Everything about Magadan Oblast totally explained
Magadan Oblast (
Magadanskaya oblast) is a
federal subject of
Russia (an
oblast) in the
Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of
Magadan.
History
Magadan Oblast was established in 1953 in what had popularly been known as
Kolyma. As a result of considerable raw resources, especially gold, silver, tin, and tungsten deposits, mining activities and road building had been developed during the
Stalin era in the 1930s and 1940s under the coordination of
Dalstroy and its forced labor camps. On Stalin's death, Dalstroy was disbanded and the regional administration took over many of its former responsibilities.
From then on, paid labor replaced most of the convict-based manpower, attracted by the region's rapid economic expansion, especially the gold-mining interests.
The indigenous peoples of the region, including the
Evens,
Koryaks,
Yupiks,
Chukchis,
Orochs,
Shors,
Chuvans and
Itelmens, who had traditionally lived from fishing along the
Sea of Okhotsk coast or from reindeer herding in the
River Kolyma valley, suffered from the industrialisation of the area but were able to rely on institutional support until 1987 when
Perestroika started to cause many of the older structures to close. As a result, many of those who can no longer rely on traditional sources of income are now unemployed.
Chukotka was formerly an autonomous okrug subsumed within Magadan Oblast, but it declared its separation in 1991.
Terrain and wildlife
Magadan Oblast consists principally of mountainous desert,
tundra, and
taiga. The southern part of the region is partly forested with birch, willow, mountain ash, larch and alder.
The animal species in the south include
snow sheep,
reindeer,
moose and
brown bears. There are also many varieties of birds, including ducks and seabirds. The
Sea of Okhotsk has rich fishing grounds for pollock, herring, cod, flounder and salmon, as well as whales, seals, crabs and shellfish.
Economy
The economy is centred on mining interests for gold, silver and other non-ferrous metals. The city of
Magadan is the only large industrial centre. The other main contributor to the economy is fishing, particularly for export, with processing companies in Magadan,
Ola,
Yamsk, and
Evensk. Recently, there has been interest in exploiting the coal resources in the region. Over the medium term, there seem to be excellent opportunities for petroleum and natural gas exploitation. Agriculture isn't well developed in the region.
Unfortunately, despite these rich natural resources, the economy hasn't prospered as much as might have been expected in recent years. The severe climate and poorly developed infrastructure are partly to blame but the difficult transition from Soviet times has led to the collapse of a number of companies with the result that many inhabitants have left the region. Recently, there do seem to have been renewed efforts to encourage foreign investment which could lead to improvements in the economy. Indeed, on a visit to Magadan in November 2005,
President Vladimir Putin supported the extension of special tax advantages for the region in order to encourage gold exploitation. Companies involved in food processing and production include Gormolzavod, a distillery, a pasta factory, a sausage factory, the Duchka state poultry farm, and the Khasynsky state farm.
Geography
Time zone
Magadan Oblast is located in the
Magadan Time Zone (MAGT/MAGST).
UTC offset is +1100 (MAGT)/+1200 (MAGST).
Administrative divisions
Demographics
Population: 182,726 (
2002 Census).
Ethnic groups: According to the
2002 Census the ‘national composition’ was:
• 146,488
Russians (80.17%);
• 18,068
Ukrainians (9.89%);
• 2,527
Evens (1.38%);
• 2,169
Belarusians (1.19%);
• 2,006
Tatars (1.10%);
• 888
Koryaks (0.49%);
• 808
Ingush (0.44);
• 780
Germans (0.43);
• 643
Itelmen (0.35%);
• 563
Azeris (0.31%);
• 479
Moldovans (0.26%);
• 469
Yakuts (0.26%);
• 466
Buryats (0.26%);
• 378
Ossetians (0.21%);
• 357
Chuvash (0.20%);
• 344
Bashkirs (0.19%);
• 330
Armenians (0.18%);
• 314
Kamchadals (0.17%);
• and a few other groups of less than three hundred persons each. • In addition, 0.33% of the inhabitants declined to state their nationality on the census questionnaire.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Magadan Oblast'.
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