Mogocha ( rus, Могоча, p=mɐˈgotɕə) 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 Mogochinsky District in

Zabaykalsky Krai Zabaykalsky Krai is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the Russian Far East. Its administrative center is Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Chita. As of the Russian Census (2010), 2010 Census, the population was ...

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 ...

, located northeast of Chita, the administrative center of the

krai A krai or kray (; , , ''kraya'') is one of the types of federal subjects of modern Russia, and was a type of geographical administrative division in the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR. Etymologically, the word is related to the verb "" ...

. Population:

Etymology

The name "Mogocha" is derived from the river on which it stands, whose name comes from the Evenki word ''mongochi''. This meaning of this word is ambiguous; it can be translated as ''golden valley'', but also as ''belonging to the Mongo tribe''.

Geography

Mogocha is located near of the southern slopes of the Olyokma-Stanovik, 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 Mogocha and Amazar rivers.

Google Earth Google Earth is a web mapping, web and computer program created by Google that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satelli ...

History

It was founded in 1910, with the construction of the local section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Rail traffic began in 1914. In addition to its status as a supply point for the railway, from the 1920s and 1930s it became the base for gold mining in the surrounding area. Town status was granted to it in 1950. From 1947 until 1953, Mogocha was site for the ''Klyuchevlag'' prison labor camp of the

gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...

system. The camp held up to 3,000 prisoners at any one time, mainly used as forced labor for

molybdenum Molybdenum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mo (from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'') and atomic number 42. The name derived from Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lead ores. Molybdenum minerals hav ...

and gold mining in the villages to the southwest of the town. During the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations in the 1950s, a large airbase was created near Mogocha, which hosted several helicopter regiments until the 1990s. The remoteness of Mogocha combined with the harsh climatic conditions, gave rise to the Soviet military slang expression ''God created

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, and

Satan Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...

Mogocha''. 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 ...

and subsequent economic crisis, Mogocha lost around one third of its population, a common occurrence for cities 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 ...

. At the same time, a significant number of Chinese citizens and companies have moved to the region.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Mogocha serves as the

of Mogochinsky District, to which it is directly subordinated.''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Units and the Inhabited Localities of Zabaykalsky Krai'' As a municipal division, the

of Mogocha, together with four rural localities, is incorporated within Mogochinsky Municipal District as Mogochinskoye Urban Settlement.Law #317-ZZK

Economy

Other than railway-related industries, there is logging and timber milling conducted in the surrounding area.

Transportation

Mogocha has a station on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The town's small airport, which had opened in 1937, was closed during the 1990s.

Climate

Mogocha 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 ...

(

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 ...

''Dwc'') with bitterly cold, dry winters and mild, rainy summers.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Use mdy dates, date=January 2013 Cities and towns in Zabaykalsky Krai Populated places established in 1910 Former urban-type settlements of Zabaykalsky Krai