MURMANSK, September 28. /TASS/. A Russian scientific expedition has made some 20 geographical discoveries near the Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos in Russia’s Arctic, the expedition’s press service told TASS on Monday.

The expedition was conducted by the researchers from Russia’s Northern Fleet, and marked the beginning of systematic studies of the Arctic’s poorly explored water areas.

Several big and small islands were found, as well as new peninsulas and straits. New lands will be named after the final data processing.

The expedition’s route of 5,300 miles took 41 days, exploring areas in the Barents and Kara Seas.