and Eurasia, separates the Barents and Kara Seas The earliest recorded voyage through the Yugorsky Shar, traditionally known as the Arctic "Iron Gateway", into the Kara Sea was made from
Nizhny Novgorod by early Russian explorer Uleb in 1032. Russian
Pomors, the coastal dwellers of the
White Sea shores, had been exploring this strait since the 11th century. The Arctic's first shipping line, the
Great Mangazea Route, from the
White Sea to the
Ob River and the
Yenisei Gulf began operating in the latter part of the 16th century. This line opened up the way to Siberia's riches and worked until 1619, when it was closed for military and political reasons, for fear of possible penetration by Europeans into
Siberia. The Yugorsky Strait was an important waterway in the early exploration of the
Northern Sea Route and for the traffic of Soviet maritime convoys during
World War II. ==See also==