Chumikan
Encyclopedia
Chumikan is a small town at the mouth of the Uda River, Ayano-Maysky District
, Khabarovsk Krai
, Russia
. Coordinates 54°42′N 135°17′E.
The town was founded in 1885 as a fishing port on the Sea of Okhotsk, and even today has never been made accessible by road
, but the area had been a winter port for Yakut
and Evenki
people for many years before Russians discovered it. Chumikan soon became a trading centre for gold
, which was discovered inland within a decade of the town’s founding.. After the gold was depleted, the town became, along with others along the Khabarovsk Krai coast, a centre for resistance to the Bolshevik Revolution in the 1920s.
In the subsequent decades, Chumikan’s chief role was as a centre for the extremely rich fisheries of the Sea of Okhotsk
, but during the latter part of the Soviet era, there were efforts to develop major phosphate rock reserves known to occur inland. The collapse of the Soviet Union has meant that these efforts have largely disintegrated.
rise to 2090 metres (6,857 ft).
The climate of Chumikan is subarctic
(Köppen
Dwc), with mild, wet summers and very cold dry winters. Owing to its location near the sea, the summers are markedly cooler and wetter than those of inland Siberia, with the result that a different type of forest from the inland larch
forest, dominated by Picea obovata, occurs.
Ayano-Maysky District
Ayano-Maysky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the seventeen in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Ayan. District's population: Population of Ayan accounts for 40.5% of the district's population.-Geography:The district has...
, Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Coordinates 54°42′N 135°17′E.
The town was founded in 1885 as a fishing port on the Sea of Okhotsk, and even today has never been made accessible by road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
, but the area had been a winter port for Yakut
Yakut
Yakut may refer to:* Yakuts, the Turkic people associated with the Sakha Republic* Yakut language, a Turkic language also known as Sakha.* Ruby in Turkish language* Yakut , a breed from Russia*Yakut Pony, horse breed from Siberia, Russia...
and Evenki
Evenki
Evenki or Evenk may refer to*Evenks, or Evenki, a people of Russia and China*Evenki languages, languages of Tungusic family**Evenki language, a subdivision of Evenki languages, spoken by Evenks...
people for many years before Russians discovered it. Chumikan soon became a trading centre for gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, which was discovered inland within a decade of the town’s founding.. After the gold was depleted, the town became, along with others along the Khabarovsk Krai coast, a centre for resistance to the Bolshevik Revolution in the 1920s.
In the subsequent decades, Chumikan’s chief role was as a centre for the extremely rich fisheries of the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
, but during the latter part of the Soviet era, there were efforts to develop major phosphate rock reserves known to occur inland. The collapse of the Soviet Union has meant that these efforts have largely disintegrated.
Geography and climate
Chumikan lies on the southern side of the Uda delta, at the westernmost extremity of a small gulf in the Sea of Okhostsk, which contains a number of small islands. The terrain surrounding the town is almost entirely mountainous except for the narrow river valley extending to the west. On the southern side the Dzhugdzhur MountainsDzhugdzhur Mountains
The Dzhugdzhur Mountains are a mountain range in the far east of Siberia that run along the entire northwest coast of the Sea of Okhotsk. In the east, mountains emerge from the Stanovoy Range and run northeast for some 1500 kilometers before splitting three ways into the Chersky Range, Verkhoyansk...
rise to 2090 metres (6,857 ft).
The climate of Chumikan is subarctic
Subarctic climate
The subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Dwc), with mild, wet summers and very cold dry winters. Owing to its location near the sea, the summers are markedly cooler and wetter than those of inland Siberia, with the result that a different type of forest from the inland larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
forest, dominated by Picea obovata, occurs.