Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

The Chukotka Autonomous Okrug occupies the most northeastern part of Eurasia, it covers a piece of continental land, the Chukotka Peninsula, the Ratmanov, Wrangel, Ayon, Herald Islands and several others. Here is Cape Dezhnev, which is the extreme point of the mainland in the east. The lands of the district are washed by three seas belonging to two oceans. The Chukotka peninsula cuts like a wedge into the world ocean, dividing the waters Pacific Ocean from the waters of the Arctic.

On the territory, which occupies more than 720 thousand km 2, which could accommodate France and Great Britain, only about 50 thousand people live, of which about a quarter are indigenous people - the Chukchi. Almost half of the lands of the Chukotka Okrug are located beyond the conditional border of the Arctic Circle, and the entire territory is considered the Far North. Paradoxically, it is true that part of the easternmost region, the Chukotka Peninsula, is located in the Western Hemisphere.

The Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is adjacent to two other subjects of the Russian Federation - and. About eighty kilometers separate the region from the American peninsula and the state of Alaska, with which the border runs along the waters of the Bering Strait, so the district is considered a border area.

There are 3 cities, 15 settlements and about 45 villages in the district. The administration is located in the central city of Anadyr with a population of about 15 thousand people. It is located on the coast of the Gulf of Anadyr, which belongs to the waters of the Bering Sea.

Traces of human habitation in Chukotka since prehistoric times are numerous and eloquently indicate that Alaska and Chukotka were once a single continent, part of which went under water about 10 thousand years ago. Scientists dubbed the hypothetical continent Beringia. They suggest that the settlement of Chukotka went precisely through the sunken isthmus, since many finds on the land of the peninsula indicate that they lived there even before the Chukchi - Indians, Aleuts, Eskimos. In the 17th century, Semyon Dezhnev explored Chukotka, declaring it a Russian possession. He also built the first prison, demolished later. At the end of the 19th century, Grinevsky founded the border post, which was then called Novo-Mariinsk. The renaming to Anadyr took place already in 1923, after the establishment of Soviet power. The district with the status of "national" was formed in 1930. It became an independent subject of the federation in 1992.

Relief and climate Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

The relief of the district is characterized by an abundance of lowlands, hills, uplands and ridges. In the west, there is the Ush-Urekchen mountain system and the Oloy Range; the center with the Anadyr plateau crosses the Anyui ridge with the volcano of the same name. The east is occupied by the Chukchi Highlands, and the southeastern part of the peninsula is occupied by the Koryak. The south is the Anadyr lowland. Most of the hills located in the east have a rounded shape and are hills, the picture of which from the sea has become the hallmark of Chukotka.

75% of all land is occupied by tundra, about 7% by forest tundra. The rest of the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is located in the zone of Arctic deserts. The lowlands of the district are swampy, there are many lakes, the water of which is so pure that it can be drunk without fear. The deepest is Lake Elgygytgyn with a depth of about 170 meters, and the largest is Krasnoe, occupying about 600 km2. The longest river in Chukotka is the Anadyr - it stretches for 1117 kilometers. Among the largest rivers, Anyui, Omolon, Velikaya, Amguema are noted. Reservoirs of Chukotka sleep under ice for almost 8 months. The rivers of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug are distinguished by stormy and abundant floods.

The East Siberian Sea is filled with the coldest waters, the water of the Chukchi Sea is slightly warmer, but autumn storm winds raise waves up to 7 meters high there and form 5-6-meter hummocks. The Bering Sea is the warmest and most suitable for navigation.

The relief and climate of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug have become the reasons for the sparsely populated region. If the mainland is characterized by an arctic climate, then the coast is sharply continental, maritime. Windy and frosty winter lasts up to nine months. The blizzard can last for weeks. Summer is cool and rainy. Not everywhere during the summer period the snow on the surface of the earth has time to completely melt, and in its depths the permafrost never melts.

Average January temperatures fluctuate by regions and fall in the range from -15°C to -39°C, and in the west of the region, the maximum cold mark reaches -60°C. In July, the average temperature in the regions varies from +5°C to +10°C. Sometimes there can be separate hot days. The absolute warmest record was +34°C.

Roads - Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Due to the vast territories, harsh climate and low population density, building roads is a very expensive undertaking. Travel over long distances is carried out by sea or air transport. Railways in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, except for departmental narrow-gauge railways, they are absent.

Chukotka's international airports are located in Anadyr and the village of Proveniya. From there you can fly to Anchorage or Nome in the US state of Alaska. The federal airport is also located in Pevek. From these airports you can fly to Moscow, Khabarovsk or Magadan. Local airlines connect these airports with each other and each of them with remote villages of the district.

Sea communication, hindered during freezing, connects five ports of federal importance: Egvekinot, Beringovsky, Conduction, Pevek, Anadyr, and each of them - with the "mainland".

The roads of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug are mostly rolled snow strips or winter roads, which can only be driven by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles or off-road trucks. Hard surface have only roads in cities and suburbs.

The federal highway is only about 30 kilometers long and connects the Anadyr heliport with the Ugolnye Kopiy airport. The eight-kilometer section of this route runs right through the ice of the Gulf of Anadyr. A highway is under construction that will connect the center of the region with Kolyma via Omsukchan and Omolon.

Recreation - Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Life in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is not easy and requires courage, perseverance and calmness from local residents, and even more so from visitors. But those who dare to challenge the harsh climate are rewarded with the hospitality of the Chukchi, vivid impressions from the northern landscapes that have not changed for centuries, and from the originality way of life indigenous people.

Living in a real yaranga, taking part in a walrus hunt, pulling a fish out of icy water - a traveler in Chukotka is waiting for a lot of new, previously unexplored sensations. Recreation in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is possible both in short, bright summers and in cold, snowy winters, although with varying degrees of extremeness.

The district has developed water, cruise, scientific, ethnographic, expeditionary, historical and event tourism, and all these types do not exist on their own, but in close connection with each other.

In the waterways of Chukotka, tourists raft in inflatable boats or kayaks in July or August. Cruise ships from America, Britain and Kamchatka ply along the shores of the Providensky and Chukotka regions. Tourist liners make stops to explore the Whale Alley, ethnographic villages on Capes Dezhnev and Nunyamo, and plunge into the hot Lora springs.

Summer sea cruises are organized from Anadyr along the coast, to Onemen Bay, to the Kanchalan or Anadyr estuary, to the mouths of the Velikaya or Anadyr rivers. Travelers watch the bird colonies of Alyumka Island, the game of white whales and curious seals.

Scientific tourism in Chukotka is represented by numerous expeditions of scientists different countries who study the unique life of small peoples, their languages, crafts and ways of survival. Ornithologists come to study birds, of which there are about 220 species, and oceanologists to study the resources of the northern seas.

The basis historical tourism about five hundred archaeological sites have been laid, which completely change the established ideas about the development of civilizations: Chukotka was inhabited by people who knew how to work metal, when there was neither Ancient Greece nor Ancient Rome.

Ethnographic tourism in Chukotka allows you to get acquainted with the customs, art and life of the Chukchi, Eskimos, Koryaks and Evenks, who greet guests with traditional hospitality and hospitality. Event tourism is associated with participation in colorful national holidays: the festival of sea hunters, folklore festivals, thanksgiving rites, holidays of the whale, young deer, first calf, canoe stingray and many others.

Extreme and expeditionary in Chukotka can be any long hiking or skiing trip, in which participants discover hard-to-reach places, their reserve capabilities and strength of mind.

Outdoor recreation in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

The most remarkable sights of the Chukotka region are worth seeing in natural conditions despite the harsh climate. Only archaeological sites number in the hundreds. Among them are the northernmost petroglyphs in the world - drawings on the rocks on the banks of the Pegtymel River, which stretched for several kilometers. To the south of Cape Dezhnev, archaeologists have unearthed "Arctic Troy" - an Eskimo settlement that serves as confirmation of the existence of an ancient unique civilization - original, ideally adapted to life in the conditions of the north.

Guests of Chukotka may be interested to get acquainted with the protected treasures of Wrangel Island, the Lebediny federal reserve, the Beringia ethnopark, and seven regional natural, ornithological and zoological reserves.

The unique lands of Wrangel Island are known for numerous walrus rookeries, arctic dolphins and whales swim in their coastal waters, musk oxen and domestic reindeer brought there live. Polar bears come there for childbirth, thousands of seabirds and white geese nest.

The headwaters of the Anadyr River are adorned with a geological monument - Lake Elgygytgyn - one of the three lakes in the world that have an absolutely regular circle shape. The area of ​​110 km 2 is filled with the purest water to a depth of 174 meters. It is assumed that water fills either an ancient volcanic crater, or a funnel from a meteorite fall.

Outdoor recreation in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is often associated with a visit to the iconic point of Chukotka - the intersection of the Arctic Circle with the 180th meridian, from which a new day begins. Passing under the arch, symbolizing the Arctic Circle, travelers approach a pillar with distance indicators to South Pole(17408) and Moscow (10468 kilometers). Those who wish can visit the northernmost cape of Chukotka Shelaginsky with a lighthouse and an unexplored natural monument - Plitovaya Alley, a six-meter chain of granite walls.

Tourists are definitely invited to visit one of the Russian wonders - Whale Alley, located in the Bering Strait, on the island of Yttygran. In a rocky bay, on the gentle slopes of hills covered with tundra herbs, there are numerous white pillars, which, upon closer examination, turn out to be the bones of whale tusks with the nasal parts of skulls dug into the ground. On the way to the Whale Alley, travelers visit the fjords of the Bay of Conduct - the most beautiful natural places in Chukotka.

In the Providensky district, thermal Senyavinsky and Novochaplinsky springs gush out of the ground, in the hot water of which you can swim in equipped pools all year round. On the eastern coast of Chukotka, on the healing thermal Lorin springs, a balneological resort complex has been opened.

Tourism - Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

For tourists and local residents, active recreation in Chukotka consists of hiking and skiing, multi-day summer trips on ATVs and winter trips on snowmobiles, mountain skiing, river rafting, winter and summer hunting or fishing, climbing small hills. Tourists watch national amusements - races on sleds drawn by dogs or deer, whaleboats or canoes, and sometimes take an active part in them or learn to throw zakidushki, chaat or harpoon.

