Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Encyclopedia
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug ' onMouseout='HidePop("71328")' href="/topics/Chukchi_language">Chukchi
: , Chukotkaken avtonomnyken okrug), or Chukotka , is a federal subject
of Russia
(an autonomous okrug
) located in the Russian Far East
.
Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census
, and a surface area of 737700 km² (284,827.6 sq mi). The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr
. Chukotka AO 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
(east of the 180th meridian).
Lake El'gygytgyn
, an important site for scientific research on climate change, is located in Chukotka, as is the village of Uelen
, the closest substantial Russian settlement to the United States
.
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 eastern-most point, Cape Dezhnev
, is also the eastern-most 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:
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.
to the Americas.
Traditionally Chukotka was the home of the native Chukchi people
, Siberian Yupik
s, Koryaks
, Chuvans
, Evens
/Lamuts, Yukaghir
s, and Russian Old Settlers.
and Astrakhan Khanate
s 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, Yukaghir
s, and Koryaks
(indigenous Siberian tribes that were subjugated earlier). 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 (now Cape Schmidt) 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.
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.
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
.
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
.
, 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.
s 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.
:
Arctic coast: northern Bilibinsky District
(northwest), Chaunsky District
around Chaunskaya Bay, Shmidtovsky District
, northern Iultinsky District
, Chukotsky District
at the eastern cape.
Pacific coast: Providensky District
south of Chukotsky, southern Iultinsky District
around Kresta Bay, eastern Anadyrsky District
at the Anadyr Estuary, Beringovsky District
in the south.
Interior: The western quarter of the Okrug is Bilibinsky District
and the rest of the interior is Anadyrsky District
.
Ethnographic maps shows the Yupik Eskimos 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.
of Chukotka is Roman Kopin
. He replaced business oligarch
Roman Abramovich
, also the owner of Chelsea F.C.
, in July 2008. Mr Abramovich had spent over US$1 billion in the region (partly as normal tax payments) 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.
in Chukotka is represented by the Eparchy
(Diocese) 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 sacked by the Holy Synod
in the summer of 2008. The diocese has been since run by the archbishop of Khabarovsk
and the River, Mark (Tuzhikov) (ru).
Chukchi language
The Chukchi language is a Palaeosiberian language spoken by Chukchi people in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug...
: , Chukotkaken avtonomnyken okrug), or Chukotka , is a federal subject
Federal subjects of Russia
Russia is a federation which, since March 1, 2008, consists of 83 federal subjects . In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(an autonomous okrug
Autonomous okrugs of Russia
Autonomous okrug is a type of federal subject of Russia and simultaneously a type of administrative division of some federal subjects. As of 2008, the Russian Federation is divided into 83 federal subjects, of which four are avtonomnyye okruga Autonomous okrug (district, area, region) is a...
) located in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
.
Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
, and a surface area of 737700 km² (284,827.6 sq mi). The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr
Anadyr (town)
Anadyr is a port town and the administrative centre of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the extreme north-eastern region of Russia. It is at the mouth of the Anadyr River, on the tip of the southern promontory that sticks out into Anadyrskiy Liman...
. Chukotka AO is the most northeasterly region of Russia and, since the sale
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, has been the only part of Russia lying partially in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
(east of the 180th meridian).
Lake El'gygytgyn
Elgygytgyn Lake
Lake El'gygytgyn is an impact crater lake located in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in north-east Siberia, about 150km southeast of Chaunskaya Bay. It is drained to the southeast by the Enmybaam branch of the Belaya River. It is approximately 12 km in diameter and has a maximum depth of...
, an important site for scientific research on climate change, is located in Chukotka, as is the village of Uelen
Uelen
Uelen is a rural locality in the Chukotsky District, just south of the Arctic Circle in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East. Population: 776 in 2003, with 595 Chukchi and 72 Yupik. Located near Cape Dezhnev where the Bering Sea meets the Chukchi Sea, it is the easternmost settlement...
, the closest substantial Russian settlement to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
Chukotka is bordered in the north by the Chukchi SeaChukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific...
and the East Siberian Sea
East Siberian Sea
The East Siberian Sea is a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the Arctic Cape to the north, the coast of Siberia to the south, the New Siberian Islands to the west and Cape Billings, close to Chukotka, and Wrangel Island to the east...
, which are part of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
; in the east by the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
and the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
, part of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
; in the south by Kamchatka Krai and Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
; and in the west by the Sakha Republic. The Chukchi Peninsula
Chukchi Peninsula
The Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotka Peninsula or Chukotski Peninsula , at about 66° N 172° W, is the northeastern extremity of Asia. Its eastern end is at Cape Dezhnev near the village of Uelen. It is bordered by the Chukchi Sea to the north, the Bering Sea to the south, and the Bering Strait to the...
projects eastward forming the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska, and encloses the north side of the Gulf of Anadyr
Gulf of Anadyr
The Gulf of Anadyr, or Anadyr Bay , is a large bay on the Bering Sea in far northeast Siberia.-Location:The bay is roughly rectangular and opens to the southeast. The corners are Cape Navarin , Anadyr Estuary, Kresta Bay and Cape Chukotsky on the Chukchi Peninsula...
. The peninsula's eastern-most point, Cape Dezhnev
Cape Dezhnev
Cape Dezhnyov or Cape Dezhnev is a cape that forms the eastmost mainland point of Eurasia. It is located on the Chukchi Peninsula in the very thinly populated Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of Russia. This cape is located between the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea, across from Cape Prince of Wales in...
, is also the eastern-most point of mainland Russia.
Ecologically, Chukotka can be divided into three distinct areas: the northern arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
desert, the central tundra
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
, and the taiga
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
in the south. About half of its area is above the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
. 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 BelayaBelaya River (Chukotka)The Belaya River is a south-flowing tributary of the Anadyr River in far northeast Siberia. It is formed by the juncture of the Enmyvaam River, which drains Lake Elgygytgyn, from the northwest and the Yurukuveem River, whose major tributary is the Bolshaya Osinovaya, from the north. Its basin is...
, TanyurerTanyurer RiverThe Tanyurer River is a river in Chukotka in Russia, a left tributary of the Anadyr River. The length of the river is 482 km. The area of its drainage basin is 18,500 km². It flows roughly southwards from the Pekulney Mountains and passes through the sparsely populated areas of Chukotka...
, and VelikayaVelikaya River (Chukotka)The Velikaya River, also known as Bolshaya and Onemen , is a 556 km long river in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in Russia. It flows North-Eastwards from the Koryak Range through the Anadyrskiy Liman into the Bering Sea at the Gulf of Anadyr. The area of its drainage basin is 31,000 km². Velikaya ...
Rivers, flowing east to the Gulf of Anadyr. - OmolonOmolon Riverthumb|The Omolon flows into the KolymaThe Omolon River is the principal tributary of the Kolyma River in northeast Siberia. The length of the river is . The area of its basin 118,600 km². The Omolon River freezes up in October and stays under ice until late May - early June...
and the GreatBolshoy Anyuy RiverThe Bolshoy Anyuy River or Bolshoy Anyui River is a river in the Kolyma River basin in Far East Siberia. It flows roughly westwards and passes through the sparsely populated areas of Chukotka...
and Little Anyuy Rivers that flow west into the Kolyma RiverKolyma RiverThe Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
in Yakutia (Sakha). - RauchuaRauchua RiverThe Rauchua River is a stream in Far East Siberia. It passes through the sparsely populated areas of the Siberian tundra and flows northwards into the Kolyma Gulf, East Siberian Sea, not far west from Ayon Island....
, ChaunChaun RiverThe Chaun River is a stream in Far East Siberia. It flows roughly northwards, passing through the sparsely populated areas of the Siberian tundra.The Chaun River flows into the East Siberian Sea at the Chaunskaya Bay, 100 km S of Pevek city...
, PalyavaamPalyavaam RiverThe Palyavaam River is a stream in Far East Siberia flowing in a roughly westward direction. It passes through the sparsely populated areas of the Siberian tundra and flows into the East Siberian Sea at the Chaunskaya Bay...
, PegtymelPegtymel RiverThe Pegtymel River is a stream in Far East Siberia. It passes through the sparsely populated areas of the Siberian tundra and flows into the East Siberian Sea west of the De Long Strait. Its mouth is between Cape Shelagsky on Chaunskaya Bay and Cape Billings to the east...
