Bennett Island
| Native name: Остров Бе́ннетта | |
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A headland in Bennett Island.
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Bennett Island is the westernmost island of the De Long group.
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| Geography | |
| Location | East Siberian Sea |
| Coordinates | 76°44′N 149°30′E / 76.733°N 149.500°ECoordinates: 76°44′N 149°30′E / 76.733°N 149.500°E |
| Archipelago | De Long Islands |
| Total islands | 5 |
| Area | 150 km2 (58 sq mi) |
| Length | 29 km (18 mi) |
| Width | 14 km (8.7 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 426 m (1,398 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount De Long |
| Administration | |
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Russia
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| Federal subject | Far Eastern Federal District |
| Republic | Sakha |
| Demographics | |
| Population | uninhabited |
Bennett Island (Russian: Остров Бе́ннетта, Ostrov Bennetta) is the largest of the islands of the De Long group in the northern part of the East Siberian Sea. The area of this island is approximately 150 square kilometres (58 square miles) and it has a tombolo at its eastern end. The highest point of the island is 426 metres (1,398 feet) high Mount De Long, the highest point of the archipelago.
Bennett Island is part of the Sakha Republic administrative division of Russia.
Bennett Island was discovered by American explorer George Washington DeLong in 1881 and named after James Gordon Bennett, Jr., who had financed the expedition. DeLong set out in 1879 aboard the Jeannette, hoping to reach Wrangel Island and to discover open seas in the Arctic Ocean near the North Pole. However, the ship entered an ice pack near Herald Island in September 1879 and became trapped. The vessel was crushed by the ice and sank in June 1881. At that point the party was forced to trek over the ice on foot, discovering Bennett Island during July 1881, and claiming it for the United States. They remained on the island for several days before setting out again for the New Siberian Islands and the mainland of Siberia.
In August 1901 Russian ship Zarya sailed on an expedition searching for the legendary Sannikov Land (Zemlya Sannikova) but was soon blocked by floating pack ice. During 1902 the attempts to reach Sannikov Land continued while Zarya was trapped in fast ice. Russian explorer Baron Eduard Toll and three companions vanished forever in November 1902 while travelling away from Bennett Island towards the south on loose ice floes.
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Wikipedia