The discovery of the Severnaya Zemlya

In 1913, a Russian hydrographic expedition discovered the Severnaya Zemlya – an archipelago north of Cape Chelyuskin, at the junction of the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea.

This event ended the era of great geographical discoveries.

The head of the expedition, Boris Vilkitsky, solemnly announced the annexation of the new territory to Russia. By this time, the polar explorers had already been away from home for 3 years.

Soon the archipelago was officially named the land of Emperor Nicholas II, but in 1926 it was renamed the Northern Land.

Image: The Earth Observatory of NASA