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76-607: The Kamchatka Peninsula, the Commander Islands , and Karaginsky Island constitute Kamchatka Krai of the Russian Federation . The majority of the 322,079 inhabitants are ethnic Russians , with about 13,000 being Koryaks (2014). More than half of the population lives in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (179,526 in 2010) and nearby Yelizovo (38,980). The Kamchatka Peninsula contains the volcanoes of Kamchatka ,

152-499: A UNESCO World Heritage Site . Politically, the peninsula forms part of Kamchatka Krai . The southern tip is called Cape Lopatka . (Lopatka is Russian for spade.) The circular bay to the north of this on the Pacific side is Avacha Bay , home to the capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky . Northward up the Pacific side, the four peninsulas are called Shipunsky Point, Kronotsky Point, Kamchatsky Point, and Ozernoy Point. North of Ozernoy Point

228-562: A desert , or so called polar desert ), averaging 166 millimetres (6.5 in) of precipitation per year, as weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent. Summits of most mountains also have polar climates, despite being in lower latitudes, due to their high elevations. All mountains of the Rocky Mountains , Alps , and the Caucasus have tundra climate. Some mountains of the Andes ,

304-493: A subarctic climate ( Dfc ), but higher and more northerly areas have a polar climate ( ET ). Kamchatka is much wetter and milder than eastern Siberia. It is essentially transitional from the hypercontinental climate of Siberia and northeast China to the rain-drenched subpolar oceanic climate of the Aleutian Islands . There is considerable variation, however, between the rain-drenched and heavily glaciated east coast and

380-414: 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 last ice age . The Kamchatka River and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large volcanic belts containing around 160  volcanoes , 29 of them still active. The peninsula has

456-611: A high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 19 active volcanoes included in the six UNESCO World Heritage List 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". The highest volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4,750 m or 15,584 ft),

532-508: A polar climate. Climatologist Wladimir Köppen demonstrated a relationship between the Arctic and Antarctic tree lines and the 10 °C (50 °F) summer isotherm; i.e., places where the average temperature in the warmest calendar month of the year is below the fixed threshold of 10 °C (50 °F) cannot support forests. See Köppen climate classification for more information. Otto Nordenskjöld theorized that winter conditions also play

608-455: A role: His formula is W = 9 − 0.1 C , where W is the average temperature in the warmest month and C the average of the coldest month, both in degrees Celsius. For example, if a particular location had an average temperature of −20 °C (−4 °F) in its coldest month, the warmest month would need to average 11 °C (52 °F) or higher for trees to be able to survive there as 9 − 0.1(−20) = 11 . Nordenskiöld's line tends to run to

684-591: A series of islands in the Russian Far East , a part of the Aleutian Islands , located about 175 km (109 mi) east of the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Bering Sea . Treeless and sparsely populated, the islands consist of Bering Island (95 km (59 mi) by 15 km (9.3 mi)), Medny Island (55 km (34 mi) by 5 km (3.1 mi)) and fifteen islets and rocks. The largest of

760-515: A shallow depth of 10 kilometres (33,000 ft) occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 202 kilometres (109 nmi) east-southeast of Nikolskoye , on July 18, 2017. Prior to Russian discovery, the peninsula was inhabited by various Chukotko-Kamchatkan peoples (specifically the Itelmen , Koryak , and Alyutor ). The southern tip of the peninsula was also the northernmost extent of Ainu settlement. When

836-607: Is Stenjeger's Peak at 647 m (2,123 ft). The archipelago lies at similar latitudes to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland , Southern Scandinavia and southern parts of the Alaskan Panhandle . The climate is relatively mild for its latitude, and maritime, with 220–240 days of precipitation per year. The cool summers are notoriously foggy. The Köppen climate classification would be classed as Dfc bordering on Cfc and Dfb . The only permanently inhabited locality

