Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, or Chukotka, is a federal subject of Russia located in the
Russian Far East. Population in 2010: 50,526. The autonomous okrug's surface area is 737,700
square kilometers. The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr. The region
is the most northeasterly region of Russia and, since the sale of Alaska to the United
States, has been the only part of Russia lying partially in the Western Hemisphere.
Elgygytgyn Lake, an impact crater lake, is located in Chukotka, as is the village of
Uelen, the closest substantial Russian settlement to the United States.
Geography
Chukotka is bordered in the north by the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea, which are part
of the Arctic Ocean; in the east by the Bering Strait and the Bering Sea, part of the Pacific
Ocean; in the south by Kamchatka Krai and Magadan Oblast; and in the west by the Sakha
Republic. The Chukchi Peninsula projects eastward forming the Bering Strait between Russia and
Alaska, and encloses the north side of the Gulf of Anadyr. The peninsula's easternmost
point, Cape Dezhnev, is also the easternmost point of mainland Russia.
Ecologically, Chukotka can be divided into three distinct areas: the northern Arctic
desert, the central tundra, and the taiga in the south. About half of its area is above
the Arctic Circle. This area is very mountainous, containing the Chukotsky Mountains and the
Anadyr Range. Chukotka's rivers spring from its northern
and central mountains. The major rivers are: Anadyr River, with tributaries Belaya, Tanyurer,
and Velikaya Rivers, flowing east to the Gulf of Anadyr.
Omolon and the Great and Little Anyuy Rivers that flow west into the Kolyma River in Yakutia.
Rauchua, Chaun, Palyavaam, Pegtymel, Chegitun and Amguyema Rivers that flow north into the
arctic seas. The largest lakes are Lake Krasnoye, west
of Anadyr, and El'gygytgyn Lake in central Chukotka.
Large parts of Chukotka are covered with moss, lichen, and arctic plants, similar to western
Alaska. Surrounding the Gulf of Anadyr and in the river valleys grow small larch, pine,
birch, poplar, and willow trees. More than 900 species of plants grow in Chukotka, including
400 species of moss and lichen. It is home to 220 bird species and 30 fresh water fish
species. Climate
Chukotka's climate is influenced by its location on the three neighboring seas: the Bering
Sea, the East Siberian Sea, and the Chukchi Sea. The weather is characterized by cold
northerly winds that can quickly change to wet southern winds. Cape Navarin has the highest
number of hurricanes and storms in Russia. The coastal areas are windy with little precipitation,
between 200 and 400 mm per year. Temperature varies from −15 °C to −35 °C in January
and from +5 °C to +14 °C in July. Growing season is short, only 80 to 100 days per year.
History The first inhabitants were Paleo-Siberian
hunters who came to Chukotka from Central and East Asia. The area was then part of the
Beringia land bridge that is believed to have enabled human migration to the Americas.
Traditionally Chukotka was the home of the native Chukchi people, Siberian Yupiks, Koryaks,
Chuvans, Evens/Lamuts, Yukaghirs, and Russian Old Settlers.
Russian exploration and conquest After the Russians conquered the Kazan and
Astrakhan Khanates in the 16th century, the trade routes to the Urals, Siberia, and Central
Asia opened for travel and traders and Cossacks moved eastwards. The Cossacks built forts
in strategic locations and subjected the indigenous people to the Tsar.
During the first half of the 17th century, Russians reached the far north-east. In 1641,
the first reference to Chukchi people was made by the Cossacks. In 1649, Russian explorer
Semyon Dezhnyov explored the far north-eastern coast and established winter quarters on the
upstream portion of the Anadyr River that became the fortified settlement of Anadyrsk.
Dezhnyov tried to subjugate the Chukchi and exact tribute during the next ten years, but
was mostly unsuccessful. Eventually the fort was abandoned because of the harsh northern
conditions and lack of game animals for food. At the end of the 17th century, the fort regained
some importance when the sea route from Anadyrsk to Kamchatka was discovered. It was used as
the staging base for expeditions to Kamchatka and all other forts and settlements were made
subject to Anadyrsk. When the wealth of Kamchatka's natural resources was discovered, the Russian
government started to give the far north-eastern region more serious attention. In 1725, Tsar
Peter the Great ordered Vitus Bering to explore Kamchatka and Afanasy Shestakov to lead a
military expedition to subjugate the Chukchi. This expedition failed when the fleet suffered
shipwreck and the survivors, including Shestakov, were killed by the Chukchi.
In 1731, Dmitry Pavlutsky tried again, aided by Cossacks, Yukaghirs, and Koryaks. Pavlutsky
sailed up the Anadyr River and destroyed the Chukchi garrison on the Arctic Ocean. His
ruthless methods had some limited success in forcing tribute from some Chukchi. But
in 1747, the Chukchi defeated the Russian regiment and killed Pavlutsky.
Realizing that the Chukchi could not easily be subjugated by military means, the Russians
changed tactics and offered the Chukchi citizenship in the Russian Emprire. A peace treaty was
concluded in 1778 in which the Chukchi were exempted from paying yasak.
That same year, British Captain James Cook made an exploration of Cape North and Providence
Bay. Anxious that European powers would occupy the area, Tsar Catherine II ordered to explore
and map the area. Starting in 1785, an expedition led by Joseph Billings and Gavril Sarychev
mapped the Chukchi Peninsula, the west coast of Alaska, and the Aleutian Islands. Then
from 1821 to 1825, Ferdinand von Wrangel and Fyodor Matyushkin led expeditions along the
coast of the East Siberian Sea and explored the Kolyma, Great Anyuy, and Little Anyuy
Rivers.
