Srednekolymsk
Encyclopedia
Srednekolymsk is a town and the administrative center of Srednekolymsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia
, located 1485 kilometres (922.7 mi) northeast of Yakutsk
on the left bank of the Kolyma River
. Population:
(lower, middle and upper Kolymsk). They were about three days sled journey apart. Nizhnekolymsk was on the delta near the route to Anadyrsk
. Srednekolymsk was at the head of navigation by sea-going koch
es, in forested country for good fur trapping and on the overland route to the Indigirka River
. Verkhnekolymsk was smaller and upriver. The first fort (ostrog
) was founded by Mikhail Stadukhin
in 1643. Some say that this was Nizhnekolymsk, but Fisher thinks that the original fort was Srednekolymsk and that the main Russian center was moved to Nizhnekolymsk by 1655 when the Anadyrsk route became important.
At some point the name was Yarmanka, from the Russian word for a fair, referring to the annual gatherings of indigenous inhabitants of the area here in spring. The settlement grew over the next century, and was given town status and its present name (meaning town on the middle Kolyma) in 1775. The town was a destination for political exiles during the era of the Russian Empire
.
(Köppen
Dfc/Dfd) with mild and short summers and extremely brutal winters with almost no snowfall. The winter lasts from October until May, and temperatures rise rapidly enough for Siberian larch
trees to be able to grow during the fleeting summer, before falling rapidly again in August and September. Temperatures have never exceeded 0 °C (32 °F) between early October and late April.
, hunting for pelts
, and fishing.
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 1485 kilometres (922.7 mi) northeast of Yakutsk
Yakutsk
With a subarctic climate , Yakutsk is the coldest city, though not the coldest inhabited place, on Earth. Average monthly temperatures range from in July to in January. The coldest temperatures ever recorded on the planet outside Antarctica occurred in the basin of the Yana River to the northeast...
on the left bank of the Kolyma River
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...
. Population:
History
When the Russians arrived in the 1640s they built three forts on the Kolyma: Nizhnekolymsk, Srednekolymsk, and VerkhnekolymnskVerkhnekolymsky Ulus
Verkhnekolymsky Ulus is an ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia. The ulus is administratively divided into five naslegs and has jurisdiction over one settlement .For the Russian fort at Verkhnekolymsk, see Srednekolymsk.-See also:...
(lower, middle and upper Kolymsk). They were about three days sled journey apart. Nizhnekolymsk was on the delta near the route to 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...
. Srednekolymsk was at the head of navigation by sea-going koch
Koch (boat)
The Koch was a special type of small one or two mast wooden sailing ships designed and used in Russia for transpolar voyages in ice conditions of the Arctic seas, popular among the Pomors....
es, in forested country for good fur trapping and on the overland route to the Indigirka River
Indigirka River
The Indigirka River is a river in the Sakha Republic in Russia between the Yana River and the Kolyma River. It is in length. The area of its basin is 360,000 km²...
. Verkhnekolymsk was smaller and upriver. The first fort (ostrog
Ostrog (fortress)
Ostrog was a Russian term for a small fort, typically wooden and often non-permanently manned. Ostrogs were encircled by 4-6 metres high palisade walls made from sharpened trunks. The name derives from the Russian word строгать , "to shave the wood". Ostrogs were smaller and exclusively military...
) was founded by Mikhail Stadukhin
Mikhail Stadukhin
Mikhail Vasilyevich Stadukhin was a Russian explorer of far northeast Siberia, one of the first to reach the Kolyma, Anadyr, Penzhina and Gizhiga Rivers and the northern Sea of Okhotsk. He was a Pomor, probably born in the village of Pinega, and the nephew of a Moscow merchant...
in 1643. Some say that this was Nizhnekolymsk, but Fisher thinks that the original fort was Srednekolymsk and that the main Russian center was moved to Nizhnekolymsk by 1655 when the Anadyrsk route became important.
At some point the name was Yarmanka, from the Russian word for a fair, referring to the annual gatherings of indigenous inhabitants of the area here in spring. The settlement grew over the next century, and was given town status and its present name (meaning town on the middle Kolyma) in 1775. The town was a destination for political exiles during the era of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Climate
Sredne-Kolymsk has a dry subarctic climateSubarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dfc/Dfd) with mild and short summers and extremely brutal winters with almost no snowfall. The winter lasts from October until May, and temperatures rise rapidly enough for Siberian larch
Siberian Larch
The Siberian Larch or Russian Larch is a frost-hardy tree native to western Russia, from close to the Finnish border east to the Yenisei valley in central Siberia, where it hybridises with the Dahurian Larch L...
trees to be able to grow during the fleeting summer, before falling rapidly again in August and September. Temperatures have never exceeded 0 °C (32 °F) between early October and late April.
Economy and infrastructure
The town is largely reliant on farming of reindeerReindeer
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...
, hunting for pelts
Fur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
, and fishing.