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912-586: Is almost surrounded by landmasses like Russia and Canada . As such, the climate of much of the Arctic is moderated by the ocean water, which can never have a temperature below −2 °C (28 °F). In winter, this relatively warm water, even though covered by the polar ice pack , keeps the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere , and it is also part of the reason that Antarctica

988-517: Is identified with the letter E in the Köppen climate classification . There are two types of polar climate: ET , or tundra climate ; and EF , or ice cap climate . A tundra climate is characterized by having at least one month whose average temperature is above 0 °C (32 °F), while an ice cap climate has no months averaging above 0 °C (32 °F). In a tundra climate, even coniferous trees cannot grow, but other specialized plants such as

1064-756: Is likewise rich. Of commercial importance are Kamchatka crab (king crab), scallop , squid , pollock , cod , herring , halibut , and several species of flatfish . Points of interest on the Kamchatka Peninsula include thermal and mineral springs, volcanoes, glaciers, a diversity of plants and animals, and other natural features largely untouched by civilization. Activities include sport fishing , alpine tourism, heliskiing , snowboarding , dog sledding , and surfing . Commander Islands 55°00′N 166°24′E  /  55.00°N 166.40°E  / 55.00; 166.40 The Commander Islands , Komandorski Islands , or Komandorskie Islands ( Russian : Командо́рские острова́ , Komandorskiye ostrova ) are

1140-433: Is no permafrost due to the relatively mild winters and heavy snow cover, whilst northward, discontinuous permafrost prevails. The west coastal plain has a colder and drier climate with precipitation ranging from 880 millimetres (34.6 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). The interior valley of

1216-432: Is so much colder than the Arctic. In summer, the presence of the nearby water keeps coastal areas from warming as much as they might otherwise, just as it does in temperate regions with maritime climates . The climate of Antarctica is the coldest on Earth. Antarctica has the lowest naturally occurring temperature ever recorded: −93.3 °C (−135.9 °F) at Vostok Station . It is also extremely dry (technically

1292-697: Is the Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve with the Valley of Geysers . At the southern tip is the Southern Kamchatka Wildlife Refuge with Kurile Lake . There are several other protected areas on the peninsula. Kamchatka receives up to 2,700 mm (110 in) of precipitation per year. This is much higher than the rest of Eastern Russia, and is due to prevailing westerly winds blowing over the Sea of Japan and picking up moisture that rises as it hits

1368-568: Is the large Karaginsky Bay , which features Karaginsky Island . Northeast of this (off the displayed map) lies Korfa Bay with the town of Tilichiki . On the opposite side is the Shelikhov Gulf . The Kamchatka or Central ( Sredinny ) Range forms the spine of the peninsula. Along the southeast coast runs the Eastern Range (Vostochny) . Between these lies the central valley. The Kamchatka River rises northwest of Avacha and flows north down

1444-507: Is the village of Nikolskoye on the northwest end of Bering Island , with an estimated population of 613 as of 2009 . This consists almost entirely of Russians and Aleuts . The majority of the island chain’s area, as well as much of the adjacent marine habitat, 36,488 km (14,088 sq mi), is taken up by the Komandorsky Zapovednik , a natural preserve. The economy is based primarily on fishing, mushroom gathering ,

1520-508: The Aleutians for the seal trade . Most of the Aleuts inhabiting Bering Island came from Atka Island and those who lived on Medny Island came from Attu Island , now both American possessions. A mixed language called Mednyj Aleut , with Aleut roots but Russian verb inflection, developed among the inhabitants. Today the population of the islands is about ⅔ Russian and ⅓ Aleut. The 1943 Battle of

1596-751: The Golden Eagle and Gyrfalcon . Kamchatka most likely contains the world's greatest diversity of salmonid fish, including all six species of anadromous Pacific salmon ( chinook , coho , chum , seema , pink , and sockeye ). Due to its uniquely suitable environment, biologists estimate that a fifth of all Pacific salmon originates in Kamchatka. Kurile Lake is recognized as the biggest spawning-ground for sockeye in Eurasia. In response to pressure from poaching and to worldwide decreases in salmon stocks, some 24,000 square kilometres (9,300 sq mi) along nine of

