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 Map of Hogland (contour lines every 30 metres) | |
 Interactive map of Gogland | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 60°03′21″N026°59′02″E / 60.05583°N 26.98389°E /60.05583; 26.98389 |
| Adjacent to | Gulf of Finland |
| Length | 11 km (6.8 mi) |
| Width | 3 km (1.9 mi) |
| Administration | |
| Oblast | Leningrad Oblast |
| Demographics | |
| Population | very low (2023) |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone |
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Gogland orHogland[a] is a Russian island in theGulf of Finland in the easternBaltic Sea, about 180 kilometres (110 mi) west fromSaint Petersburg and 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the coast ofFinland (nearKotka). The current population of the island is very low. It belongs toRussia'sKingiseppsky District in theLeningrad Oblast.
Gogland is 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long and 1.5–3 kilometres (1–2 mi) wide.[1] It has an area of approximately 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi); its highest point is 173 m (568 ft).[citation needed]
The Swedish nameHögland (recorded asHögheland in 1547) means "Highland", which accurately describes the island's shape. The spellingHog- reflectsLow German influence.[2] The Russian nameGogland (Гогланд) derives from the Swedish name, with SwedishH rendered as RussianГ (G). The Finnish and Estonian namesSuursaari/Suursaar mean 'large island'.
Gogland has been inhabited by ethnic Finns since at least the 16th century, but it has changed hands several times. Throughout much of its history the island was part of the Kingdom of Sweden, which controlled Finland; however, after theGreat Northern War (as part of which, theaction of 22 July 1713 took place near the island), the Russian Empire, under TsarPeter I, claimed the island. Peter then had the island's first lighthouse built in 1723.
During theRusso-Swedish War (1788–1790) theBattle of Hogland, between theRussian andSwedish fleets, took place offshore, in July 1788.
During theCrimean War, four vessels of theRoyal Navy—Arrogant,Cossack,Magicienne, andRuby—silenced the Russian batteries at a fort on the island, while the Anglo-French fleet went on to attackSveaborg before returning home.
Offshore there have been several notable shipwrecks. The crew of the three-mast clipperAmerika, which sank near the shore in October 1856, lie buried in an old Finnishcemetery.
After theFinnish War (1808–1809), Gogland officially passed to theRussian Empire, although it was made part of the newly createdGrand Duchy of Finland which declared independence from Russia in 1917. Most of the island's population lived in two fishing villages administered fromViipuri (Vyborg).
Gogland is known as the location of one of the earliestradio contacts, which took place on 6 February 1900 under the supervision ofAlexander Popov. (The time and details of this event vary slightly in different sources.)
BeforeWorld War II, Gogland had a permanent population of about 1,000, mainly engaged in fishing, seal hunting, and sea transport. Summer visitor numbers were of up to 10,000, contributing to income on the island.[1] There was also a small soft drink factory on the island.[citation needed]
In March 1939, the Soviets asked Finland to lease Suursaari and four small uninhabited islets for thirty years and cede rich and heavily populated areas on the Karelian isthmus, as they claimed they were vital for the defense of Leningrad, the second biggest Soviet city. In return, the Soviet Union would show its good faith by offering a large slice of empty and unofficially disputed Karelian borderland in exchange. The Finns refused.[3]
Soviet troops occupied the island during theWinter War (1939–1940), and the civilian population was evacuated. Gogland and nearby islands became strategically important duringWorld War II, as German and Finnish forces used them to observe and maintain the massive belts of sea mines that kept the Soviet fleet bottled up in the eastern Gulf of Finland throughout the conflict.
Finnish forces captured Gogland during theBattle of Suursaari (December 1941 – April 1942). Later, in September 1944—Finland having ceased hostilities with the Soviet Union—the Germans attempted to take the island from their Finnish former allies but were repulsed with heavy losses inOperation Tanne Ost. Hogland became a Soviet possession at the end of the war.
Since the island was nearly abandoned since World War II, it has been overgrown with partly impassable forest with little open area remaining. It has picturesque landscapes, but biodiversity is low. Animals found on the island includeEuropean mink, a critically endangered species,velvet scoter, vulnerable on a global scale, and three near-threatened species: thepond bat,Eurasian oystercatcher andnorthern lapwing.[1]
Some tourists used to visit fromSaint Petersburg and Finland. In 2006, however, Russian authorities declared Gogland a "border area", which means that foreign nationals are not allowed to travel to the island without special permits. This limits tourism from abroad to small groups, admitted one at a time, and adds extensive bureaucracy to applications for permission to visit the island.[citation needed]
In 2019, Russia built a militaryheliport with room for multiple helicopters and a refueling station on the island.[5][6]
The current population of the island is very low, mainly servicing several military posts, a weather station and two lighthouses.[1]
During the war years, both Soviet and Finnish troops built extensive fortifications, which are still found all over the island, along with discarded military equipment.
The log village of Suurkylä (Russian: Суркюля,Surkyulya) has been levelled and replaced with a few modern dwellings, possibly for a Soviet fishingcollective farm, as well as some military facilities.
The island is renowned for its rugged scenery, including five lakes. Since 1826, the hill Mäkiinpäällys has two of the points in theStruve Geodetic Arc.[7]
Gogland has ahumid continental climate (Dfb) withoceanic influences from theGulf of Finland.
| Climate data for Gogland (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) | 8.3 (46.9) | 10.7 (51.3) | 21.4 (70.5) | 26.7 (80.1) | 31.7 (89.1) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.3 (86.5) | 23.7 (74.7) | 19.1 (66.4) | 12.2 (54.0) | 7.3 (45.1) | 31.7 (89.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.9 (26.8) | −4.2 (24.4) | −1.5 (29.3) | 3.1 (37.6) | 8.8 (47.8) | 13.9 (57.0) | 17.8 (64.0) | 17.2 (63.0) | 12.8 (55.0) | 7.3 (45.1) | 2.8 (37.0) | −0.2 (31.6) | 6.2 (43.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −33.2 (−27.8) | −27.0 (−16.6) | −24.6 (−12.3) | −10.0 (14.0) | −5.1 (22.8) | 1.4 (34.5) | 6.2 (43.2) | 4.4 (39.9) | −2.9 (26.8) | −8.4 (16.9) | −13.0 (8.6) | −24.2 (−11.6) | −28.8 (−19.8) |
| Source:http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/doc/normals_1991_2020_2.txt | |||||||||||||
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