Vayegi (; , ''Vaargyn''; Koryak: Ваевви, ''Vaevvi'') is a

rural locality In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically describ ...

(a '' selo'') 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 ...

, located near the border with

Kamchatka Krai Kamchatka Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), situated in the Russian Far East. It is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center and largest types of inhabited l ...

, on the banks of the river Mayn, southwest 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 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 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 ...

. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 497.The results of the 2010 Census are given for Vayegi Rural Settlement, a municipal formation of Anadyrsky Municipal District. According to Law #148-OZ, Vayegi is the only inhabited locality on the territory of Vayegi Rural Settlement.

History

It was founded in 1951 as a result of the ongoing

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

policy of

collectivization Collective farming and communal farming are various types of "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...

. The

kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz. These were the two components of the socialized farm sector that began to eme ...

(collective farm) that was founded around Vayegi brought together several groups of previously nomadic herders, including the more remote settlements of Beryozovo and the old settlement of Vayegi, which both became abandoned. 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 ...

, small rural localities like Vayegi were extremely hard hit economically. In 2000, for example, when the monthly living wage across Chukotka was estimated at 3,800

ruble The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are s ...

s, the average wage in Vayegi was in the range of 700–800 rubles.Chereshev & Shestakov, p. 14

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Vayegi is subordinated to

.Directive #517-rp Within the framework of municipal divisions, Vayegi is a part of Vayegi Rural Settlement within Anadyrsky Municipal District.Law #148-OZ

Economy

Most of Vayegi's population is made up of indigenous people, mainly Chukchi, meaning that the focus of the local economy is on traditional hunting and fishing.

Transportation

Vayegi is not connected to the outside world by any road network. There are helicopter flights for passengers, from the

Ugolny Airport Ugolny Airport () (also Leninka, Ugolnyye Kopi, Ugolnoye) is a mixed-use military and civil airfield in the Russian Far East located 11 km east of Anadyr (town), Anadyr, separated from the town by the waters of Anadyrsky Liman. The airfiel ...

, operated by

Chukotavia ChukotAVIA (, short for Чукотские авиалинии; ) is an airline based in Anadyr, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It operates passenger, cargo, and utility services. Its main base is Anadyr Ugolny Airport. As of february 2025, i ...

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census, the population was 497, which is an increase from the 2003 estimate of 457 reported the 2005 environmental impact report produced for the Kupol Gold Project.Bema Gold Corporation, p. 87 Of that population, 379 were of indigenous origin.Bema Gold Corporation, p. 89

Culture

Vayegi is known throughout the region for being a center for indigenous festivals, where each year a number of events are hosted, including the native festival of ''Kilvei'', the Thanksgiving Ceremony, the Young Reindeer festival, and a dog sled race, where competitors race for the Governor's Cup. Indigenous traditions are perpetuated through the presence of societies for the promotion of reindeer herding, as well as through an active folklore ensemble and a labor veterans club promoting traditional artistry and handicrafts. In addition to these indigenous services, Vayegi also supports a secondary school and a daycare center. Local indigenous inhabitants' name for Vayengi is Varen (lit. ''tripod''); from the Chukchi word for the horizontal supports of a

yaranga A Yaranga ( Chukchi: ) is a tent-like traditional mobile home of some nomadic Northern indigenous peoples of Russia, such as Chukchi and Siberian Yupik. A Yaranga is a cone-shaped or rounded reindeer-hide tent. It is built of a light wooden ...

.Strogoff et al., p. 89. A local legend has it that a hill near Vayegi was once the scene of a battle between the Chukchi and the Koryak people. The Chukchi took up position on a hill which they had soaked with water to prevent the Koryak from being able to climb it. The Koryak persisted and so the Chukchi loaded their sleds with stones, laid the horizontal supports from their yarangas across them, and sent them down the hill scattering the Koryak and winning the battle.

Climate

Vayegi has a

subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of hemiboreal regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Fennoscandia, Northwestern Russia, Siberia, and the Cair ...

boreal Boreal, northern, of the north. Derived from the name of the god of the north wind from Ancient Greek civilisation, Boreas (god), Boreas. It may also refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernand ...

(

taiga Taiga or tayga ( ; , ), also known as boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches. The taiga, or boreal forest, is the world's largest land biome. In North A ...

) climate (''Dfc'')McKnight and Hess, pp. 232–235 with bitterly cold, very long winters and short, mild summers.

References

Notes

Sources

*E. Chereshev and A. Shestakov
Anadyr River Watershed, Rapid Assessment Report
Institute of biological Problems of the North, Wild Salmon Center, June 2003. * * * *Bema Gold Corporation
Environmental Impact Assessment, Kupol Gold Project, Far East Russia
June 2005. * *M. Strogoff, P.-C. Brochet, and D. Auzias
''Petit Futé: Chukotka''
"Avant-Garde" Publishing House, 2006. {{Use mdy dates, date=November 2014 Anadyrsky District Rural localities in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug