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94-534: The territory of the district encompasses almost the entire northern half of the Kola Peninsula , excluding the town of Ostrovnoy . The Ponoy and Yokanga Rivers flow through the district's territory. The Kandalaksha Nature Reserve , a federal-level strict ecological reserve, covers a portion of the Barents Sea coast on the north of Lovozersky District. The district was established on August 1, 1927, when

188-606: A Sámi language spoken on the Kola Peninsula of northwestern Russia that today is and historically was inhabited by this group. The Sámi languages closest to Kildin are Ter Sámi and Akkala Sámi , in Soviet tradition sometimes considered to be dialects of Kildin Sámi. From a strictly geographical point of view, only Kildin and Ter, spoken on the Peninsula, could be regarded as Kola Sámi. It

282-534: A concrete set around defined territory with extended family. During this time, the community shared in spiritual customs and held similar ideologies on their language and community. In the Russian empire, the Kildin Sámi had no authority, rights or privileges, or liberties of autonomy and independence to control their affairs and to educate and teach their language through schools. After the 1917 Revolution which overthrew

376-470: A few large-scale state farms in the late 1950s–early 1970s. By the mid-1970s, the state farms were further consolidated into just two, based in Lovozero and Krasnoshchelye . The consolidations were rationalized by the necessity to isolate the herders from the military installations, as well as by the need to flood some territories to construct hydroelectric plants . Fishing, being the traditional industry of

470-411: A railway was also considered, but no action was taken at the time. Also in 1896, Alexandrovsk (now Polyarny ) was founded, and grew in size so rapidly that it was granted town status in 1899; Kolsky Uyezd was renamed Alexandrovsky on that occasion. During World War I (1914-1918), the still poorly-developed peninsula suddenly found itself in a strategic position, as communication between Russia and

564-646: A reindeer disease epidemic in their home lands in the southeast of the White Sea. The original administrative and economic center of the area was Kola , situated at the estuary of the Kola River into the Kola Bay . In 1916, Romanov-na-Murmane (now Murmansk) was founded and quickly became the largest city and port on the peninsula. Russian migration to the peninsula continued into the 16th century, when new settlements such as Kandalaksha and Porya-Guba were established. Kola

658-530: A result of this, a recreational fishery has been developed, with a number of remote lodges and camps available to host sport-fishermen. The Kandalaksha Nature Reserve , established in 1932 to protect the population of common eider , is organized in thirteen clusters located in the Kandalaksha Gulf of the Kola Peninsula and along the coasts of the Barents Sea. The Kola Peninsula has many small but fast-moving rivers with rapids. The most important of them are

752-570: A third orthographic variant, used by Kert (1986), has neither of these letters. Note that the letters Ӓ , Ҋ / Ј , Һ / ʼ (apostrophe), Ӆ , Ӎ , Ӊ , Ӈ , Ҏ , Ъ , Ь , Ҍ and Ӭ do not occur in the word-initial position, either because the letters mark features of preceding consonants or the sounds they represent do not occur word initially. Therefore these letters do not normally occur in uppercase, except for all caps text. The letter Щ occurs only in Russian loanwords . The orthographic principles are more or less similar to Russian, but note

846-544: A year. The waters of the Murman Coast remain warm enough to remain ice-free even in winter. Precipitation levels on the peninsula are rather high: 1,000 millimeters (39 in) in the mountains, 600–700 millimeters (24–28 in) on the Murman Coast, and 500–600 millimeters (20–24 in) in other areas. The wettest months are August through October, while March and April are the driest. The average temperature in January

940-549: Is a 95% reduction (compared to 2015) in SO2 by 2030 for its Polar Division on the Taimyr peninsula, which includes its Nadezhda smelter and Copper plant, partly through a SO2 capture solution. Other polluters of note include the thermal power stations in Apatity and Murmansk . The Rybachy Peninsula in the north of the Kola Peninsula was already settled in the 7th – 5th millennium BCE . In

