Beringovsky (; Chukchi: , ''Gačgatagyn'') is an urban locality (an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

) in

Anadyrsky District Anadyrsky District (; Chukchi language, Chukchi: , ''Kagyrgyn rajon'') is an administrativeLaw #33-OZ and municipalLaw #148-OZ district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Rus ...

Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Chukotka ( ; ), officially the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, is the easternmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia. It is an Autonomous okrugs of Russia, autonomous okrug situated in the Russian Far East, and shares a border wi ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and a port on the

Bering Sea The Bering Sea ( , ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre, p=ˈbʲerʲɪnɡəvə ˈmorʲe) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasse ...

. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 1,401.

History

In 1826, Ugolnaya Bay (lit. ''coal bay''), upon which Beringovsky stands, was first entered by the Russian sloop ''Senyavin'' commanded by

Fyodor Litke Fyodor, Fedor () or Feodor is the Russian-language form of the originally Greek-language name "Theodore" () meaning "God's gift" or "god-given". Fedora () is the feminine form. "Fyodor" and "Fedor" are two English transliterations of the same Ru ...

on a mission to map and explore the coast of the

.Fute, p. 96 In 1886, an expedition led by Captain A. A. Ostolopov on the clipper '' Strelok'' discovered thick layers of coal here. This coal was later used to power the visiting vessels and is the reason why the bay is so named. Geological studies for industrial development of this field began in 1933–1934 by the All-Union Arctic Institute, followed by and exploratory expedition by the

Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route The Chief Directorate of the Northern Sea Route (), also known as Glavsevmorput or GUSMP (), was a Soviet government organization in charge of the maritime Northern Sea Route, established in January 1932 and dissolved in 1964. History The organiz ...

(''Glavsevmorput''). Following the discovery of coal, the first settlement was established here to serve the new Bukhtugol mine. In April 1957, Beringovsky District was created within Chukotka National Okrug with the administrative center in the settlement of Ugolny. Due to the establishment of Beringovsky District, Ugolny was renamed Beringovsky in 1966. In 1975, the settlement was moved to a place called Nagorny, which was then renamed Beringovsky to provide continuity for the administrative center. In the late 1990s, Beringovsky had a population of around 3,000 when all heating, water and electricity failed, creating an extremely serious situation in such a remote location. This problem was then further exacerbated by then-Governor Nazarov banning all outside reporters and researchers, both from Moscow and abroad from visiting the area as well as censoring outgoing mail and telegrams from the community.Thompson, ''Administrative Resettlement and the Pursuit of Economy: The Case of Chukotka'', p. 281 Following this incident, sources report that by 2002, under a program of resettlement designed by

Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (born 24 October 1966) is a business oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the primary owner of the private investment com ...

and run by ''Regionstroy''—a private company established by the Okrug administration—nearly the whole of the population of Beringovsky had been resettled by late 2002.Thompson, ''Migration and Resettlement in Chukotka: A Research Note'', pp. 73–81 However, this does not seem to tally with the official census results for 2002. Thompson estimates the population of Beringovsky in the late 1990s as being around 3,000; however, 2002 Census results give a population of just under 2,000. Further confusion is added as Thompson specifically refers to Beringovsky as being "in the process of official liquidation". However, to date Beringovsky has neither been liquidated nor is it in the process of liquidation and is included in all the relevant legal documentation as an extant settlement on both municipalLaw #148-OZ and administrativeDirective #517-rp levels.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Beringovsky is directly subordinated to

. As a municipal division, the

of Beringovsky is incorporated within Anadyrsky Municipal District as Beringovsky Urban Settlement.

Economy

The economy of the settlement has traditionally been dominated by coal mining and the majority of the current residents are involved either in the mining itself or the administrative side of the mining business. The indigenous proportion of the population is comparatively low compared to other settlements in the autonomous okrug, numbering around 350 as of 2006.

Transportation

Beringovsky is served by . There is a sea port at Beringovsky, mainly used for the coal mined. Beringovsky is not connected to any other inhabited locality by permanent roads.

Demographics

Culture

Uelen Uelen is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a ''village#Russia, selo'') in Chukotsky District, just south of the Arctic Circle in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East. As of the Russian Census (2010), 2010 C ...

to the northeast, Beringovsky is well known as being a center for indigenous art, particularly whale bone carving. The Bering dialect of the

Aleut language Aleut ( ) or is the language spoken by the Aleut living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, Commander Islands, and the Alaska Peninsula (in Aleut , the origin of the state name Alaska). Aleut is the sole language in the Aleut branch of ...

is not directly connected with this settlement, though both the dialect's and the settlement's name are derived from

Vitus Bering Vitus Jonassen Bering ( , , ; baptised 5 August 1681 – 19 December 1741),All dates are here given in the Julian calendar, which was in use throughout Russia at the time. also known as Ivan Ivanovich Bering (), was a Danish-born Russia ...

Climate

Beringovsky has a

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''ET'') with very cold, long winters and short, cool and damp summers.

References

Notes

Sources

* * *N. Thompso
''Administrative Resettlement and the Pursuit of Economy: The Case of Chukotka''
*N. Thompson
''Migration and Resettlement in Chukotka: A Research Note''
Eurasian Geography and Economics, Volume 45, Number 1, January–February 2004. * *Petit Futé, ''Chukotka''

External links

Pictures of Beringovsky
{{Use mdy dates, date=February 2024 Urban-type settlements in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug