# Does Anybody Live in Franz Josef Land? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 7, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626 "2008-02-07T02:24:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/1 "2008-02-07T02:24:09Z")
Franz Josef Land is a group of islands in the arctic ocean. Does anybody live there? Are there any mineral deposits or oil there? Exactly how does any nation establish ownership of an unihabited territory like this? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/2 "2008-02-07T02:28:01Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Exactly how does any nation establish ownership of an unihabited territory like this? [/QUOTE] Planning a Do-It-Yourself project? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/3 "2008-02-07T02:53:50Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Josef_Land) is your friend! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/4 "2008-02-07T03:26:51Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Franz Josef Land is a group of islands in the arctic ocean. Does anybody live there? [/QUOTE] Well, there’s Franz, for a start. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/5 "2008-02-07T05:36:06Z")
At the rate we’re going, it’ll be a tropical paradise in just a few decades. Beat the rush and buy in while the real estate’s still cheap! ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/6 "2008-02-07T12:40:57Z")
> [@](#): > > From the North Pole there’s only one way to go … south. Three days after attaining the Pole we reached the northernmost islands of Franz Josef Land, in the high Russian Arctic. The ice-bound archipelago consists of close to 200 small islands, all uninhabited except for a couple of scientific stations. A land of mystery, it remained undiscovered until the late 19th century when it was initially explored by an Austrian naval expedition, whose leaders named it for Francis Joseph I, the Austro-Hungarian emperor. Of volcanic origin, about 85% of the land is covered by glaciers; the climate is, not surprisingly, harsh and unpredictable. Annexed in 1926 by the Soviet Union, after 1930 the islands were “closed” to all Westerners and only recently has it been possible to visit. That’s from half way down this [blog page](http://www.girlsonthego.com/jo_nort.html) from August 2000. I seem to remember a story last year about rotting Soviet submarines being dumped there, but maybe that was Novaya Zemlya… ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/7 "2008-02-07T12:46:42Z")
[Here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/antecanis/tags/rudolfa/) are some pictures of abandoned huts and equipment at Teplitz Bay on Prince Rudolf Island, which was used as a base for polar expeditions. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/8 "2008-02-07T13:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] [Here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/antecanis/tags/rudolfa/) are some pictures of abandoned huts and equipment at Teplitz Bay on Prince Rudolf Island, which was used as a base for polar expeditions. [/QUOTE] Thanks. I’m already starting to book reservations for my next vacation. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/9 "2008-02-07T13:57:38Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon] Prince Rudolf Island [/QUOTE] Is that the Rudolph who died in a suicide pact at [Mayerling?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Prince_Rudolf_of_Austria) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/10 "2008-02-07T15:04:17Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Is that the Rudolph who died in a suicide pact at [Mayerling?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Prince_Rudolf_of_Austria) [/QUOTE] Yes. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/11 "2008-02-07T23:13:07Z")
[Hijack] Are there many uninhabited islands in temperate parts of the globe? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/12 "2008-02-07T23:19:34Z")
EDIT: STOOPID BROWZER LOL ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/13 "2008-02-07T23:24:17Z")
> [@](#): > > A land of mystery, it remained undiscovered until the late 19th century when it was initially explored by an Austrian naval expedition, whose leaders named it for Francis Joseph I, the Austro-Hungarian emperor. At last, a reference to the Austrian navy that doesn’t involve Captain von Trapp! ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/14 "2008-02-07T23:26:21Z")
Nope. There are some uninhabited islands, but there’s pretty much always a reason they are uninhabited, like no available fresh water. There are plenty of rocks that are above water at high tide, but they wouldn’t be very pleasant to live on. And to anticipate the next question, even the uninhabited islands are claimed by some nation or another, and some by several. Sure, you can move their and put up a flag, but the trouble is that no one will go along with your contention that you’ve started a new country. They’ll ignore you, or, if you do annoying things like piracy or drug trafficking or disturbing endangered species, they’ll arrest you. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/15 "2008-02-08T00:55:34Z")
Well I know there are a few uninhabited islands off the Western seaboard of Ireland. IIRC many of them were evacuated during the 20th century because their population had declined to the point below which it was practical to live a normal life on them. I had never considered the water issue before however. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/16 "2008-02-08T04:12:06Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Exactly how does any nation establish ownership of an unihabited territory like this? [/QUOTE] [The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_300.html) on a related subject. (The question was submitted by…ahem…_a close personal friend_.) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/17 "2008-02-08T13:36:18Z")
[QUOTE=Washoe] At the rate we’re going, it’ll be a tropical paradise in just a few decades. Beat the rush and buy in while the real estate’s still cheap! [/QUOTE] The Wiki page does state that there used to be reindeer there. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/18 "2008-02-08T13:42:09Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] The Wiki page does state that there used to be reindeer there. [/QUOTE] Not the place for me, then. I’m Claus-trophobic. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/19 "2008-02-08T13:43:35Z")
[QUOTE=Princhester] Well, there’s Franz, for a start. [/QUOTE] And Josef. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626/20 "2008-02-08T14:31:40Z")
There’s also [Franz Josef Glacier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Josef_Glacier) on the west coast of New Zealand’s South island, and a small town of the same name downstream (like Christchurch, but without the glitter) “They keep naming cold, cold places after me. Is this some kind of hint? I mean, shit - my kid shoots himself in the head, my wife gets stabbed with a file, what do they expect?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anybody-live-in-franz-josef-land/436626.md?page=2)