33
Arctic Yearbook 2015
Arctic zone, where the population of 70,000 people occupy 1.7 million km2 (Fondahl et al. 2014). The
total area of Chukotka makes 721.5 km2 with a population of 50,500 people.
Figure 1: Arctic and Sub-Arctic areas of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
In the Soviet time, intensive development of the Russian North-East was related predominantly to
geological survey, operation of mining enterprises, management of the North Sea Route, and
combating state security issues. A reliable system of support of ahead of schedule delivery of goods
to northern territories (Vasiliev et al. 2009; Pelyasov 2005) was established and operated.
Since 1989, in Yakutia and Chukotka, the number of permanent residents in the areas under study has
decreased respectively by 2.1. and 3.1. (Table 1).
Table 1: Population of the Arctic regions of Yakutia and Chukotka
Administrative area (ulus)
Population,
persons,
1989.1
13 Arctic areas, Sakha Republic (Yakutia)
Abyyskiy
6097
Allaikhovskiy
5218
Anabarskiy
3903
Bulunskiy
17,257
Verhnekolymskiy
10,072
Verkhoyanskiy
24,259
Zhiganskiy
5678
Momskiy
5505
Barakaeva, Batugina & Gavrilov
Population,
persons,
January
2014.2
Population
Number of
in 2014, in % settlements
as compared
with 1989.
4196
2764
3403
8507
4317
11,665
4245
4237
68.8
53.0
87.2
49.3
42.9
48.1
74.8
77.0
6
7
4
13
6
17
5
7