Chapter 2. The historical geography of an archipelago of polar explorers

Authors

  • P.J. Capelotti Penn State University, Abington College, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/5.3579

Keywords:

Franz Josef Land, historic place names, historical geography, polar exploration, Oslo NSF workshop

Abstract

An outline of the rationale for a workshop, held in Oslo, Norway, from 12-13 May 2015, to discuss the historic place names of the High Arctic archipelago of Franz Josef Land. The islands contain hundreds of place names that amount to a virtual catalog of polar exploration and explorers of the mid- to late-19th Century. As an example, three American expeditions spent seven years there between 1898-1905, in failed attempts to try to reach the geographic North Pole. However, in the process, they left behind a record of the American Gilded Age that survived even 70 years of Soviet Communism.

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Author Biography

P.J. Capelotti, Penn State University, Abington College, USA

P.J. Capelotti is professor of anthropology at Penn State University, Abington College. He is the author or editor of twenty books and his research has taken him several times to Svalbard and Franz Josef Land and twice to the North Pole. A retired Master Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, Capelotti was decorated by the Coast Guard with the Arctic Service Medal and twice with the Meritorious Service Medal.

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Published

2015-09-09

How to Cite

Capelotti, P. (2015). Chapter 2. The historical geography of an archipelago of polar explorers. Septentrio Conference Series, (3), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.7557/5.3579

Issue

No. 3 (2015): Proceedings of a Workshop on the Historic Place Names of Franz Josef Land

Section

Chapters