Western influence Chukotka remained mostly outside the control
of the Russian Empire and consequently other foreign powers began to hunt and trade in
the area from about 1820 onwards. After the sale of Alaska to the United States, American
whalers and traders especially extended their activities into Chukotka and foreign influence
reached its peak. By 1880, the Russians reacted by setting up coastal patrols to stop American
ships and confiscate their property. And in 1888, the administrative region of Anadyr
was created. Yet Russian control diminished again and around 1900, a large stream of foreigners
entered Chukotka, lured to the region by the Yukon gold rush in 1898.
In 1909, in order to keep the region within Russian control, two districts were created
within the Anadyr Region: the districts of Anadyr and Chukotka. The Russian government
granted concessions to foreign companies such as the Hudson's Bay Company and the US Northeast
Siberia Company, which was granted gold, iron, and graphite mining rights in the entire Chukotka
between 1902 and 1912. Wrangel Island in particular was subject to
claims by the United States and Canada. In 1916, the Russians officially claimed the
uninhabited island. But in 1921, Canadian Vilhjalmur Stefansson made a serious attempt
to claim it for Canada by populating it and building a small settlement. Another contingent
arrived in 1923 but a year later, the Soviets permanently conquered the island, removing
the remaining inhabitants, and thereby ending all foreign influence.
Soviet period
From 1919 onwards, the region was subject to collectivization and resettlement of the
indigenous people. When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union
in 1941, everything was done to start tin production as quickly as possible in Chukotka.
Mining rapidly developed, and this industry would become its economic base. Also during
the war, geologists discovered large reserves of gold that would be mined in the 1950s.
In 1977, Chukotka became administratively subordinated to Magadan Oblast.
Post-Soviet period
In 1991, Chukotka declared its separation to become a subject of the Russian Federation
in its own right, a move that was confirmed by the Constitutional Court of the Russian
Federation in 1993. From 2001 to 2008, Roman Abramovich was the
Governor of Chukotka. He invested billions of rubles, including his own money, into the
Chukotka economy by developing its infrastructure, schools, and housing. This has helped to double
the GDP of the region and to more than triple the income of its residents. In 2004, Abramovich
tried to resign from this position but was reappointed governor for another term by Vladimir
Putin.In early July 2008 it was announced that President Dmitry Medvedev had accepted
Abramovich's latest request to resign as governor of Chukotka, although his various charitable
activities in the region would continue. In the period 2000–2006 the average salaries
in Chukotka increased from about US$165 per month in 2000 to US$826 per month in 2006.
On 11 July, Dmitry Medvedev nominated Roman Kopin to be the governor. On 13 July the local
legislators unanimously confirmed Kopin as the next governor of Chukotka.
Economy Chukotka has large reserves of oil, natural
gas, coal, gold, and tungsten, which are slowly being exploited, but much of the rural population
survives on subsistence reindeer herding, whale hunting, and fishing. The urban population
is employed in mining, administration, construction, cultural work, education, medicine, and other
occupations. Transportation
Chukotka is mostly roadless and air travel is the main mode of passenger transport. There
are local permanent roads between some settlements, for example Egvekinot-Iultin. In the winter
on the rivers are laid Winter roads which connect region settlements in a uniform network.
In 2009, replacement of the emergency bridge through Loren River on constantly operating
local road from Lavrentiya to Lorino became the main event of transport of Chukotka.
The main airport is Ugolny Airport near Anadyr. Coastal shipping also takes place, but the
ice situation is too severe for at least half the year.
Administrative divisions
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is administratively divided into the following districts:
Along the Arctic coast: Bilibinsky District, Chaunsky District around Chaunskaya Bay, then
Iultinsky District, and finally Chukotsky District at the eastern cape.
Along the Pacific coast: Providensky District south of Chukotsky, southern Iultinsky District
around Kresta Bay, and finally eastern Anadyrsky District at the Anadyr Estuary.
Interior: The western quarter of the Okrug is Bilibinsky District and the rest of the
interior is Anadyrsky District. Demographics
Population: 50,526 (2010 Census); 53,824 (2002 Census); 157,528 (1989 Census).
Source: Vital statistics
Ethnic groups According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition
was: Russian 52.5%
Chukchi 26.7% Ukrainian 6%
Yupik 3.2% Even 2.9%
Chuvan 1.9% Belarusians 0.96%
Yukaghir 0.4% other groups of less than one hundred persons
each Historical figures are given below:
Ethnographic maps shows the Yupik peoples as the indigenous population of some villages
near Provideniya, Chuvans in the Chuvanskoye village some 100 km west of Markovo, the
Evens in some inland areas, and the Chukchi throughout the rest of the region.
Religion The Russian Orthodox Church in Chukotka is
represented by the Eparchy of Anadyr and Chukotka. The controversial conservative Bishop of Anadyr
and Chukotka, Diomid, who had occupied the Anadyr see since 2000 and had been instrumental
in the development of the church in the peninsula, was removed by the Holy Synod in the summer
of 2008. The diocese has been since run by the archbishop of Khabarovsk and the River,
Mark. Governor
The current governor of Chukotka is Roman Kopin. He replaced business oligarch Roman
Abramovich in July 2008. Abramovich had spent over US$1 billion in the region on developing
infrastructure and providing direct aid to the inhabitants during his time as governor
from 2000. In 2004 there were also reports, however, that Chukotka gave Abramovich's company
Sibneft tax breaks in excess of US$450 million. See also
Chukchi Peninsula Bering Strait
References
Further reading Josh Newell, The Russian Far East. A Reference
Guide for Conservation and Development, 2004 External links
Official website of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Anadyr – Online
WWF Chukotka brochure Chukotka page with images