<div id="" class="" role=""> <a id=""></a> <div id=""><div id=""></div><!-- CentralNotice --></div> <div class=""> </div> <h1 id="" class="" lang="">Kamchatka Peninsula</h1> <div id="" class=""> <div id="">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> <div id=""></div> <div id="" class=""> Jump to: <a href="">navigation</a>, <a href="">search</a> </div> <div id="" dir="" class="" lang=""><script>function mfTempOpenSection(id){var block=document.getElementById("mf-section-"+id);block.className+=" open-block";block.previousSibling.className+=" open-block";}</script><div role="" class="">"Kamchatka" redirects here. For other uses, see <a href="" class="" title="">Kamchatka (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <table class="" style=""> <caption class="">Kamchatka Peninsula</caption> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="" style=""><small class="">полуо́стров Камча́тка</small></th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div>Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia. The pink area is the Kamchatka Krai which includes some of the mainland to the north.</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="" style="">Geography</th> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Location</th> <td>Far East</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Coordinates</th> <td><span class=""><span style=""><img src="" class="" title="" alt="" style=""><a class="" href="//tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Kamchatka_Peninsula&params=57_N_160_E_region:RU-KAM_scale:5000000_type:isle" style=""><span class=""><span class="" title=""><span class="">57°N</span> <span class="">160°E</span></span></span><span class=""> / </span><span class=""><span class="" title="">57°N 160°E</span><span style=""> / <span class="">57; 160</span></span></span></a></span></span><span style=""><span id=""><a href="" title="">Coordinates</a>: <span class=""><span style=""><img src="" class="" title="" alt="" style=""><a class="" href="//tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Kamchatka_Peninsula&params=57_N_160_E_region:RU-KAM_scale:5000000_type:isle" style=""><span class=""><span class="" title=""><span class="">57°N</span> <span class="">160°E</span></span></span><span class=""> / </span><span class=""><span class="" title="">57°N 160°E</span><span style=""> / <span class="">57; 160</span></span></span></a></span></span></span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Adjacent bodies of water</th> <td> <div><a href="" title="">Sea of Okhotsk</a><br> <a href="" title="">Pacific Ocean</a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Area</th> <td>270,000 km<sup>2</sup> (100,000 sq mi)</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Highest elevation</th> <td>4,750 m (15,580 ft)</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Highest point</th> <td><a href="" title="">Klyuchevskaya Sopka</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="" style="">Administration</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style=""> <div><b><span class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""> </span><a href="" title="">Russia</a></b></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Federal subject</th> <td><a href="" title="">Kamchatka Krai</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Capital and largest city</th> <td><a href="" title="">Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="" style="">Demographics</th> </tr> <tr> <th scope="">Population</th> <td>322,079</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>The <b>Kamchatka Peninsula</b> (<a href="" title="">Russian</a>: <span xml:lang="" lang="">полуо́стров Камча́тка</span>, <i>Poluostrov Kamchatka</i>) is a 1,250-kilometre-long (780 mi) <a href="" title="">peninsula</a> in the <a href="" title="">Russian Far East</a>, with an area of about 270,000 km<sup>2</sup> (100,000 sq mi).<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[1]</a></sup> It lies between the <a href="" title="">Pacific Ocean</a> to the east and the <a href="" title="">Sea of Okhotsk</a> to the west.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[2]</a></sup> Immediately offshore along the Pacific coast of the peninsula runs the 10,500-metre (34,400-ft) deep <a href="" title="">Kuril–Kamchatka Trench</a>.</p> <p>The Kamchatka Peninsula, the <a href="" title="">Commander Islands</a>, and <a href="" title="">Karaginsky Island</a> constitute the <a href="" title="">Kamchatka Krai</a> of the <a href="" title="">Russian Federation</a>. The vast majority of the 322,079 inhabitants are ethnic <a href="" title="">Russians</a>, but there are also about 13,000 <a href="" title="">Koryaks</a> (2014).<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[3]</a></sup> More than half of the population lives in <a href="" title="">Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</a> (179,526 people in 2010) and nearby <a href="" title="">Yelizovo</a> (38,980).</p> <p>The Kamchatka peninsula contains the <a href="" title="">volcanoes of Kamchatka</a>, a <a href="" title="">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>.</p> <p>Kamchatka receives up to 2,700 mm (110 in) of precipitation per year. The summers are moderately cool, and the winters tend to be rather stormy though rarely producing lightning.