Great Arctic State Nature Reserve

Great Arctic State Nature Reserve
Большой Арктический государственный природный заповедник
IUCN category Ia (strict nature reserve)
The Great Arctic Nature Reserve is one of the largest wildernesses on earth
Location	Russian Arctic, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Taymyrsky Dolgano-Nenetsky District
Coordinates	75°30′N 92°36′E
Area	41,692 km2
Established	1993

The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve (Russian: Большой Арктический государственный природный заповедник) is a nature reserve in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. With an area of 41,692 square kilometers (16,097 sq mi), it is the largest reserve of Russia and Eurasia, as well as one of the largest in the world.

History

The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve was founded on May 11, 1993 by Resolution No.431 of the Government of the Russian Federation. The Nature Reserves in Russia are known as zapovedniks.

Sections

The Great Arctic State Nature Reserve is divided into nine sections:

• Dikson - Sibiryakov section.
• The Kara Sea Islands section, with a surface of 4,000 square kilometers (1,500 sq mi). It includes the Sergei Kirov Islands, the Voronina Island, the Izvestiy TSIK Islands, the Arkticheskiy Institut Islands, the Sverdrup Island, the Uedineniya Island and a number of smaller islands. This section represents rather fully the natural and biological diversity of Arctic Sea islands of the eastern part of the Kara Sea.
• The Pyasino section. Includes the Pyasino Gulf and the Pyasina River basin.
• The Middendorff Bay
• The Nordenskiöld Archipelago
• The Lower Taimyr section. Includes the basin of the Taimyr River (upper and lower), as well as Lake Taimyr.
• The Chelyuskin Peninsula. Includes the northern end of the Taimyr Peninsula
• The Northern Reserve (Североземельский).
• The Brekhovsky Islands Natural Reserve

Ecology

See also: Russian Arctic National Park

Many animals and plants are meant to thrive within the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve without human disturbance. Among the animals that are protected by this Zapovednik, some of the most important are the polar bear, the Arctic fox, the snowy owl, the reindeer and the beluga.

External links

• Nature Reserve
• Bolshoi Arkticheskiy state nature reserve
• Map and pictures