The Russian geographical society and the Russian post celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago located on border of the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. On September 4, 2013 will issue in circulation a postage Block of 3 values with image of the B. Vilkitsky portrait and the icebreaking steamships "Vaigach" and "Taimyr". On block margins is presented an Arctic landscape.

Artist: A. Drobyshev.
Size of Block: 136 х 80 mm.
Size of stamps in Block: 37 х 26 & 26 х 37 mm.
Edition: 80 000 copies.

The group of islands, called Land of Nicholas II, was opened on September 4, 1913 by participants of the Hydrographical expedition of the Arctic Ocean under the leadership of Boris Vilkitsky. On January 11, 1926 the archipelago was renamed by the resolution of Presidium of the All-Russian central executive committee into Severnaya Zemlya.
The archipelago Severnaya Zemlya consists of 4 large islands (October revolution, Bolshevik, Komsomol, Pioneer) and several smalls. Its total area makes 37,000 square km. 47% of the Severnaya Zemlya is covered by ice. On the archipelago there is the most northern island point of Asia - Arctic Cape.