Wikipedia

Chaunsky District

Chaunsky District(Russian:Ча́унский райо́н;Chukchi:Чаан район,Čaan rajon) is an administrative[1]and municipal[8]district (raion), one of thesixinChukotka Autonomous Okrug,Russia.It is located on the northern shore of the autonomous okrug and borders withIultinsky Districtin the northeast,Anadyrsky Districtin the southeast, and withBilibinsky Districtin the south and west. The area of the district is 67,091 square kilometers (25,904 sq mi).[3]Itsadministrative centeris thetownofPevek.[1]Population:5,148 (2010 Census);[4]6,962 (2002 Census);[10]32,167 (1989 Soviet census).[11]The population of Pevek accounts for 80.8% of the district's total population.[4]

Chaunsky District
Чаунский район
District
Stacks in Chaunsky District, a natural monument
Stacksin Chaunsky District, a natural monument
Flag of Chaunsky District
Flag
Coat of arms of Chaunsky District
Coat of arms
Map
Location of Chaunsky District in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Coordinates:68°52′06″N170°36′29″E/ 68.86833°N 170.60806°E/68.86833; 170.60806
CountryRussia
Federal subjectChukotka Autonomous Okrug[1]
Established1933[2]
Administrative centerPevek[1]
Government
• TypeLocal government
• Head of the AdministrationYelena Kompaniyets
Area
[3]
• Total
67,091 km2(25,904 sq mi)
Population
(2010 Census)[4]
• Total
5,148
• Estimate
(January 2016)[5]
5,747
• Density0.077/km2(0.20/sq mi)
•Urban
80.8%
•Rural
19.2%
Administrative structure
•Inhabited localities[6]1cities/towns,6Urban-type settlements[7],4rural localities
Municipal structure
•Municipally incorporatedasChaunsky Municipal District[8]
•Municipal divisions[8]1 urban settlements, 3 rural settlements
Time zoneUTC+12(MSK+9Edit this on Wikidata[9])
OKTMOID77705000
Websitehttp://go-pevek.ru/index.php
District administration building

Chaunsky District is flat compared to other districts in the autonomous okrug.[citation needed]The land within the current boundaries was first visited by non-indigenous people in the 18th century.[12]The indigenous people in the district are mainlyChukchi,[13]and form about 15% of the population.[12]

Geography

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Map including Chaunsky Bay

The district is centered around theChaunskaya Bay,on the shores of which Pevek, the administrative center of the district, is situated. The district's territory also includesAyon Island,found at the entrance to the Chaunskaya Bay. There is an eponymous settlement on the island.

The district's territory stretches for 330 kilometers (210 mi) from north to south and for 290 kilometers (180 mi) from east to west.[8]Cape Shelagskyis its northernmost point.[8]Chaunsky District is significantly flatter than Bilibinsky District located to the west and contains large areas devoted to reindeer pasture.

Approximately 350 kilometers (220 mi) long, theChaun River,which flows intoChaunskaya Bay,is the longest river in the whole autonomous okrug.[12]

There are a number of wetland areas of significance within the district. The most westerly of these is situated on the Kyttyk Peninsula and the mouth of theRauchua River.[14]This area is dominated by the Lower Rauchua delta and the alluvial plains of the Kyttyk Peninsula, from whichAyon Islandis separated by the Maly Chaunsky Strait.[14]The peninsula is almost completely covered in a complex system of lakes, ranging in size from small saline pools lying on a recently exposed marine terrace 1 to 2 m above sea level, near the coast,[14]to lakes up to 1 km wide and 12 m deep on high level surfaces 10–15 m above sea level.[14]In addition, the peninsula is scored by a number of rivers, the Eyukuul, Koz'mina, Rakvezan and Emykkyvian among the most significant.[14]

The Ust-Chaun area of the district also contains significant wetlands at the south end ofChaunskaya Bay,consisting mainly of an alluvial plain approximately 100 km wide and 60 km north to south.[15]The wetlands at Ust-Chaun are similar in structure to those at the Rauchua / Kyttyk wetland, consisting of a landscape almost entirely filled with small lakes,[15]those nearest Chaunskaya Bay are the smallest and shallowest (less than 70 cm deep)[15]and those on more elevated ground being deeper at 1.5–3 m deep[16]The Ust-Chaun region serves a fishing centre for the inhabitants ofRytkuchi,[17]although this has lost its importance in recent years as stocks of Char have diminished,[17]as a result of overfishing both for sale to the localSovkhozand as bait for trapping foxes.[18]