, ChegitunChegitun RiverThe Chegitun River is a stream located in the Chukotka Peninsula in Far East Siberia. It is the easternmost river flowing into the Chukchi Sea from the Siberian side, which makes it the river of the Eurasian continent that is farthest to the east....
and AmguyemaAmguyema RiverThe Amguyema River is a stream located in Far East Siberia. It into the Chukchi Sea between Cape Schmidt and Cape Vankarem.The Chantalveergyn River is a left-side tributary of the Amguyema....
Rivers that flow north into the arctic seas.
The largest lakes are Lake Krasnoye
Lake Krasnoye
Lake Krasnoye is a 6.9 km by 2.8 km lake in the central part of the Karelian Isthmus, in Priozersky District of Leningrad Oblast, near Korobitsyno. The lake belongs to the River Vuoksi drainage basin. Its area is about 9 km2....
, 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 could 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 (41 °F) to 14 °C (57.2 °F) 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 migrationHuman migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
to the Americas.
Traditionally Chukotka was the home of the native Chukchi people
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee , ) are an indigenous people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula and the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean within the Russian Federation. They speak the Chukchi language...
, Siberian Yupik
Siberian Yupik
Siberian Yupiks, or Yuits, are indigenous people who reside along the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula in the far northeast of the Russian Federation and on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska. They speak Central Siberian Yupik , a Yupik language of the Eskimo–Aleut family of languages.They were also...
s, Koryaks
Koryaks
Koryaks are an indigenous people of Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East, who inhabit the coastlands of the Bering Sea to the south of the Anadyr basin and the country to the immediate north of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the southernmost limit of their range being Tigilsk. They are akin to the...
, Chuvans
Chuvans
Chuvans are one of the forty or so "less-numerous peoples of the North" recognized by the Russian government. Most Chuvans today live within Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the far northeast of Russia...
, Evens
Evens
The Evens or Eveny are a people in Siberia and the Russian Far East. They live in some of the regions of the Magadan Oblast and Kamchatka Krai and northern parts of Sakha east of the Lena River. According to the 2002 census, there were 19,071 Evens in Russia...
/Lamuts, Yukaghir
Yukaghir
The Yukaghir, or Yukagirs , деткиль ) are a people in East Siberia, living in the basin of the Kolyma River.-Region:The Tundra Yukaghirs live in the Lower Kolyma region in the Sakha Republic; the Taiga Yukaghirs in the Upper Kolyma region in the Sakha Republic and in Srednekansky District of...
s, and Russian Old Settlers.
Russian exploration and conquest
After the Russians conquered the KazanKhanate of Kazan
The Khanate of Kazan was a medieval Tatar state which occupied the territory of former Volga Bulgaria between 1438 and 1552. Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. The khanate covered contemporary Tatarstan, Mari El,...
and Astrakhan Khanate
Astrakhan Khanate
The Khanate of Astrakhan was a Tatar feudal state that appeared after the collapse of the Golden Horde. The Khanate existed in the 15th and 16th centuries in the area adjacent to the mouth of the Volga river, where the contemporary city of Astrakhan/Hajji Tarkhan is now located...
s 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
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee , ) are an indigenous people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula and the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean within the Russian Federation. They speak the Chukchi language...
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
Anadyr River
Anadyr is a river in the far northeast Siberia which flows into Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea and drains much of the interior of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Its basin corresponds to the Anadyrsky District of Chukotka....
that became the fortified settlement of Anadyrsk
Anadyrsk
thumb|Anadyrsk was on the east-west part of the Anadyr River at the point where it swings northAnadyrsk was an important Russian ostrog in far northeastern Siberia from 1649 to 1764...
. 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
Peter I of Russia
Peter the Great, Peter I or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov Dates indicated by the letters "O.S." are Old Style. All other dates in this article are New Style. ruled the Tsardom of Russia and later the Russian Empire from until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his half-brother, Ivan V...
ordered Vitus Bering
Vitus Bering
Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering (also, less correNavy]], a captain-komandor known among the Russian sailors as Ivan Ivanovich. He is noted for being the first European to discover Alaska and its Aleutian Islands...