The rivers of Chukotka attract fishermen, sportsmen and extreme sportsmen. Water tourism in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is active in July and August, when the rivers are full and the weather is more or less favorable. The most popular are rafting on inflatable boats or kayaks along Amgueme, 310 kilometers long, Ekittyki - 94, Chantalveergyn - 150 and Anadyr - about 300 kilometers. Motor boats can be rented in Anadyr, the villages of Ust-Belaya, Makarovo, Egvekino, Amguema.

On a trip to Cape Navarin, tourists find themselves among hundreds of thousands of birds soaring everywhere on the ocean, covered with dense clouds. On the cape, called the Cape of All Winds, because storms often fall on it, and wild winds constantly walk around, travelers get after a 250-kilometer hike or by combining hiking with water crossings.

On trips on ATVs along the coasts of two oceans, tourists overcome mountain ranges, cross dozens of Chukotka rivers, cross the Arctic Circle and the 180th meridian.

A trip on ATVs with a hike to the Dionisy and Komsomolskaya hills, about half a kilometer high, has not so much a sporting as an aesthetic meaning, since the hills offer a panorama of the Golden Ridge, Onemen Bay and the Kanchalan Estuary. In almost any trip, tourists are given the opportunity to drive on reindeer or dog sleds.

In winter, tourists are offered to take part in a multi-day snowmobile trip across the whole of Chukotka, and in summer, a mixed (on foot, car and boat) route to Cape Dezhnev with visits to many tourist sites and natural monuments, such as a waterfall falling from a cliff directly into the Bering Strait. The most courageous thrill-seekers can go to North Pole on a dog sled.

Alpine skiing is popular in the Chukotka District. All conditions are created here on the slopes with ski lifts and rental points on the slopes of the hills of Portovaya and Pionerskaya near the villages of Provision and Egvekinot.

Hunting and fishing - Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Fishing in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

The region is known for large-scale marine fishing, and amateur fishing in Chukotka is famous for salmon - chinook salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon and others. Fishing in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is carried out not only on the seas, but also in lakes and rivers.

Here it is difficult to draw a line between sea hunting and fishing, when St. John's wort is engaged in the traditional hunting of walrus, seal, seal, and lahatka. Only in the Bering Sea there are more than four hundred species of fish, which represent 65 families. About fifty of them can become objects of fishing. Crabs, cephalopods, squids are harvested from sea delicacies.

The lakes of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and other reservoirs of Chukotka are home to about forty fish species, but the main ones are: smelt, char, salmon, whitefish, white salmon, grayling, burbot, pike. On the Red Lake, you can fish for pike, pink salmon, chum salmon (outside the spawning ban), nelma, broad whitefish, whitefish. After the ice melts, the white whale comes to the lake. Sockeye salmon and white fish live in large quantities in Lake Pekulneyskoye, and char and char in Elgygytgyn, but this lake is one of the water bodies prohibited for fishing.

The catch of whitefish and Pacific salmon is carried out on permits. From the last day of June, for three months, there is a ban on spinning salmon fishing in rivers flowing into the sea and their tributaries, except for lure, using fishing line up to 0.3 mm thick and a hook with a distance between the point and forend up to 7 mm. There are length restrictions on the catch of various types of bioresources. We have to release kunja, anadromous Dolly Varden, lenok, burbot shorter than 45 centimeters, nelma and taimen less than 70, broad whitefish - 40, catfish, pike - less than 50 and so on in accordance with the rules of fishing.

The rivers of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug of the Kolyma basin are known for their catches of whitefish, two species of whitefish, peled, vendace, and valka. Reservoirs of the Mainypilga system and the region of the Anadyr estuary serve as fishing grounds a large number chum salmon. Often organized fishing in Chukotka is carried out during river rafting.

Hunting in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Hunting has always served the aboriginal peoples of the region as a means of subsistence. Marine hunting, along with the prey of birds, polar bears or deer, allowed them to survive in arctic conditions.

Hunting in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is carried out on lands spread over hundreds of square kilometers. Slaughter of animals is allowed: elk, wolverine, lynx, brown bear, fox, squirrel, arctic fox, muskrat, wild deer, wolf, mink, ermine, otter, hare, sable. From birds, you can get white-fronted geese and bean goose, partridges, ducks, stone capercaillie.

From animals it is forbidden to shoot weasels, polar bears, black-capped marmots, bighorn sheep, but in case of exceeding the minimum population level, a license can be issued for any of these species. From birds it is not allowed to shoot swans, black geese, barnacles, mallards, white geese, eiders, shovelers, pebbles, teals, cormorants, gulls, sandhill cranes, owls, woodpeckers and a number of other useful birds. Of the marine mammals, it is not allowed to catch narwhal, humpback, fin whale, sei whale, blue and gray whale and minke whale.

Commercial hunting for wild deer in Chukotka allows satisfying the population's need for dietary meat. Of the birds, the white partridge is distinguished by the largest stocks, for which the season opens on the third Saturday of August and lasts until the end of February.

Cold winds and snowstorms, what else to expect from a region where winter lasts almost all year round? However, people still live here. The capital of Chukotka is the city of Anadyr. Who inhabits it? What is the history of this city? We will reveal the details about it.

Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

Chukotka is located in the Far North. It completely occupies the peninsula of the same name, as well as several nearby islands. In Russia, this district is surrounded by the Magadan Region, the Kamchatka Territory and Yakutia, in the east it borders on the United States. Its shores are washed by the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

Most of the district is located beyond the Arctic Circle. What kind of sea is in Chukotka, only its inhabitants know: narwhals, fin whales, various whales and walruses. The temperature of local waters rarely exceeds 12 degrees. Speaking seriously about the seas of Chukotka, these harsh lands are washed by three equally harsh seas at once - the Bering, Chukchi and East Siberian.

Winter here lasts almost ten months, and a cold subarctic climate prevails throughout the year. Endless expanses with numerous hills, mirror-clear lakes and rocky shores are covered with snow most of the time. Summer, as such, does not happen in the region, the average temperature in July is only +5-+10 degrees. There are almost no roads in the region and there are no railway lines at all. Trucks and all-terrain vehicles are the main transport on the peninsula.

There are many records for the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. On the territory of the district there are extreme eastern points Russia (Cape Dezhnev and Ratmanov Island), as well as the northernmost (Pevek) and the most eastern city country (Anadyr).

Within its limits is the easternmost permanent settlement - Uelen, the northernmost port of the country - Pevek. Rocky Cape Navarin is the windiest place in Russia, and Wrangel Island is home to the largest population of polar bears in the Arctic.

Capital of Chukotka

Anadyr is the largest settlement of the district and its administrative center. It is located on the shores of the Bering Sea estuary of the same name, where the Anadyr and Kazachka rivers flow into it. Just to the west of the city is Onemen Bay. Anadyr is located on a slight rise, its center is at an altitude of 35 meters above sea level. Huge tracts of flat tundra, occasionally covered with hills, stretch to the southwest of it.

This is one of the most remote cities in the country. Local time differs from Moscow by as much as nine hours. Geographically, the city is much closer to Alaska than to the capital of Russia (700 km to Nome, 6192 km to Moscow).

The area of ​​Anadyr is only 20 square kilometers. It is built up with panel and block high-rise buildings. The view of the city is a bit unusual. All his houses are colorful and resemble a toy town. This is how they cope with the pallor of local landscapes, because a small number of sunny days and the lack of bright colors around can cause a bad mood and even depression.

Climate

The climate of Anadyr is subarctic maritime. In addition, it has a monsoonal character. In fact, there are only two seasons here, and with each change, the air masses also change. In winter they are cold and dry, coming from the side of the continent. Their action is softened by the proximity of the sea. Therefore, winters in the city of Anadyr are easier to bear than in other regions of Chukotka.

Summers are very short and much cooler than in the rest of the region. At this time, the climate of the city is influenced by air currents from the ocean. They bring precipitation, fog and cloudiness, depriving the inhabitants of sunlight.

Winter in Anadyr lasts seven months, about 70 days of which there are snowstorms. Spring is almost imperceptible and lasts only the month of May. Autumn lasts from late August to late September.

The average temperature in July is +11 degrees, in January it reaches -22 degrees. Very often strong winds blow, which can reach up to 45 m/s. In summer they lead to storms and hurricanes, in winter they create severe snowstorms and snowstorms. In 1968, one of these winds carried a helicopter around the airfield.

Animal and plant world

The nature of Chukotka is not as lush and colorful as in the tropical regions of the Earth, but it cannot be called completely poor either. Grows here over a thousand species of mosses and lichens, as well as hundreds of species of trees and shrubs.

In the district, the zone of the Arctic desert, forest-tundra, tundra and deciduous taiga are distinguished. The city of Anadyr is located in the tundra zone. Alder, cotton grass, sedge, elfin cedar, mountain ash, blueberry bushes, lingonberries, wild roses, and shiksha grow around it. In addition, the tundra is rich in mushrooms. big layer permafrost prevents plants from deepening their roots. As a result, the trees of Chukotka are low, many look like shrubs.

The area is home to hares, bighorn sheep, black squirrels, chipmunks, minks and predatory mammals such as fox, wolf, wolverine, polar bear, sable. More than 200 bird species visit the region. The waters of the Bering Sea are full of fish and marine mammals. In the Anadyr estuary, locals catch smelt, pike, nelma, salmon, and tourists watch seals and beluga whales.

History of the county capital

The history of Anadyr, as a city, is connected with the development of northern lands by Russians. Chukotka was discovered thanks to Semyon Dezhnev in 1648. Then the region was nicknamed Zakolymya. In 1660, on the site of the first winter hut, the Anadyr prison was founded, which was located 10 kilometers from the village of Markovo.

In 1889, the researcher and physician Leonid Grinevetsky founded the Novo-Mariinsk post in the Anadyr district, placing it on the shore of the estuary. Then the settlements of the Chukchi were located on these lands. The place was very convenient - the spit consisted of rubble, not swampy tundra, and was a small hill.

Gradually, the post began to grow into a village, which later became the capital of Chukotka. It was renamed Anadyr in 1924. At that time, about 200 people lived here, a library and a first-aid post worked. Ten years later, the industrial development of Chukotka began, and Anadyr became the center of the district. Its population has increased to a thousand people.

