Orotukan

Orotukan (Russian: Оротука́н) is an urban-type settlement in Magadan Oblast, Russian Federation. Population 2,167 (2009 estimate).

Geography

The settlement is located in the Kolyma region around 300 km north of Magadan, on the right bank of the Orotukan River, a tributary of the Kolyma.

History

The history of the town began in 1931, as geologists found gold reserves in the valleys of the Kolyma region and built a camp on the river close to present location of the town. Shortly thereafter began the construction of the Kolyma Highway (also known as the Road of Bones) through the region.

The town began on its present site in the mid-1930s. It received its name from the river, whose name came from the Yakut work Ortokon meaning small burnt meadow or forest area. From 1935 a camp in the regional section of the gulag system operated by Dalstroy was located in the town.^[1]

In the 1940s, a repair work and factory for mining equipment were established. The settlement received urban-type settlement status in 1953.

The economic downturn that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union saw the town lose around half its population in the 1990s.

Economy and Infrastructure

During the Soviet era, the town was a centre for gold mining and exploration.^[2]

The settlement lies on the Kolyma Highway (M56), which runs from Magadan, through Susuman in the north-western part of Magadan Oblast, and onto Yakutsk, although the road is only completely passable during winter when the rivers en route are frozen. The road distance between Orotukan and Magadan is around 400 km, and almost 1500 km to Yakutsk.

Sons and Daughters of the town

• Tina Karol (born 1985 in Orotukan), pop singer
• Matvey Korobov (born 1983 in Orotukan), Boxer

References

1. ^ Town history on a private website about the town (Russian)
2. ^ Orotukan in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (Russian)