Matochkin Shar. At this strait the width of the island is 60 

 miles. Together, Vaigach Island and Novaya Zemlya are 650 

 miles long with an area of 37,000 square miles (fig. 40) . 



In view of the length and narrowness of Novaya Zemlya, the 

 coast stands out as the most prominent element in the landscape. 

 Along the western side there often is found a low foreland in front 

 of the steep flanks of the mountains. The western coast of the 

 north island is indented by deep bays. On the east side, the gen- 

 eral outline of the coast is more uniform. 



The southern island of Novaya Zemlya up to its central part is 

 low and flat. From the somewhat higher ridges of the western 

 coast, the land slopes off to plateaus, usually less than 700 feet 

 high. Here are found many lakes and rivers, but no glaciers. In 

 the northern half of the southern island and southern half of the 

 northern island, from Gooseland to Admiralty Peninsula, the whole 

 land rises to greater heights reaching nearly 4,000 feet in the vi- 

 cinity of Matochkin Shar. Deep, often ravinelike transverse 



Figure 2-26. — Novaya Zemlya. 



85 