1034-533: Is about −10 °C (14 °F), with lower temperatures typical in the central parts of the peninsula. The average temperature in July is about +11 °C (52 °F). Record lows reach −50 °C (−58 °F) in the central parts and −35 to −40 °C (−31 to −40 °F) on the coasts. Record highs exceed +30 °C (86 °F) almost on all the territory of the peninsula. First frosts occur as early as August and may last through May and even June. Most areas of

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1128-432: Is developed in the region. The Kola Peninsula as a whole suffered major ecological damage, mostly as a result of pollution from the military (particularly naval) production, industrial mining of apatite , and military nuclear waste. About 137 active and 140 decommissioned or idle naval nuclear reactors, produced by the Soviet military, remain on the peninsula. For thirty years, nuclear waste had been dumped into

1222-490: Is important if the language is to survive the test of time. The federal Russian legislation guarantees the Sámi several legal rights giving them language sovereignty and rights to use and develop their languages. But for the practical realization of these rights the Kola Sámi community needs to hold a constant constructive dialogue with the municipal and regional authorities, which have expressed their willingness to cooperate with

1316-425: Is no collaboration or team effort from language activists, language experts and language users and no coordinated or organized process to make learning the Kildin Sámi language a reality for more people. A language center or another initiative to carry out a more coordinated and well-planned language work could solve that problem. Below is one analysis of the consonants in Kildin Sámi as given by The Oxford Guide to

1410-575: Is one of the largest peninsulas of Europe . Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast , it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is bordered by the Barents Sea to the north and by the White Sea to the east and southeast. The city of Murmansk , the most populous settlement on the peninsula, has a population of roughly 270,000 residents. While humans had already settled in

1504-545: Is one of the only places the rare Gray seals can be found. Greenland seals, or harp seals , also can be seen from time to time. Twenty-nine species of fresh water fish are recognized on the territory of peninsula, including trout , stickleback , northern pike , and European perch . The rivers are an important habitat for the Atlantic salmon , which return from Greenland and the Faroe Islands to spawn in fresh water. As

1598-589: Is steep and high, while the southern coast is flat. The western part of the peninsula is covered by two mountain ranges: the Khibiny Mountains and the Lovozero Massif ; the former contains the highest point of the peninsula— Yudychvumchorr . Mount Chasnachorr , the height of which is 1,191 meters (3,907 ft), had been formerly considered the highest point of the Khibiny. The Keyvy drainage divide lies in

1692-475: Is the largest of the Eastern Sámi languages by number of speakers. Its future, however, appears to be not as bright as that of Skolt Sámi or Inari Sámi because the language is used actively by only very few people today. Originally, Kildin Sámi was spoken in clustered areas of the mainland and coastal parts of the Kola Peninsula. Nowadays, Kildin Sámi speakers can be found in rural and urban areas, including

1786-581: Is written using an official Cyrillic script . There is an opportunity to revitalize, reintegrate, and have Kildin Sámi be more widely spoken such as reintroducing and raising awareness and support for Kildin Sámi as an everyday language for communication—like in the Sámi community of Lovozero. Youth and adolescents are expressing more interest now to speak Kildin Sámi which can help in the languages survival. A sizable portion of political and cultural Kildin Sámi groups are pushing for policies and local measures that help to maintain and protect Sámi tradition, which

1880-573: The Allies via the Baltic and Black Sea was cut. Britain helped in the development of the ice-free harbors of the Murman Coast as the only practical means of sending Allied war supplies to the Eastern Front . In March 1915, the construction of the railroad was rushed, and the railroad was quickly opened in 1916, even though it was only partially completed and poorly built. In 1916, Romanov-na-Murmane (Romanov on

1974-591: The 3rd – 2nd millennium BCE , the peninsula was settled by the peoples who arrived there from the south (the territory of modern Karelia ). Bolshoy Oleny Island in the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea is the location of an important Bronze Age archaeological site where ancient DNA has been recovered. By the end of the 1st millennium CE , the peninsula was settled only by the Sami people , who did not have their own state, lived in clans ruled by elders , and were engaged mostly in reindeer herding and fishing. In