</p> <p></p> <div id="" class=""> <div id=""> <h2>Contents</h2> <span class=""> [<a role="" tabindex="" id="">hide</a>] </span></div> <ul> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">1</span> <span class="">Geography</span></a> <ul> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">1.1</span> <span class="">Climate</span></a></li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">1.2</span> <span class="">Geology, earthquakes and volcanoes</span></a></li> </ul> </li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">2</span> <span class="">History and exploration</span></a></li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">3</span> <span class="">Terrestrial flora</span></a></li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">4</span> <span class="">Terrestrial and aquatic fauna</span></a></li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">5</span> <span class="">See also</span></a></li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">6</span> <span class="">References</span></a></li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">7</span> <span class="">Further reading</span></a></li> <li class=""><a href=""><span class="">8</span> <span class="">External links</span></a></li> </ul> </div> <p></p> <h2><span class="" id="">Geography</span><span class=""><span class="">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Kamchatka_Peninsula&action=edit&section=1" title="">edit</a><span class="">]</span></span></h2> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div class=""> <div class=""><a href="" class="" title=""></a></div> Topography of the Kamchatka Peninsula</div> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""> <div class="" style=""> <div class=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a></div> </div> <div class="" style=""> <div class=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a></div> </div> <div style=""></div> <div class="" style="">Views of Kamchatka from space in early summer (left) and late winter (right). Note the <a href="" title="">sea ice</a> paralleling the coastline.</div> </div> </div> <p>Politically, the peninsula forms part of <a href="" title="">Kamchatka Krai</a>. The southern tip is called <a href="" title="">Cape Lopatka</a>. The circular bay to the north of this on the Pacific side is <a href="" title="">Avacha Bay</a> with the capital, <a href="" title="">Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</a>. North up the Pacific side, the four peninsulas are called Shipunsky Point, Kronotsky Point, Kamchatsky Point and Ozernoy Point. North of Ozernoy is the large <a href="" class="" title="">Karaginsky Bay</a>, which features <a href="" title="">Karaginsky Island</a>. Northeast of this (off the displayed map) lies <a href="" title="">Korfa Bay</a> with the town of <a href="" title="">Tilichiki</a>. On the opposite side is the <a href="" title="">Shelikhov Gulf</a>.</p> <p>The Kamchatka or Central (<a href="" title="">Sredinny</a>) Range forms the spine of the peninsula. Along the southeast coast runs the <a href="/w/index.php?title=Vostochny_Range&action=edit&redlink=1" class="" title="">Vostochny</a> or Eastern Range. Between these lies the central valley. The <a href="" title="">Kamchatka River</a> rises northwest of <a href="" class="" title="">Avacha</a> and flows north down the central valley, turning east near <a href="" title="">Klyuchi</a> to enter the Pacific south of Kamchatsky Point at <a href="" title="">Ust-Kamchatsk</a>. In the nineteenth century a trail led west from near Klychi over the mountains to the Tegil river and town which was the main trading post on the west coast. North of Tegil is <a href="" title="">Koryak Okrug</a>. South of the Tegil is the Icha River. Just south of the headwaters of the Kamchatka, the Bistraya River curves southwest to enter the Sea of Okhotsk at Bolsheretsk, which once served as a port connecting the peninsula to <a href="" title="">Okhotsk</a>. South of the Bistraya flows the <a href="" title="">Golygina River</a>.</p> <p>Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the settlements in the central part of the peninsula are connected with highway leading to <a href="" title="">Ust-Kamchatsk</a>, covered with asphalt in its southern part and near habitations, and changing into a gravel road about halfway north. Another highway connects local capital with Bolsheretsk. Bus service is available on both roads. Most other roads are gravel-covered or coverless ground, requiring off-road capable vehicles. There is semi-regular passenger transportation with aircraft.</p> <p>The obvious circular area in the central valley is the <a href="" title="">Klyuchevskaya Sopka</a>, an isolated volcanic group southeast of the curve of the Kamchatka River. West of Kronotsky Point is the <a href="" title="">Kronotsky</a> Biosphere Reserve with the <a href="" title="">Valley of Geysers</a>. At the southern tip is the Southern Kamchatka Wildlife Refuge with <a href="" title="">Kurile Lake</a>. There are several other protected areas: <a href="" title="">Palana</a> is located in the Koryak area on the northwest coast.</p> <h3><span class="" id="">Climate</span><span class=""><span class="">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Kamchatka_Peninsula&action=edit&section=2" title="">edit</a><span class="">]</span></span></h3> <p>Although Kamchatka lies at similar latitudes to <a href="" title="">Great Britain</a>, cold arctic winds from <a href="" title="">Siberia</a> combined with the cold <a href="" title="">Oyashio</a> sea current see the peninsula covered in snow from October to late May. Under the <a href="" title="">Köppen climate classification</a> Kamchatka generally has a <a href="" title="">subarctic climate</a> (<i>Dfc</i>) but higher and more northerly areas have a polar climate (<i>ET</i>). Kamchatka is much wetter and milder than eastern Siberia, and is essentially transitional from the hypercontinental climate of Siberia and <a href="" title="">northeast China</a> to the rain-drenched <a href="" class="" title="">subpolar oceanic climate</a> of the <a href="" title="">Aleutian Islands</a>.