Hope Island (Hopen)

Hope Island (Hopen) – is located 220 km east of the southern tip of West Spitsbergen, Norway. In the eighteenth century the Russian coast-dwellers hunted here and called the island “Pyatigor.” The island is 37 km long. It is a long and narrow ridge with a flat top, consisting of horizontal strata and heavily rugged by ravines. The ridge has eight hills, mostly situated in the southern part, the highest of which has a height of 200–365 m. The poor vegetation consists of lichens and mosses. Polar bears and blue and white foxes are found on the island. The island was discovered in 1613, but its detailed inventory was not made until 1924. In 1972, an obelisk was put on the island, a stone bearing the inscription: “To the Sailors of the Soviet Steamer Decembrists Who Heroically Died Fighting the Nazi Invaders in 1942.”