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1672-687: The Kamchatka River , 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). Sporadic permafrost 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 . The summer months, when maximum temperatures range from 15 to 20 °C (59 to 68 °F), are popular with tourists, but

1748-465: The Kamchatka snow sheep , reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus ), and Chukotka moose ( Alces alces buturlini ), one of the largest moose in the world and the largest in Eurasia, and rodents / leporids , including mountain hare ( Lepus timidus ), marmot , and several species of lemming and squirrel . The peninsula is the breeding ground for Steller's Sea Eagle , one of the largest eagle species, along with

1824-659: The Kronotsky Nature Reserve , there are estimated to be three to four bears per 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi). Other fauna of note include carnivores such as tundra wolf ( Canis lupus albus ), Arctic fox ( Vulpes lagopus ), Anadyr fox ( Vulpes vulpes beringiana ), East Siberian lynx ( Lynx lynx wrangeli ), wolverine ( Gulo gulo ), sable ( Martes zibellina ), Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ), East Siberian stoat ( Mustela ermine kaneii ), and Siberian least weasel ( Mustela nivalis pygmaea ). The peninsula hosts habitat for several large ungulates including

1900-579: The List of World Heritage Sites in Russia of UNESCO . The Commander Islands archipelago consists of 15 islands and is a part of a submarine volcanic ridge extending from Alaska to Kamchatka dated by the beginning of Paleogene (60-70 million years ago). The islands are the westernmost of the Aleutian Islands , most of which are part of the US state of Alaska, and are separated from the closest US island, Attu Island , and

1976-582: The North Pacific right whales and fin whales . Bering Island was the only known habitat of Steller's sea cows , an immense (over 4,000 kg or 8,800 lb) sirenian related to the dugong . The sea cow was hunted to extinction within 27 years of its discovery in 1741. The much less diverse terrestrial fauna includes two distinct, endemic subspecies of Arctic fox , ( Alopex lagopus semenovi and A. l. beringensis ). Though relatively healthy now, these populations had been significantly depleted in

2052-675: The Russian-American Company by granting land to newcomers on the peninsula. By 1812, the indigenous population had fallen to less than 3,200 while the Russian population had risen to 2,500. In 1854, the French and British , who were battling Russian forces in the course of the Crimean War , attacked Petropavlovsk . During the Siege of Petropavlovsk , 988 men with a mere 68 guns managed to defend

2128-839: The Saint Elias Mountains , and most mountains of the Himalayas , the Karakoram , the Hindu Kush Range , Pamir Mountains , the Tian Shan Mountains , and the Alaska Range also have ice cap climates at extremely high elevations, in addition to tundra climates at relatively lower elevations. Only the summit of Mount Rainier has an ice cap climate in the Cascade Range . There have been several attempts at quantifying what constitutes

2204-600: The South Shetland Islands and the Falkland Islands have tundra climates of slight temperature range in which no month is as warm as 10 °C (50 °F). These subantarctic lowlands are found closer to the equator than the coastal tundras of the Arctic basin. Summits of many mountains of Earth also have polar climates, due to their higher elevations. Some parts of the Arctic are covered by ice ( sea ice , glacial ice , or snow ) year-round, especially at

2280-407: The equator and near the poles , and in this case, winter days are extremely short and summer days are extremely long (they could last for the entirety of each season or longer). A polar climate consists of cool summers and very cold winters (or, in the case of ice cap climates, no real summer at all), which results in treeless tundras , glaciers , or a permanent or semi-permanent layer of ice . It

2356-507: The sea otter population is stable and possibly increasing, even as their population is falling precipitously in the rest of the Aleutian islands. The neighboring waters provide important feeding, wintering and migrating habitat for many whale species, many of which are threatened or endangered. Among these are: sperm whales , orcas , several species of Minke whales , beaked whales , and porpoises , humpbacks and endangered species such as