</p> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div class=""> <div class=""><a href="" class="" title=""></a></div> <a href="" title="">Opala volcano</a> in the southern part of Kamchatka.</div> </div> </div> <p>There is considerable variation, however, between the rain-drenched and heavily glaciated east coast and the drier and more continental interior valley. In the heavily glaciated <a href="/w/index.php?title=Kronotsky_Peninsula&action=edit&redlink=1" class="" title="">Kronotsky Peninsula</a>, where maritime influences are most pronounced, annual precipitation can reach as high as 2,500 millimetres (98 in), whilst the southeast coast south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky generally receives around 1,166 millimetres (45.9 in) of rainfall equivalent per year. Considerable local variations exist: southern parts of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky metropolitan area can receive as much as 430 millimetres (17 in) more than the northern part of the city. Temperatures here are very mild, with summer maxima around 16 °C (61 °F) and winter lows around −8 °C (18 °F), whilst diurnal temperature ranges seldom exceed 5˚C (9˚F) due to persistent <a href="" title="">fog</a> on exposed parts of the coast. South of 57˚N there is no <a href="" title="">permafrost</a> due to the relatively mild winters and heavy snow cover, whilst northward <a href="" class="" title="">discontinuous permafrost</a> prevails. The west coastal plain has colder and drier climate with precipitation ranging from 880 millimetres (35 in) in the south to as little as 430 millimetres (17 in) in the north, where winter temperatures become considerably colder at around −20 °C (−4 °F).</p> <table class="" style="" cellspacing="" cellpadding=""> <tbody><tr> <th><a href="" title="">Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</a></th> </tr> <tr> <th style="">Climate chart (<a href="" title="">explanation</a>)</th> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="" style="" cellspacing="" cellpadding=""> <tbody><tr> <td>J</td> <td>F</td> <td>M</td> <td>A</td> <td>M</td> <td>J</td> <td>J</td> <td>A</td> <td>S</td> <td>O</td> <td>N</td> <td>D</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">118</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−5</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−10</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">80</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−5</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−9</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">84</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−2</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−7</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">90</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−3</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">64</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">7</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">1</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">53</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">12</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">6</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">62</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">15</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">9</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">91</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">16</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">10</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">111</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">13</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">7</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">174</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">8</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">3</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">130</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">1</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−3</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">109</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−4</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−8</span></div> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style="">Average max. and min. temperatures in °C</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style="">Precipitation totals in mm</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style=""><i>Source: <sup id="" class=""><a href="">[4]</a></sup></i></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="" style="" id="" cellspacing="" cellpadding=""> <tbody><tr> <th colspan=""><span class="">[<a id="" href="">show</a>]</span>Imperial conversion</th> </tr> <tr style=""> <td>J</td> <td>F</td> <td>M</td> <td>A</td> <td>M</td> <td>J</td> <td>J</td> <td>A</td> <td>S</td> <td>O</td> <td>N</td> <td>D</td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">4.6</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">23</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">14</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">3.1</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">24</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">15</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">3.3</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">29</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">19</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">3.5</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">36</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">27</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2.5</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">44</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">34</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2.1</