The first school, a pedagogical school, appeared in the village. AT war time alternate airfields were built here, and the production of food tin began. After the Second World War, the settlement continued to expand: a seaport was created, a dam was built on the Kazachka River, and the first water supply system appeared. In 1965 Anadyr received city status.

Population

Residents of the city are called Anadyr. In terms of population, Anadyr is largest city Chukotka. About 15,000 people live in it. They are mostly Russians, there are also Ukrainians, Belarusians and Tatars.

The indigenous population of Anadyr and the entire region are Chukchi, Evens, Eskimos and Chuvans. They are engaged in traditional crafts: they fish, breed deer, hunt whales. The emergence of industrial cities and towns influenced their way of life. Those who live in cities often work in local businesses, live in standard apartments, as do non-indigenous residents.

But most adhere to the traditional way of life and even earn it from tourists. They move farther from the cities, periodically wandering through the expanses of the tundra.

The most numerous ethnic group is the Chukchi. In Anadyr in 2002 there were 1,200 of them. Near the city is their ethnic village Tavayvaam. Representatives of other nationalities are much less. In 2002, there were 153 Eskimos in the city of Anadyr, 200 Chuvans, and 142 Evens.

Many Chukchi still live in communities. They are engaged in fishing and sell handicrafts as souvenirs. Their traditional dwelling is called yaranga. This is a portable tent covered with animal skins. You can’t see them in Anadyr or Tavayvaam, since ordinary panel houses were built there for the Chukchi.

The religion of the people, like that of the Eskimos, is animism. The Chukchi believe in the spirituality of the forces of nature, luminaries and animals, they believe in the existence of evil spirits. On some holidays it is customary for them to “feed” the constellation or to make a sacrifice to the fire.

Life in Anadyr

This city is very clean and well maintained. All buildings and residential buildings in it are built on piles, and communications are carried out on top. This was done because of the permafrost. It comes very close to the surface of the earth. In contact with buildings, its upper layers can thaw and break the strength of the foundation.

So distant geographical position affects local prices. Living in Anadyr is very expensive. The cost of food and gasoline is almost twice the price of Moscow. There are few local products in the region, mainly reindeer meat and fish. The rest of the products are delivered to the city.

Residents of the city work at a fish factory, as well as at coal and gold mining enterprises that are nearby. Anadyr has two power plants - thermal and wind. The Anadyr wind farm is considered one of the largest in Russia.

You can get to the city by air. The local airport is connected by flights to Khabarovsk and Moscow. It is located on the other side of the estuary, from which a helicopter flies to Anadyr.

Sights of Anadyr

The capital of Chukotka is not deprived of sights. On the main square of the city - Lenin Square - there is a museum "Heritage of Chukotka". This is a very modern center with multimedia screens and other innovations. In it you can get acquainted with the life of Chukotka and the history of its development.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral on the bank of the estuary is the world's largest wooden church, which stands on the permafrost. It was founded only in 2002. The temple was built taking into account all the nuances of local soils and weather. So, the refrigeration units in its foundation do not allow the soil to heat up higher than -3 degrees, and all the aisles are combined so that the building can withstand the cold and wind.

In Anadyr there is a monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker, writer Yuri Rytkheu, a monument to Lenin and several memorials. Mount St. Dionysius is located 50 km from the city, and other mountains can be seen across the river to the west of it. Approximately 7 km away there is a hill of St. Michael, on which there is a tropospheric communication station.

Souvenirs

The main, and most importantly, tasty acquisition in the capital of Chukotka can be red caviar and fish. They are easy to find in the store, but it is better to get from local fishermen. Chukchi sell a kilogram of caviar for about 400 rubles.

For your own fishing and the purchase of some souvenirs, you need a special permit. But berries and mushrooms can be picked freely. They begin to appear in the summer-autumn period. On the pebble beach of Anadyr, in addition to the usual rubble, onyx and other gems come across. They will be a great keepsake.

Permission will be required for those who want to take seal fangs or deer antlers with them. A ball made of seal skin can also serve as exotic. Traditional souvenirs are also products made of whalebone, carvings of bone or fangs, clothes made of leather and animal fur.

Coat of arms of the city of Anadyr "Brown bear holding a fish in its paws against the background of white and blue stripes", approved in 1999.

Anadyr is the capital of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, located on the right bank of the Kazachka River at the entrance to the Anadyr Estuary, which connects the Anadyr River with the Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea. His geographical coordinates 64 degrees 44 minutes north latitude 177 degrees 31 minutes 18 seconds east longitude. From Anadyr, the now independent settlements of Ugolnye Kopi, Shakhtersky, settlements on the Russian Cat and Cape Gek have grown, in different years, periodically included in the city. The city owes its name to the river of the same name, at the mouth of which it stands. The toponym Anadyr goes back to the Yukaghir base “anu-an” – “river”. The Cossacks of Semyon Dezhnev, who in 1949 met the Yukagirs, who settled in the basin of this river, called it "Onandyr", later interpreted as Anadyr.
The distance from Anadyr to Moscow is 6400 km. The population of the city (at the end of 2002) is 11288 people.

Story
The history of the capital of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is inextricably linked with the history of our entire northern region.
When Russian industrial explorers penetrated the Far North-East of Asia, they discovered that the peoples of Chukotka are divided into two groups according to their economic and domestic way of life: sedentary sea hunters (Eskimos, sedentary / coastal / Chukchi, Kereks) and nomadic reindeer herders (Chukchi, Yukagirs , Koryaks, Evens). The material and spiritual culture of the indigenous peoples was fully adapted to the harsh conditions of the Arctic.
The impetus for the development of the territory of Chukotka by the Russians was the foundation by Semyon Dezhnev and Mikhail Stadukhin of the Nizhnekolymsky prison in 1644. It is this prison that will become the base for the preparation of many subsequent expeditions, when the explorers pursued the main goal of "searching for new unclaimed lands" and "bringing them under the sovereign's high hand", establishing trade, searching for a "zamoral fish tooth" and at the same time resolving issues geographical discoveries. So, in 1648-1649, Semyon Dezhnev and his "companions" on ships - koches adapted for navigation in the northern seas for the first time passed through the strait between Asia and America. After the remnants of Dezhnev's expedition, scattered by a storm, were thrown onto the southern coast of Chukotka, by January 1649 he reached the mouth of the Anadyr River on foot. After wintering here, in the summer with the remaining 12 members of the team, he went up the river and, 18 km from the modern village of Markovo, laid a winter hut (since 1652, the Anadyr prison). Repeated attempts to repeat Dezhnev's voyage from Kolyma to Anadyr around the Chukotka Peninsula were unsuccessful. Only the overland road to Kamchatka through the Anadyr Range and the prison was used, which was opened in 1650 as a result of the foot crossing of M. Stadukhin and S. Motors from the mouth of the river. Big Anyui on the Anadyr River.
For 12 years of staying on the Anadyr River, S.I. Dezhnev overlaid yasak (a small tribute in furs paid by Siberian foreigners “as a gift to the white king”) of the inhabitants of the middle reaches of the river. Anadyr. The Anadyr prison became a stronghold in the development of Chukotka and Kamchatka. This is where expeditions started. In 1697-1699. Atlasov and Morozko to Kamchatka. In 1660 K. Ivanov to the Gulf of the Cross and the Bay of Providence. In 1685, L. Morozko and I. Golygin to the "Koryak land" to Cape Olyutorsky.
The first Russian expeditions to Chukotka were organized by merchants, who brought Cossacks with them, and did not have the character of a purposeful state policy. Merchants were primarily interested in furs and walrus tusks. By the middle of the 17th century, the first facts of barter trade between Russian merchants and the Chukchi and Eskimos date back. Attempts Russian state impose yasak indigenous people Chukotka often met with resistance. Until 1778, the Chukchi were considered “not peaceful” people, until the head of the Anadyr prison, Major I. Shmalev, signed a peace treaty with them.
At the end of the 17th - 18th centuries, there was a period of intertribal wars in Chukotka. Military clashes between the Chukchi and the Koryaks were especially frequent. The capture of reindeer herds, along with nomadic reindeer herding, has become one of the branches of the economy of the indigenous peoples, who have passed to the stage of "military democracy" in their social development. The more numerous Chukchi left the zones of Russian influence and crowded out the Koryaks, Kereks, and Yukaghirs, who were seeking protection from the Russians.
The discovery of Kamchatka, rich in sables, changed the attitude of the Russian rulers towards the development of the North-East of Eurasia. In 1713, Peter 1 issued a decree on finding a sea route from the Okhotsk coast to Kamchatka, and in 1725, on equipping the First Kamchatka Expedition (1725-1730), led by Vitus Bering, in search of a strait between Asia and America and ways to the latter. In 1728, Bering with his assistant Alexei Chirikorv and the crew on the ship "Saint Gabriel" passed from Kamchatka to the strait, later named after him. At the same time, in 1729, in order to "pacify" the Chukchi wars and finally explain the indigenous population, a military expedition was undertaken under the command of Major A. Shestakov, but his detachment was defeated by the Chukchi. In 1731, Shestakov's subordinate Major D. Pavlutsky undertook a new campaign. The Cossacks, accompanied by the Koryaks and Yukaghirs, crossed the Anadyr and Belaya rivers to the Arctic Ocean and returned, defeating the Chukchi detachment. In 1732, Dmitry Pavlutsky sent the boat “St. Gabriel" under the leadership of I. Fedorov and M. Gvozdev. They draw up the first map of the Bering Strait, putting the Diomede Islands on it. Subsequently, several times Pavlutsky undertook military campaigns in order to finally bring the Chukchi into Russian citizenship, but they were of little effect. In 1747, on the Orlovka River (100 km south of the Anadyr prison), his detachment was defeated, and the Chukchi major who had fled was overtaken and killed near the hill, now called Mayorskaya (in the vicinity of Markovo).
In the second half of the 18th century, the Anadyr prison, after the opening of the sea route to Kamchatka, finally lost its significance and was destroyed in 1771, control was transferred to Gizhiga. However, the Russian government is taking a number of scientific expeditions, the purpose of which was to consolidate and develop new territories, including Chukotka. Purposeful study of this region began with the Second Kamchatka Expedition (1735 - 1745), in which G. Miller, I. Gmelin, S. Krasheninnikov, G. Steller and other prominent scientists took part. They collected the first information about the peoples of the Far North, the geographical environment and the fauna of the region.
In 1736,1739-1742 Dmitry Laptev undertook his voyages and campaigns. In 1763-1764, Nikolai Daurkin, the first Chukchi scientist, traveled around Chukotka, making maps. In 1762, and then in 1765, Nikita Shalaurov set sail around the Chukotka Peninsula with a northeastern passage from the mouth of the Lena to Cape Shelagsky.
The flexible policy of the Russian government in the second half of the 18th century and the development of trade relations with indigenous peoples greatly contributed to the strengthening of Russian influence in Chukotka. So, in 1779, Empress Catherine II - on October 11, 1779 ordered "not to take any yasak from the Chukchi for 10 years, provided that they live peacefully with the Koryaks." In 1788, the first fair took place on the river. Big Anyu. Later, the official fair was transferred to the Small Anyui River near the former Anyui prison (modern Ostrovnoye village). Hundreds of reindeer herders came here, bringing for exchange the skins of arctic fox, fox, sable, otter, walrus tusks, reindeer meat, seal belts. Russian traders carried tobacco, tea, iron axes and knives, copper cauldrons and other goods. The sale of alcoholic beverages at fairs was prohibited.
With late XVIII -early XIX centuries, the Russian population begins to settle in Chukotka in detail, the villages of Markovo, Bannoe, Oselkino, etc. appear. Attempts are being actively made to Christianize the local population, but only among the Evens this religion has spread widely. In 1839 a chapel was built in the village. Fortress, then a church in Markovo.
The entire development of the northern Russian territories from 1799 to 1867 is supervised by a specially created Russian-American company, which was organized by G. Shelikhov, and headed by A.A. Baranov.
In 1822, a special decree "On the management of foreigners" was issued, where, among other peoples, the indigenous peoples of Chukotka were named.
After the sale of Alaska by Alexander II in 1867 for 7 million dollars (4.7 cents per hectare), American merchants and whalers launched active activities in Chukotka. To strengthen Russia's influence in the northeast, in 1868-1869 a special Chukotka expedition was organized under the leadership of Baron Maidel. He managed to persuade some of the wealthy Chukchi to swear allegiance to the Russian crown.
Since 1872 The Russian government organized the cruising of military ships along the coast of Chukotka.
In 1883, a self-taught Chuvan Afanasy Dyachkov in the village. Markovo opens the first parochial school in Chukotka.
On July 9, 1888, the Russian government decided to allocate as part of the Gizhiginsky district Anadyr district, the first head of which was L.F. Grinevetsky. In 1889, he founded the Novo-Mariinsk post (now the city of Anadyr) on the banks of the Anadyr estuary. In 1897, the first population census was conducted in Chukotka under the leadership of the head of the district, who later became the Amur Governor N.L. Gondatti.

Formation of the Anadyr district and the foundation of the Novo-Mariinsk post.
On June 9 (old style), 1889, the clipper ship Razboinik entered the Anadyr Estuary. On the clipper arrived the ranks of the newly created Anadyr district, Mr. L.F. Grinevetsky - the head of the district, his assistant Mr. Dmitriev, 12 Cossacks, and building materials, food and other goods were also delivered. The captain of the first rank N.P. commanded the clipper. Wulf. On July 21, 1889, the construction of the first wooden house on the Alexander Spit was completed. On the second day, July 22 (August 3, according to the new style), 1889, the house was lit, over which the Russian national flag was raised and a salute was fired from the onboard guns of the Razboinik clipper. The lighting of the house fell on the name day of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, which determined the name of the settlement: Mariinsk, but, taking into account the settlements with the same name already existing in Russia, they began to call it Novo-Mariinsk. The post was founded not far from the ancient Chukchi village of Vyen (from the Chukot. "entrance"), as a border point, county center, but it grew slowly. Mainly state-owned and private trading warehouses were built here. The most notable events of the beginning of the 20th century were the discovery of alluvial gold in the area of ​​the Golden Ridge and the construction of a radio station in Novo-Mariinsk in 1912-1914, which at that time was one of the four most powerful stations in Russia. Its long-wave spark transmitters made it possible to maintain contact with Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Okhotsk, Nome (Alaska).
Before the October Revolution of 1917, Chukotka was part of the Kamchatka region of the Amur region. At the end of February 1918, Soviet power was proclaimed in the Kamchatka region (albeit not for long), and in Chukotka the first body of the new government was the 1 Revolutionary Committee of Chukotka, which operated from December 16, 1919 to January 31, 1920. Mandrikov and August Berzin organized a revolutionary international group, which included Ukrainians, Belarusians, Russians, Ingush, Latvians, Chuvans and representatives of other nationalities - a total of 13 people. This group overthrew the power of the Kolchak administration in Anadyr and later established Soviet power in Markovo and Ust-Belaya.
The Revolutionary Committee organized the purchase of coal for free distribution to the poor, approved the rates and norms for the issuance of goods, established control over the work of state food warehouses, increased the salaries of teachers, nationalized part of the goods of Russian and foreign merchants in order to prevent starvation in Markovo and Ust-Belaya, introduced a universal labor duty. However, on January 31, 1920, the merchants organized a counter-revolutionary coup, later shooting 11 members of the First Revolutionary Committee. But already in the summer of that year, the power of the counter-revolutionaries was liquidated and a second revolutionary committee was organized, headed by the former Baltic sailor Vasily Mikhailovich Chekmarev. Then the Kolchakites again took power in Chukotka into their own hands. Finally, Soviet power in the region was established only in 1923, when the last detachments of Kolchak were expelled.
The formation on December 16, 1919 of the First Anadyr District Revolutionary Committee opened a new page in the history of the city. By this time about 300 people lived in it. Then the Soviet power did not last long, on January 31, 1920, a coup organized by merchants took place, and in early February, the Revolutionary Committee members were shot. But already on August 1, 1920, a new body of people's revolutionary power - the Anadyr district executive committee - began to reorganize the life of the village.
From November 1920 to March 1921, the Kamchatka region was part of the Far Eastern Republic, where there was a struggle for the establishment of Soviet power. Since November 1922, the Far Eastern Republic was transformed into the Far Eastern Region of the RSFSR. Revolutionary committees operated in Chukotka. On January 4, 1926, the Far Eastern Territory was formed with the transition from the provincial and district division to the district district system. The counties were reorganized into districts: Anadyr and Chukotka. They became part of the Kamchatka District.
On December 10, 1930, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the RSFSR adopted a resolution "On the organization of national associations in the areas of settlement of small peoples of the North." According to this decree, the Chukotka national district was also formed with a temporary district center at the Chukotka cult base (Lavrentiya Bay). In fact, already in 1931, Anadyr finally became the capital of the district.
For a long time the post, then the settlement, was known under two names: Novo-Mariinsk and Anadyr. The decision to rename the settlement to Anadyr was repeatedly taken by various administrative bodies, until it was finally approved in 1924 by a resolution of the Kamchatka Gubernia Committee. The city inherited its name from Anadyrsk (Anadyr prison), founded on the river in the middle of the 17th century by pioneer Cossacks.
The development of Anadyr is connected with the development of the administrative-territorial structure of Chukotka. Since 1927 it has been the center of the Anadyr region. After the formation of the Chukotka National District in 1930, almost immediately, Anadyr became the capital of the district. here in the early 1930s. the first industrial enterprises appeared in Chukotka - a fish cannery, which also included Coal mines located on the left bank of the Anadyr estuary. In order to train personnel from the local population in 1939, the first secondary specialized educational institution was opened in Anadyr - a pedagogical school, in which many famous teachers, writers, scientists, and public figures of Chukotka began their studies.
On October 20, 1932, the Kamchatka Okrug was reorganized into a region, which, when the Far Eastern Territory was divided on October 20, 1938 into Khabarovsk and Primorsky, became part of the Khabarovsk Territory. The Chukotka National Okrug remained part of the Kamchatka Oblast.
On June 20, 1924, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee established the Committee for Assistance to the Peoples of the Northern Outskirts under the leadership of Smidovich. On June 27, 1927, the Joint-Stock Kamchatka Society (AKO) was created to develop the economy and deliver food to the northern regions, and in early 1930 the Chukotka District Integral Union was formed.
By 1928-1936. The formation of aviation in Chukotka refers to the formation of aviation, the main airfields were Cape Severny / Schmidt / and Anadyr.
In the summer of 1930, the first reindeer-breeding collective farm was organized from the united nomadic groups living on the Land of Gek.
In 1931, the first cultural institutions were created in the Okrug: the Okrug Museum in Anadyr and the Uelensk bone carving workshop.
In 1932, the first All-Russian conference on the development of languages ​​and writing of the peoples of the North was held, after which the committees of the new alphabet of the peoples of the North were created. October 8, 1933 saw the publication of the first issue of the district newspaper "Soviet Chukotka" /now "Far North"/, later a special supplement was published in the Chukchi language.
A huge role in the development of the economy of the Chukotka District was played by the organization on December 17, 1932 of the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route / GUSMP /, which was engaged in the industrial and geological development of Chukotka. Under his auspices, polar stations, ports, airfields, and industrial enterprises were created; hydrographic and geological work was carried out. For the development of the Northern Sea Route in 1933-1934. an icebreaking voyage of the motor ship "Chelyuskin" was organized. The expedition was led by O.Yu. Schmidt.
On February 27, 1937, by order of the People's Commissariat of the RSFSR, the Chukotka Land Management Expedition was created, which allocated land for the economic activities of individual collective farms and enterprises, and carried out zoning. According to this expedition, the population of the district in 1938 was 18,390 people, of which 12,101 were Chukchi, 1,280 were Eskimos, and 3,020 were newcomers. 3,300 people lived in the district center, the village of Anadyr.
On December 12, 1937, the first elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR were held in Chukotka. The first deputy to the Council of Nationalities from Chukotka was the Chukchi Tevlyanto, who at the same time worked as chairman of the district executive committee.
On October 1, 1939, the Anadyr Pedagogical School was opened to train specialists from among the inhabitants of Chukotka.
During the Great Patriotic War, Chukotka provided great assistance to the country in the cause of victory over fascism. Conscripts from the Chukchi villages took part in the battles at the fronts. Chukotka provided the metal necessary for defense - tin. In August 1941, the Chaun-Chukotka mining complex was established. The coal industry began to develop actively. During the war years, 199.4 thousand tons of coal were mined at the Anadyrskoye field and in Coal Bay. During the war years, the Anadyr fish processing plant supplied the front with 8 million cans of canned food, while a significant part of the production went to meet the needs of the district, because no food was imported from the mainland.
In the early 50s. In Chukotka, the collectivization of reindeer herding and sea hunting was completed, and a campaign began to transform collective farms into state farms, which lasted until 1975.
On May 28, 1951, by the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, it was allocated to the direct subordination of the Khabarovsk Territory. On December 3, 1953, the Chukotka National District became part of the Magadan Region.
Anadyr began to grow and develop rapidly from the end of the 50s. A sea point appeared here, which in 1961 became a major seaport, through which all the necessary cargoes and building materials for the first wooden two-story houses on the high right bank of the estuary are imported. The village becomes crowded on the historical spit of Alexander, he stepped across the Kazachka River to the elevated part of the tundra.
On January 12, 1965, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, the village of Anadyr received the status of a city. It developed the food industry, the construction industry. In its silhouette, four, five-story houses have become familiar. Every year Anadyr is being improved and pleases the eyes of the inhabitants with multi-colored facades of houses. Here are all the administrative and government offices of the district, the district hospital, several specialized secondary and branches of higher educational institutions. The basis of the city's energy sector is the combined heat and power plant, which has been operating at full capacity since 1987. Communication is developing in the city, the first telephone exchange for 40 numbers was put into operation in 1964. Now the automatic telephone exchange provides communication with all corners of our country and abroad. Since 1972, the Anadyr ground station for ultra-long-range space transmissions of the Orbita system has been providing the broadcasting of Central Television programs. The Anadyr TV Center, now transformed into the Chukotka state television and radio company, was established back in 1967.
According to the USSR constitution of 1977, the national district became autonomous.
In the 70s and 80s, the development of the leading branches of the economy in Chukotka continued, changes were taking place in the cultural life of the district. On August 7, 1968, the first professional Chukchi-Eskimo ensemble "Ergyron" ("Dawn" in translation from Chukchi) was created.
December 9, 1970 district awarded the order Labor Red Banner, and December 29, 1972 the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
In 1973, the first signs of oil were discovered in the Anadyr region, but field development began only recently.
In 1992, after Chukotka left the Magadan Region and received the status of an independent subject of the Russian Federation, Anadyr again received the status of a city of district subordination, which it had previously until 1957.
Anadyr is not only the administrative, but also the cultural and scientific center of the district. There are several scientific institutions, the district library named after. Tan Bogoraza, National College of Arts, original national ensembles "Ergyron" and "Chukotka". Quite recently, the reconstruction of the cinema "Polyarny" was completed.
Many monuments of history and art are located in the city. Memorial to the First Revkom of Chukotka by sculptor V.E. Queen. Palace of Children's Creativity, created by architect Antonio Mikhe and engineer M. Galakhov, commissioned in 1974. Pioneers from all over the country collected money for its construction. Buildings of the early twentieth century, preserved on the site of the founding of the city - Kos Alexander, where the old chapel has now been reconstructed and the church "Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord" operates.

