Kirensk

Kirensk (English)
Киренск (Russian)
-  Town[1]  -

Location of Irkutsk Oblast in Russia
Kirensk
Location of Kirensk in Irkutsk Oblast
Coordinates: 57°47′N 108°05′E / 57.783°N 108.083°E / 57.783; 108.083Coordinates: 57°47′N 108°05′E / 57.783°N 108.083°E / 57.783; 108.083
Coat of arms
Administrative status (as of July 2013)
Country Russia
Federal subject Irkutsk Oblast[1]
Administrative district Kirensky District[2]
Administrative center of Kirensky District[3]
Municipal status (as of November 2013)
Municipal district Kirensky Municipal District[4]
Urban settlement Kirenskoye Urban Settlement[4]
Administrative center of Kirensky Municipal District,[4] Kirenskoye Urban Settlement[4]
Statistics
Population (2010 Census) 12,640 inhabitants[5]
Time zone IRKT (UTC+08:00)[6]
Founded 1630
Town status since 1775
Previous names Nikolsky pogost (until 1665),
Kirensky Ostrog
Postal code(s)[7] 666700–666703, 666705
Dialing code(s) +7 39568
Kirensk on Wikimedia Commons

Kirensk (Russian: Киренск; IPA: [ˈkʲirʲɪnsk]) is a town and the administrative center of Kirensky District in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kirenga and Lena Rivers, 950 kilometers (590 mi) north of Irkutsk,[2] the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 12,640(2010 Census);[5] 13,712(2002 Census);[8] 16,137(1989 Census).[9]

History

It was founded in 1630 by the Cossacks under Vasily Bugor as a winter settlement called Nikolsky pogost. Along with Ust-Kut, it was one of the two main portages between the Yenesei and Lena basins. In the 1630s, Yerofey Khabarov ran a salt works here. In 1665, it was renamed Kirensky Ostrog. In 1775, it was granted town status. In the 19th century, a large number of political prisoners were forcibly resettled here, among whom was Józef Piłsudski. Under Stalin there was a GULAG transit camp. In 1991, over eighty bodies were found buried in the basement of the former NKVD building. All were said to have been killed on a single day in 1938 and all were killed by blows on the head, apparently to hide the noise. During the construction of the Baikal–Amur Mainline, goods were shipped up the Kirenga to Magistralny. In the 1970s, a dam was built across one mouth of the Kirenga (the place was originally an island) to reduce flooding and ice jams. In 2001, there was a major flood.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Kirensk serves as the administrative center of Kirensky District,[3] to which it is directly subordinated.[2] As a municipal division, the town of Kirensk, together with nine rural localities in Kirensky District, is incorporated within Kirensky Municipal District as Kirenskoye Urban Settlement.[4]

Economy

Transportation

There is ship transport along the Lena in summer and an airport, but no railroad, and no proper road link to the rest of Russia. The port is used to transfer goods to smaller ships going further up the Lena.

The town is served by the Kirensk Airport. During World War II, it was a staging point for American aircraft transferred to Russia via Alaska.

Climate

Kirensk has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). Winters are severely cold with average temperatures from −32.2 °C (−26.0 °F) to −21.0 °C (−5.8 °F) in January, while summers are warm with average temperatures from +12.2 °C (54.0 °F) to +25.3 °C (77.5 °F). Precipitation is quite low and is significantly higher in summer than at other times of the year.

Climate data for Kirensk
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)
7.0
(44.6)
16.1
(61)
24.4
(75.9)
33.6
(92.5)
36.8
(98.2)
36.6
(97.9)
36.5
(97.7)
29.3
(84.7)
24.0
(75.2)
8.9
(48)
4.1
(39.4)
36.8
(98.2)
Average high °C (°F) −21.0
(−5.8)
−14.8
(5.4)
−3.6
(25.5)
5.5
(41.9)
15.4
(59.7)
22.8
(73)
25.3
(77.5)
22.0
(71.6)
12.9
(55.2)
2.6
(36.7)
−10.5
(13.1)
−19.3
(−2.7)
3.11
(37.59)
Daily mean °C (°F) −26.7
(−16.1)
−22.3
(−8.1)
−12.7
(9.1)
−1.4
(29.5)
7.8
(46)
15.3
(59.5)
18.3
(64.9)
15.1
(59.2)
6.7
(44.1)
−2.1
(28.2)
−15.5
(4.1)
−24.5
(−12.1)
−3.5
(25.69)
Average low °C (°F) −32.2
(−26)
−29.2
(−20.6)
−21.0
(−5.8)
−8.0
(17.6)
0.9
(33.6)
8.5
(47.3)
12.2
(54)
9.5
(49.1)
2.3
(36.1)
−6.0
(21.2)
−20.6
(−5.1)
−29.8
(−21.6)
−9.45
(14.98)
Record low °C (°F) −57.8
(−72)
−56.2
(−69.2)
−47.7
(−53.9)
−36.8
(−34.2)
−15.4
(4.3)
−4.3
(24.3)
0.4
(32.7)
−5.3
(22.5)
−11.3
(11.7)
−37.6
(−35.7)
−49.6
(−57.3)
−57
(−71)
−57.8
(−72)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 19
(0.75)
14
(0.55)
11
(0.43)
14
(0.55)
31
(1.22)
52
(2.05)
67
(2.64)
59
(2.32)
42
(1.65)
32
(1.26)
28
(1.1)
26
(1.02)
395
(15.54)
Average rainy days 0 0 1 7 16 18 17 17 18 10 1 0 105
Average snowy days 26 22 18 10 2 0 0 0 1 14 25 27 145
Average relative humidity (%) 78 77 70 62 59 67 74 78 79 77 79 79 73.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 50 104 176 216 252 284 265 207 135 89 56 29 1,863
Source #1: pogoda.ru.net[10]
Source #2: NOAA (sun only, 1961–1990)[11]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Charter of Irkutsk Oblast
  2. 1 2 3 Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Formations of Irkutsk Oblast
  3. 1 2 Law #49-OZ
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Law #87-oz
  5. 1 2 Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  6. Правительство Российской Федерации. Федеральный закон №107-ФЗ от 3 июня 2011 г. «Об исчислении времени», в ред. Федерального закона №248-ФЗ от 21 июля 2014 г. «О внесении изменений в Федеральный закон "Об исчислении времени"». Вступил в силу по истечении шестидесяти дней после дня официального опубликования (6 августа 2011 г.). Опубликован: "Российская газета", №120, 6 июня 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Federal Law #107-FZ of June 31, 2011 On Calculating Time, as amended by the Federal Law #248-FZ of July 21, 2014 On Amending Federal Law "On Calculating Time". Effective as of after sixty days following the day of the official publication.).
  7. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (Russian)
  8. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian). Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  9. Demoscope Weekly (1989). "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  10. "Weather And Climate - Climate Kirenske" (in Russian). Retrieved January 23, 2013.
  11. "Climate Normals for Kirensk". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 23, 2013.

Sources

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