Which strait separates Novaya Zemlya from Vaygach Island in Arctic Russia?

The strait separating Novaya Zemlya from Vaygach Island in Arctic Russia is Kara Strait, also called the Kara Gates.

This channel lies between the southern end of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago and the northern tip of Vaygach Island. It connects the Barents Sea to the Kara Sea and is one of the passages associated with the Northern Sea Route.

Kara Strait is about 33 kilometres long, but its width and depth vary considerably. Its narrowest reported width is around 50 kilometres, while depths range from shallow shoals to more than 200 metres in the eastern part. Ice commonly covers the strait for much of the year.

A useful way to remember the surrounding geography is that Vaygach Island sits between two straits: Kara Strait separates it from Novaya Zemlya, while Yugorsky Strait separates it from the mainland’s Yugorsky Peninsula. Kara Strait should not be confused with Vilkitsky Strait, which lies much farther east near the Taymyr Peninsula.