To the north of the Arctic Circle is the territory called the High North. There is the tundra and forest-tundra, the northern regions of the taiga, and the Arctic zone. The Far North is characterized by a harsh, difficult climate for life. Therefore, despite the vast territory, the Far North is inhabited by less than 12 million people. The state has established many benefits and allowances for residents of the northern regions, which attracts people from the warmer regions of Russia.
List of cities in the Far North of Russia
The following Russian cities belong to the Far North:
- Severodvinsk city in the Arkhangelsk region;
- Kostomuksha city in the Republic of Karelia;
- the cities of Vorkuta, Inta and Pechora in the Komi Republic;
- the cities of Igarka and Norilsk in the Krasnoyarsk Territory;
- Okha city in the Sakhalin region.
There are also a number of cities equated to areas of the Far North. The largest of them are Arkhangelsk, Petrozavodsk, Syktyvkar, Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Norilsk
In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Norilsk is a large industrial city of the Far North. It begins its history in 1921, when giant deposits of ore and metals were discovered on its territory by the famous Russian explorer Urvantsev. Therefore, in 1935 the construction of the mining and metallurgical plant began, then it grew into the world-famous industrial giant Norilsk Nickel. The factory and the city were built by Gulag prisoners.
The state of ecology in Norilsk is close to catastrophic. He is one of the ten most dirty cities in the world.
The climate of Norilsk is very severe. During a short summer, the air temperature can exceed 30 degrees Celsius, and during the long winter, the temperature drops below −50 ° C. Severe frosty winds (more than 40 meters per second) exacerbate the picture of Norilsk winter.
The population of Norilsk is 176.5 thousand people, and this figure is constantly decreasing due to the resettlement of residents of the cities of the Far North in the warmer and more favorable regions of Russia. But temporarily replenished by people who came to work.
The city has enough places considered the most northern. This is the Norilsk Industrial Institute, the Orthodox Church of All Who Mourn, Joy, the Nurd-Kamal Mosque, the Norilsk Polar Drama Theater named after Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Murmansk
Thanks to the warm current of the Gulf Stream, the warmest of the cities of the Far North, located beyond the Arctic Circle, is Murmansk. Kola Bay, along which Murmansk is located, never freezes (city residents recall only a few cases of freezing of the bay). The city is favorable enough for life, so more than 300 thousand people live here.
Murmansk was founded in 1916 as a port city on the Barents Sea. Currently, there is a commercial and military port in Murmansk.
As in other cities of the Far North region, the climate of Murmansk is quite difficult for people. Short, inhospitable summers, bright but quickly passing autumn and spring, long frosty winters. The polar night, which lasts as long as 42 days, is particularly depressing. There is very little vegetation in Murmansk.
Monchegorsk
The city of Monchegorsk is a former working village based on copper and nickel deposits in 1935. Monchegorsk is located beyond the Arctic Circle on the northern slope of the mountains of Monchetundra near the picturesque lakes. The city has a difficult environmental situation, which is constantly deteriorating due to the work of the plant.
The climate of Monchegorsk is continental, Long cold winters, small cool summers. The average summer temperature does not reach 15 degrees Celsius.
More than 42 thousand inhabitants live in Monchegorsk.
Severodvinsk
The city of the Far North Severodvinsk is located on the shores of the White Sea. In 1936, in the territory of present-day Severodvinsk, a shipyard began to be built in the swamps, and later a whole city grew up from the working village, which, like the plant, were built by prisoners of Yagrinlag. At present, Severodvinsk is the largest shipbuilding center that produces the latest atomic submarines, as well as carries out their maintenance and repair, and utilizes surface and submarines. The shipyard has an extremely negative effect on the ecology of the city. In addition, powerful radiation comes from spent nuclear materials buried near the city.
The climate of Severodvinsk is typical for the cities of the Far North of Russia: for more than two or three weeks, the heat does not stay here. The sun disappears in October and does not appear until spring, warming Severodvinsk for no more than three months a year.
The population is slightly more than 187 thousand inhabitants. In recent years, demographic aging has been observed, with an increasing mortality rate, as in many cities from the list of cities in the Far North.
The city is quite clean, its residents are calm and friendly. There are several recreation centers for tourists. A rare tourist runs the risk of traveling to Severodvinsk with his car - the condition of the roads in the city is appalling.
Vorkuta
In the north of the Komi Republic, beyond the Arctic Circle, in the land Arctic zone is the most eastern European city - the city of Vorkuta. In Stalin's days, Vorkutlag was located on the territory of Vorkuta, in which prisoners were engaged in coal mining. In 1943, Vorkuta was given the status of a city.
A large part of the Vorkuta buildings was planned by Leningrad architects. In Soviet times, Vorkuta was a prosperous city, and with the collapse of the Union, most of the mines were closed, people were forced to leave. Now the situation in the city has stabilized, but the period of prosperity is left behind. Visitors get the impression that time in Vorkuta has stopped since Soviet times. Currently, only a little more than 58 thousand people live in the city.
On the east side, the city is closed by the Ural Mountains. And in the northwest of the city lies the tundra. Therefore, in addition to the polar night and severe frosts, residents of the city are experiencing terrible winds (more than 30 meters per second). Going out into the tundra in such a blizzard is not safe.
The population of Vorkuta is multinational, due to the origin of the city.
Ecology Vorkuta is not in the best condition. There is a shortage of oxygen in the air due to the lack of trees, but there is an abundance of black coal dust.
Kostomuksha
Of the cities belonging to the Far North, Kostomuksha is one of the youngest, since it was formed in 1983. It is located near the Finnish border. Like many northern cities, Kostomuksha grew out of the workers' settlement in which the builders of the Karelsky Okatysh mining and processing plant lived.
Located on the border of northern and middle taiga, the city has a typical northern climate. It has cool summers and frosty winters with frequent weather changes.
The population of the city is approaching 30 thousand people.
In the vicinity of Kostomuksha, the tourists are attracted by the village of Voknavolok, in which the famous epic Kalevala was created, as well as the unique nature, lakes, nature reserve.
Oha
Oil is produced in this small city of the Sakhalin Oblast.
The climate in Okha is quite cold. The warmest month of the year is July, when the air temperature reaches 12 degrees Celsius.
The population of the city has greatly decreased after a terrible earthquake. occurred near Okha in 1995. Most of the buildings were destroyed, water was poisoned. Now in Okha there are more than 20 thousand inhabitants.
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk is the administrative center of the Arkhangelsk region, the largest Russian north-west port. Refers to cities equated to areas of the Far North.It is located at the mouth of the Northern Dvina at its confluence with the White Sea. The climate in the City of Angels (as locals call their hometown) is subarctic marine. Winter is long and hopeless, and summer is cool and very short. The health of the people living in Arkhangelsk is adversely affected by sharp temperature drops during one day, northerly winds, low air temperatures at high humidity. May snow locals are not surprised.
The ecology of the city is in a deplorable position: a test cosmodrome, hazardous industries, industrial enterprises - all this affects the state of air and water. It is not surprising that in Arkhangelsk there is a population decline (which amounts to about 400 thousand people), demographic aging.
The city has higher educational institutions, one of them is of federal significance.
This city begins its history from 1583, when Ivan the Terrible in his letter ordered to build a city on the Northern Dvina. Arkhangelsk was once a beautiful wooden city with distinctive architecture, but during the Soviet period, wooden houses were demolished, and in their place typical faceless block and panel high-rise buildings grew.