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">53</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">42</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2.4</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">59</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">49</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">3.6</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">61</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">50</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">4.4</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">56</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">45</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">6.9</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">46</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">37</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">5.1</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">34</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">26</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">4.3</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">26</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">18</span></div> </div> </td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td colspan="" style="">Average max. and min. temperatures in °F</td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td colspan="" style="">Precipitation totals in inches</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table class="" style="" cellspacing="" cellpadding=""> <tbody><tr> <th><a href="" title="">Klyuchi</a></th> </tr> <tr> <th style="">Climate chart (<a href="" title="">explanation</a>)</th> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="" style="" cellspacing="" cellpadding=""> <tbody><tr> <td>J</td> <td>F</td> <td>M</td> <td>A</td> <td>M</td> <td>J</td> <td>J</td> <td>A</td> <td>S</td> <td>O</td> <td>N</td> <td>D</td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">80</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−12</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−19</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">43</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−10</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−17</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">41</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−4</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−14</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">32</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−6</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">61</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">9</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">1</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">40</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">16</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">6</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">67</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">19</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">10</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">78</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">18</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">9</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">63</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">13</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">4</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">63</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">6</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−2</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">43</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−5</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−11</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">75</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">−11</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−17</span></div> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style="">Average max. and min. temperatures in °C</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style="">Precipitation totals in mm</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style=""><i>Source: <sup id="" class=""><a href="">[5]</a></sup></i></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table class="" style="" id="" cellspacing="" cellpadding=""> <tbody><tr> <th colspan=""><span class="">[<a id="" href="">show</a>]</span>Imperial conversion</th> </tr> <tr style=""> <td>J</td> <td>F</td> <td>M</td> <td>A</td> <td>M</td> <td>J</td> <td>J</td> <td>A</td> <td>S</td> <td>O</td> <td>N</td> <td>D</td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">3.1</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">10</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">−2</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">1.7</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">14</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">1</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">1.6</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">25</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">7</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">1.3</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">36</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">21</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2.4</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">48</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">34</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">1.6</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">61</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">43</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2.6</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">66</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">50</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">3.1</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">64</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">48</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2.5</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">55</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">39</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">2.5</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">43</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">28</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">1.7</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">23</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">12</span></div> </div> </td> <td> <div