Most of us have heard about the geographical location, climate, and features of the Chukotka Peninsula in the middle grades of a comprehensive school. Unfortunately, much has been forgotten, and now you can recall without thinking that this place is terribly cold most of the year, and life there is complicated and very different from ours.
This article was written in order not only to mention the geographical location of the Chukotka Peninsula, but also to acquaint the reader with the features of this part of Russia, its sights, wildlife and flora.
general information
First of all, it should be noted that Chukotka is a truly unrealistically large, remote and cold region of Russia. Almost the entire territory of the region is located beyond the Arctic Circle, so winter here lasts almost 10 months. During the polar night in Chukotka, the sun does not appear at all, but in the summer it does not set at all.
In general, this region is incredibly beautiful and differs from most of Russia not only in its rich fauna and flora, but also in unique, distinctive sights.
Unfortunately, today the territory of the Chukotka Peninsula has a poorly developed infrastructure, and the already rare flights that fly here constantly are carried over due to strong winds and constant snowfalls.
The capital of the region is the amazing and unusual city of Anadyr. It is here, albeit with a delay and not as often as we would like, that planes fly from all over our vast country.
If you recall where the Chukchi Peninsula is located, it becomes clear why it is famous primarily for its national parks, lakes and nature reserve called “Wrangel Island”.
Arctic harsh climate contributed to the development of a fairly diverse flora and fauna of the region. Today, here you can find more than 35 species of mammals, 170 species of birds and more than 630 species of lichens and mosses.
Geography of Chukotka
The Chukchi Peninsula, whose photos clearly show the beauty of the harsh region, is an autonomous region of Russia, located in the far north-east.
It spreads over an area of more than 720 thousand km 2 . In general, we can say that Chukotka begins from the lower reaches of the Kolyma, stretches to the Bering Strait and goes to the Arctic Ocean.
The district occupies twenty-fourth of the entire territory of Russia. In the south, the border of the region runs along the Anadyr River and the rivers of the Okhotsk Sea basin, and borders on the Kamchatka Region. In the west, it adjoins the Magadan region and Yakutia. In the eastern part of the okrug, the state border lies along the sea.
The Chukotka Peninsula today also includes the islands of Ratmanov, Wrangel, Herald and others.
Relief features
The relief of Chukotka consists mainly of plateaus, over which huge ridges rise.
In the north is the highland of the same name, consisting mainly of parallel ridges, the maximum height of which reaches 1843 m above sea level. It is a watershed of the rivers of the basins of the Pacific and the Arctic Ocean. In addition, the Anyui Plateau with heights up to 1853 m, the Anadyr Plateau with hills up to 1082 m, the Kolyma and Koryak Highlands are also located in the region .
The relief of the Chukchi Peninsula is also made up of domed hills (hills) with a height of up to 700 m.
The lowlands of this region adjoin the sea bays, abound in lakes and are very boggy.
From a geological point of view, the relief of Chukotka was formed as a result of neotectonic movements, which, by the way, continue to this day.
Chukotka Peninsula: climate and its features
The climate of the region is determined by monsoon circulation. Because of this, there are only two seasons in Chukotka - a short warm and long frosty period, lasting from October to May. In cold weather, the continent cools very much, and sharp warmings erupt from the Pacific Ocean with blizzards and snowfalls.
In warm time, on the contrary, cold moist masses move from the ocean to the mainland, forming a summer monsoon. The average July air temperature is +13 0 C, and only on some days it rises to +30 0 C. The coast is much colder, the average daily temperature of the coast of the Chukchi Sea is rarely above +5 0 C.
The proximity of the vast water cover of the two oceans creates increased humidity, fog and cloudy weather, and the closer to the coast, the more severe the weather becomes.
Winter is very frosty, but sunny and dry, and the northern part of Chukotka is also characterized by polar days and nights.
The nature of the Chukotka Peninsula
Chukotka is located in 4 natural zones, therefore it has a diverse vegetation cover. The zone of the Arctic tundra is composed of cold deserts and semi-deserts, the vegetation of which consists of shrub-moss and sedge-hummock representatives of the flora.
In addition, the territory of Chukotka is located in the zone of the southern hypoarctic tundra, forest tundra, and deciduous taiga.
In summer, only the upper layer of the earth's surface thaws on this territory, supplying the desired moisture to plants and protecting them from the harmful effects of permafrost.
The Chukchi coast is the richest region of the Arctic in terms of flora. Almost half of the area is occupied by alpine tundra, stone deserts and semi-deserts. Vegetation covers only a third of the surface and is represented by several dozen plant species, including a huge number of flowers.
The lowlands of the region are covered with shallow thermokarst lakes. For example, Lake Krasnoe has an area of 600 km 2 and a maximum depth of 4 m. Streams of meadows, swamps and shrubs stretch along the rivers.
Memorable places in this region
The sights of the Chukotka Peninsula are represented by five main objects:
- Providence Bay - Museum of Local Lore, surrounded by fantastic nature, preserving the history of the life of the Chukchi indigenous people - Chukchi, Eskimos and Evenks.
- Whale Alley - a sanctuary, a mysterious monument of ancient Eskimo culture.
- Cape Navarin is the pearl of Chukotka, the most beautiful, unusual and majestic corner of the peninsula.
- Naukan is an ancient village founded by the Eskimos in the 14th century. Now she is deserted and abandoned.
- Elgygytgyn is a mysterious romantic lake formed more than three million years ago.
Curious facts
In the 30s of the XX century, the Soviet government forced the Chukchi and Evenki to wash with soap, after which mortality increased significantly in this region. It turns out that in this way they completely washed off the beneficial bacteria that protected them from dangerous viruses from birth.
Chukotka is famous for its huge number of climatic records, including the lowest radiation balance and a minimum of sunlight.
Chukchi residents have the exclusive right to a visa-free trip to Alaska (USA), but they, as citizens of the Russian Federation, must get permission from the border service to get there.
Tundra Chukchi are divided into two peoples: Chavchu and Ankalyn, and together they are called "Luoravellan".
Throughout history, animals on the Chukchi Peninsula and in the adjacent ocean waters have lived the most diverse. Whales, walruses, seals, polar bears, musk ox - these are just large mammals. Apparently, therefore, the Primorye Chukchi became so famous for their bone carvings.