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Bilibino () is a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and the
administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of
Bilibinsky District Bilibinsky District (; , ''Bilibinkèn rajon'') is an administrativeLaw #33-OZ and municipalLaw #43-OZ district (raion), one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the west of the autonomous okrug and borders with Chau ...
in
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 ...
. It is located northwest of
Anadyr Anadyr may refer to: *Anadyr (town), a town and the administrative center of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia * Anadyr District * Anadyr Estuary * Anadyr (river), a river in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia * Anadyr Highlands * Anadyr Lowlands * A ...
, the administrative center of the
autonomous okrug Autonomous okrugs, () which are also referred to as "autonomous districts" or "autonomous areas" are a type of federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russia, Russian Federation and simultaneously an administrative division type of ...
. It is the second largest town in the autonomous okrug after Anadyr. Population:


Geography

The town of Bilibino was built at the
confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
of the Karalveyem and Bolshoy Keperveyem Rivers (
Kolyma Kolyma (, ) or Kolyma Krai () is a historical region in the Russian Far East that includes the basin of Kolyma River and the northern shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as the Kolyma Mountains (the watershed of the two). It is bounded to ...
's basin). Bilibino is on the transition zone between the
conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...
forest and the
tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
of the
East Siberian Mountains The East Siberian Mountains or East Siberian Highlands () are one of the largest mountain systems of the Russia, Russian Federation. They are located between the Central Yakutian Lowland and the Bering Strait in Northeast Siberia. The area of th ...
, southeast of the Pyrkanay Range (Горы Пырканай), southwest of the Rauchuan Range (Раучуанский хребет) and north of the
Kyrganay Range The Kyrganay Range ( or хребет Кыргонай) is a range of mountains in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russian Far East. Administratively the range is part of Bilibino District. The village of Keperveyem is located at the feet of the rang ...
and the
Chuvan Mountains The Chuvanay Range (), also known as Chuvan Mountains (Чуванский хребет), is a range of mountains in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russian Far East. Administratively the range is part of Bilibino District. The village of Keperveye ...
. Чуванайские горы, National atlas of Russia
/ref>


History

As with much of the rest of Chukotka, the earliest human remains found in the region around Bilibino have been dated to the
Early Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wi ...
, with camp sites having been excavated at Orlovka 2, a site on the banks of the Orlovka River, as well as at Lakes Tytyl and
Ilirney Ilirney (; Chukchi: , ''Iḷirňèj'', lit. ''mountain island'') is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Bilibinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located southeast of Bilibino, on the banks of the Maly Anyuy River. The population of ...
.Petit Fute. ''Chukotka'', p. 100 Interest in the area around the present day site of the town began in the 1920s when
prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...
s including Soviet
geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...
Yuri Bilibin (1901–1952) discovered
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
in the region and began to make assessments regarding the commercial viability of its extraction.Petit Fute. ''Chukotka'', pp. 102f In March 1955, gold mining operations commenced and the construction of a settlement started,Official website of Bilibinsky District
General Description of the Town of Bilibino
though at this stage it was little more than a collection of geologists' and prospectors' tents, who had originally been based in Seymchan. Because of his discovery of gold in the region, particularly within the vicinity of the
Bolshoy Anyuy The Bolshoy Anyuy (; "Great Anyuy") is a river in the Kolyma (river), Kolyma basin in Far East Siberia. Administratively most of the basin of the Bolshoy Anyuy and its tributaries belong to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of Russia. Geography It flo ...
and
Maly Anyuy River The Maly Anyuy (; ''maly'' meaning "little") is a river in the Kolyma (river), Kolyma basin in the Russian Far East. Most of the basin of the Maly Anyuy and its tributaries belongs to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug administrative region of Russia. ...
s, the geologists named the new settlement after Yury Bilibin, and the new name was officially adopted in February 1956. On September 6, 1958, Bilibino was granted
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 ...
status. Bilibino's development intensified in the early 1960s when it was joined to the
Pevek Pevek (; Chukchi language, Chukchi: , ''Pèèkin'' / ''Pèèk'') is an Arctic port types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Chaunsky District in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on Chaunskaya Bay (pa ...
power grid. On August 2, 1961, Bilibino became the administrative center of the Eastern Tundra District ''(Rayon Vostochnoy Tundry)'' which was renamed Bilibino District ''(Bilibinsky Rayon)'' on the occasion. In 1965, the Soviet government decided to build the
Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant The Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant ( []) is a Power station, power plant in Bilibino, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. The plant is equipped with four EGP-6 reactors. The plant is the smallest and the second northernmost operating nuclear power ...
. The construction aided by several hundred volunteers from the
Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...
organization was completed in 1974; by 1976 three additional reactors were put into operation.Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP). Nuclear Transparency in the Asia Pacific. Town status was granted to Bilibino on June 28, 1993.


Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Bilibino serves as the
administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of
Bilibinsky District Bilibinsky District (; , ''Bilibinkèn rajon'') is an administrativeLaw #33-OZ and municipalLaw #43-OZ district (raion), one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is located in the west of the autonomous okrug and borders with Chau ...
,Law #33-OZ to which it is directly subordinated.Directive #517-rp As a municipal division, the
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of Bilibino is, together with the '' selo'' of Keperveyem, incorporated within Bilibinsky Municipal District as Bilibino Urban Settlement.Law #43-OZ


Economy

The town is home to the world's northernmost
nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...
, the
Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant The Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant ( []) is a Power station, power plant in Bilibino, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. The plant is equipped with four EGP-6 reactors. The plant is the smallest and the second northernmost operating nuclear power ...
, which opened in January 1974. It is the only nuclear power plant in the Russian Far East

and has four reactors, each with an output of 12 MWe. The plant will be progressively shut down and decommissioned, and will be replaced by the
Akademik Lomonosov ''Akademik Lomonosov'' () is a non-self-propelled power barge that operates as the first Russian floating nuclear power station. The ship was named after Russian Academy of Sciences, academician Mikhail Lomonosov. It is docked in the Pevek harb ...
floating nuclear power plant. The first reactor was shut down at the end of 2018. The nearest operating gold mine is located west of the tow


Transportation

The region where Bilibino is located has virtually no roads that are usable year-round; even a trip from the
Keperveyem Airport Keperveyem Airport () is an airport located in Keperveyem, in the Chukotka autonomous district of Russia. It also serves Bilibino, with which it is connected with a long gravel road. Airlines and Destinations See also *Kyrganay Range T ...
to Bilibino town requires a journey along an unpaved road. There is also an unpaved road to the seaport of Zelyony Mys on the
Kolyma River The Kolyma (, ; ) is a river in northeastern Siberia, whose basin covers parts of the Sakha Republic, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Magadan Oblast of Russia. The Kolyma is frozen to depths of several metres for about 250 days each year, b ...
near Chersky in the
Sakha Republic Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...
(around 250 km). Heavier transports use this road. There is a winter-only
ice road An ice road or ice bridge is a human-made structure that runs on a frozen water surface (a river, a lake or a sea water expanse).Masterson, D. and Løset, S., 2011, ISO 19906: Bearing capacity of ice and ice roads, Proceedings of the 21st Int ...
between
Pevek Pevek (; Chukchi language, Chukchi: , ''Pèèkin'' / ''Pèèk'') is an Arctic port types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Chaunsky District in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on Chaunskaya Bay (pa ...
and Bilibino.


Demographics

In a typical development for the post-Soviet era in the
Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...
, Bilibino's population dropped significantly after the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
. During the
1989 Soviet Census The 1989 Soviet census (), conducted between 12 and 19 January of that year, was the final census carried out in the Soviet Union. The census found the total population to be 286,730,819 inhabitants. In 1989, the Soviet Union ranked as the third ...
, the population of Bilibino was 15,558; it fell to 6,181 in the 2002 Census and further down to 5,506 in the
2010 Russian Census The 2010 Russian census () was the second census of the Russian Federation population after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Preparations for the census began in 2007 and it took place between October 14 and October 25. The census The cen ...
. As of January 2010, the ethnic make up of the town was mostly
Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
(71%) and
Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...
(15%);
Chukchi people The Chukchi, or Chukchee (, ''ḷygʺoravètḷʹèt, o'ravètḷʹèt''), are a Siberian ethnic group native to the Chukchi Peninsula, the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea region of the Arctic Ocean all within modern Russia. They s ...
and
Evens The Evens /əˈvɛn/ ( Even: эвэн; pl. эвэсэл, ''evesel'' in Even and эвены, ''eveny'' in Russian; formerly called ''Lamuts'') are a people in Siberia and the Russian Far East. They live in regions of the Magadan Oblast and ...
accounted for 6% and 3%, correspondingly; with all other ethnicities accounting for less than 1% each.


Climate

Bilibino has a
subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...
('' Dfc'') according to the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
.McKnight and Hess, pp. 232–235 Summers are short and cool with chilly nights, while winters are long, dry and bitterly cold.


References


Notes


Sources

* * * *Petit Fute. ''Chukotka''. *


External links


Official website of Bilibino

Bilibino Business Directory
*BBC
Description of a visit to the power plantBilibino Photo GalleryShort film about Bilibino
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Cities and towns built in the Soviet Union Populated places established in 1955 Populated places of Arctic Russia 1955 establishments in Russia Road-inaccessible communities of Russia Bilibinsky District