style=""> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">3</span></div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""> </div> <div style=""><span style="">12</span></div> <div style=""><span style="">1</span></div> </div> </td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td colspan="" style="">Average max. and min. temperatures in °F</td> </tr> <tr style=""> <td colspan="" style="">Precipitation totals in inches</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>The interior valley of the <a href="" title="">Kamchatka River</a>, represented by Klyuchi, has much lower precipitation (at around 450 to 650 millimetres (18 to 26 in)) and significantly more continental temperatures, reaching 19 °C (66 °F) on a typical summer day and during extreme cold winter spells falling as low as −41 °C (−42 °F). <a href="" class="" title="">Sporadic permafrost</a> prevails over the lower part of this valley, but it becomes more widespread at higher altitudes and glaciers, and continuous permafrost prevails north of 55˚N.</p> <p>The summer months, when maximum temperatures range from 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F), are popular with tourists, but a growing trend in winter sports keeps tourism pulsing year-round. The volcanoes and glaciers play a role in forming Kamchatka's climate, and hot springs have kept alive dozens of species decimated during the <a href="" title="">last ice-age</a>.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[6]</a></sup></p> <h3><span class="" id="">Geology, earthquakes and volcanoes</span><span class=""><span class="">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Kamchatka_Peninsula&action=edit&section=3" title="">edit</a><span class="">]</span></span></h3> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div class=""> <div class=""><a href="" class="" title=""></a></div> The lake-filled <a href="" class="" title="">Akademia Nauk</a> caldera, seen here from the north with <a href="" title="">Karymsky</a> volcano in the foreground.</div> </div> </div> <table class="" style=""> <caption class="" style=""><a href="" title="">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a></caption> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="" class="" style="">Volcanoes of Kamchatka</th> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style=""><a rel="" class="" href="">Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div> <div style="">Koryaksky Volcano rising above Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy</div> <hr></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="" style=""><a href="" title="">Location</a></th> <td><a href="" title="">Russia</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="" style="">Type</th> <td class="">Natural</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="" style=""><a href="" title="">Criteria</a></th> <td class="">vii, viii, ix, x</td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="" style="">Reference</th> <td><a rel="" class="" href="">765</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="" style=""><span style=""><a rel="" class="" href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/?search=&search_by_country=&type=&media=&region=&order=region">UNESCO region</a></span></th> <td class=""><a href="" class="" title="">Asia</a></td> </tr> <tr> <th colspan="" style="">Inscription history</th> </tr> <tr> <th scope="" style="">Inscription</th> <td>1996 <small>(20th <a href="" title="">Session</a>)</small></td> </tr> <tr> <th scope="" style="">Extensions</th> <td>2001</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <div role="" class="">Main article: <a href="" title="">Volcanoes of Kamchatka</a></div> <p>The <a href="" title="">Kamchatka River</a> and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large <a href="" title="">volcanic belts</a> containing around 160 <a href="" title="">volcanoes</a>, 29 of them still active. The peninsula has a high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 19 active volcanoes included in the six <a href="" title="">UNESCO</a> <a href="" class="" title="">World Heritage List</a> sites in the Volcanoes of Kamchatka group, most of them on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the most volcanic area of the Eurasian continent, with many active cones. The Kamchatka Peninsula is also known as the "land of fire and ice".<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[7]</a></sup></p> <p>The highest volcano is <a href="" title="">Klyuchevskaya Sopka</a> (4,750 m or 15,584 ft), the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere,<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[8]</a></sup> while the most striking is <a href="" title="">Kronotsky</a>: volcanologists Robert and Barbara Decker regard its perfect cone as a prime candidate for the world's most beautiful volcano.