The sea shores were lived on for thousands of years by tribes of Yukaghirs and then Evens and Evenks. They were then settled by Yakuts and later by Russians. Russian explorations of the area started in the 17th century. They came from the south by several large rivers which empty into the sea. These rivers include the Lena River, the Khatanga, the Anabar, the Olenyok, the Omoloy and the Yana. The sea has several dozen islands, many have well-preserved mammoth remains.