Omolon (rural locality)
Encyclopedia
Omolon is a rural locality (a selo) in Bilibinsky District
of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
, Russia
. It is situated in the far southwest of the district near the border with Magadan Oblast
. Population: 1050 (2006 est.), of which around 800 are indigenous peoples., mainly Chukchi
and Evens
, up from 936 people as recorded by an environmental impact report prepared in 2005 for the Kupol Gold Project. Municipally, Omolon is subordinated to Bilibinsky Municipal District and is incorporated as Omolon Rural Settlement.
Omolon until 1992 Prior to 1992, the Sovkhoz had 15 separate herds of reindeer under its control. From 1992 onwards, the Sovkhoz structure was dismanteled bit by bit in line with the wider course of russian privatisation. Previously, the Sovkhoz had been in control of all of the major community services, such as power, education, health and other functions, which were now administered individually at rural settlement or district administrative level. Four of the 15 brigades split from the former Sovkhoz and formed their own private enterprise and those remaining formed a limited liability company called TOO "Omolon". This privatisation was not a success. Where previously the Sovkhoz had controlled the settlements economy and its associated facilities, by 1998 there were nine separate entities involved in the same work and the number of reindeer held by the brigades had fallen from nearly 34,000 to just over 9,000.
.
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...
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...
. It is situated in the far southwest of the district near the border with 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....
. Population: 1050 (2006 est.), of which around 800 are indigenous peoples., mainly 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...
and 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...
, up from 936 people as recorded by an environmental impact report prepared in 2005 for the Kupol Gold Project. Municipally, Omolon is subordinated to Bilibinsky Municipal District and is incorporated as Omolon Rural Settlement.
History
Omolon was the headquarters for the SovkhozSovkhoz
A sovkhoz , typically translated as state farm, is a state-owned farm. The term originated in the Soviet Union, hence the name. The term is still in use in some post-Soviet states, e.g., Russia and Belarus. It is usually contrasted with kolkhoz, which is a collective-owned farm...
Omolon until 1992 Prior to 1992, the Sovkhoz had 15 separate herds of reindeer under its control. From 1992 onwards, the Sovkhoz structure was dismanteled bit by bit in line with the wider course of russian privatisation. Previously, the Sovkhoz had been in control of all of the major community services, such as power, education, health and other functions, which were now administered individually at rural settlement or district administrative level. Four of the 15 brigades split from the former Sovkhoz and formed their own private enterprise and those remaining formed a limited liability company called TOO "Omolon". This privatisation was not a success. Where previously the Sovkhoz had controlled the settlements economy and its associated facilities, by 1998 there were nine separate entities involved in the same work and the number of reindeer held by the brigades had fallen from nearly 34,000 to just over 9,000.
Geography
The village, previously called Oloy, Unyagan, and Shcherbakovo before the current name was settled upon in 1960, is the most isolated populated place in Bilibinsky District. Omolon is situated on the banks of the Omolon RiverOmolon River
thumb|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...
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