<sup class="" style="">[<i><a href="" title=""><span title="">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> Somewhat more accessible are the three volcanoes visible from <a href="" title="">Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</a>: <a href="" title="">Koryaksky</a>, <a href="" title="">Avachinsky</a>, and <a href="/w/index.php?title=Kozelsky_(volcano)&action=edit&redlink=1" class="" title="">Kozelsky</a>. In the center of Kamchatka is Eurasia's world-famous<sup class="" style="">[<i><a href="" class="" title=""><span title="">weasel words</span></a></i>]</sup> <a href="" class="" title="">Geyser Valley</a> which was partly destroyed by a massive mudslide in June 2007.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[9]</a></sup></p> <p>Owing to the <a href="" class="" title="">Kuril-Kamchatka Trench</a>, deep-focus seismic events and tsunamis occur fairly commonly. A pair of <a href="" title="">megathrust earthquakes</a> <a href="" title="">occurred off the coast</a> on October 16, 1737, and on November 4, 1952, with magnitudes of ~9.3 and 8.2 respectively.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[10]</a></sup> <a href="" title="">A chain of more shallow earthquakes</a> were recorded as recently as April 2006.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[11]</a></sup></p> <p>These volcanic features are the site of occurrence of certain <a href="" title="">extremophile</a> micro-organisms that can survive in extremely hot environments.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[12]</a></sup></p> <h2><span class="" id="">History and exploration</span><span class=""><span class="">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Kamchatka_Peninsula&action=edit&section=4" title="">edit</a><span class="">]</span></span></h2> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div class=""> <div class=""><a href="" class="" title=""></a></div> Illustration from <a href="" title="">Stepan Krasheninnikov</a>'s <i>Account of the Land of Kamchatka</i> (1755)</div> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div class=""> <div class=""><a href="" class="" title=""></a></div> <a href="" title="">Three Brothers</a> rocks in the Avacha Bay</div> </div> </div> <div role="" class="">See also: <a href="" class="" title="">Russian explorers</a></div> <p>When the Russian explorer <a href="" title="">Ivan Moskvitin</a> reached the <a href="" title="">Sea of Okhotsk</a> in 1639, further exploration was impeded by the lack of skills and equipment to build seagoing ships and by the harsh land to the northeast inhabited by the warlike <a href="" title="">Koryak</a> people. Consequently, Russians entered Kamchatka from the north. In 1651, after having assisted in the foundation of the <a href="" title="">Anadyrsk</a> <a href="" title=""><i>ostrog</i></a>, the explorer <a href="" title="">Mikhail Stadukhin</a> went south and followed the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk from <a href="" title="">Penzhina Bay</a> to <a href="" title="">Okhotsk</a>. From about 1667 there were reports of a Kamchatka River to the south. Some time before 1700 <a href="" class="" title="">a group of Russians</a> were stranded and died on Kamchatka.</p> <p>In 1695 explorer <a href="" title="">Vladimir Atlasov</a> became commander of Anadyrsk. In 1696 he sent the Cossack <a href="" class="" title="">Luka Morozko</a> south. Morozko got as far as the <a href="" title="">Tigil River</a> and returned with reports and some mysterious writings, probably Japanese. In 1697–1699 Atlasov explored nearly the whole of the peninsula. He built an <i>ostrog</i> at Verkhny-Kamchatsk, rescued or captured <a href="" title="">a Japanese castaway</a>, and went to Moscow to report. In 1699 the Russians at Verkhny-Kamchatsk were killed on their way back to Anadyrsk by the Koryaks. In 1700 a punitive expedition destroyed a Koryak village and founded Nizhne-Kamchatsk on the lower river. Bolskeretsk was founded in 1703. From about 1705 there was a breakdown of order. There were numerous mutinies and native wars all over the peninsula and north to the Koryak country of the <a href="" title="">Penzhina River</a> and <a href="" title="">Olyutorsky Gulf</a>. Several people were sent out to restore order, including Atlasov, who was murdered in 1711. Vasily Merlin restored some degree of order between 1733 and 1739. There was no significant resistance after 1756. A major smallpox epidemic that hit in 1768–1769 quickly decimated the native population; the roughly 2,500 <a href="" title="">Itelmens</a> present in 1773 were reduced to 1,900 in 1820, from an original population of 12,000–25,000. Those who survived adopted Russian customs, and there was a great deal of intermarriage, such that "Kamchadal" (the original Russian name for the Itelmens) came to mean any Russian or part-Russian born on the peninsula.</p> <p>In 1713 Peter the Great sent shipbuilders to Okhotsk. A fifty-four-foot boat was built and sailed to the Tegil River in June 1716. This one-week journey, later redirected to Okhotsk-Bolseretsk, became the standard route to Kamchatka. In 1720 <a href="" title="">Ivan Yevreinov</a> mapped Kamchatka and the Kurils. The Danish-born explorer <a href="" title="">Vitus Bering</a> left Nezhe-Kamchatsk for his first voyage in 1728 and, as part of his second voyage, founded <a href="" title="">Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</a> in 1740.