Kong Karls Land or King Charles Land is an island group in the Svalbard archipelago, in Arctic Ocean. The island group covers an area of 332 km2 (128 sq mi) and is made up of the islands of Kongsøya, Svenskøya, Abeløya, Helgolandøya and Tirpitzøya.
The islands, which have the largest concentration of Polar bear in Svalbard, are part of the Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve, along with Nordaustlandet and Kvitøya. There is a ban on traffic to the islands, which includes the areas of the sea up to 500 meters away from shore and the airspace up to 500 meters above the area.
Kong Karls Land was discovered by an expedition sent by the Muscovy Company in 1617, probably from a high point on Barentsøya. They named the group Wiche Islands.
Read more about Kong Karls Land: Ecology
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