Nature of Anadyr and its environs
The climate of the environs of Anadyr has big influence Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea. The weather here is very changeable, monsoon winds often blow from the sea. Under the influence of southerly winds, floods are often observed, especially in late autumn. Of the other features of the climate, it is necessary to name the frequently changing atmospheric pressure. The average annual rainfall is 445 mm. The average annual temperature in Anadyr is 7.4 degrees. C. In 2001, the lowest winter temperature was recorded on December 26 - 39.6 degrees, and the highest summer temperature on July 21 + 24 degrees.
Anadyr and its environs belong to the shrubless tundra subzone. The nature of the vegetation here is also determined by the proximity of the sea and harsh winds. Only dwarf trees, rare shrubs grow near the city in the tundra, and in spring it amazes with bright colors of blossoming flowers of rhododendrons, poppies, Ivan-tea, polar lilac, rosemary. In summer and autumn, the tundra pleases the townspeople with an abundance of mushrooms and berries: cloudberries, blueberries, shiksha, lingonberries. Old-timers of Anadyr assure that the most mushroom and berry places are in the area of ​​two hills of Dionysius and Mikhail, which are located a few kilometers from the city. Of the cultural plantations on the streets of the city, several types of shrubs, alder, poplar, and willow have taken root. Enthusiasts grow tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers in greenhouses, and radish, lettuce in the open field, not far from the city in a place called "dachas".
Many feathered inhabitants flock to the vicinity of the city in spring - gulls (kittiwake, herring and glaucous), skuas, arctic terns, several types of waders. Partridges, snow buntings, snowy owls, magpies winter here, sparrows also got here on sea vessels, to please the townspeople with their chirping. On the bird market of Alyumka Island, which is near the city, ipatki, puffins, guillemots, and Beringian cormorants settle. During a tour of the environs of Anadyr, museum staff will tell you many ancient legends about Mount Dionisia and Alyumka Island, whose name is translated from the Chukchi language as "a piece of something tangled."
Weasels, weasels, arctic foxes live in the vicinity of the city, brown bears are found, and sometimes polar bears also come. But most of all, the guests of the city remember meetings with evrashki (long-tailed ground squirrels). These funny animals are almost tame, they do not hesitate to beg for bread crumbs from mushroom pickers and berry pickers.
Wonderful fishing off the coast of the Anadyr estuary. In summer, licensed salmon fish, nelma, pike are caught on the net, and smelt and smelt are caught with fishing rods. But residents of the city prefer to catch smelt from under the ice, on a lure in winter, because at this time of the year it is large, fat, with caviar and smells of cucumber smell. At the end of April, Korfest competitions are held annually on the ice of the estuary to catch this fish. Of the inhabitants of the waters of the estuary, beluga whales with their cubs always attract the attention of tourists, arranging whole dance performances, and Arctic seals (seals, as they are affectionately called in Chukotka), which stick out their curious faces near the nets of fishermen and surround boats carrying passengers to another coast of the firth.

Key dates in the history of Chukotka
XXX - V111 thousand BC e. - the oldest Paleolithic traces of man in Chukotka.
11 - 1 thousand BC - distribution of the culture of wild deer hunters in Chukotka.
End of 11 thousand BC e. - the beginning of the formation of the Eskimo culture of sea hunters.
1644 - the foundation of the Nizhnekolymsk prison.
1648 - 1649 - sailing S. Dezhnev and F. Popov around the Chukotka Peninsula from the river. Kolyma on the river. Anadyr.
1652 - construction of the Anadyr prison.
1728 - Vitus Bering's voyage to the shores of Chukotka and the Bering Strait.
1771 - Liquidation of the Anadyr prison.
1778 - I.S. Shmalev concludes a peace treaty with the Chukchi.
1778 - J. Cook's voyage to Cape Ryrkaypiy.
1883 - opening of the first parochial school in Chukotka in the village. Markovo A.E. Dyachkov.
1888 - organization of the Anadyr district.
1889 - the foundation of the post Novo-Mariinsk L.F. Grinevetsky (now the city of Anadyr).
1897 - the first census of the population in Chukotka was conducted by the head of the district N.L. Gondatti.
1909 - the creation of the Chukotka district with a center in Provideniya Bay. In 1912, the county center was moved to the village. Whalen.
1914 - opening of the first radio station in Chukotka.
December 16, 1919 - The First Revolutionary Committee of Chukotka took power into its own hands.
February 2, 8, 1920 - members of the First Revolutionary Committee of Chukotka were shot.
1924 - the Committee for Assistance to the Peoples of the Northern Outskirts was created under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
On October 7, 1925, Anadyr and Chukotka regions were formed.
August 1928 - the Chukotka cult base was organized (Lavrentiya Bay).
December 10, 1930 - the creation of the Chukotka National District.
December 17, 1932 - the Main Directorate of the Northern Sea Route (GUSMP) was established.
April 22-28, 1932 - 1st Chukotka District Congress of Soviets.
July 10, 1933 - Chaunsky district was organized.
October 28, 1933 - the first issue of the newspaper "Soviet Chukotka" (now "Far North") was published.
1933 - 1934 – expedition led by O.Yu. Schmidt along the Northern Sea Route on the ship "Chelyuskin".
October 1, 1939 - the Anadyr Pedagogical School was opened.
1941 - the opening of the first mine "Pyrkakay" and the mine "Valkumey" for the extraction of tin in the Chaunsky district.
May 18, 1951 - By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, the district was removed from the subordination of the Kamchatka region and transferred to the Khabarovsk Territory.
December 3, 1953 - Formation of the Magadan Region, which included the Chukotka National District.
1954 - Iultinsky district was formed.
1957 - Beringovsky and Providensky districts were formed.
1958 - the first industrial gold was mined on the river. Ichuwei.
February 15, 1960 - the first state farms were organized: Markovsky, Anyuisky, Kanchalansky.
1960 - Markovsky district was abolished.
1961 - The East Tundra region was renamed Bilibinsky.
January 12, 1965 - pos. Anadyr received city status.
April 6, 1967 - the village of Pevek received the status of a city.
1967 - The Anadyr television center conducted the first telecast.
August 7, 1968 - geologists of the Anadyr complex expedition discovered a gas field of industrial importance.
September 21, 1969 - reburial of members of the First Revolutionary Committee of Chukotka in Anadyr.
December 7, 1970 - the first floating power plant "Northern Lights" in the Arctic gave current.
December 9, 1970 - the district was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
December 31, 1970 - Bilibino television station "Orbita" was put into operation.
March 15, 1972 - Anadyr television station "Orbita" was put into operation.
December 29, 1972 - the district was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples.
January 28, 1973 - the first signs of oil were discovered in the Anadyr region.
1973 - Shmidtovsky district was formed.
January 12, 1974 - the first block of the Bilibino nuclear power plant gave current.
August 24, 1974 - the Palace of Pioneers (now the Palace of Children's Creativity) was opened in Anadyr, the funds for the construction of which were collected by the pioneers of the whole country.
1977 - the district received the status of autonomous.
February 1979 - regular non-stop passenger flights Moscow - Pevek began.
January 1980 - the first flight of the Tu-154 Moscow - Anadyr.
February 1983 - the first non-stop flight of the Il-62 aircraft on the route Moscow - Anadyr.
1989 - the city of Anadyr became twinned with the city of Bethel (Alaska).
1992 - Chukotka Autonomous Okrug became an independent subject of the Russian Federation.

