Novaya Zemlya Test Site, Russia

In 1954 on the archipelago Novaya Zemlya was built a large nuclear test site. The first explosion was made there in 1955. When the site was built there lived less than 400 people. Before the tests, they were replaced by other regions. The main reason why this area was chosen for tests is its less population.

Novaya Zemlya Test Site is world-known because there was tested the most powerful nuclear weapon in the human history. There was exploded “Tsar Bomba”, which power was 58mgt. It is in 10 000 more than the Hiroshima bomb. The explosion was so powerful that it was heard 800 kilometres far from the test site. The earth-wave from the rived brick three times went over the Earth. This test side saw 132 explosions. It is the only working test site on the territory of the ex-USSR.

Today it has a status of the research centre. There are held not only nuclear weapon tests but also methods of its keeping. Notwithstanding the hard-ecological situation of the archipelago, it is still a home for rare animals. There you can meet large herds of north deer, arctic foxes and polar bears. On the shores of islands live rare types of sea-calves and seabirds. This test site also saw several huge catastrophes. The largest was in 1969, at this time about 340 people suffered from the nuclear radiation. Next - Pungi-ri Test Site