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2432-471: The Antarctic under Köppen's. In 1947, Holdridge improved on these schemes , by defining biotemperature : the mean annual temperature, where all temperatures below 0 °C or 32 °F (and above 30 °C or 86 °F) are treated as 0 °C (because it makes no difference to plant life, being dormant). If the mean biotemperature is between 1.5 and 3 °C (34.7 and 37.4 °F), Holdridge quantifies

2508-520: The Kamchatka Peninsula on its way to hunt United States whaling ships in the Sea of Okhotsk. As a commerce raider , the CSS Shenandoah aimed to destroy Union merchant shipping and thus draw off United States Navy ships in pursuit, thereby loosening the US Navy blockade of Confederate coasts. The ship spent almost three weeks in the Sea, destroying only one ship due to the dangerous ice, before moving on to

2584-541: The Komandorski Islands took place in the open sea about 160 km (100 mi) south of the islands. Polar climate The polar climate regions are characterized by a lack of warm summers but with varying winters . Every month a polar climate has an average temperature of less than 10 °C (50 °F). Regions with a polar climate cover more than 20% of the Earth's area. Most of these regions are far from

2660-583: The North Pacific, where it virtually captured or bonded 24 whalers, sinking most of them. The next fifty years were lean for Kamchatka. The naval port moved to Ust-Amur, and in 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States, making Petropavlovsk obsolete as a transit point for traders and explorers on their way to the American territories. In 1860, a Primorsky (Maritime) Region was established and Kamchatka

2736-399: The Pacific side, and ribbon seals reproduce on the ice of Karaginsky Bay . Sea otters are concentrated primarily on the southern end of the peninsula. Seabirds include murrelets , Northern Fulmars , Thick- and Thin-billed Murres , Kittiwakes , Tufted and Horned Puffins , Red-faced, Pelagic, and other Cormorants , and many other species. Typical of the northern seas, the marine fauna

2812-455: The Peninsula promotes a similar diversity in animal species that feed off the flora. Although Kamchatka is mostly tundra, deciduous and coniferous trees are abundant, and forests can be found throughout the peninsula. Kamchatka has diverse and abundant wildlife. This is due to many factors, including a wide range of climates; diverse topography and geography; many free-flowing rivers; proximity to

2888-487: 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 fog on exposed parts of the coast. South of 57° ˚N , there

2964-536: The Russian explorer Ivan Moskvitin reached the Sea of Okhotsk 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 Koryak people. Consequently, Russians entered Kamchatka from the north. In 1651, after having assisted in the foundation of the Anadyrsk ostrog , the explorer Mikhail Stadukhin went south and followed

3040-531: The Sea of Okhotsk at Bolsheretsk , which once served as a port connecting the peninsula to Okhotsk . South of the Bistraya flows the Golygina River . Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the settlements in the central part of the peninsula are connected by highway to Ust-Kamchatsk . The road is asphalt in its southern part, but changes to gravel about halfway north where the population is sparser. Another highway connects

3116-581: The administration of the zapovednik (i.e. strictly protected wilderness), ecotourism and government services. The village has a school, a satellite tracking station and a dirt airstrip to its south. The other settlements on the two islands are small villages or scattering of houses: There is no true forest on the Commander Islands. The vegetation is dominated by lichens , mosses and different associations of marshy plants with low grass and dwarf trees. Very tall umbellifers are also common. Due to

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3192-423: The arctic poppy can grow. In an ice cap climate, no plants can grow, and ice gradually accumulates until it flows or slides elsewhere. Many high altitude locations on Earth have a climate where no month has an average temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or higher, but as this is due to elevation, this climate is referred to as Alpine climate . Alpine climate can mimic either tundra or ice cap climate. On Earth,

3268-594: The central valley, turning east near Klyuchi to enter the Pacific south of Kamchatsky Point at Ust-Kamchatsk . In the 19th 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 Koryak Okrug . South of the Tegil is the Icha River. Just south of the headwaters of the Kamchatka, the Bistraya River curves southwest to enter

