Penkigney Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Penkigney Bay |
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View of Penkigney Bay from the east
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 Penkigney Bay
Location in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
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| Location | Far North |
| Coordinates | 64°49′N 172°49′W / 64.817°N 172.817°W |
| Native name | бухта Пенкегней Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help) |
| River sources | Kitlyaren, Pestsovaya |
| Ocean/sea sources | Bering Sea |
| Basin countries | Russia |
| Max. length | 23 km (14 mi) |
| Max. width | 4.8 km (3.0 mi) |
| Average depth | 100 m (330 ft) |
Penkigney Bay is a beautiful bay located on the eastern coast of the Chukotka Peninsula in Russia. It is part of the large Bering Sea. The local people, the Chukchi, call it Pènkènèi. This bay is known for its stunning natural beauty and interesting history of exploration.
Contents
Exploring Penkigney Bay's Geography
Penkigney Bay is a type of bay called a fjord. A fjord is a long, narrow inlet of the sea with steep sides, usually created by a glacier.
Shape and Size of the Bay
The inner part of Penkigney Bay stretches for about 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) in a southwest-northeast direction. Then, it bends and opens up towards the southeast for about 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) until it reaches the open sea. The bay is usually about 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) wide.
Islands and Inlets
Inside the bay, you can find two smaller inlets and a coastal lagoon. This lagoon is almost completely surrounded by a narrow strip of land. At the entrance of the fjord, on its northern side, are two small islands called Merkinkan and Achinkinkan. Just beyond the point on the southern side, there is a small cove named Alera Bay. There are no towns or villages built right on the shores of Penkigney Bay.
A Look into Penkigney Bay's History
Penkigney Bay has been visited and explored by several important adventurers.
Early Exploration by Makar Ratmanov
The first time this bay was properly studied, described, and mapped was in 1828. A midshipman named Makar Ratmanov did this work. He was part of the First Kamchatka expedition, which was led by the famous Russian sailor Count Fyodor Petrovich Litke.
Nordenskiöld's Visit and the Vega Expedition
Later in the 19th century, Penkigney Bay was visited by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld. He was on his famous Vega Expedition, which was the first to successfully travel through the entire Northeast Passage. Nordenskiöld actually called the bay "Konyam Bay." He wrote about his visit:
Some days after we anchored in Konyam Bay (64 deg. 49' N.L., 172 deg. 53' W.L. from Greenwich). We found there only pure reindeer-owning Chukches; there was no coast population living by hunting and fishing.
This means that when Nordenskiöld visited, he only met Chukchi people who raised reindeer, not those who lived by hunting and fishing along the coast.
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