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
Dmitry Pavlutsky
Dmitry Ivanovich Pavlutsky was a Russian polar explorer and leader of military expeditions in Chukotka, best known for his battles against the indigenous Chukchi people....
tried again, aided by Cossacks, Yukaghir
Yukaghir
The Yukaghir, or Yukagirs , деткиль ) are a people in East Siberia, living in the basin of the Kolyma River.-Region:The Tundra Yukaghirs live in the Lower Kolyma region in the Sakha Republic; the Taiga Yukaghirs in the Upper Kolyma region in the Sakha Republic and in Srednekansky District of...
s, and Koryaks
Koryaks
Koryaks are an indigenous people of Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East, who inhabit the coastlands of the Bering Sea to the south of the Anadyr basin and the country to the immediate north of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the southernmost limit of their range being Tigilsk. They are akin to the...
(indigenous Siberian tribes that were subjugated earlier). 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
Yasak
Yasak or yasaq, sometimes iasak, is a Turkic word for "tribute" that was used in Imperial Russia to designate fur tribute exacted from the indigenous peoples of Siberia.- Origin :...
.
That same year, British Captain James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
made an exploration of Cape North (now Cape Schmidt) and Providence Bay
Providence Bay, Siberia
Emma Harbor, Plover Bay, and Ureliki redirect hereProvidence Bay is a fjord in the southern coast of the Chukchi Peninsula of northeastern Siberia. It was a popular rendezvous, wintering spot, and provisioning spot for whalers and traders in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...
. Anxious that European powers would occupy the area, Tsar Catherine II
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
ordered to explore and map the area. Starting in 1785, an expedition led by Joseph Billings
Joseph Billings
Joseph Billings was an English navigator and explorer who spent the most significant part of his life in Russian service.In 1785, the Russian government of Catherine II commissioned a new expedition in search for the Northeast Passage, led by English officer Joseph Billings, who had previously...
and Gavril Sarychev
Gavril Sarychev
Gavril Andreyevich Sarychev , spelt "Sarichef" in the United States, was a Russian navigator, hydrographer, admiral and Honorable Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg.Sarychev started his career in the Imperial Russian Navy in 1775...
mapped the Chukchi Peninsula
Chukchi Peninsula
The Chukchi Peninsula, Chukotka Peninsula or Chukotski Peninsula , at about 66° N 172° W, is the northeastern extremity of Asia. Its eastern end is at Cape Dezhnev near the village of Uelen. It is bordered by the Chukchi Sea to the north, the Bering Sea to the south, and the Bering Strait to the...
, the west coast of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and the Aleutian Islands. Then from 1821 to 1825, Ferdinand von Wrangel
Ferdinand von Wrangel
Baron Ferdinand Friedrich Georg Ludwig von Wrangel – May 25 , 1870) was a Russian explorer and seaman, Honorable Member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences, a founder of the Russian Geographic Society...
and Fyodor Matyushkin
Fyodor Matyushkin
Fyodor Fyodorovich Matyushkin was a Russian navigator, Admiral , and a close friend of Aleksandr Pushkin.Matyushkin graduated from Tsarskoselskiy College in 1817...
led expeditions along the coast of the East Siberian Sea
East Siberian Sea
The East Siberian Sea is a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean. It is located between the Arctic Cape to the north, the coast of Siberia to the south, the New Siberian Islands to the west and Cape Billings, close to Chukotka, and Wrangel Island to the east...
and explored the Kolyma
Kolyma River
The Kolyma River is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. Itrises in the mountains north of Okhotsk and Magadan, in the area of and...
, Great Anyuy
Bolshoy Anyuy River
The Bolshoy Anyuy River or Bolshoy Anyui River is a river in the Kolyma River basin in Far East Siberia. It flows roughly westwards and passes through the sparsely populated areas of Chukotka...
, and Little Anyuy
Maly Anyuy River
The Maly Anyuy River or Maly Anyui River is a right tributary of the Kolyma River in the Russian Far East. It flows roughly westwards, passing through western Chukotka Autonomous Okrug...
Rivers.
Western influence
Chukotka remained mostly outside the control of the Russian Empire and consequently other foreign powers (American, British, Norwegian) began to hunt and trade in the area from about 1820 onwards. After the sale of AlaskaAlaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
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
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
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
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
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
Wrangel Island
Wrangel Island is an island in the Arctic Ocean, between the Chukchi Sea and East Siberian Sea. Wrangel Island lies astride the 180° meridian. The International Date Line is displaced eastwards at this latitude to avoid the island as well as the Chukchi Peninsula on the Russian mainland...
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
Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Vilhjalmur Stefansson was a Canadian Arctic explorer and ethnologist.-Early life:Stefansson, born William Stephenson, was born at Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, in 1879. His parents had emigrated from Iceland to Manitoba two years earlier...
