GYDA PENINSULA

also called Gydan Peninsula, Russian Gydansky Poluostrov, peninsula, northern Russia. It is a northern extension of the West Siberian Plain reaching into the Kara Sea and situated between the bays of Ob and Tazovsky to the west and the estuary of the Yenisey River to the east. The peninsula is about 250 miles (400 km) long and is similar in width. It is predominantly low-lying, varying in elevation between 165 and 525 feet (50 and 160 m). The peninsula is a region of forest-tundra and tundra, with numerous lakes and marshes. Hunting, fishing, and breeding of reindeer are the principal occupations. There are deposits of natural gas in the peninsula.