Kvitøya
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2022) |
 Sentinel-2image (2020) | |
  Kvitøya Location in Svalbard | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Arctic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 80°09′05″N32°35′37″E/ 80.15139°N 32.59361°E |
| Archipelago | Svalbard |
| Area | 682 km2(263 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 410 m (1350 ft) |
| Administration | |
Norway | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
Kvitøya(English: "White Island" ) is an island in theSvalbard archipelagoin theArctic Ocean,with an area of 682 square kilometres (263 sq mi). It is the easternmost part of theKingdom of Norway.The closest Russian Arctic possession,Victoria Island,lies only 62 kilometres (39 mi) to the east of Kvitøya.
The island is almost completely covered byKvitøyjøkulen,an ice cap with an area of 705 square kilometres (272 sq mi) with a classical,hourglass-shaped dome, which has given it its name. The few ice-free land areas are each only a few square kilometres large and very barren and rocky, the largest beingAndréeneseton the southwest corner of the island. Kvitøya is a part of theNordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve.
Etymology
[edit]The present name was given by whalerJohan KjeldsenofTromsøin 1876. The original spelling of the name from 1876 wasHvidøen(Danish–Norwegian). In 1927, it was changed toKvitøya.Like other names in the Norwegian Arctic and Antarctic islands and areas theNynorskform of Norwegian is used in the name – theBokmålform would have beenHvitøyenorHvitøya.
History
[edit]Kvitøya was discovered by the DutchmanCornelis Gilesin 1707, and it was seen under the name 'Giles Land' or 'Gillis Land'[1]on maps in different shapes, sizes and positions throughout the centuries.[2][3]
Andrée's Arctic balloon expedition
[edit]
The island was the resting place of theAndrée's Arctic balloon expeditionof 1897, organised byS. A. Andrée.The expedition had attempted to overfly theNorth Polein a hydrogen balloon, but was forced down on the pack ice about 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of Kvitøya on July 14, less than three days after their launch. They reached the island on foot by October 6 and settled on the only ice free part on the island, on what is now called Andréeneset.
The fate of the expedition for many years was one of the great mysteries of the Arctic, until its remains were discovered by the shipBratvaagin 1930, over thirty years later, and diaries, logs of scientific observations and photographs—glass negative plates, which had been deep frozen and could be developed—were recovered at the site. Modern researchers hold that the three members of the expedition died within two weeks of reaching the island.
A monument commemorating the three men, S. A. Andrée,Nils StrindbergandKnut Frænkelis erected on the island. Another monument, put there by the "Stockholm expedition" in 1997 to commemorate the 100 years anniversary of the tragic event, was later deliberately destroyed by the Svalbard authority, on the ground of it being illegally erected.
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Kvitøya | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −11 (12) |
−11 (12) |
−13 (9) |
−11 (12) |
−4 (25) |
0 (32) |
1 (34) |
1 (34) |
1 (34) |
−2 (28) |
−6 (21) |
−8 (18) |
−5 (23) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −13 (9) |
−13 (9) |
−15 (5) |
−13.5 (7.7) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
1 (34) |
0.5 (32.9) |
0 (32) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−6.7 (20.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −15 (5) |
−15 (5) |
−17 (1) |
−16 (3) |
−7 (19) |
−1 (30) |
1 (34) |
0 (32) |
−1 (30) |
−3 (27) |
−9 (16) |
−12 (10) |
−8 (18) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 14 (0.6) |
12 (0.5) |
16 (0.6) |
12 (0.5) |
11 (0.4) |
14 (0.6) |
16 (0.6) |
16 (0.6) |
16 (0.6) |
26 (1.0) |
25 (1.0) |
26 (1.0) |
204 (8) |
| Source: Besttimetovisit.co.uk[4] | |||||||||||||
