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Looking eastward, there are other icy lands that are less known, but some of them were controversial lands. Take for example Novaya Zemlya. If you're familiar with "Zone A", "Zone B", "Zone C" and Kara Sea, then you know what I mean. Navigating eastward from Greenland, you will come across Svalbard, Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa (Franz Josef Land), Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and the New Siberian Islands. Well, when I came across Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa, I never thought that one of Santa's reindeer resides in Russia. You will find Rudolf Island, but traces of reindeer presence were instead found on an island called Hooker Island (Ostrov Gukera). In fact, the history of Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa itself is also interesting, which involves the race on legal footing between Norway and the former Soviet Union. It was between Norway and Soviet Union, but the archipelago was named after the emperor of the former Austria-Hungary. In fact, most of the islands have names of foreign origin (other than Russian) coming from five different nationalities. Why is that so? Were the people who have visited the territory looking for Santa? Seems not a remote possibility since the northernmost islands are around 1,000 km away from the North Pole. Setting the Santa business aside, this archipelago has been host to many bases and camp sites for polar expeditions. The territory is uninhabited, but millions of birds, mostly sea birds, have built their nests on the islands. That's a significant wildlife activity. If you are doing research on the influence of the communist regime in the Arctic, then you might want to set an expedition to Severnaya Zemlya. There's nothing more communist than October Revolution Island, Bolshevik Island, and Komsomolets Island.
The Arctic region seems to be a no-man's-land, and it's not surprising to know that it contains a lot of stories about human struggles and triumphs. You might want to read about the stories of successful and failed expeditions. In fact, there's a published diary entitled "In the Land of White Death". Haven't read it yet, but the title tells a lot about the harsh side of the Arctic region. It's not the best place for humans, but that's home for polar bears, walruses, Arctic foxes, and seals.
The Arctic region seems to be a no-man's-land, and it's not surprising to know that it contains a lot of stories about human struggles and triumphs. You might want to read about the stories of successful and failed expeditions. In fact, there's a published diary entitled "In the Land of White Death". Haven't read it yet, but the title tells a lot about the harsh side of the Arctic region. It's not the best place for humans, but that's home for polar bears, walruses, Arctic foxes, and seals.