Today we will continue our virtual journey through the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and pay attention to the other side of the Gulf of Anadyr, which is also fraught with many attractions. However, sights in the classical sense of the word are rare in Chukotka, but Amazing places shrouded in a halo of mysticism, magic and beauty - as much as you like.

Gudym. In fat Soviet times, on weekends and holidays, asphalt was washed in it with a fire truck ...

Near the village "Coal Mines" the largest airport in the region is located - "Carbonic". And from the main entrance of Chukotka, restored during the time of Abramovich, only 20 minutes. by car to the former secret base armed forces the USSR "Anadyr-1". In the 60s of the last century, at the peak of the confrontation between Moscow and Washington, the Soviet government decided to create a number of secret military units with nuclear weapons - the so-called. "northern nuclear shield". And the appearance in Chukotka of an object with intercontinental ballistic missiles was not long in coming. Combat duty of the nuclear missile deterrent system lasted until "perestroika". During this time, two military camps have grown in a picturesque valley between low hills: the main one - No. 5 (Gudym) and the auxiliary one - No. 2.

Gudym today is a sad and at the same time amazing sight.

The scope of construction of buildings, roads, landfills, tankodrom and other buildings, according to the speed of construction for the regions "permafrost" was unprecedented. But the most amazing building erected on the outskirts of Gudym, of course, "Portal"- an underground command post for controlling nuclear missile launches, located in the depths of one of the hills. The imposing dungeon, the upper level of which can still be penetrated today, strikes the imagination with the scale of the device, the degrees of protection and the presence of a well-preserved narrow-gauge railway.

Barracks of the town №2

According to these and many other parameters, Gudym is considered "first among equals" from among the abandoned military bases in the territory former USSR. Today, there is not a soul there, and only rare scrap collectors and adventurers disturb the peace of the ghost town. AT better times several thousand people lived here, mostly members of the families of military personnel who were supplied with "mainland" by category "BUT", such as the apparatus of the Central Committee of the CPSU. The provision at the highest level affected all spheres of life, even the teachers of Gudym's only school came from Moscow. However, all this idyll suddenly sank into oblivion with Gorbachev's coming to power. First, nuclear weapons were removed from there, then the supply conditions changed, and finally, with the destruction of the Union, very dark times came for the inhabitants of Gudym. The disbandment of the facility dragged on until 2002 and wait "dead city" continues to keep his secrets all alone. Today Gudym is an excellent set for a disaster movie. Post-apocalyptic landscape with picturesque ruins of military facilities - one of the best places for industrial tourism from the category " made and forgotten in the USSR".

Boxes and barrels

Washbasins

Be h interchangeable sentry of John

Several of the following sights of the Anadyr region add up to a similarity "Golden Ring", especially since the entire route is directly related to the precious metal. From the Gudymsky hills originates the Golden Range with highest point- the city of John (1014 m.), stretching for 70 km. deep into the Anadyr lowland. And the first unusual place, except for the natural splendor of the mountain range, is the village of Zolotorye, located on the southern spurs of the ridge of the same name. At the very beginning of the last century, resourceful Yankees began to mine gold here. industrial way, and after the establishment of Soviet power in Chukotka, they were replaced by domestic gold miners. Today, the mines, as well as the scattering of former miners' settlements, are abandoned. At times "developed socialism", Zolotogorie, being the center of gold mining in the Anadyr region, was the same closed place as Gudym. Now, in these foothills, in addition to curious bears, you can also meet a person: the preserved artifacts of the Soviet past and the contrasting views of the Golden Ridge against the background of the surrounding tundra attract more and more tourists every summer.

Golden Mountains and the city of John

The next Chukotka point after Zolotorye "Golden Ring", Perevalnye lakes - graceful reservoirs, so named because of the location on both sides of the mountain pass. The narrow gorge and wonderful views made this remote place a real pearl of the Anadyr region.

The last point of the route, the very heart "Golden Ridge"- Zolotaya (925 m) has an excellent observation platform. In good weather, Anadyr and its environs, Mikhail Hill and Mount Dionisia are visible from its top. And although the Chukchi landscapes are a topic for a separate, big conversation, it can be said with confidence that any trip to this lost world is unthinkable without a eulogy to the local beauties.

The road to the village Miner

Returning to Anadyr, before turning to Coal Mines, you can turn into another abandoned village located on the shore of Melkaya Bay near the Vtoraya Gorka hill. This is Shakhtyorsky - an urban-type settlement, which almost completely repeated the sad fate of Gudym. The reforms of the 90s brought to naught all production, including the oldest fish cannery in Chukotka, built in 1929. Abandoned to the mercy of fate, the inhabitants sought to move as quickly as possible, if not to "big land", then at least in Anadyr and in 1998 the leadership of the district began to implement the decision on the complete liquidation of Shakhtyorsky.

settlement Miner

In addition to inspiring landscapes in the style of urban cyberpunk, Shakhtyorsky has a unique monument of the Soviet era, which has miraculously survived to this day. This is a small, dilapidated obelisk to the first Chukchi pilot Timofey Elkov. In addition to it, a lot of artifacts from the Soviet period have been preserved here: household utensils, books, children's toys, household appliances, cars and even airplanes. Cape Observation is located near the village, from where wonderful views of Anadyr and the entrance to Kanchalan Bay open.

According to the latest data, the monument will be updated and moved to the village. Coal Mines

Resorts of the Bering Sea

This side of the Anadyr estuary, where the diversity of amazing and harsh Nature is intertwined with the aesthetics of decadence, surpasses the metropolitan area in the abundance of remarkable places. And although the crisis phenomena in our life are a constant value, Chukotka makes us fully feel the variability of our world. Here one feels more deeply the inexorable time, which sooner or later will bury any hopes of the conformist for "enduring values". At one time, this was subtly noticed by the famous relative of Abramovich - King Solomon, expressing the whole essence in the famous phrase-prophecy: "This too shall pass"...

Windmills in Chukotka

If you have long wanted to go away from civilization and forget about the existence of the Internet, then you have come to the right place. In this post, the author will tell you in detail about traveling around Chukotka, give a couple of tips and suggest some interesting routes.

Time
There is no time in Chukotka. In a sense, it's not like it doesn't exist at all. It is, but it is measured here not in hours and minutes, but in days of travel, intervals between meals, accomplished deeds, and God knows what else. The more interesting the trip, the more you want to see the sights and wildlife, the more "classic mechanical time" you will need. A simple and at the same time extremely complex axiom for a person "from the mainland". For example, it may take more than a week to get to the district center, and it is not known how long it will take to then get from the district center to some national village. This year in Provideniya I waited for a plane for a week, did not wait and left on a boat. And the plane flew to Anadyr only on the 11th day. It is not possible to fight against time, one must learn to be able to wait.
Another hypostasis of time while traveling in Chukotka is its extensibility. In two days (if you are not in settlements) you will no longer perceive the days of the week, you will simply no longer need them, and after a few more days you will completely lose count of the calendar numbers. Due to the fact that in the summer in Chukotka there is a polar day, and the surrounding space is so different from everything that you lived before, your biological clock will say that you have 28, 35 or even 48 hours in a day.
A remark from the life of Chukchi tourists: "What? Was it the day before yesterday? And I thought a week ago."

Weather.
The main character in Chukotka is the weather. It is she who decides whether you will go, or you will curse the service and idleness at the airport or hotel. Chukchi weather, a very capricious girl. May change several times a day. It is especially capricious in eastern Chukotka (Providensky, Chukotsky, Iultinsky regions) and in the former Beringovsky region. Bad weather in the east of Chukotka is mostly associated with fogs and clouds, in which aircraft do not fly. In this case, traveling by boat is the only way out in time to get there or from there. In Beringovsky, wind is added to the cloudiness. It is there (Cape Navarin) that the most windy place is located not only in Chukotka, but throughout Russia. In continental Chukotka (Bilibino, Markovo) there is almost always flying weather, but it is very cold there in winter (beyond -50) and very (by local standards) warm in summer (beyond +20). In Pevek, the weather is much better than in Anadyr, but the "southerner" (wind blowing at a speed of 30-40 m / s) can make you sit at home for a couple of days. Anadyr is not the coldest or windiest place in Chukotka, but when these figures are combined even in their averages, it becomes very nasty. In winter, the wind is almost always 5-10 m/s and the temperature is 25-35 degrees. In summer (July-August), the average temperature is 15 degrees, but the wind is still the same 5-10 m/s.
A replica from the life of Chukchi tourists:
Why aren't we flying?
- The weather at the point of arrival is bad.
- How long before him?
- 230 km.
- This can not be. After all, the sun is shining here, it's hot (+27 in the sun), you probably don't finish something.

It was difficult for me to explain (and failed) that 200 km. in Chukotka it's a different world. In Anadyr, the weather can be excellent, almost calm, and at the airport (20 km away) a blizzard can blow. In winter, I drove a Ural along the road from Amguema to Egvekinot (90 km.). At point "A" the weather is fine, at point "E" the weather is good, and in the middle of the way we got into a snowstorm and returned back. The weather factor should always be kept in mind when planning a trip to Chukotka. If time matters for the traveler, then the number of days of your route should be divided by 2. One part is an active journey, the second part is "on the road".
In general, modern travelers, tourists and just people visiting Chukotka are very lucky with the weather. 25-30 years ago, Chukotka was much "severe". Blizzards are stronger, winters are snowier, frosts are stronger, summers are colder. There are benefits from global warming.
It is best to travel around Chukotka from July to the first half of September, let's call it the summer season. And from April to the first half of May - the winter season. For lovers of photography, one should go to Chukotka from the end of August to the first half of September. The madness of colors has no limits. You need to understand very clearly that lovers of good weather should go anywhere, but not to Chukotka. And even in the most favorable months for travel, it can be rainy.
From personal experience: One year in the middle of June, after the snow had melted, it began to rain in Providence. In September it stopped and it began to snow.

border zone
If you think that you are a citizen of Russia and can move freely around your country, I will upset you. You can in the country, but not in Chukotka. A special border regime has been introduced on the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The word "introduced" should not mislead anyone. It was not introduced yesterday, it just hasn't been canceled since the Soviet era. Here, and partially here, I have already spoken about the special regime for entering the territory of Chukotka. I'll tell you from a practical point of view how to enter.
We, residents of Chukotka, present a passport at the entrance, in which the cherished letters “PZ” (border zone) are on the registration page, which make our stay in the territory legitimate. Also freely, you can come to citizens who are on a business trip upon presentation of a travel certificate. What is most interesting, when entering it is checked, when leaving it is not. All other citizens can come to Chukotka on a tourist voucher or at the invitation of a private person, issued by the Border Department. Tour operators registered in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug have the right to issue tour packages. Today there are 3 tour operator companies in Chukotka, including the one in which I work (of course, the best one).

