Franz Josef Land may be uninhabited by people, but some large mammals enjoy living there

Franz Josef Land (Земля Франца-Иосифа) is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, and administratively part of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.

Understand

About 300 km east of Svalbard and 400 km north of Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef is one of the remotest parts of the world. It's made up of 191 uninhabited islands, 85% of which are entirely covered by ice. It was named for the Austrian Emperor who ruled from 1848 to his death in 1916 and was the destination of the only major Austrian Arctic expedition.

July is the best month to go, being one of only two months when the daily mean temperature passes freezing.

An iceberg and aquatic bird in Franz Josef Land Reserve

Get in

The archipelago is a military area and you will need a special permit to enter. Since 2012 it has been part of the Russian Arctic National Park.

See and do

There are several major islands in Franz Josef Land:

• 1 Alexandra Land. (updated Dec 2017)
• 2 Graham Bell Island. (updated Dec 2017)
• 3 Hall Island. (updated Dec 2017)
• 4 Hooker Island. (updated Dec 2017)
• 5 Jackson Island. (updated Dec 2017)
• 6 MacKlintok Island. (updated Dec 2017)
• 7 Prince Rudolf Island. (updated Dec 2017)
• 8 Salisbury Island. (updated Dec 2017)
• 9 Wilczek Land. (updated Dec 2017)
• 10 Zemlya Georga (Prince George Land). Largest island in Franz Josef Land. The top of the island has an elevation of 416 metres (1,365 ft). (updated Dec 2017)

There are also a few sights in Franz Josef Land:

• 11 Cape Tegethoff. Dramatic rock formation on Hall Island. (updated Dec 2017)

Eat and drink

There are no restaurants on Franz Josef Land.

For water, you could perhaps boil the glacial ice found on every major island in the archipelago. Remember, though, this is a national park.

Sleep

Cape Tegethoff on Hall Island

You will probably need to camp in the area, which will mean enduring bitterly cold weather unless you're going in July.

Stay safe

Bring plenty of food wherever you go, and make sure that you do not go when ice freezes or unfreezes.

Go next

If Franz Josef Land is not quite Arctic enough, the North Pole and the South Pole are located on even greater latitude lines. For a more populated Arctic experience, you can visit Longyearbyen.

Tundra conditions, which are slightly more habitable than Franz Josef Land, are located in Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.