3344-604: The coast of the Sea of Okhotsk from Penzhina Bay to Okhotsk . From about 1667 there were reports of a Kamchatka River to the south. Some time before 1700 a group of Russians were stranded and died on Kamchatka. In 1695, explorer Vladimir Atlasov became commander of Anadyrsk. In 1696 he sent the Cossack Luka Morozko south. Morozko got as far as the Tigil River and returned with reports and some mysterious writings, probably Japanese. In 1697–1699, Atlasov explored nearly

3420-424: The drier and more continental interior valley. In the heavily glaciated Kronotsky Peninsula , 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

3496-434: The eastern population), the critically endangered North Pacific right whale and bowhead whale , beaked whales , and minke whales are encountered. Blue whale are known to feed off of the southeastern shelf in summer. Among pinnipeds , Steller's sea lions , northern fur seals , spotted seals , and harbor seals are abundant along much of the peninsula. Further north, walruses and bearded seals can be encountered on

3572-522: The end of their contract, which has led to a community of around 1,800 by 2020. Avacha Bay was the scene of massive die-off of benthic marine organisms in September–October 2020. Kamchatka boasts abundant flora. The variable climate promotes different flora zones where tundra and muskeg are dominant, succeeded by grasses, flowering shrubs, and forests of pine , birch , alder , and willow . The wide variety of plant forms spread throughout

3648-542: The extreme northeastern coast of Scandinavia and eastwards to the Bering Strait , large areas of northern Siberia and northern Iceland have tundra climate as well. Large areas in northern Canada and northern Alaska have tundra climate, changing to ice cap climate in the most northern parts of Canada. Southernmost Argentina ( Tierra del Fuego where it abuts the Drake Passage ) and such subantarctic islands such as

3724-444: The extremely local red-legged kittiwake which nests in only a few other colonies in the world. Waterfowl and sandpipers are also abundant along the pre-lake depressions and river valleys of Bering Island, though largely absent from Medny Island. Migratory birds of note with critical nesting or feeding habitat on the islands include such species as Steller's eider , Pacific golden plover and Aleutian tern . Raptors of note include

3800-582: The high productivity of the Bering Sea shelf and the Pacific slope and their remoteness from human influence, the Commander Islands are marked by a great abundance of marine animal life and a relative paucity of terrestrial organisms. Notably, significant numbers of northern fur seals (some 200,000 individuals) and Steller sea lions (approximately 5,000 individuals) summer there, both on reproductive rookeries and non-reproductive haul-outs. Sea otters , common seals and larga seals are likewise abundant. Indeed,

3876-447: The higher topography of the peninsula, and condenses into rain. The summers are moderately cool, and the winters are rather stormy, but the storms rarely produce lightning . Although Kamchatka lies at latitudes similar to Scotland 's, cold arctic winds from Siberia combined with the cold Oyashio sea current keep the peninsula covered in snow from October to late May. Under the Köppen climate classification , Kamchatka generally has

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3952-538: The highly productive waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean, the Bering , and the Okhotsk Seas ; low human population density; and minimal development. The peninsula also boasts the southernmost expanse of Arctic tundra in the world. However, commercial exploitation of marine resources and a history of fur trapping has taken its toll on several species. Kamchatka is famous for the abundance and size of its brown bears . In

4028-401: The island along with much of the crew. His grave is marked by a modest monument. About half of the crew did manage to survive the winter, thanks in part to the abundance of wildlife (notably the newly discovered Steller's sea cow) and the efforts of naturalist and physician Georg Wilhelm Steller , who cured many of the men of scurvy by compelling them to eat seaweed. Eventually, a smaller boat

4104-477: The largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere. Many have highly symmetrical cones, and Kronotsky is viewed by volcanologists Robert and Barbara Decker as a prime candidate for the world's most beautiful volcano. Somewhat more accessible are the three volcanoes visible from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky : Koryaksky , Avachinsky , and Kozelsky . In the center of Kamchatka is the Valley of Geysers , which

