Okhotsk

For other uses, see Okhotsk (disambiguation).

Okhotsk (English) Охотск (Russian)
-  Inhabited locality  -
250px town center
Okhotsk
Coordinates: 59°22′03″N 143°15′34″E / 59.3675°N 143.25944°E / 59.3675; 143.25944Coordinates: 59°22′03″N 143°15′34″E / 59.3675°N 143.25944°E / 59.3675; 143.25944
	town emblem
Administrative status
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Khabarovsk Krai
Statistics
Population (2010 est.)	4,217 inhabitants[1]
Time zone	VLAST (UTC+11:00)[2]
Founded	1647[citation needed]
status since	1949[citation needed]
Postal code(s)	682480[citation needed]
Dialing code(s)	+7 42141[citation needed]

Okhotsk (Russian: Охо́тск) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and a seaport at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk, in Okhotsky District, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Population: 4,470 (2010 est.);^[1] 5,738 (2002 Census);^[3] 9,298 (1989 Census).^[4]

Located at the eastern end of the River Route from the Urals, Okhotsk was the first Russian settlement on the Pacific Coast. It was established as a wintering camp in 1643 by the Cossacks under Semyon Shelkovnikov. The fort of Kosoy Ostrozhok was constructed in 1649. Although the Russian pioneers were skilled in building river boats they lacked the knowledge and equipment to build sea-going vessels. When the Russians entered Kamchatka they had to travel overland. In 1714, Peter the Great sent a party of shipbuilders to Okhotsk to allow faster access to the furs of Kamchatka. In 1718, Kozma Sokolov built the first vessel in Okhotsk and embarked upon a voyage to Kamchatka. This route became so popular with Russian navigators that by 1731 Okhotsk had been firmly established as the foremost Russian seaport on the Pacific.

Map of Okhotskoy Ostrog, ink drawing, 1737

At various points in its history, Okhotsk was a center for the Russian-American Fishing and Fur-Trading activities. It is known for being the headquarters for the explorer Vitus Bering, who sailed from here for two extraordinary expeditions, discovering the Bering Strait on one and Alaska on the other. The Portuguese Jew Anton de Vieira was the town's governor at that time.

The growth of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky dislodged Okhotsk from its leading commercial position in the early 19th century, although it remained important as the base of the Siberian Military Flotilla, a predecessor of the Russian Pacific Fleet. In 1812, the town was moved to a new site across the Okhota River. During the early 19th century Okhotsk was the administrative center of Okhotsk Okrug within larger Yakutsk Oblast.

Okhotsk gradually lost its strategic importance in the second half of the 19th century. In 1856, it became part of new Primorskaya Oblast centered at Khabarovsk. In 1840, work began to move to a better port at Ayan 270 miles down the coast, but with the Amur Annexation in 1860 and the shift of naval power to Vladivostok both Okhotsk and Ayan lost their importance.

The Russian territorial gains along the Pacific coast were recognized by Qing China in the Treaty of Aigun of 1860.

Okhotsk was of some military importance during the Russian Civil War, when the White army generals Vasily Rakitin and Anatoly Pepelyayev used it as their place of arms in the Far East.

Okhotsk was also a launch site of sounding rockets between 1981 and 2005. The rockets reached altitudes of up to 1,000 km [1].

The importance and population of Okhotsk sharply declined following the demise of the Soviet Union.

Transportation

Okhotsk is served by the Okhotsk Airport.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service). Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по городам, посёлкам городского типа и районам на 1 января 2010 г. (Permanent Population of the Russian Federation by Cities/Towns, Urban-Type Settlements, and Districts as of January 1, 2010) (Russian)
2. ^ Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №725 от 31 августа 2011 г. «О составе территорий, образующих каждую часовую зону, и порядке исчисления времени в часовых зонах, а также о признании утратившими силу отдельных Постановлений Правительства Российской Федерации». Вступил в силу по истечении 7 дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №197, 6 сентября 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #725 of August 31, 2011 On the Composition of the Territories Included into Each Time Zone and on the Procedures of Timekeeping in the Time Zones, as Well as on Abrogation of Several Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation. Effective as of after 7 days following the day of the official publication).
3. ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "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)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 
4. ^ "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.)" (in Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года (All-Union Population Census of 1989). Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics. 1989. http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus89_reg.php. Retrieved 2010-03-23.