</p> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div class=""> <div class=""><a href="" class="" title=""></a></div> Temple of the Sacred Trinity in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky</div> </div> </div> <p>Vitus Bering's <a href="" title="">Second Kamchatka Expedition</a> (ca 1733-1743), in the service of the <a href="" title="">Russian Navy</a>, began the final "opening" of Kamchatka, helped by the fact that the government began to use the area to exile people, famously the Slovak explorer and rebel the <a href="" class="" title="">Count de Benyovszky</a> in 1770. In 1755 <a href="" title="">Stepan Krasheninnikov</a> published the first detailed description of the peninsula, <i>An Account of the Land of Kamchatka</i>. The Russian government encouraged the commercial activities of the <a href="" title="">Russian-American Company</a> by granting land to newcomers on the peninsula. By 1812 the <a href="" title="">indigenous</a> population had fallen to less than 3,200 while the Russian population had risen to 2,500.</p> <p>In 1854 the <a href="" title="">French</a> and <a href="" title="">British</a>, who were battling Russian forces in the course of the <a href="" title="">Crimean War</a>, attacked <a href="" title="">Petropavlovsk</a>. During the <a href="" title="">Siege of Petropavlovsk</a>, 988 men with a mere 68 guns managed to defend the outpost against 6 ships with 206 guns and 2,540 French and British soldiers. Despite the heroic defense, the Russians abandoned Petropavlovsk as a strategic liability after the French and British forces withdrew. The next year, when a second enemy force came to attack the port, they found it deserted. Frustrated, the ships bombarded the city and withdrew.</p> <p>On 24 May 1861, the ship <i>Polar Star</i> (475 tons), of <a href="" title="">New Bedford</a>, wrecked on the west coast of Kamchatka during a dense <a href="" title="">fog</a> and <a href="" title="">gale</a>. The chief officer and a boat's crew perished while attempting to reach the shore. The rest of the crew were saved by the <a href="" title="">barque</a> <i>Alice</i>, of <a href="" title="">Cold Spring</a>, and the ship <i>Oliver Crocker</i>, also from New Bedford.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[13]</a></sup><sup id="" class=""><a href="">[14]</a></sup></p> <p>On May 21, 1865, the <a href="" title="">American Civil War</a> came to the area: the <a href="" title="">Confederate States Navy</a> steamer <a href="" title=""><i>Shenandoah</i></a> sailed past the southern end of the Kamchatka Peninsula on its way to hunt United States whaling ships in the Sea of Okhotsk. As a <a href="" class="" title="">commerce raider</a>, the CSS <i>Shenandoah</i> aimed to destroy Yankee merchant shipping and thus draw off United States Navy ships in pursuit and thereby loosen the US Navy blockade of Confederate coasts. The ship spent almost three weeks in the Sea, destroying only one ship because of the dangerous ice, before moving on to the North Pacific where it virtually captured or bonded 24 whalers and sinking most of them.<sup class="" style="">[<i><a href="" title=""><span title="">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></p> <p>The next fifty years were lean ones for Kamchatka. The naval port moved to Ust-Amur, and in 1867 Russia <a href="" title="">sold</a> <a href="" title="">Alaska</a> to the <a href="" title="">United States</a>, making Petropavlovsk obsolete as a transit point for traders and explorers on their way to the American territories. In 1860, a <i>Primorsky</i> (Maritime) <i>Region</i> was established<sup class="" style="">[<i><a href="" title=""><span title="">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> and Kamchatka was placed under its jurisdiction. In 1875 Russia ceded the <a href="" title="">Kuril Islands</a> to <a href="" title="">Japan</a> in return for Russian sovereignty over <a href="" title="">Sakhalin</a> island. The Russian population of Kamchatka stayed at around 2,500 until the turn of the century, while the native population increased to 5,000. During the 19th century, scientific exploration of the peninsula continued, with <a href="" title="">Karl von Ditmar</a> making an important journey there in 1851–1854.<sup id="" class=""><a href="">[15]</a></sup></p> <p><a href="" title="">World War II</a> (1939–1945) hardly affected Kamchatka except for its role as a launch site for <a href="" class="" title="">the invasion of the Kurils</a> in August 1945. After the war the Soviet authorities declared Kamchatka a military zone: it remained <a href="" title="">closed</a> to Soviet citizens until 1989 and to foreigners until 1990.</p> <h2><span class="" id="">Terrestrial flora</span><span class=""><span class="">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Kamchatka_Peninsula&action=edit&section=5" title="">edit</a><span class="">]</span></span></h2> <p>Kamchatka boasts abundant flora. The variable climate promotes different flora zones where <a href="" title="">tundra</a> and <a href="" title="">muskeg</a> are dominant succeeded by grasses, flowering shrubs and forests of <a href="" title="">pine</a>, <a href="" title="">birch</a>, <a href="" title="">alder</a> and <a href="" title="">willow</a>. The wide variety of plant forms spread throughout the Peninsula promotes just as wide a variation in animal species that feed off them. Although Kamchatka is mostly tundra, deciduous and coniferous trees are abundant and forests can be found throughout the peninsula.</p> <h2><span class="" id="">Terrestrial and aquatic fauna</span><span class=""><span class="">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Kamchatka_Peninsula&action=edit&section=6" title="">edit</a><span class="">]</span></span></h2> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" srcset="" data-file-width="" data-file-height="" width="" height=""></a> <div class=""> <div class=""><a href="" class="" title=""></a></div> A <a href="" title="">Kamchatka brown bear</a> in the spring</div> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="" style=""><a href="" class=""><img alt="" src="" class="" sr
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