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2068-657: The All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast". According to these resolutions, Murmansk Governorate was transformed into Murmansk Okrug , which was divided into six districts (Lovozersky being one of them) and included into Leningrad Oblast . The administrative center of

2162-609: The Grand Duchy of Moscow after the Battle of Shelon in 1471, and the republic itself ceased to exist in 1478 when Ivan III took the city of Novgorod. All Novgorod territories, including those on the Kola Peninsula, became a part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The Novgorod Republic lost control of the peninsula to the Grand Duchy of Moscow in 1471, but the Russian migration did not stop. Several new settlements were established during

2256-547: The Jacob's River , which now is a part of Norway. The Sami population was forced to pay tribute. The Norwegians were also attempting to take control of these lands, resulting in armed conflicts. In 1251, a conflict between the Karelians, Novgorodians and the servants of the king of Norway led to the establishment of a Novgorodian mission in Norway. Also in 1251, the first treaty with Norway

2350-624: The Karelian Isthmus border and the border north of Lake Ladoga . Another treaty dealing the matters of the northern borders was the Treaty of Novgorod signed with Norway in 1326, which ended the decades of the Norwegian-Novgorodian border skirmishes in Finnmark. Per the terms of this treaty, Norway relinquished all claims to the Kola Peninsula. The treaty did not address the situation with

2444-762: The Ponoy , the Varzuga , the Umba , the Teriberka , the Voronya , and the Yokanga . Most rivers originate from lakes and swamps and collect their waters from melting snow. The rivers become icebound during the winter, although the areas with strong rapids freeze later or not at all. Major lakes include Imandra , Umbozero , and Lovozero . There are no lakes with an area smaller than 0.01 square kilometers (0.0039 sq mi). Recreational fishery

2538-512: The Tsardom of Russia cede the peninsula. Russia declined, and in order to organize adequate defenses established the position of a voyevoda . The voyevoda sat in Kola, which became the administrative center of the region. Prior to that, the administrative duties were performed by the tax collectors from Kandalaksha. Newly established Kolsky Uyezd covered most of the territory of the peninsula (with

2632-641: The Turiy Peninsula . Kolo Volost lay to the west of that line, while Tre was situated to the east of it. By the 13th century, a need to formalize the border between the Novgorod Republic and the Scandinavian countries became evident. The Novgorodians, along with the Karelians who came from the south, reached the coast of what now is Pechengsky District and the portion of the coast of Varangerfjord near

2726-455: The okrug was separated from Leningrad Oblast, merged with Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR , and transformed into modern Murmansk Oblast . All in all, the Soviet period saw a significant increase in population (from 15,000 in 1913 to 1,150,000 in 1989), although most of the population remained concentrated in the urban localities along the railroads and the sea coast. Most of

2820-564: The 1251 treaty. The treaty led to a short period of peace, but the armed conflicts resumed soon thereafter. Chronicles document attacks by the Novgorodians and the Karelians on Finnmark and northern Norway as early as 1271, and continuing well into the 14th century. The official border between the Novgorod lands and the lands of Sweden and Norway was established by the Treaty of Nöteborg on August 12, 1323. The treaty primarily focused on

2914-572: The 12th century, Russian Pomors from the shores of the Onega Bay and in the lower reaches of the Northern Dvina discovered the peninsula and its game and fish riches. The Pomors organized regular hunting and fishing visits and started barter trade with the Sami. They also called the White Sea coast of the peninsula Tersky Coast ( Те́рский бе́рег ) or Terskaya Land ( Те́рская земля́ ). By

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3008-446: The 13th–14th centuries. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Russians started heavily occupying and building their own communities in northern Karelia and increased exposure between the Kildin Sámi and Russians naturally blossomed as a result. In the 19th century, Kola Sámi were organized and advocated for themselves through "tight-knit familial communities" where they worked in pastures, lived by fishing, and survived through hunting all in

3102-615: The 16th century, and the Sami and Pomor people were forced into serfdom . In the second half of the 16th century, the peninsula became a subject of dispute between the Tsardom of Russia and the Kingdom of Denmark–Norway , which resulted in the strengthening of the Russian position. By the end of the 19th century, the indigenous Sami population had been mostly forced north by the Russians as well as by newly arriving Izhma Komi and Kominized Nenets (so-called Yaran people ), who migrated here to escape

