Chokurdakh (; , ''Çokuurdaax'') 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 ...

) 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 ...

Allaikhovsky District Allaikhovsky District (; , ''Allayıaxa uluuha'') is an administrativeConstitution of the Sakha Republic, Article 45 and municipalLaw #172-Z #351-III district (raion, or ''ulus''), one of the thirty-four in the Sakha Republic, Russia. It is ...

of 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 ...

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 ...

. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 2,367.

Geography

Chokurdakh is located on the left bank of the

Indigirka River The Indigirka (; ) is a river in the Sakha Republic in Russia between the Yana to the west and the Kolyma to the east. It is long. The area of its basin is . History The isolated village of Russkoye Ustye, located on the delta of the Indigi ...

, below its

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 ...

with the Allaikha. The

Yana-Indigirka Lowland The Yana-Indigirka Lowland (; ) is a large, low alluvial plain located in northern Siberia, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia. Administratively most of the territory of the lowland is part of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). There are inhabited ...

lies to the west and northwest, and the

Kondakov Plateau The Kondakov Plateau (; ) is a mountain plateau in the Sakha Republic, Far Eastern Federal District, Russia. The town of Chokurdakh is located on the other bank of the Indigirka, facing the plateau. The nearest airport is Chokurdakh Airport. Th ...

to the east, beyond the other bank of the Indigirka.Topographic map - Chokurdakh
/ref>

History

It was founded in 1936 as the new administrative center of Allaikhovsky District, which was established in 1931. It served as a river port on the

Indigirka The Indigirka (; ) is a river in the Sakha Republic in Russia between the Yana to the west and the Kolyma to the east. It is long. The area of its basin is . History The isolated village of Russkoye Ustye, located on the delta of the Indigi ...

, connecting to sea traffic using the

Northern Sea Route The Northern Sea Route (NSR) (, shortened to Севморпуть, ''Sevmorput'') is a shipping route about long. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the shortest shipping route between the western part of Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region. Ad ...

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 was granted to it in 1981.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, the

of ChokurdakhAccording to Article 7 of the Law #77-I, lower-level administrative divisions with the status of a settlement have their administrative centers in an inhabited locality with the status of an urban-type settlement. According to the ''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic'', Chokurdakh is the administrative center of the Settlement of Chokurdakh. serves as the

.''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic'' As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Allaikhovsky District as the

Settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

of Chokurdakh. As a municipal division, the Settlement of Chokurdakh is incorporated within Allaikhovsky Municipal District as Chokurdakh Urban Settlement.Law #173-Z #353-III

Economy and infrastructure

Chokurdakh is not connected with the outside world by any year-round roads. A

winter road A winter road is a seasonal road only usable during the winter, i.e. it has to be re-built every year. This road typically runs over land and over frozen lakes, rivers, swamps, and sea ice. Segments of a winter road that cross an expanse of flo ...

follows the

upstream when it is frozen, traveling partly along the river ice, leading to

Ust-Nera Ust-Nera (; ) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Oymyakonsky District in Yakutia, Russia. Located in one of the coldest permanently inhabited regions on Earth, Ust-Nera is approximately northeast of t ...

via Belaya Gora and

Khonuu Khonuu (; ) is a rural locality (a '' selo'') and the administrative center of Momsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the right bank of the Indigirka River. Population: Geography Khonuu is located approximately northeast of ...

. Chokurdakh is served by the

Chokurdakh Airport Chokurdakh Airport (sometimes written Chokurdah Airport, Cokurdah Airport) is an airport in Yakutia, Russia located 1 km north of Chokurdakh. It is a major airfield handling small transport aircraft. Google Earth Google Earth is a web ...

, one of the most northerly airports in Russia, which may be unusable during strong winds and snowstorms.

Climate

Chokurdakh has an extreme

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), bordering on

polar Polar may refer to: Geography * Geographical pole, either of the two points on Earth where its axis of rotation intersects its surface ** Polar climate, the climate common in polar regions ** Polar regions of Earth, locations within the polar circ ...

. Temperatures have never risen above freezing from October 20 through to April 11. The record high is on 23 July 2020 and the record low is on 9 January 1964.

References

Notes

Sources

*Official website of the Sakha Republic. ''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic''
Allaikhovsky District
. * * {{Use mdy dates, date=March 2013 Urban-type settlements in the Sakha Republic Road-inaccessible communities of the Sakha Republic Indigirka basin