A Unique Ice Age Landscape
Wrangel Island is about 150 km (93mi) long from east to west and 80km (50mi) wide from north to south, spans approximately 7,600 square kilometers (2,900 square miles) and is located at a latitude of about 71°N and a longitude of 179°W. It is one of the few Arctic landmasses that remained unglaciated during the last Ice Age.
Unlike much of the surrounding region, it was never covered by glaciers or submerged when the ice retreated. Scientists attribute this to the island's arid climate, which limited snowfall and prevented the formation of large ice sheets, as well as its relatively low elevation and geographic position, which were less conducive to glaciation. This has left its soil and plant life largely undisturbed for thousands of years, preserving a unique Pleistocene tundra ecosystem.
The island boasts over 400 plant species, making it the most botanically diverse Arctic Island.
Karluk Expedition
One of the most dramatic episodes in Wrangel Island's history was the Karluk incident of 1914. The Karluk, the flagship of the explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson’s Arctic expedition, became trapped in ice in August 1913 and drifted for months before being crushed in January 1914. Shortly after the ship was trapped, Stefansson left the ship with a small party to hunt for caribou. The ice carried Karluk westwards and Stefansson did not return to ship. Upon reaching land, he focused on the scientific objectives of the expedition rather than attempting to return to the ship.
The survivors, led by Captain Robert Bartlett, made a harrowing journey across the ice, eventually reaching Wrangel Island. Bartlett and an Inuit hunter set out for help, leaving the remaining crew to endure the brutal Arctic conditions. Tragically, 11 people perished, including 10 crew members and an Inuit child, before rescue arrived in September 1914, highlighting the island’s unforgiving environment. Photo: The Karluk survivors after rescue, photographed with Captain Bartlett on board the rescue vessel Bear.
Ada Blackjack & Wrangel Island
In 1921, a failed attempt to colonize Wrangel by Canadian settlers led to a tragic struggle against the Arctic elements. One of the most remark-able stories of human endurance linked to the island is that of Ada Blackjack. An Iñupiat woman of 23 years of age from Alaska, Blackjack joined an expedition led by the explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson as a seamstress, along with four men and a cat by the name of Vic. The men were Lorne Knight, Milton Galle, Fred Maurer and Allan Crawford, two of them were veterans of the Karluk debacle but otherwise they were young and inexperienced explorers (the photo is of the expedition team).
When the expedition's men either perished or disappeared while seeking help, Blackjack remained on the island with one surviving member, Lorne Knight who was suffering from scurvy. She cared for him until he passed away, leaving her completely alone. For two months, she endured the Arctic's extreme conditions, relying on her resourcefulness and survival skills until she was finally rescued in August 1923. Her story remains one of the most extraordinary accounts of Arctic survival.
Settlements on the Island
The Soviet Government declared its sovereignty over Wrangel Island in 1926, establishing the village of Ushakovskoye on August 14 of that year. Led by explorer Georgy Ushakov, the expedition brought several Inuit families from the village of Ureliki in Chukotka to settle there.
The settlement grew steadily, reaching a population of around 180 people by the 1980s. It had essential infrastructure, including a school, post office, hospital, and a small natural history museum. A second village Zvyozdny (Star) was established 30 km west of Ushakovskoye (see map). However, economic difficulties in the 1990s led to the gradual abandonment of both settlements. By 1997, the remaining residents were relocated to Mys Shmidta in Chukotka, leaving Wrangel Island devoid of permanent human habitation. The last known resident, Vasilina Alpaun, tragically lost her life to a polar bear in 2003.
A Haven for Arctic Wildlife
Wrangel Island is a biodiversity strong-hold, hosting the world's highest density of polar bear dens and serving as a crucial stopover for migratory birds, including the endangered spoon-billed sandpiper. Its tundra supports walruses, musk oxen, and reindeer, while vast seabird colonies nest along its cliffs.
The island is home to the endemic Wrangel Island brown lemming, a key prey species for Arctic predators like snowy owls and foxes.
Wrangel is also famous as the last refuge of the woolly mammoth, which survived here until about 4,000 years ago— outliving its mainland relatives by millennia due to the island’s isolation.
Musk oxen, once extinct in the region, were successfully reintroduced in 1975 and now number around 1,000, playing a role in maintaining tundra ecology. Domestic reindeer, introduced in the 1950s for commercial herding, are kept at similar numbers to minimize their impact on bird nesting areas.
See also our map of Arctic Definitions
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