3196-420: The 1930s–1950s, and in 2007 over two thousand people—descendants of those forcibly sent there—still live on the peninsula. A significant portion of the people deported to Kola were peasants from southern Russia subjected to dekulakization . Prisoner labor was often used when building new factories and for manning those which were operational: in 1940, for example, the whole Severonikel Metallurgy Mining Complex

3290-558: The 2010 Census, the population consisted mostly of Russians (89.0%), Ukrainians (4.8%), and Belarusians (1.7%). Other groups of note include Komi (~1,600 inhabitants), Sami (~1,600), and Karelians (~1,400). The indigenous Sami people are mostly concentrated in Lovozersky District . During the 15th–16th centuries, the main occupations of the Tersky Coast population were Atlantic salmon fishing, seal hunting, and

3384-530: The Kola Peninsula are subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dfc ). The nearby islands usually belong to tundra ( Köppen climate classification : ET ). The peninsula is covered by taiga in the south and tundra in the north. In the tundra, cold and windy conditions and permafrost limit the growth of the trees, resulting in a landscape dominated by grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs such as dwarf birch and cloudberry . In northern coastal areas, stony and shrub lichens are common. The taiga in

3478-532: The Kola Peninsula gradually became a part of the Novgorodian lands. A 1265 treaty of Yaroslav Yaroslavich with Novgorod mentions Tre Volost ( волость Тре ), which is later also mentioned in other documents dated as late as 1471. In addition to Tre, Novgorodian documents of the 13th–15th centuries also mention Kolo Volost , which bordered Tre approximately along the line between Kildin Island and Turiy Headland of

3572-542: The Murman: modern Murmansk ) was founded as the terminal point of the new railroad; the town quickly grew to become the largest one on the peninsula. Soviet power was established on the territory of the peninsula on November 9 [ O.S. October 26], 1917, but the territory was occupied by the forces of Russia's pre-war allies in March 1918–March 1920. Alexandrovsky Uyezd was transformed into Murmansk Governorate by

3666-824: The Presidium of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee worked out the details of the new district scheme and issued a resolution, which, among other things, transferred Kildinsky Selsoviet of the former Kolsko-Loparsky District to Lovozersky District. However, Chalmny-Varrsky and Semiostrovsky Selsoviets of Lovozersky District were transferred to Saamsky District . Chalmny-Varrsky Selsoviet, however, did not remain in Saamsky District for long—the VTsIK Resolution of September 10, 1937 transferred it back to Lovozersky District. When Saamsky District

3760-723: The Resolution of the 4th Plenary Session of the Murmansk Okrug Committee of the VKP(b) on December 28-29, 1934 and by the Resolution of the Presidium of the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee on February 2, 1935. On February 15, 1935, the VTsIK approved the redistricting of the okrug into seven districts, although it did not specify what territories the new districts were to include. On February 26, 1935,

3854-403: The Sami people paying tribute to both Norway and Novgorod, and the practice continued until 1602. While the 1326 treaty did not define the border in detail, it confirmed the 1323 border demarcation, which remained more or less unchanged for the next six hundred years, until 1920. In the 15th century, Novgorodians started to establish permanent settlements on the peninsula. Umba and Varzuga ,

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3948-467: The Sami population had mostly been forced north, with ethnic Russians settling in the south of the peninsula. In 1894, the peninsula was visited by the Russian Minister of Finance, Sergei Witte , who became convinced of the region's economic potential. Consequently, in 1896 telephone and a telegraph communications were extended to Kola, improving links with the mainland. The possibility of building

4042-511: The Soviet government in June 1921. On August 1, 1927, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the Borders and Composition of the Okrugs of Leningrad Oblast", according to which Murmansk Governorate was transformed into Murmansk Okrug (which was divided into six districts) and included into Leningrad Oblast . This arrangement existed until May 28, 1938, when