Flora

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There are approximately 200 different species of plant within the Rauchua / Kyttyk wetland area comprising a variety of steppe, boreal and arctic species, a number of which occur at the eastern limit of their natural habitat.[19]In the Ust-Chaun area, there are even more recorded plant species, at 252.,[19]including a number of rare species.[20]

Fauna

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Humpbackandchum salmonenter the lower reaches of the Rauchua.[21]Several species ofwhitefish,graylingandsmeltalso live in the river or in the many surrounding lakes.[21]Sticklebacksalso live in the lakes[22]along withArctic char,although the community of char is infested withAcanthocephala.[14]Similar fish exist in the Ust-Chaun region,[23]and in addition to fish, the wetland is also home to theSiberian newt,which lives in the shrub-covered tundra near the delta.[23]

The Rauchua / Kyttyk wetland area is considered to be the easternmost extent of so-called "Kolyma fauna", such as theTerek sandpiper,brown shrikeandscarlet rosefinch.[21]The most common bird species in the Rauchua / Kyttyk wetland are theyellow-billed,black-throatedandPacificdivers. One of the main reasons for the importance of the Rauchua / Kyttyk is the breeding population (figures as of 1994) ofBewick's swan(approximately 300 birds), thePacific eider(approximately 3,000 birds) and thespectacled eider(approximately 2,000 birds).[24]Spectacled and Pacific eider as well as black-throated and Pacific divers are also found in the Ust-Chaun region, though the Pacific eider is much more common on the Kyttyl Peninsula and nearApapelgino.[23]

Birds of prey are found in the Ust-Chaun area, with therough-legged buzzardnesting in the area and species such as thegoshawkandperegrine falconvisiting the area regularly.[17]Their prey consists of a wide variety of small mammals and almost all mammals found in the tundra regions of the Russian Far East are found in the Ust-Chaun area, including a number of species of shrew, vole and lemming.[17]Larger mammals include wildreindeer,wolves andbrown bear.[17]

Demographics

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Approximately 85% of the district's population in 2003 were non-indigenous peoples.[12]As with most of the districts in Chukotka, indigenous peoples are more often found in the scattered rural localities, while ethnic Russians are more often found in the urban areas. These people either migrated to theFar East,or are the descendants of those who did, enticed by the higher pay, large pensions, and more generous allowances permitted to those prepared to endure the cold and the isolation, or, more likely, were exiled here as a result of one ofStalin's purges, or were exiled here having been released from theGulag.The existence of the port of Pevek in the district is a major reason for the presence of ethnic Russians.[12]

The indigenous people present in the district are almost exclusivelyChukchi.[13]An environmental impact study produced byBema Goldfor the Kupol gold project states that at the start of 2004, 846 of the districts inhabitants were of indigenous origin.[25]Of these people, 841 were Chukchi,[25]with 2 reported asYupik,2Mansiand 1Evencomprising the remaining five indigenous individuals.[25]The indigenous people of Chaunsky District reside mainly inRytkuchi,AyonandYanranay.[25]

History

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18th and 19th centuries

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The area of what is now Chaunsky District was first visited by non-indigenous people, whenKarl Merkcame across the Chaun River, as part of the overland element of the Billings Expedition—the expedition ordered byCatherine the Greatand led by EnglishmanJoseph Billingsin an attempt to find a trueNortheast Passage.Prior to the river's discovery by Merk, the Chaun River represented the westernmost boundary of the Chukchi land. Merk named the riverChavaveyamafter Mount Chaun, from where the river springs.[12]

TheRauchua Riverwas a place inhabited bymammothsin prehistoric times and was also the scene of a bloody battle between Chukchi herders and a combination ofYukaghirsandEvensduring the 19th century. The name Rauchua comes from theChukchiword "Ravchyvan", meaningplace of a victory over a camp.[12]

20th century

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The district in its present form was founded in 1933.[2]Goldandtinwere discovered in the 1940s, which led to the first occurrences of industrial mining in the district in the 1950s. The effect of this growth in industry was that Chaunsky District became the first district in the region to have a road network constructed as well as an electricity grid.[12]During World War II, theChaunskaya Bayarea of Chaunsky District was the most important tin producing area in the whole of theSoviet Union.[26]

