Komsomolsky, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Encyclopedia
Komsomolsky is an inhabited locality (an urban-type settlement
) in Chaunsky District
of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
, Russia
, located about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) south-west of Pevek
, the administrative centre
of the district. Population: According to an environmental impact report produced for the Kupol Gold Project, by 2005 the population had fallen further to just 508.
. The river's name is from the Chukchi
for "river with rich pastures", an increasingly ironic derivation considering that the main economic driver in the area is now gold mining which is destroying the reindeer's pastures.
named after the Komsomol
, the Soviet youth movement. Indeed, it was members of the Komsomol who were the first settlers in the area, who all volunteered, at least initially, to come to Chukotka to start mining when the settlement was founded in 1959 or were prisoners or deportees without the right to leave, and the mine soon became one of the largest in the country. Barely thirty years later, it was decided that it was no longer economically viable and the settlement was mostly depopulated by 1998. Though the number of people in the settlement has shrunk considerably, there is still a population, with most of the remaining populous employees of the Chukotka Industrial Co-operative, or part of Quasar, the other gold mining enterprise in the area. As of 2009, however, Komsomolsky is included in the list of settlements currently in the process of being liquidated.
as part of a Chukotka-wide project. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide a direct road link between the Sakha Republic, Magadan Oblast
, and Chukotka.
The immediate environment has been shaped significantly by industry, though visitors to the area may see a rare piece of equipment, a gold-washing dredge, being used. Due to the short gold-washing season caused by the arctic climate, the dredge is used 24 hours a day.
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
) in 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...
of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug , or Chukotka , is a federal subject of Russia located in the Russian Far East.Chukotka has a population of 53,824 according to the 2002 Census, and a surface area of . The principal town and the administrative center is Anadyr...
, 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...
, located about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) south-west of Pevek
Pevek
Pevek is a town and Arctic port in Chaunsky District, part of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. After Anadyr and Bilibino it is the third largest town in Chukotka. Population: Municipally, the town is subordinated to Chaunsky Municipal district and together with Apapelgino and Yanranay, is...
, the administrative centre
Administrative centre
An administrative centre is a term often used in several countries to refer to a county town, or other seat of regional or local government, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located....
of the district. Population: According to an environmental impact report produced for the Kupol Gold Project, by 2005 the population had fallen further to just 508.
Geography
Komsomolsky is located at the base of the Ichuvuveyem Hills, on the banks of the Ichuveyem RiverIchuveyem River
The Ichuveyem 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...
. The river's name is from the Chukchi
Chukchi language
The Chukchi language is a Palaeosiberian language spoken by Chukchi people in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug...
for "river with rich pastures", an increasingly ironic derivation considering that the main economic driver in the area is now gold mining which is destroying the reindeer's pastures.
Soviet Period
Komsomolsky is one of a number of inhabited localities of varying size throughout the former Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
named after the Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
, the Soviet youth movement. Indeed, it was members of the Komsomol who were the first settlers in the area, who all volunteered, at least initially, to come to Chukotka to start mining when the settlement was founded in 1959 or were prisoners or deportees without the right to leave, and the mine soon became one of the largest in the country. Barely thirty years later, it was decided that it was no longer economically viable and the settlement was mostly depopulated by 1998. Though the number of people in the settlement has shrunk considerably, there is still a population, with most of the remaining populous employees of the Chukotka Industrial Co-operative, or part of Quasar, the other gold mining enterprise in the area. As of 2009, however, Komsomolsky is included in the list of settlements currently in the process of being liquidated.
Post-Soviet Period
In recent years, Komsomolsky has benefited from increased spending in the region, particularly in the realm of transportation, where part of a 3.5 billion-ruble bridge building and road construction project improved transport connections with Pevek and BilibinoBilibino
Bilibino is a town and gold-mining center in Bilibinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located at the confluence of the Karalve'em and the Bolshoy Keperve'em Rivers north-west of Anadyr. It is the second largest town in Chukotka...
as part of a Chukotka-wide project. The ultimate goal of this project is to provide a direct road link between the Sakha Republic, 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 Chukotka.
The immediate environment has been shaped significantly by industry, though visitors to the area may see a rare piece of equipment, a gold-washing dredge, being used. Due to the short gold-washing season caused by the arctic climate, the dredge is used 24 hours a day.