Transport
You can get to Chukotka only by plane. You can, of course, in the summer on a dry cargo ship from Vladivostok, but this is not a regular transportation, but a separate adventure.
You can fly to Chukotka "from outside" at 3 airports:
1) To Anadyr. Four times a week from Moscow. This is the most common direction for arriving in Chukotka. There are almost never any problems with air tickets from Moscow. Especially if you order them in advance. The problem is the price. Ticket prices from 12 to 50 thousand in economy class. On average, in the summer, tickets cost 25 thousand rubles.
Planes of local airlines "ChukotAvia" fly from Anadyr to all regions of Chukotka. This is Anadyr's strategic transport advantage over other "air gates" of Chukotka.
2) To Pevek. Once a week from Moscow. On this route, there may already be problems with tickets. The price is 25-50 thousand rubles. From Pevek already fewer options get to the rest of Chukotka by air. Helicopters fly from here to the national villages of the Chaunsky district, to Cape Schmidt, as well as planes to Anadyr and Bilibino (once every two weeks).
3) In Bilibino. 3 times a week from Magadan. They fly on small planes AN-24 and if I'm not mistaken AN-12. The ticket price is around 25-30 thousand. From Bilibino, by air you can only get to the villages of the Bilibinsky district, and by plane to Anadyr and Pevek (once every 2 weeks).
ChukotAvia should be discussed separately. This is the only regular air carrier in Chukotka. Airfare prices are subsidized from the regional budget, but despite this, the cost of the ticket is simply fantastic. Five hundred kilometers separating Providence from Anadyr will cost 18,000 rubles one way! For this money, you will be offered to carry your things from the airport to the plane as a load. But here the catch is not even the cost of the ticket, but its availability. In the summer, and often in the winter season, you simply won’t get them. They've already been taken apart! The regularity of messages also does not contribute to the development of tourism (people would be taken on vacation, not to tourism). The frequency of flights to most destinations is 1 time per week. In some directions (Pevek, Bilibino) - 1 time in two weeks.
Now a few words about the alternative. She, alternatively, is not rich. In the summer season, the motor ship "Kapitan Sotnikov" runs from Anadyr along the coast. The schedule of its flights appears a month in advance. Therefore, there can be no talk of any medium and long-term planning here. Add to this the fares for transportation, although they are cheaper by 30% of the aircraft, but there can be no question of any comfort. Seating chairs, one latrine (toilet) and a buffet with constant queues for "Doshirak" and beer. And all right, if the traveler goes by boat to the village of Egvekinot or the village of Beringovsky - 12 running hours. But if you go by sea to the village of Provideniya - 24 hours, or even worse in the village of Lavrentia (36 hours) - get ready! Yes, and about pitching and seasickness, too, should not be forgotten.
Speaking of non-regular transportation, for which, for obvious reasons, you need to negotiate privately, you can name dry coal carriers that serve the villages of Chukotka (Provideniya, Egvekinot, Lavrentiya) in the summer. The charter of a motorboat and a boat is appropriate in continental Chukotka (the Anadyr River, Mal. Anyui, Omolon, Kanchalan, Amguema) and on the east coast (Providensky and Chukotsky regions). This type of transport is small and, as a rule, does not carry more than 3-4 passengers. You can also charter a helicopter. Here, a wealthy freighter is already offered a choice of 2 companies: Chukotavia (200,000 rubles per hour) and Bilibinoavia (170,000 hours). True, the second company, located in Bilibino, has a smaller air coverage radius (it is not economical for Bilibino residents to work in eastern Chukotka). The automobile mode of transport is relevant in Bilibinsky, Chaunsky and Iultinsky districts, where there are dirt roads. But their network is very limited. The most reliable and passable form of transport is all-terrain vehicles. But! Finding a good all-terrain vehicle, and in addition with a good all-terrain vehicle, is a whole problem. Because most of them are operated by organizations that are reluctant to release their transport units for other than their core purpose.

Money.
Now I will say heresy. Money in Chukotka does not matter. Values ​​in the sense that they have, say, in Moscow or Vladivostok. My Moscow tourists were very surprised when they could not find a taxi to get from one village to another.
A remark from the life of Chukotka tourists: "We offered him a double tariff (10 thousand)! But he was too lazy to get up and go in the morning!"
Even if you conclude an agreement for the provision of, for example, transport services, you may be refused, or you may arrive (arrive, sail) on another day / days. There are a hundred reasons why they didn't do it, even for good money. No, Chukotka is not the territory of altruists, it’s just that, besides money, there should be something else here: personal acquaintance, mutual interest (for example, the driver is also a fisherman and wants to go fishing in the place where you are going), patronage from the administration, you are a celebrity and etc. At the same time, in Chukotka they can take you, accommodate, feed, provide assistance and not charge a penny for it at all. Even offended when you offer money. This attitude towards money, of course, is not the norm, but it is the place to be.
Chukotka is a very expensive region. Maybe the most expensive in Russia. Rosstat, for example, reports that the highest living wage is in Bilibino. Prices in stores are the first culture shock that occurs in people who first come to Chukotka. 9 out of 10 visitors will definitely take pictures of local price tags in stores. Bananas 400 each, apples 200 each, an egg (120 in Anadyr, 220-250 in Bilibino).
A remark from the life of Chukchi tourists: "And how do you live here?"
Even if you have money, but it is on a plastic card, there may be problems with cashing it out. There are very few ATMs, sometimes one per village. It may run out of money. The connection may be disconnected. And yes, it may or may not work. The same problem applies to payment for goods in stores. Therefore, it is best to have money in cash.
In terms of price, tours to Chukotka by world tour operators operating in this region are equated to Antarctica. Therefore, if you are considering Chukotka as a tourist destination, be prepared for obviously high prices for tourist products. The cost of tours is different, depending on the area, complexity, number of days and other factors. Due to the fact that tourism in Chukotka is not yet a branch of the economy, there is no infrastructure and a massive flow of tourists, each tour is exclusive. The cost of the tour can be from 100,000 to 400,000 rubles per person, excluding the cost of tickets to Anadyr.
A tourist "not organized" will spend a smaller amount, but will face transport and logistical problems. Solving these problems in the first place takes time, which is so "expensive" for people from the mainland, whose annual vacation is at best 30 calendar days.

Services
There is no service in Chukotka. You need to be ready for this right away. Those rare manifestations of comfort and quality of domestic services that can be offered to you are best perceived as a gift, as "manna from heaven", and not as a norm. And this is at prices, as in good hotels or restaurants in Moscow.
Cafes and restaurants.
In the best case, you will have a choice where to go to the "first" cafe, or to the "second". Often in district centers there is only one catering establishment. And the menu is very limited. Although if we talk about quality, then in most cafes the food is delicious. The price for lunch is on average 500-600 rubles. If you stay in a city or village for several days, you can make yourself an individual order of dishes for the next day. Most often, visitors want to taste dishes of national cuisine. Not a single institution prepares them. At best, the menu has venison or local fish, which, however, will be prepared for you according to a classic culinary recipe. Chukchi or Eskimo cuisine is very specific and you can taste dishes only in national villages, visiting local residents. In the national villages there are no catering points at all.
Hotels.
Here the situation is better than with food. There are hotels in every district center. The best hotel complex in the village of Egvekinot is cottage houses. There are apartment-type hotels, there are ordinary ones. Price: 3000-4000 rubles per person per day. In the summer, during professional work in hotels, there may not be hot water. There are no hotels in the villages. Accommodation in rented apartments for vacationers or together with the owners.
Communication and Internet.
Mobile communication is available in almost all settlements of Chukotka: Megafon, Beeline, MTS. The most popular operator "MegaFon", is in all regional centers. In national villages, Beeline is sometimes the only mobile operator. The call quality is very mediocre, but you can talk. Internet is also available in almost all settlements, with one "but". It is in schools. Some regional centers have Internet salons or clubs. But it is best to access the Internet through a mobile USB modem. Internet speed is extremely slow. Communication may be interrupted. Therefore, running a LiveJournal in Chukotka is a very troublesome, nervous and even ignoble task (except for Anadyr).
cultural institutions
There are local history museums in all regional centers of Chukotka. They employ real professionals and connoisseurs of the history and culture of Chukotka. Museum visits are a must. It is from them that one can and should begin acquaintance with one or another region of Chukotka. In addition to museums, you can visit the House of Culture or the Club, in which, having agreed with the head of the institution, you can watch a rehearsal of folklore groups or folk amateur groups. Actually, this is the end of the list of "cultural" institutions.
Other.
Other services include baths, which are available everywhere (200-250 rubles per session), visiting the pool requires a medical certificate (Provideniya, Bilibino), gyms and sports grounds, open and closed ice rinks (Egvekinot, Provideniya, Pevek, Bilibino, Coal Mines). There are cinemas in Pevek, Egvekinot and Provideniya. In the last two villages, these are mini-halls (projection cinemas). The repertoire, of course, is 2-3 months old. Ticket price (250-300 rubles). They are visited poorly, because the "novelties" have long been revised on disks or, even more cynically, they have already been played on local television. In Provideniya and Egvekinot in winter (from late December to early May) you can go skiing. The steepest and most difficult slope in Provideniya.