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 collectivizationCollective farming
Collective farming and communal farming are types of agricultural production in which the holdings of several farmers are run as a joint enterprise...
and resettlement of the indigenous people.
When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, everything was done to start tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
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
Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan....
.
Post Soviet-Union
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 FederationConstitutional Court of the Russian Federation
The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation is a high court which is empowered to rule on whether or not certain laws or presidential decrees are in fact contrary to the Constitution of Russia...
in 1993.
From 2001 to 2008, Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
was the Governor of Chukotka. He invested billions of rubles
Russian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
, 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
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
.
Economy
Chukotka has large reserves of oilPetroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
, natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, and tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
, which are slowly being exploited, but much of the rural population survives on subsistence reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
herding, whale hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. The urban population is employed in mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, 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. In the winter on the rivers are laid Winter roadWinter road
Winter roads are temporary highways carved out of snow and ice. They facilitate transportation to and from communities without permanent roads, and are commonly seen in isolated regions in Canada's north....
s which connect region settlements in a uniform network.
In 2009, replacement of the emergency bridge through
Bridge through Loren
The Loren Bridge is a unique bridge that crosses the Loren River, and is located in Chukotsky District, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia.The two-way bridge is 113 metres long and six metres wide and was built to connect the roads between the towns of Lavrentiya and Lorino.Construction required...
Loren river on constantly operating local road from Lavrentiya
Lavrentiya
Lavrentiya is a rural locality and the administrative centre of Chukotsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, situated on Lavrentiya Bay, close to the Bering Strait. Population: 1,333 ; Municipally, Lavrentiya is subordinated to Chukotsky Municipal District and incorporated as...
to Lorino became the main event of transport of Chukotka.
The main airport is Ugolny Airport
Ugolny Airport
Ugolny Airport is a mixed-use military and civil airfield in Siberia located 11 km east of Anadyr, separated from the town by the waters of Anadyrsky Liman...
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 districtsRaion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
:
Arctic coast: northern Bilibinsky District
Bilibinsky District
Bilibinsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the western portion of the autonomous okrug and in terms of non-municipal divisions borders with Chaunsky District in the northeast, Anadyrsky District in the...
(northwest), Chaunsky District
Chaunsky District
Chaunsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located on the northern shore of the autonomous okrug and in terms of the administrative divisions borders Shmidtovsky District in the northeast, Anadyrsky District in the...
around Chaunskaya Bay, Shmidtovsky District
Shmidtovsky District
Shmidtovsky District was an administrative district of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, which existed in 1973–2011. Municipally, together with Iultinsky Administrative District, it was incorporated as Iultinsky Municipal District...
, northern Iultinsky District
Iultinsky District
Iultinsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located on the eastern shore of the autonomous okrug and borders with the Chukchi Sea in the north, Providensky District in the east, Gulf of Anadyr in the southeast, and...
, Chukotsky District
Chukotsky District
Chukotsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is the easternmost district of the autonomous okrug and the closest part of Russia to the United States. It borders with the Chukchi Sea in the north, the Bering Sea in the...
at the eastern cape.
Pacific coast: Providensky District
Providensky District
Providensky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the southern half of the Chukchi Peninsula with a northwest extension reaching almost to Kolyuchinskaya Bay on the Arctic...
south of Chukotsky, southern Iultinsky District
Iultinsky District
Iultinsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located on the eastern shore of the autonomous okrug and borders with the Chukchi Sea in the north, Providensky District in the east, Gulf of Anadyr in the southeast, and...
around Kresta Bay, eastern Anadyrsky District
Anadyrsky District
Anadyrsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the interior portion of the autonomous okrug and in terms of administrative divisions borders with Chaunsky District in the northwest, Iultinsky District in the...
at the Anadyr Estuary, Beringovsky District
Beringovsky District
Beringovsky District was an administrative district of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, which existed in 1957–2011. Municipally, together with Anadyrsky Administrative District, it was incorporated into Anadyrsky Municipal District...
in the south.
Interior: The western quarter of the Okrug is Bilibinsky District
Bilibinsky District
Bilibinsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the western portion of the autonomous okrug and in terms of non-municipal divisions borders with Chaunsky District in the northeast, Anadyrsky District in the...
and the rest of the interior is Anadyrsky District
Anadyrsky District
Anadyrsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the interior portion of the autonomous okrug and in terms of administrative divisions borders with Chaunsky District in the northwest, Iultinsky District in the...
