Kara Sea, southern arm of the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of Russia, situated between the islands of Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and the north-western coast of Siberia in Russia. It has an area of more than 777,000 sq km (300,000 sq mi). Ice-locked for most of the year, the sea is usually a navigable fishing ground during August and September and is an outlet for the Yenisey, Pyasina, Taymyr, and Ob rivers. The chief ports of the Kara Sea are Dikson and Tambey. The Northern Sea Shipping Route, maintained year round, passes through the Kara Sea. The route also passes through the Kara Strait, which connects the Kara Sea with the Pechora Sea (Pechorskoye More), and the Vilkitsk Strait, which connects the Kara Sea with the Laptev Sea (More Laptevykh). The Matochkin Shar Strait (Proliv Matochkin Shar), dividing the islands of Novaya Zemlya, connects the Kara Sea with the Barents Sea.