Zeya is a town

Types of settlements in Russia

The classification system of the types of inhabited localities in Russia, the former Soviet Union, and some other post-Soviet states has certain peculiarities compared to the classification systems in other countries.-Modern classification in Russia:...

 in Amur Oblast

Amur Oblast

Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky...

, 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 on the Zeya River

Zeya River

Zeya River , 1,242 km long, is a northern tributary of the Amur River. It rises in the Tokiysky Stanovik mountain ridge, a part of the Stanovoy Range. The first Russian to enter the area was Vassili Poyarkov....

 (a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Amur) some 230 km southeast of Tynda

Tynda

Tynda is a town in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is an important railway junction, often referred to as the capital of the BAM. The name is of Evenk origin, tendy translating roughly as on the river bank. Population: -Geography:...

 and 532 km north of Blagoveshchensk

Blagoveshchensk

Blagoveshchensk is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. Population: -Early history of the region:The early residents of both sides of the Amur in the region of today's Blagoveshchensk were the Daurs and Duchers...

. Population: 27,400 (2005 est.); 27,795 (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:...

); 31,955 (1989 Census

Soviet Census (1989)

The 1989 Soviet census, conducted between January 12-19 of that year, was the last one conducted in the former USSR. It resulted in a total population of 286,730,819 inhabitants...

).

History

Zeya was founded in 1879 as the settlement of Zeysky Sklad , as a supply and administrative center for the exploitation of newly-discovered 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...

 deposits in the Zeya River basin. By 1906, the settlement had grown to over 5,000 inhabitants, and was given town status under the name Zeya-Pristan . In 1913, the town's name was shortened to Zeya.

The town remained one of Russia's most important centers of gold production until the opening of the Kolyma

Kolyma

The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...

 region in the 1930s.

Construction of the Zeya Reservoir

Zeya Reservoir

Zeyskoye Reservoir is a large water reservoir in Amur Oblast, Russia, north of the Chinese border. It is situated on the Zeya River. It is kept at a regulated depth of 93 m. The reservoir starts from the dam at the town of Zeya, fills a narrow valley and then spreads out into a large lake. ...

, beginning in 1964, saw a new growth period for the town.

Economy and infrastructure

The dam on the Zeya is the main economic focus for the town, with forestry, gold mining and agriculture also conducted in the area.

Sister cities

Baker City

Baker City, Oregon

Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...