.
Demographics
- Population (2002): 53,824
- Ethnic groups: Indigenous peoples make up less than one third of the total population. According to the 2002 CensusRussian Census (2002)Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
the ‘national composition’ was • RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
51.86% • Chukchi 23.45% • UkrainianUkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
9.22% • Eskimo 2.85% • EvenEvensThe Evens or Eveny are a people in Siberia and the Russian Far East. They live in some of the regions of the Magadan Oblast and Kamchatka Krai and northern parts of Sakha east of the Lena River. According to the 2002 census, there were 19,071 Evens in Russia...
2.61% • ChuvanChuvansChuvans are one of the forty or so "less-numerous peoples of the North" recognized by the Russian government. Most Chuvans today live within Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the far northeast of Russia...
1.778% • TatarTatarsTatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
0.99% • BelarusiansBelarusiansBelarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
0.96% • YukaghirYukaghirThe Yukaghir, or Yukagirs , деткиль ) are a people in East Siberia, living in the basin of the Kolyma River.-Region:The Tundra Yukaghirs live in the Lower Kolyma region in the Sakha Republic; the Taiga Yukaghirs in the Upper Kolyma region in the Sakha Republic and in Srednekansky District of...
0.34% • ChuvashChuvash peopleThe Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although Chuvash communities may be found throughout all Russia.- Etymology :...
0.30% • MoldovanMoldovansMoldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova...
0.24% • Buriat 0.22% • German 0.22% • BashkirBashkirsThe Bashkirs are a Turkic people indigenous to Bashkortostan extending on both parts of the Ural mountains, on the place where Europe meets Asia. Groups of Bashkirs also live in the republic of Tatarstan, Perm Krai, Chelyabinsk, Orenburg, Tyumen, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Samara and Saratov Oblasts of...
0.22% • AzeriAzeris in RussiaAside from the large Azeri community native to Russia's Dagestan Republic, the majority of Azeris in Russia are fairly recent immigrants. Azeris started settling in Russia around the late 19th century, but their migration became intensive after World War II. It rapidly increased with the collapse...
0.20% • and a few other groups of less than one hundred persons each. In addition, 2.23% of the inhabitants chose not to specify their ethnic background on the census questionnaire. Historical figures are given below:census 1939 census 1959 census 1970 census 1979 census 1989 census 2002 Chukchis 12,111 (56.2%) 9,975 (21.4%) 11,001 (10.9%) 11,292 (8.1%) 11,914 (7.3%) 12,622 (23.5%) Chuvans ChuvansChuvans are one of the forty or so "less-numerous peoples of the North" recognized by the Russian government. Most Chuvans today live within Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the far northeast of Russia...944 (0.6%) 951 (1.8%) Eskimos 800 (3.7%) 1,064 (2.3%) 1,149 (1.1%) 1,278 (0.9%) 1,452 (0.9%) 1,534 (2.9%) Evens EvensThe Evens or Eveny are a people in Siberia and the Russian Far East. They live in some of the regions of the Magadan Oblast and Kamchatka Krai and northern parts of Sakha east of the Lena River. According to the 2002 census, there were 19,071 Evens in Russia...817 (3.8%) 820 (1.8%) 1,061 (1.0%) 969 (0.7%) 1,336 (0.8%) 1,407 (2.6%) Russians RussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....5,183 (24.1%) 28,318 (60.7%) 70,531 (69.7%) 96,424 (68.9%) 108,297 (66.1%) 27,918 (51.9%) Ukrainians UkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...571 (2.7%) 3,543 (7.6%) 10,393 (10.3%) 20,122 (14.4%) 27,600 (16.8%) 4,960 (9.2%) Others 2,055 (9.5%) 2,969 (6.4%) 7,049 (7.0%) 9,859 (7.0%) 12,391 (7.6%) 4,432 (8.2%) All 21,537 46,689 101,194 139,944 163,934 53,824
Ethnographic maps shows the Yupik Eskimos as the indigenous population of some villages near Provideniya
Provideniya
Provideniya , is an urban-type settlement situated on Komsomolskaya Bay, part of Provideniya Bay in the northeastern part of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located across the Bering Strait from Alaska, and is very close to the International Date Line. The town is served by Provideniya...
