Severnaya Zemlya
Sattelite image of Severnaya Zemlya, courtesy NASA
Severnaya Zemlya (Russian, Northern Land) is an archipelago located in the Arctic Ocean. It is located near the Taymur Peninsula, north of 80ÃÂðN latitude, between the Kara and Laptev Seas. The four major islands, October Revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomolets, and Pioneer, and a number of smaller islands, cover a total area of about 37,000 sq. km. Politically, they are part of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Territory.
The last archipelago on Earth to be discovered, Severnaya was first noted in in 1913 and originally named Nicholas II Land. Initially believed to be a single island, the 1931 polar flight of the Graf Zeppelin determined them to be at least two islands; later study showed Severnaya Zemlya to be be futher divided.
Severnaya Zemlya was the site of a fictional Russian satellite control base in the James Bond movie GoldenEye.