Anadyr.
Everything that was described above has almost nothing to do with Anadyr. Anadyr is Chukchi Moscow, everything is here, and this is all the very best. Anadyr is not like the rest of Chukotka. Anadyr has a choice. There are 5 hotels in the city, one of which is 3*. Lots of restaurants and cafes. Most of them work in the evenings as nightclubs and "taverns". Anadyr has the most "democratic prices" for all goods and products in Chukotka. And as a result, here is the largest assortment. There are ATMs and you can pay with plastic cards in some stores. There are several monuments here (including the world's largest monument to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker) and the Holy Trinity Cathedral, a masterpiece of wooden architecture. In the modern, by all standards, cinema "Polyarny" only novelties are shown, including premiere Russian screenings (ticket price 200-350 rubles). Indoor ice rink, proudly called the "Ice Palace" (250 rubles). The fastest taxi order in terms of execution time (100 rubles per person). Those wishing to buy souvenirs can be recommended to the Art Gallery and the "Souvenirs" shop, which presents the widest assortment of souvenirs in Chukotka. There are snowmobile and bicycle rentals. And finally, here is the "fastest" Internet (compared to the rest of Chukotka). The only minus of Anadyr, for the traveler, is its location. It is located on the opposite side of the estuary from the airport. In summer, you can get from the Airport to the city by car and ferry (minimum price 500 rubles), in winter by car (1000 rubles) along the winter road. Worst of all is in the off-season (from October to the end of December and from mid-May to the end of June), when you can get over either by helicopter or on an air cushion (3500 rubles).

Souvenirs.
Everyone who comes to Chukotka, like any traveling person, wants to take away some souvenir from here as a keepsake. Preferably thematic, somehow connected with Chukotka. I want to upset right away - the main Chukchi souvenirs - bone products, are very expensive. Expensive in any sense of the word and well-being. A small craft made of bone - 5-7 thousand. Walrus tusk with a pattern or engraving from 25-30 thousand to .... That is, if they are considered as works of art (and most of them can be safely attributed to such), it is not very expensive, but as a souvenir ... A recent hit , a walrus penis can be considered a kind of brand of Chukchi souvenirs. He, attention (!) - bone (60-100 cm). The minimum price of such a souvenir (8-10 thousand). You can export only artistically processed bone products (by presenting a sales receipt from the store). Although, if desired, you can take out in single copies and raw. Magnets, mugs, T-shirts and other traditional souvenirs in a large assortment can be purchased only in Anadyr. In areas with this tight.
Among the original souvenirs that are sold in Chukotka, I can only include two - "Eskimo ball" - which was traditionally played by the Eskimos and coastal Chukchi, handmade, made in the traditional way: deer skin sewn with deer veins.

Where to go?
After the decision has already been made that Chukotka is exactly the region where "I simply have to get to", the main question arises where to go? Chukotka is France and Great Britain combined. The territory is easy to visualize on the map, but it is difficult to imagine the real size. Therefore, it is necessary, first of all, to formulate the purpose of the trip: what do I want to see? It is impossible to see all of Chukotka in two weeks. Not for any money. Yes, this is not worth doing, even for the sake of sports interest.
The most interesting thing in Chukotka, for the sake of which you can and should travel across the whole country, sit in airports, shake in all-terrain vehicles, and then freeze from the cold, shiver in the rain and pay a lot of money for all this - this is not wild animals(who can be seen in the zoo) or the traditional culture of the indigenous people (who can be watched at home on video on "NG" or "BBC") - this is a feeling of another world. Pure "experience". Everything is different here (than in the Central strip of Russia). At first, when you travel around Chukotka, the feeling of "mechanical time" disappears, then the person gets off the "information needle" and gradually there is inner silence, calmness and clear understanding homemade truth of life. All this is seasoned with a sauce of harsh landscapes, the absence of people, the threat of meeting with a bear and a low sky, which, having climbed a hill, you can reach with your hand.
In this regard, the feelings experienced by a Russian tourist who first came to Chukotka are much stronger than those of foreigners. For them, Chukotka is "Siberia", a part of Russia, in which "everything is not like in people."

The classic tourist is always focused on the list of attractions offered to him on the tour. "On Monday you will see the one built then, and on Tuesday we will go to the place where Makar did not drive calves, and so on." In Chukotka, with very rare exceptions, there are no classic sights. And geographical names, in almost 100% of cases they will not say anything. Actions can be described: fishing, hunting, rafting, bathing in hot springs. This is not the information that a person traveling in Chukotka needs. She is empty. How, for example, to describe the sunrise in the lakes and swamps of the Anadyr lowland, when thousands of birds begin mating dances and fly north in endless flocks? And the hills? How to describe them? Even if you manage to describe, then still no one will understand anything. Traveling around Chukotka is first and foremost based on sensory perception. Here, it is important to understand that we are not on a classic tour, where everything is clearly planned and fixed, we are on a journey. And on a journey, you never know how it will end. If you are not a fisherman, hunter or collector of ethnographic material, I would advise you to kindle a fire with the tour program and trust your guide, who will show you the best and most interesting, because for him (although he has been to these places a hundred times) this is the same trip, as well as for you.

If you have less than a week left and you just want to visit Chukotka, the best travel option is Anadyr and its environs. The neighborhood is a radius of 100 km. Here you can see a bear, which tourists really want to see, and which guides really don’t want to see, and elk, and wolverine, and bighorn sheep. And also go fishing, visit abandoned settlements, make bicycle and hiking routes to the mountains, ride a boat along the rivers and "to the sea". And, in fact, walk around Anadyr itself.

The optimal travel time in Chukotka is 2-3 weeks. Three weeks is even better. More travel options.
The most interesting, from my point of view, for tourism is the Providensky district. These are the famous fjords of Providence Bay, seeing which from the top of the hill in good weather will already be enough to understand that it was not in vain that you came to the ends of the earth. There is fishing (char, crab, shrimp, cod, navaga, flounder), and swimming in hot springs, and watching walruses, whales, and seals. If desired, and watching the hunting of marine hunters for a whale. Acquaintance with the Eskimo culture, way of life, beliefs. Abandoned military camps "Invasion Army". Hiking and cycling tours. In winter, ski tours and skiing. Bird markets and rookeries of walruses and seals. All this is located very compactly and within daytime availability.

Providence Bay

The hallmark of the Iultinsky district is the intersection of the Arctic Circle and the 180th meridian, where a monument is erected. This is the place where GPSs "go crazy", and according to some tourists, "the energy of the earth" is felt there. Fishing is also good here (char, crabs, grayling). You can perfectly raft along the Amguema river to the Arctic Ocean. Visit Iultin - the largest closed village in Chukotka, the largest tin mine in the USSR at one time. Visit a reindeer herding brigade, live in a yaranga. The Iultinsky region has the highest mountains in Chukotka (1854 m). On the coast of the Arctic Ocean, one can observe walrus rookeries and polar bear migrations.

In the vicinity of the village of Egvekinot. 10 km. from the Arctic Circle

The capital of the Chaunsky district is the northernmost city of Russia - Pevek. Not far from Pevek, the northernmost cape of Chukotka is Shelagsky. In the Chaunsky district, you can visit the Tumannaya weather station, where the film "How I Spent This Summer" was filmed. In the Chaunsky district, it is easiest to get on a visit to the Chukchi reindeer herders, to live the life of a nomad. The deepest and most mysterious lake of Chukotka, and of the entire North-East of Russia, is also located in this area - Lake Elgygytgyn, in which two species of endemic char are found. You can also see the northernmost petroglyphs in the world only here. A special story is the former settlements of Chukotlag, the most terrible place of the Gulag. Here during the war they mined uranium ore for experiments to create atomic bomb. This is the area of ​​labor and literary glory of Oleg Kuvaev. The novel "Territory", just about the Chaunsky district and the search for "big" Chukchi gold.

Lake Elgygytgyn

Bilibinsky district. It is special for Chukotka: trees grow there. Sharply continental climate. The world's northernmost nuclear power plant (which you won't be allowed into). Here you can perfectly organize rafting along the Small and Big Anyui, Omolon - these are all tributaries of the Kolyma. The largest and largest population of moose in Russia is found here. Here is the only one in Chukotka active volcano (last time erupted in the 16th century), the lava river from which stretched for 40 km. The Bilibinsky district has the richest vegetation in Chukotka.

S. Keperveem, Maly Anyui river

Chukotsky region is the easternmost region of our country. It is here that Cape Dezhnev and the village of Uelen are located, in which all foreigners and extreme tourists cross the Bering Strait. In the same place in Uelen, the world-famous bone carving workshop is located. The best mushers and seal hunters in Chukotka live in this region. Lora hot springs are by far the largest and most equipped in Chukotka. Here, as in the Providensky district, you can taste the national Chukchi-Eskimo cuisine. Visit a reindeer breeding team and the only fox farm in Chukotka. And also in the Chukotka region there is an abandoned one of the oldest settlements of Chukotka - the Eskimo village of Naukan (near Cape Dezhnev).

Lorin hot springs

Anadyrsky district is the largest district of Chukotka. Today it includes the former Markovsky, Beringovsky and Anadyrsky districts itself. The village of Markovo is the oldest Russian settlement in Chukotka. Not far from the village of Semyon Dezhnev, he founded the Anadyr prison. The largest river in Chukotka, the Anadyr, flows exclusively through the Anadyr region. Great place for rafting. The most picturesque village, in my opinion, is Vaegi, located not far from the village of Markovo. Almost all animals of Chukotka are found in the region (with the exception of musk oxen and polar bears). Fishing and hunting, reindeer herding brigades, abandoned villages and weather stations - all this is the Anadyr region.

In the valley of the Mukarylyan river

If you want to really feel Chukotka try to minimize mechanical movement. Maximum physical travel. Transfer by car or boat, and then travel on foot, rafting or bike tour - in the summer, skiing or dog sledding - in the winter. This is the only way to truly appreciate the distances and feel the beauty of nature. Traveling by transport, in my opinion - money down the drain. The eye is "blurred" from the landscapes, there is no unity with nature, as if you are traveling by train: cozy and comfortable, and nothing remains of the journey. I strongly recommend that you include mountain hiking tours in your travel routes, with overnight stays in tents and beams (fisherman's and hunting lodges).
If after reading all this you have not lost the desire to come to Chukotka, my advice is: "It's not important where, it's important with whom." The most valuable thing here is the people. And if you are lucky, you will definitely meet real people who will tell you and show you the real Chukotka. Which you will definitely fall in love with, and will strive to come here again.

Chukchi-Eskimo ensemble "Atasikun" at the folk festival "Ergav" in the village. Lawrence