, Chuvans
Chuvans
Chuvans are one of the forty or so "less-numerous peoples of the North" recognized by the Russian government. Most Chuvans today live within Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the far northeast of Russia...
in the Chuvanskoye village some 100 km west of Markovo
Markovo
Markovo may refer to:*Markovo, Russia, name of several inhabited localities in Russia*Markovo, Slovenia, a settlement in the Kamnik Municipality, Slovenia* Markovo, Croatia, a village near Slatina, Croatia-See also:*Markov...
, the Evens
Evens
The Evens or Eveny are a people in Siberia and the Russian Far East. They live in some of the regions of the Magadan Oblast and Kamchatka Krai and northern parts of Sakha east of the Lena River. According to the 2002 census, there were 19,071 Evens in Russia...
in some inland areas, and the Chukchi
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee , ) are an indigenous people inhabiting the Chukchi Peninsula and the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean within the Russian Federation. They speak the Chukchi language...
throughout the rest of the region.
- Vital statistics
- Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service
| Births | Deaths | Birth rate | Death rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,751 | 599 | 17.0 | 5.8 |
| 1975 | 2,113 | 627 | 17.0 | 5.1 |
| 1980 | 2,208 | 653 | 15.4 | 4.6 |
| 1985 | 2,659 | 627 | 17.3 | 4.1 |
| 1990 | 2,208 | 598 | 13.8 | 3.7 |
| 1991 | 1,912 | 631 | 12.5 | 4.1 |
| 1992 | 1,565 | 763 | 11.5 | 5.6 |
| 1993 | 1,191 | 907 | 10.1 | 7.7 |
| 1994 | 1,153 | 884 | 11.1 | 8.5 |
| 1995 | 935 | 816 | 10.4 | 9.1 |
| 1996 | 935 | 816 | 11.5 | 10.1 |
| 1997 | 818 | 598 | 10.9 | 8.0 |
| 1998 | 855 | 612 | 12.3 | 8.8 |
| 1999 | 672 | 530 | 10.4 | 8.2 |
| 2000 | 686 | 570 | 11.5 | 9.6 |
| 2001 | 719 | 701 | 12.7 | 12.4 |
| 2002 | 653 | 611 | 12.0 | 11.3 |
| 2003 | 679 | 562 | 13.0 | 10.8 |
| 2004 | 787 | 623 | 15.4 | 12.2 |
| 2005 | 795 | 597 | 15.7 | 11.8 |
| 2006 | 771 | 585 | 15.3 | 11.6 |
| 2007 | 801 | 595 | 15.9 | 11.8 |
| 2008 | 751 | 620 | 15.1 | 12.4 |
Governor
The current governorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Chukotka is Roman Kopin
Roman Kopin
Roman Kopin is the governor of Chukotka, Russia. He succeeded Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich in July 2008.-Political career:In 1994, Kopin began his political career as the deputy director of the Nizhniy Novgorod Regional Center for Youth Initiatives. In 1995, he was an inspector in the legal...
. He replaced business oligarch
Business oligarch
Business oligarch is a near-synonym of the term "business magnate", borrowed by the English speaking and western media from post-Soviet parlance to describe the huge, fast-acquired wealth of some businessmen of the former Soviet republics during the privatization in Russia and other post-Soviet...
Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
, also the owner of Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, in July 2008. Mr Abramovich had spent over US$1 billion in the region (partly as normal tax payments) 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.
Religion
The Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
in Chukotka is represented by the Eparchy
Eparchy
Eparchy is an anglicized Greek word , authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something,' like province, prefecture, or territory, to have the jurisdiction over, it has specific meanings both in politics, history and in the hierarchy of the Eastern Christian...
(Diocese) of Anadyr and Chukotka . The controversial conservative Bishop of Anadyr and Chukotka, Diomid, who had occupied the Anadyr see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
since 2000 and had been instrumental in the development of the church in the peninsula, was sacked by the Holy Synod
Most Holy Synod
The Most Holy Governing Synod was the highest governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church between 1721 and 1918, when the Patriarchate was restored. The jurisdiction of the Most Holy Synod extended over every kind of ecclesiastical question and over some that are partly secular.The Synod was...
in the summer of 2008. The diocese has been since run by the archbishop of Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
and the River, Mark (Tuzhikov) (ru).