The Wrangel Island is an island in the Arctic Ocean situated just north off the northeast coast of Siberia. The island is 7,608 square meters and is 125 km wide at its maximum. The island is widely characterized by permafrost and has a severe polar climate. Furthermore, the island has two Eskimos settlements and is thus one of the northernmost permanently inhabited place on Earth. The highest peak on Wrangel Island is 1,096 meters above sea level and is called Mount Sovjetskaja.
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Arctic animals
Due to the rich biodiversity the island is placed on the World Heritage UNESCO list. The fauna includes ice bears, musk oxen, caribou, walruses, seals and lemmings. During summer Wrangel Island is a important breeding area for many bird species.
The last surviving mammoths
During the last ice age the island had a mammoth population which was much smaller in size relatively to the original species. It is documented that this specific mammoth population survived up til 1,700 BC which is about 6,000 years later than any other mammoth population. Scientists agrees on the fact that Wrangel Island may have been the last place on earth where mammoths survived. The island is indeed a incredible place for palaeontologists and other people who are interested in the last ice age. If you are lucky you can find bones and skeletal parts from these last standing ice age giants.