This Envisat image from 19 March 2012 shows the elongated islands of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago on the left, the mainland of northwestern Russia to the right and an ice-covered Kara Sea in the centre. The Barents Sea is off the islands’ west coast. Located completely within the Arctic Circle, Novaya Zemlya is an extension of the Ural Mountains. 
<p>The Arctic’s hard environment makes it difficult to explore. Today, satellites can provide a breadth of information on polar regions such as sea-ice extent, and can facilitate navigation and communications.
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This image is featured on the Earth from Space video programme.
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Envisat satellite</div>
CC BY-SA 3.0 igo
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2013/01/Novaya_Zemlya_archipelago_Arctic_Circle">http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2013/01/Novaya_Zemlya_archipelago_Arctic_Circle</a>