What is Wrangel Island?
[[File:Chukchi Sea map.png|thumb|Location of Wrangel Island]] [[File:503636923ede0.jpg|thumb|{{Center|Wrangel Island}}]] {{hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Wrangell Island]] in [[Alaska]], [[USA]]}} '''Wrangel Island''' ({{lang-ru|о́стров Вра́нгеля}}) is a small [[island]] in the [[Arctic Ocean]] belonging to [[Russia]]. It lies between the [[Chukchi Sea]] and [[East Siberian Sea]]. Wrangel Island lies across the [[180th meridian|180°]] [[meridian (geography)|meridian]]. The [[International Date Line]] is displaced [[east]]wards at this [[latitude]] to avoid the island and the [[Chukchi Peninsula]] on the [[Russia]]n mainland. It is roughly {{convert|7500|km2|sqmi}} in area. The closest land to Wrangel Island is tiny and [[Rock (geology)|rock]]y [[Herald Island (Arctic)|Herald Island]] located {{convert|60|km|abbr=on}} to the east.<ref name=kosko1>M.K. Kos'ko; M.P. Cecile; J.C. Harrison; et al., ''Geology of Wrangel Island Between Chukchi and East Siberian Seas, Northeastern Russia'', Bulletin 461 (Ottawa Ontario: Geological Survey of Canada, 1993), p. 101</ref> The distance to the closest point on the [[Siberia]]n mainland is {{convert|140|km|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Vartanyan2>S.L. Vartanyan; K.A. Arslanov; T.V. Tertychnaya; et al., 'Radiocarbon Dating Evidence for Mammoths on Wrangel Island, Arctic Ocean, until 2000 BC', ''Radiocarbon'', Vol 37, Issue 1 (1995), pp. 1–6</ref> Wrangel Island may have been the last place on earth where [[Woolly Mammoth]] survived. It is home to many [[arctic]] animals including [[polar bears]]. Since 1976 it has been a [[nature reserve]]. == History == [[Baron]] [[Ferdinand von Wrangel]] (1796–1870) was a [[Germany|German]] [[explorer]] and [[seaman]] in the service of the [[Russian Empire]].<ref name=Schmadel1194>Lutz D. Schmadel, ''Dictionary of Minor Planet Names'' (Berlin; New York: Springer, 2012), p. 1194</ref> He noticed birds flying north near the [[Kolyma river]]. From this he correctly [[wikt:deduction|deduced]] there was an island in the Arctic ocean.<ref name=Schmadel1