History

The term Russian Far East is utilized to describe an economic and geographical area covering approximately 6.2 million square kilometers. It is situated on the eastern border of Russia and is bordered by two oceans, the Arctic and the Pacific. It contains several seas such as the Laptevs Sea, the East Siberian Sea, the Sea of Chukotka, the Bering Sea, the Sea of Ohotsk and the Sea of Japan. The Russian Far East borders various countries, such as the United States in the northeast, where there are only a few kilometers between the Little (USA) and Big Diomede (Russia) Islands. In the east similarly the border between Japan and the Island of Sakhalin is only a short distance. The southern border with China is formed by the Ussuri, Amur and Argun River system.

Infrastructure in all areas is limited due to climate (permafrost and frozen rivers make transportation of export and import goods difficult). Both leisure and business tourism is hampered significantly by a lack of available information about the region's travel opportunities, accessibility and experienced tour companies.

Three-fourths of the territory is covered by mountains and many lakes and rivers. Some of the rivers, such as the Amur and Lena, are more than 4,000 km long. There is perhaps no other area which is more diverse than the Arctic wilderness with swampy tundra, boundless steppes and a stretch of taiga from north to south covering more than 4,000 km. More than one hundred species of flowering plants, such as the arctic poppy and snow buttercup, are still found in the Arctic wilderness. Some plants are very small, such as the dwarf willow and partridge grass. In winter there are polar bears and foxes. In summer huge bird colonies gather on the cliffs.

The Far East can be divided into two regions, the southern and the northern regions. The northern region includes the Khabarovski and Primorski territories and the Sakhalin and Amur regions and is more densely populated. The northern region, specifically where it borders the Pacific Ocean, is populated more sparsely with people who mainly derive their livelihood from fishing and related industries.

The northern part of Russia is ill-suited for inhabitation. The coldest point in the northern hemisphere is in Yakutia. Winter here lasts about 8 months but frost can hit at any time. Yakutsk, the center of the Yakutia Republic houses several departments of the Siberian Academy of Sciences, including the Permafrost Institute.

Russian explorers discovered this land about three and a half centuries ago. Bands of Cossacks and other enterprising people left Siberian towns to look for the sun. The 17th century became a new step in the history of the Russian Far East. (The period from the 13th through 17th century is described as a period of depression.) Russian explorers and seafarers played an important role in the history of the northern arctic and the Far East Territory. One of the last decisions by the gravely ill Peter I was the order for an expedition to the North and the Far East as Russia was becoming a naval power. Vitus Bering and his men set out in 1725. His voyage took twenty years.

The migration of Russians to the eastern territories led to the exploration of Siberia and the Russian Far East. Russian Cossacks traveled on freshly tarred boats, propelled by oars and poles. Some were in search of new land and some were fleeing from serfdom; but for all it was a difficult journey.

Yakutia played an important role as a center from which the eastward exploration began. In 1639 Ivan Moskvitin reached the Sea of Ohotsk, and established the first Russian city and port on the Pacific Coast. From that point on the Russians explored Kamchatka, Chukotka and the Pacific Islands.

Gradually a chain of Russian forts and towns sprang up between the Ob River and the Sea of Ohotsk and Amur River. The first pioneer of the Amur River Basin was Vasily Poyarkov in 1643. In 1648 Semyon Dezhnev rounded Chukotka to prove that there was a strait between the continents of Asia and America and reached the north of the Anadyr river. In 1649 Yerofei Khaborov established the first Russian settlement called Albazin on the Amur River, and in 1647 V. Atlasov added Kamchatka to the Russian empire. Other explorers such as L. Kruzenshtern, Lisyanskiy, Golovnin and Nevelskoy were very active in these areas, specifically Nevelskoy who proved Sakhalin island was an island, which meant that seagoing vessels could easily navigate the Amur estuary. In 1830 a new fortress named Nikolaevsk was founded on the mouth of the river.

A mass resettlement of peasants from the European areas of Russia to the Russian Far East began in 1861. Names of local villages such as Voronezhkoe, Vlatskoe and Orlovskoe reflect a chain of old settlements. In the coastal area, numerous villages call to mind Ukrainians who spent years trudging by oxen to get the much desired land. The first corn fields and villages appeared in the taiga.

In 1882 the state funded a carriage of settlers from Odessa - 2,500 families annually. At the end of the century large new settlements were founded, some of them later becoming cities, such as Vladivostok. To a certain extent the Russian Far East was settled forcibly. At the end of the last century for example, Sakhalin Island became a land of exile and penal servitude.

Asia 1888

In the beginning, economic life was broadened by the fresh outlook of foreigners, but the traditional style of living, fur trapping, seafaring and fishing expanded as well. The main result was uncontrolled hunting of bear, seal and walrus. The greed of the Russians and merchants alike influenced the subtle balance of nature, the consequences of which are evident today.

The Russian Far East also became a region of gold mining. As a matter of fact, the region yielded about 40 percent of gold produced in Russia. Also coal extraction for steam boats and engines began. Road construction connected the Russian Far East with almost anywhere in the western part of Russia. However, the large development of the Russian Far East actually took place during the Soviet period when many Far Eastern cities came into being. The economic development of the most southern area, newly adjoined by railroad, continued and slowly the area became the center of mechanical engineering development. Komsomolsk played an important role in the history of the area. The city was built by volunteer young men and women, thereby placing this industrial city in a romantic light. Whereas cities like Magadan and Kolyma are linked with tragedy for their status as centers for exiles persecuted by the Stalinist regime.

Today the Russian Far East presents an opportunity for exploration of business and untouched nature for both foreigners and Russians alike.

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