4180-739: The latter are Tufted Puffin Rock (Kamen Toporkov or Ostrov Toporkov) , 15 ha (37 acres), and Kamen Ariy , which are between 3 km (1.9 mi) and 13 km (8.1 mi) west of the only settlement, Nikolskoye . Administratively , the Commanders compose the Aleutsky District of the Kamchatka Krai in Russia . In 2005 the Comandorsky State Nature Reserve was nominated for

4256-522: The local capital with Bolsheretsk. Bus service is available on both roads. Most other roads are gravel-covered or dirt roads, requiring off-road-capable vehicles. There is semi-regular passenger transportation with aircraft. The obvious circular area in the central valley is the Klyuchevskaya Sopka , an isolated volcanic group southeast of the curve of the Kamchatka River. West of Kronotsky Point

4332-566: The more productive salmon rivers are in the process of being set aside as a nature preserve. Stickleback species, particularly Gasterosteus aculeatus and Pungitius pungitius , also occur in many coastal drainages, and are likely present in freshwater as well. Cetaceans that frequent the highly productive waters of the northwestern Pacific and the Okhotsk Sea include orcas , Dall 's and harbour porpoises , humpback whales , sperm whales , and fin whales . Less frequently, grey whales (from

4408-508: The most poleward parts; and nearly all parts of the Arctic experience long periods with some form of ice or snow on the surface. Average January temperatures range from about −40 to 0 °C (−40 to 32 °F), and winter temperatures can drop below −50 °C (−58 °F) over large parts of the Arctic. Average July temperatures range from about −10 to 10 °C (14 to 50 °F), with some land areas occasionally exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) in summer. The Arctic consists of ocean that

4484-475: The mountainous, fast running streams is composed primarily of migratory salmonids , including Arctic char , Dolly Varden , black spotted trout , chinook , sockeye , coho and pink salmon . There are no amphibians or reptiles on the Commander Islands. The Commander Islands received their name from Commander Vitus Bering , whose ship St Peter wrecked on the otherwise uninhabited Bering Island on his return voyage from Alaska in 1741. Bering died on

4560-545: The native population; the roughly 2,500 Itelmens 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. In 1713, Peter the Great sent shipbuilders to Okhotsk. A fifty-four-foot boat

4636-517: The north of Köppen's near the west coasts of the Northern Hemisphere continents, south of it in the interior sections, and at about the same latitude along the east coasts of both Asia and North America. In the Southern Hemisphere, all of Tierra del Fuego lies outside the polar region in Nordenskiöld's system, but part of the island (including Ushuaia , Argentina ) is reckoned as being within

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4712-477: The only continent where the ice cap polar climate is predominant is Antarctica . All but a few isolated coastal areas on the island of Greenland also have the ice cap climate. Summits of many high mountains also have ice cap climate due to their high elevation. Coastal regions of Greenland that do not have permanent ice sheets have the less extreme tundra climates. The northernmost part of the Eurasian land mass, from

4788-546: The outpost against 6 ships with 206 guns and 2,540 French and British soldiers. Despite the successful 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. On 24 May 1861, the ship Polar Star (475 tons), of New Bedford , wrecked on

4864-439: The past due to the fur trade. Most other terrestrial species, including wild reindeer , American mink and rats , have all been introduced to the islands by man. Over a million seabirds gather to nest on numerous large colonies along almost all the coastal cliffs. The most common are northern fulmar ; common , brunnich's and pigeon guillemots ; horned and tufted puffins ; cormorants ; gulls ; and kittiwakes including

4940-470: The peninsula in 1851–1854. In 1920, Russian leader Vladimir Lenin offered a 60-year lease of the peninsula to the United States. World War II (1939–1945) hardly affected Kamchatka except for its role as a launch site for the invasion of Manchuria in August 1945. After the war, the Soviet authorities declared Kamchatka a military zone. Vilyuchinsk, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula about 20 kilometers (12 mi) across Avacha Bay from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,

