Russia Increases by ‘Five Monacos’ After Discovery of New Arctic Islands

The discovery of nine new islands near Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic has increased Russia’s territory by 10 square kilometers, said Igor Naumov, the head of the Russian Navy’s hydrographic service, following the result of a Northern Fleet Arctic expedition, Russian newspaper Vzglyad reported.

The area by which Russia has increased its Arctic territory is roughly equal to the size of five territories of Monaco.

During the expedition, Russian hydrographers also discovered nine new islands, five straits, seven capes and four bays. Furthermore, the expedition mapped the coastline of a straight that was previously thought to be the Bay of Krivoshein.

The hydrographic expedition of Russia's Northern Fleet began its Arctic research on August 18. The route ran through the Barents and Kara Seas deep into the Arctic Ocean.

After reaching Novaya Zemlya and Franz Josef Land, the expedition conducted research on many islands in the area. Over the course of the expedition, which lasted 41 days, hydrographers surveyed more than 5,000 kilometers along the bottom of the Ocean, the source said.

Apart from the discovery of major geographic objects, the expedition identified at least 15 new changes in the area that require corrections to be made in 23 navigational maps, guides and manuals. The changes are said to have happened due to global warming, Vesti.ru reported.

Russia has been pressing ahead with efforts to develop its Arctic territories. The Arctic is believed to hold up to 25 percent of the planet's untapped oil and gas supplies, and Russia, the US, Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the territory.