Economy

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Industrial and administrative

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Many of the populated places throughout Chukotka owe their existence to tin and gold mines, and deposits of these metals were first discovered in Chukotka in Chaunsky District in 1941. In 2002, the average monthly salary was just over 11,000rublesper month,[27]although agricultural wages were on average only around half that per month.[27]Mining and ancillary services still form the major elements of the economy of Chaunsky District. There are two large mines and a number of small mines in the district,[27]supported by a large trucking company.[27]

Traditional and cultural

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Compared to other districts in Chukotka, agricultural enterprise is not particularly well developed.[25]There is only one farming brigade,Chaunskoye,employing just under 200 people.[25]The brigade herds around 15,000 reindeer and is also involved in fishing.[25]

Transportation

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As a result of the development of the mining industry, Chaunsky District also has the most developed road transport network in Chukotka, with paved, unpaved, or snow roads leading from Pevek to all major population hubs.[12]Pevek Airport,located about 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) from Pevek proper, provides a link for the region toMoscow.[25]Pevek's port is the largest in Chukotka and is generally open for about two and a half months a year from mid-July to September.[25]

The transport infrastructure of the district is more developed compared to the rest of Chukotka; this in part is helped by the presence of Pevek. Pevek itself has the second largest airport in Chukotka after theUgolny Airportand offers one of the few means of direct air travel toMoscow.Pevek is also the naval headquarters of the East Arctic during the short summer.

Administrative and municipal status

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Within theframework of administrative divisions,Chaunsky District is one of thesixin the autonomous okrug.[1]The town ofPevekserves as itsadministrative center.[1]The district does not have any lower-level administrative divisions and has administrative jurisdiction over one town, sixurban-type settlements,and fourrural localities,consisting of all the inhabited localities listed below in the "Inhabited localities" section, except forBillings,which is administratively subordinated toIultinsky District.

As amunicipal division,the district is incorporated asChaunsky Municipal Districtand is divided into one urban settlement and three rural settlements.[8]

Inhabited localities

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Municipal composition
Urban settlements Population Male Female Inhabited localities in jurisdiction
Pevek
(Певек) 		4379[28] 2344 (53.5%) 2035 (46.5%)
Rural settlements Population Male Female Rural localities in jurisdiction*
Ayon
(Айон) 		252 120 (47.6%) 132 (52.4%)
Billings
(Биллингс) 		211 109 (51.7%) 102 (48.3%)
Rytkuchi
(Рыткучи) 		517 284 (54.9%) 233 (45.1%)
Inhabited localities being liquidated

Divisional source:[8]
Population source:[4]
*Administrative centers are shown inbold

