Kolyma

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Nation Information
Kolyma (Russian: Колыма) is located in the far northeastern area in what is commonly known as Siberia. The extremely remote region gets its name from the Kolyma River and mountain range, parts of which were not discovered until 1926. Founded in March 2007 on the site of a Soviet offshore research facility from the 1920s, it was granted autonomy the following month. Its size and population are growing quickly as facilities are rapidly being developed for the expanding mining activities in the area. Its administrative center is the city of New Magadan.

Silver mining and fishing are the major industries. Its capital has a seaport (fully navigable from May to December). Much of the rural population exists on subsistence hunting, and fishing. The urban population is employed in mining, administration, construction, cultural work, education, medicine, and other occupations.

History
Kolyma came into being in 2007 after the Magadan Nuclear Disaster the year before. A former offshore research station, Progress (Russian: Прогресс), was chosen as the site of resettlement for many residents displaced by the disaster. As a result of considerable raw resources, particularly silver, mining activities and road building has since been developed.

Magadan Nuclear Disaster The Magadan disaster was a major accident at the Magadan Nuclear Power Plant on November 20, 2006 at 1:23 a.m. consisting of an explosion at the plant and subsequent contamination of the surrounding geographic area. It is regarded as the worst accident to have ever taken place in the Russian Far East. Large areas were badly contaminated, resulting in the evacuation and resettlement of over a thousand people. The Magadan Exclusion Zone was established soon after the disaster, in order to evacuate the local population and to prevent people from entering the heavily contaminated territory.

Although the Magadan Exclusion Zone will remain off limits, the majority of affected areas are now safe for settlement and economic activity.

Kolyma Today The capital New Magadan is very isolated. There is only one bridge connecting the city to the mainland, and the nearest major city is Yakutsk, located 2000 km away. The city has recently been expanded to accommodate a growing population. The Mask of Sorrow, a monumental sculpture designed by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, was recently erected to commemorate the memory of the victims of the Magadan disaster.

The principle sources of the local economy are silver mining and fisheries. Silver production has declined in recent months, although future prospects look good. Fishing, although improving, is still well below the allocated quotas, apparently as a result of an aging fleet. Other local industries include sausage plants and a vodka distillery. Kolyma has a number of cultural institutions, including the New Magadan Concert Hall, home to the world famous Kolyma Folk Ensemble.

Geography
Time Zone Kolyma is located in the Kamchatka Time Zone (PETT/PETST). UTC offset is +1200 (PETT)/+1300 (PETST).

Natural Resources Natural resources include silver, fish and untapped reserves of oil and gas.

Climate The climate of Kolyma is subarctic. Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil remains permanently frozen. Permafrost and tundra cover most of the region. The growing season is only one-hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk range from -8 °F (-22 °C) in January to 54 °F (12 °C) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from -36 °F (-38 °C) in January to 60 °F (16 °C) in July.

Demographics
Population The population of Kolyma is predominantly Christian with a Buddhist minority, speaking Russian.

According to the 2007 Census, Russians make up 62.7% of the Kolyma's population. Other groups include Ukrainians (23.2%), Ossetians (3.0%), Koryaks (2.4%), Chuvash (1.8%), Buryats (1.5%), Bashkirs (0.7%), Kamchadals (0.5%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population. In addition, 0.33% of the inhabitants declined to state their nationality on the census questionnaire.

Religion Russian Orthodox Christianity is the predominant faith.