Matochkin Strait or Matochkin Shar (Russian: Ма́точкин Шар) is a narrow waterway separating Severny and Yuzhny Islands on Russia's Novaya Zemlya archipelago. It links the Barents Sea on the west to the Kara Sea on the east in the Arctic Circle. It is under ice cover for most of the year and is navigable only for a short time. It is located in a region of strategic importance, and the surrounding region was a major nuclear test site during the Cold War.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
In this Dossier
Matochkin Strait in the context of Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya, also spelled Novaja Zemlja, is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, considered the easternmost point of Europe. To Novaya Zemlya's west lies the Barents Sea and to the east is the Kara Sea.
Novaya Zemlya consists of two main islands, the northern Severny Island and the southern Yuzhny Island, which are separated by the Matochkin Strait. Administratively, it is incorporated as Novaya Zemlya District, one of the twenty-one in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Municipally, it is incorporated as Novaya Zemlya Urban Okrug.
Matochkin Strait in the context of Severny Island
Severny Island (Russian: Се́верный о́стров, romanized: Severnyy ostrov, lit. 'Northern Island') is a Russian Arctic island. It is the northern island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.It was historically called Lütke Land after Friedrich Benjamin von Lütke, who explored it. It lies approximately 400 km north of the Russian mainland. It has an area of 48,904 square kilometres (18,882 sq mi), making it the 30th-largest island in the world and the 3rd-largest uninhabited island in the world, although there was formerly a settlement at Lagerni on the northern shore of the narrow Matochkin Strait. It is part of the Russian Arctic National Park (along with Franz Josef Land which lies to the north).
Matochkin Strait in the context of Yuzhny Island
Yuzhny Island (Russian: Южный остров, romanized: Yuzhniy ostrov, lit. 'southern island') is the southern island of Russia's Novaya Zemlya archipelago, lying north of mainland Russia. It has an area of 33,275 square kilometres (12,800 sq mi), which while smaller than the northern island of Severny, still makes it one of the largest islands in the world. It is separated from Severny Island by the narrow Matochkin Strait, which is covered with ice most of the year. West of Yuzhny Island lies the Barents Sea, to the north the Arctic Ocean, to the east the Kara Sea, and to the south the Pechora Sea.