Year | Population | Male % | Female % | Urban Pop. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | - | - | Source |
Severny Island is not inhabited. It is called Severny Island as it means, "Northern" island in Russian. It is located in the Russian-controlled Arctic. Originally, the island was called Lutke Island after the famous explorer Friedrich Benjamin von Lutke, who came across the island and explored it. It is located far from the Russian mainland, about 400km north, and has an area of nearly 49,000 square kilometers - making it the 30th largest island in the world. As it is a large open area, it is a part of the Russian Arctic National Park.
Severny Island is separated by the Matochkin Strait from the southern Yuzhny Island, which translates to the "Southern" island of Russia. Near 40% of the island is covered in an ice cap, which is the largest glacier in Europe by area and volume. There are still debates about whether the island is considered part of Europe, the Arctic, or Asia. The easternmost point of Severny Island is named Cape Flissingsky. The entirety of the island is known for its many glaciers and natural pristine beauty.
The island is not inhabited, but you can reach the island with a special permit. This is because it is rumored to still have an operational military base on the island, meaning that the population of the island could include a few inhabitants at any given time, although they will never be registered as residents. One of the stations on the coast of the island is named Cape Zhelaniya, which needed to be a named part of the island as there are important ecological and atmospheric experiments conducted there. An established meteorological station exists at this cape and is used as a gathering point for scientists and adventure seekers who wish to study climate change and patterns in atmospheric and weather conditions. Of course, a permit is necessary to reach this part of the island as it is extremely dangerous to go there without supplies and permission.
The Southern End of the island, possibly selected for its slightly warmer conditions when compared to the rest of the island, is home to a purported military base that is rumored to still be active. During the cold war, it was used for nuclear weapons testing, mainly between the years 1958 and 1961. The Tsar Bomba, which is one of the largest nuclear weapons in existence, was set off and detonated near this area, far away from large amounts of human life.
At the time, the Tsar Bomba was the most powerful weapon that was ever detonated and was the largest anthropogenic explosion in the history of civilization. The explosion yielded 50 megatons of TNT, which was scaled down from the original design of 100 megatons. This cape now has a harbor and is considered to be part of the Russian Army. It has risen to prominence lately as the conflict in Ukraine has popularized this area.