Cruises from Franz Josef Land

The archipelago of Franz Josef Land is 1000 km from the Geographic North Pole in the Arctic Sea. The 191 ice-covered islands are part of Russia, and its few island settlements are based on harvesting walrus and seal meat. Franz Josef Land is accessible for a few weeks in summer, and parts may well year-round be covered in pack ice. Though claimed by Russia in 1929, the names of the islands reflect their exploratory history - German, British, American, Italian and Norwegian.