References

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Notes

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  1. ^abcdefLaw #33-OZ
  2. ^abCharter of Chaunsky District (2002), Article 2.1
  3. ^abИнформация о городском округе Певек
  4. ^abcdRussian Federal State Statistics Service (2011).Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1[2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1].Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census](in Russian).Federal State Statistics Service.
  5. ^Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Territorial Branch of theFederal State Statistics Service.Численность постоянного населения Чукотского автономного округа по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2016 годаArchivedAugust 16, 2016, at theWayback Machine(in Russian)
  6. ^Directive #517-rp
  7. ^The count of urban-type settlements may include the work settlements, the resort settlements, the suburban (dacha) settlements, as well as urban-type settlements proper.
  8. ^abcdefgLaw #46-OZ
  9. ^"Об исчислении времени".Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации(in Russian). June 3, 2011.RetrievedJanuary 19,2019.
  10. ^Federal State Statistics Service(May 21, 2004).Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек[Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000](XLS).Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002](in Russian).
  11. ^Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров[All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers].Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989](in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – viaDemoscope Weekly.
  12. ^abcdefghiFuté, pp. 106f
  13. ^abNorwegian Polar Institute.Indigenous Peoples of the north of the Russian Federation, Map 3.6,Chukotskiy Avtonomyy Okrug
  14. ^abcdefAndreev, p. 41
  15. ^abcAndreev, A.V. p.43
  16. ^Andreev, A.V. p.44
  17. ^abcdeAndreev, A.V. p.47
  18. ^Andreev, A.V. p.48
  19. ^abYurtsev B.A.,Problemy Botanicheskoy Geografii Severovostochnoy Azii (Problems of Botanical Geography of Northeastern Asia).Leningrad: Nauka, 1974, p. 159.(in Russian)
  20. ^Berkutenko A.N. (1987)Redkiye Rasteniya Magadanskoy Oblasti (Rare Plants of Magadan Region).Preprint. Magadan, p. 74.(in Russian)
  21. ^abcAndreev, p.42
  22. ^Chereshnev I.A.Origin of Beringian Freshwater Ichthyofauna.Biogeografiya Beringiyskogo Sektora Subarktiki (Biogeography of the Beringian sector of the Subarctic). Vladivostok: Izd-co DVNTs, 1986, pp. 122-145.(in Russian)
  23. ^abcAndreev, A.V. p.46
  24. ^Hodges J.I. and Eldridge W.D. (1994).Aerial Waterfowl Surveys on the Arctic coast of Eastern Russia.UnpublishedUSFWSreport. Anchorage, p. 20.
  25. ^abcdefghiEnvironmental Impact Assessment, Kupol Gold Project, Far East RussiaJune 2005, prepared byBema Gold Corporation,p.89.
  26. ^Some Notes on the Soviet Arctic During the Past DecadeArchivedAugust 11, 2011, at theWayback Machine,William Mandel,Arctic,Vol. 3, No. 1 (1950).
  27. ^abcdEnvironmental Impact Assessment, Kupol Gold Project, Far East RussiaJune 2005, prepared byBema Gold Corporation,p.95f.
  28. ^This figure includes the census results for Pevek, Apapelgino and Yanranay. The results of the 2010 Census are given for Pevek Urban Settlement and Yanranay Rural Settlement, a former municipal formation of Chaunsky Municipal District. According to Law #88-OZ, Yanranay was the only inhabited locality on the territory of Yanranay Rural Settlement prior to the merger, whereas Apaelgino Rural Settlement was merged with Pevek Urban Settlement prior to the 2010 census.

Sources

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  • Дума Чукотского автономного округа. Закон №33-ОЗ от 30 июня 1998 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Чукотского автономного округа», в ред. Закона №55-ОЗ от 9 июня 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Чукотского автономного округа "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Чукотского автономного округа" ». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня его официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Ведомости", №7 (28), 14 мая 1999 г.(Duma of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Law #33-OZ of June 30, 1998On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,as amended by the Law #55-OZ of June 9, 2012On Amending the Law of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug".Effective as of after ten days from the day of the official publication.).
  • Правительство Чукотского автономного округа. Распоряжение №517-рп от 30 декабря 2008 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных и территориальных образований Чукотского автономного округа», в ред. Распоряжения №323-рп от 27 июня 2011 г. «О внесении изменений в Распоряжение Правительства Чукотского автономного округа от 30 декабря 2008 года №517-рп». Опубликован: База данных "Консультант-плюс".(Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Directive #517-rp of December 30, 2008On the Adoption of the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial and Territorial Formations of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,as amended by the Directive #323-rp of June 27, 2011On Amending the Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Directive No. 517-rp of December 30, 2008.).
  • Дума Чукотского автономного округа. Закон №46-ОЗ от 29 ноября 2004 г. «О статусе, границах и административных центрах муниципальных образований на территории Чаунского района Чукотского автономного округа», в ред. Закона №125-ОЗ от 2 декабря 2011 г. «О внесении изменений в Приложение 2 к Закону Чукотского автономного округа "О статусе, границах и административных центрах муниципальных образований на территории Чаунского района Чукотского автономного округа" ». Вступил в силу через десять дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Ведомости", №31/1 (178/1), 10 декабря 2004 г.(Duma of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Law #46-OZ of November 29, 2004On the Status, Borders, and Administrative Centers of the Municipal Formations on the Territory of Chaunsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,as amended by the Law #125-OZ of December 2, 2011On Amending Appendix 2 of the Law of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug "On the Status, Borders, and Administrative Centers of the Municipal Formations on the Territory of Chaunsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug".Effective as of the day which is ten days after the official publication date.).
  • Wetlands in Russia, Vol. 4 Wetlands in Northeastern Russia,Andreev, A.V. (2004). Wetlands International, Moscow.
  • Petit Futé,Chukotka

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