagoes of the East Siberian Sea Category:Archipelagoes of the Sakha Republic Category:Uninhabited islands of Russia