Ust-Kut () 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 Ust-Kutsky District in

Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara River, Angara, Lena River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is ...

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 from

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

, the administrative center of the

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

. Located on a western loop of the

Lena River The Lena is a river in the Russian Far East and is the easternmost river of the three great rivers of Siberia which flow into the Arctic Ocean, the others being Ob (river), Ob and Yenisey. The Lena River is long and has a capacious drainage basi ...

, the town spreads out for over along the left bank, near the point where the Kuta River joins from the west. Population:

Etymology

The town's name means "the mouth of the Kuta River" in Russian, with the name "Kuta" coming from an Evenk word meaning "peat bog".

Geography

The town is located in the

Lena-Angara Plateau The Lena-Angara Plateau (), is a plateau in Siberia. Administratively it is in the Irkutsk Oblast, Russian Federation. The plateau is named after the Lena and Angara rivers, of which it forms the watershed. Rivers on the plateau flow mostly in ...

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 1631 by Siberian Cossack ''

ataman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; ; ) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military commanders of the Cossack armies. The Ukra ...

'' Ivan Galkin, who built an '' ostrog'' (fort) there. The fort's military importance declined in the latter half of the 17th century; however, the settlement was increasingly important as a river port, becoming one of the main starting points for trade along the Lena. Mineral springs to the west of the town were reportedly discovered as early as the 17th century by Yerofey Khabarov and a spa was built at the site in 1925. In the early 20th century Ust-Kut served as a destination for political exiles, most notably

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

. In 1951, the railway from Tayshet reached Ust-Kut. The town thus became the first and only river port on the Lena served by the railway and an important railhead through which cargoes could travel to and from the locations along the Lena, such as most of

Yakutia 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 ...

. Ust-Kut was granted town status in 1954, with the merger of the original settlement of Ust-Kut and the river port suburb of Osetrovo. Ust-Kut remained the end of the line until 1974, when construction work started to extend the railway, now known as the Baikal–Amur Mainline, east toward

Lake Baikal Lake Baikal is a rift lake and the deepest lake in the world. It is situated in southern Siberia, Russia between the Federal subjects of Russia, federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast, Irkutsk Oblasts of Russia, Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...

and beyond. The town became the headquarters of the construction of the western section of the BAM.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Ust-Kut serves as the

of Ust-Kutsky District,Law #49-OZ to which it is directly subordinated.''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Formations of Irkutsk Oblast'' As a municipal division, the

of Ust-Kut, together with the '' selo'' of Turuka in Ust-Kutsky District, is incorporated within Ust-Kutsky Municipal District as Ust-Kutskoye Urban Settlement.Law #93-oz

Economy and infrastructure

Ust-Kut's economy relies mainly on its position as a transport hub, with the connection of road and rail transport with river traffic on the Lena. During the summer months, passenger ferries depart downriver from Ust-Kut to

Yakutsk Yakutsk ( ) is the capital and largest city of Sakha, Russia, located about south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of Russia's most rapidly growing regional cities, with a population of 355,443 at the ...

and

Tiksi Tiksi ( rus, Ти́кси, , ˈtʲiksʲɪ; , ''Tiksii'' – lit. ''a moorage place'') is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Bulunsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the shore of the B ...

. There is a road bridge over the river in Ust-Kut. There are also shipyards and food production in the town. Ust-Kut is spread along the Baikal–Amur Mainline with multiple stations, including the smaller Ust-Kut station and the actual main station Lena near the river port in Osetrovo. At the small settlement of Yakurim a few kilometers further, the railway crosses the Lena via a bridge, the last bridge across the river for its entire length. The town is served by the Ust-Kut Airport, located northwest of the town center.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast Populated places established in 1631 Bridges over the Lena River 1631 establishments in Russia Irkutsk Governorate Populated places on the Lena River