Photo of Novaya Zemlya from a 1925 German expedition

Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in Arkhangelsk Oblast, in extreme northern Russia. Its two major islands, called simply Severny (northern) and Yuzhny (southern), are vast.

Understand

As a mountainous archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, Novaya Zemlya is a remote and inhospitable place with very harsh weather. Due to its strategic position, it also has a history of use by the Russian (and Soviet) military, including being the site of the 1961 detonation of the Tsar Bomba, which resulted in the most powerful nuclear blast ever produced by humankind.

Get in

Another photo of Novaya Zemlya from the 1925 German expedition

There are two weekly flights between Arkhangelsk and Belushya Guba, the capital of Novaya Zemlya District. However, as there is restricted access to Novaya Zemlya, special permission from the Russian government (and perhaps the military itself) would be needed to visit.

See

A winter's night view of Rogachevo, Novaya Zemlya, in the 1990s

Beautiful scenery, wildlife such as polar bears.