Editing Franz Josef Land (section)

{{Short description|Archipelago in the Arctic}}
{{About|the archipelago in Arctic Russia|the Albanian island|Franc Jozeph Island}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Franz Josef Land
| local_name       = {{native name|ru|Земля Франца-Иосифа}}
| native_name      = 
| image_name       = Map of Franz Josef Land-en.svg
| image_caption    = Map of Franz Josef Land
| image_size       =
| map_image        = Franz Josef Land location-en.svg
| map_caption      = Location of Franz Josef Land
| nickname         = 
| location         = [[Arctic Ocean]]
| coordinates      = {{Coord|81|N|55|E|type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago      = 
| total_islands    = 192
| major_islands    = 
| area_km2         = 16134
| length_km        = 
| width_km         = 
| highest_mount    = [[Wiener Neustadt Island]]
| elevation_m      = 620
| population       = 2 (permanent)
| population_as_of = 2023
| density_km2      = 
| ethnic_groups    = 
| country          = {{flag|Russia}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = Federal subject
| country_admin_divisions       = [[Arkhangelsk Oblast]]
| additional_info  = 
}}

'''Franz Josef Land'''{{efn|Name variants: '''Frantz Iosef Land''', '''Franz Joseph Land''' or '''Francis Joseph's Land'''; {{langx|no|Frans Josefs land}}}} ({{langx|ru|Земля́ Фра́нца-Ио́сифа|Zemlya Frantsa-Iosifa}}) is a Russian [[archipelago]] in the [[Arctic Ocean]]. It is inhabited only by military personnel.<ref>[http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/04/29/russia-touts-arctic-military-base-as-us-struggles-to-catch-up.html Military.com: Russia Touts Arctic Military Base as US Struggles to Catch Up]</ref> It constitutes the northernmost part of [[Arkhangelsk Oblast]] and consists of 192 islands, which cover an area of {{convert|16134|km2|sp=us}}, stretching {{convert|375|km|sp=us}} from east to west and {{convert|234|km|sp=us}} from north to south. The islands are categorized in three groups (western, central, and eastern) separated by the [[British Channel]] and the [[Austrian Strait]]. The central group is further divided into a northern and southern section by the [[Markham Sound]]. The largest island is [[Zemlya Georga|Prince George Land]], which measures {{convert|2741|km2|sp=us}}, followed by [[Wilczek Land]], [[Graham Bell Island]] and [[Alexandra Land]].

Approximately 85% of the archipelago is [[glacier|glaciated]], with large unglaciated areas on the largest islands and many of the smallest ones. The islands have a combined coastline of {{convert|4425|km|sp=us}}. Compared to other Arctic archipelagos, Franz Josef Land is highly dissected, as a result of it being heavily glaciated, with a very low ratio of total area to coastline of just ~3.6&nbsp;square kilometers per coastline kilometer. [[Cape Fligely]] on [[Rudolf Island]] is the northernmost point of the [[Eastern Hemisphere]]. The highest elevations are found in the central and eastern group, with the highest point located on [[Wiener Neustadt Island]], {{convert|620|m|sp=us}} [[above mean sea level]].

The archipelago was first spotted by the Norwegian sailors [[Nils Fredrik Rønnbeck]] and Johan Petter Aidijärvi in 1865, although they did not report their finding. The first reported finding was in the 1873 [[Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition]] led by [[Julius von Payer]] and [[Karl Weyprecht]], who named the area after Emperor [[Franz Joseph I]].

In 1926, the [[Soviet Union]] annexed the islands, which were known at the time as '''Fridtjof Nansen Land''', and settled small outposts for research and military purposes. The [[Kingdom of Norway]] rejected the claim and several private expeditions were sent to the islands. With the [[Cold War]], the islands became off limits for foreigners and two military airfields were built. The islands have been a nature sanctuary since 1994 and became part of the [[Russian Arctic National Park]] in 2012.