5016-596: The rare Steller's sea eagle and gyrfalcon . Other bird types include auks such as the Ancient murrelet and game birds such as the Rock ptarmigan . In total, over 180 bird species have been registered on the Commander Islands. The spectacled cormorant , a large essentially flightless bird in the cormorant family, was driven to extinction by around 1850. The islands have been recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support populations of various threatened bird species, including many waterbirds and seabirds . The fish fauna in

5092-458: The rest of the chain by 207 mi (333 km). Between the two runs the International Date Line . The relief is somewhat diverse, encompassing folded-block mountains, volcanic plateaus , terraced plains and low mountains. The geologic origins are long-extinct volcanoes on the edge of the Pacific and North American Plates . The highest point is Steller's Peak on Bering Island at 755 m (2,477 ft). The highest point on Medny Island

5168-427: The service of the Russian Navy , began the final "opening" of Kamchatka, helped by the fact that the government began to use the area to exile people, famously the Hungarian nobleman and explorer the Count de Benyovszky in 1770. In 1755, Stepan Krasheninnikov published the first detailed description of the peninsula, An Account of the Land of Kamchatka . The Russian government encouraged the commercial activities of

5244-417: The west coast of Kamchatka during a dense fog and gale . The chief officer and a boat's crew perished while attempting to reach the shore. The rest of the crew were saved by the barque Alice , of Cold Spring , and the ship Oliver Crocker , also from New Bedford. On 21 May 1865, the American Civil War came to the area: the Confederate States Navy steamer Shenandoah sailed past the southern end of

5320-407: The whole of the peninsula. He built an ostrog at Verkhny-Kamchatsk, rescued or captured a Japanese castaway , 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

5396-455: Was a breakdown of order. There were numerous mutinies and native wars all over the peninsula and north to the Koryak country of the Penzhina River and Olyutor Gulf . Several people were sent out to restore order, including Atlasov, who was murdered by mutineers 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

5472-608: 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, Ivan Yevreinov mapped Kamchatka and the Kurils. The Danish-born Russian explorer Vitus Bering left Nezhe-Kamchatsk for his first voyage in 1728 and, as part of his second voyage, founded Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in 1740. Vitus Bering's Second Kamchatka Expedition (ca 1733–1743), in

5548-452: Was built from the remains of the St. Peter and the survivors found their way back to Kamchatka, heavily laden with valuable sea otter pelts. The discovery of the sea otters sparked the great rush of fur-seeking " promyshlenniki " which drove the Russian expansion into Alaska. Aleut (Unangan) people were transferred to the Commander Islands early in 1825 by the Russian-American Company from

5624-727: Was founded as Sovetsky in 1968 through the amalgamation of three earlier settlements which supplied the Soviet Navy as a submarine constructor; it is the home base of the Russian Pacific fleet. The Kura Missile Test Range , an intercontinental ballistic missile impact area located 130 kilometers (81 mi) northeast of the settlement of Klyuchi , was developed beginning in 1955. Kamchatka remained closed to Soviet citizens until 1989 and to foreigners until 1990. From 1946 to 1949, around 50,000 North Korean people went to Kamchatka as contract workers. Several thousand refused to repatriate after

5700-498: Was partly destroyed by a massive mudslide in June 2007. Owing to the Kuril–Kamchatka Trench , deep-focus seismic events and tsunamis occur fairly commonly. A pair of megathrust earthquakes occurred off the coast on October 16, 1737, and on November 4, 1952, with magnitudes of ≈9.3 and 8.2 respectively. A chain of more shallow earthquakes were recorded as recently as April 2006. A significant 7.7-magnitude earthquake with

5776-459: Was placed under its jurisdiction. In 1875, Russia ceded the Kuril Islands to Japan in return for Russian sovereignty over Sakhalin 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. Karl von Ditmar made an important journey to

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