4136-418: The Sámi in the development of the Sámi language and culture. A majority of children remain ignorant of their traditional languages, customs and beliefs, and have had no formal or informal teaching which may give them a base of knowledge from which to work from. Antiquated materials, ineffective or inaccessible resources, and old teaching methods are often used to teach the language; there is no efforts towards

4230-596: The Uralic Languages : The Oxford Guide to the Uralic Languages gives the following inventory of monophthongs: Rimma Kuruch 's dictionary presents a slightly different set of monophthongs: Kildin Sámi has been written in an extended version of Cyrillic since the 1980s. The alphabet has three variants with some minor differences among certain letters, mostly in Ҋ vs. Ј and ʼ (apostrophe) vs. Һ . The Sammallahti/Khvorostukhina dictionary (1991) uses Ҋ and ʼ (apostrophe); Antonova et al. (1985) uses Ј and Һ ;

4324-459: The administrative center of the oblast. The area of Lovozero has the highest concentration of speakers. Other Kildin Sámi speakers are scattered throughout the villages and small towns of the Peninsula: Revda , Kola , Loparskaya , Teriberka , but can also be found in larger more sizable towns of Murmansk Oblast such as Olenegorsk and Apatity . Lovozero is known as the main place where

4418-597: The area. There are also some Izhma Komi , who migrated there by the end of the 19th century from what is now the Nenets Autonomous Okrug . The 2002 Russian census recorded 1,128 of them. Kola Peninsula The Kola Peninsula ( Russian : Ко́льский полуо́стров , romanized :  Kólʹskij poluóstrov, Kolsky poluostrov ; Kildin Sami : Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк ) is a peninsula located mostly in northwest Russia and partly in Finland and Norway . It

4512-484: The arrest of those who resisted collectivization, including many who lived in the Kola tundras. As Russia entered World War II, Kildin Sámi youth were drafted and impressed to serve in the Red Army, which lessened hardships and prejudices they faced for a temporary period. Although the repression ended after the death of Stalin in 1953, Russification policies continued and the work with the Sámi languages started again only in

4606-418: The average July temperature of only 11 °C (52 °F). The peninsula is covered by taiga in the south and by tundra in the north, where permafrost limits the growth of trees, resulting in landscape dominated by shrubs and grasses. The peninsula supports a small variety of mammals, and its rivers are an important habitat for the Atlantic salmon . The Kandalaksha Nature Reserve , established to protect

4700-646: The beginning of the 1980s when new teaching materials and dictionaries were published. As social and cultural emphasis has been put on the writing and speaking of the various languages that constitute Russia, Kildin Sámi has now become a critically endangered language. Russian is prominently spoken in Kildin Sámi communities so much so that the original language is hardly ever heard of or only spoken privately amongst those who still know how to do so within an insular community. The few Kildin Sámi who speak and understand their language proficiently can also speak various dialectical tongues that constitute ethnic Russia. Because

4794-505: The central part. The mountainous reliefs of the Murman and Kandalaksha Coasts stretch from southeast to northwest, mirroring the peninsula's main orographic features. Administratively , the territory of the peninsula consists of Lovozersky and Tersky Districts , parts of Kandalakshsky and Kolsky Districts , as well as the territories subordinated to the cities and towns of Murmansk , Ostrovnoy , Severomorsk , Kirovsk , and parts of

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4888-488: The country arriving to the peninsula to trade with the merchants from Western Europe. In 1585 the trade was moved to Archangel , although the settlement of Kola was still permitted to trade locally produced goods. During the 17th century, the salt extraction activities gradually went into decline as the locally produced salt was uncompetitive with cheap salt produced in the Kama River regions. Extensive poaching also led to

4982-482: The cultural center of the Sami people in Russia. Those Sami resisting the collectivization were subject to forced labor or death. Various forms of repression against the Sami continued until Stalin 's death in 1953. In the 1990s, 40% of the Sami lived in urbanized areas, although some herd reindeer across much of the region. The Sami were not the only people subject to repressions. Thousands of people were sent to Kola in

5076-473: The district was established in the selo of Lovozero. On July 31, 1930, the administrative commission of the Leningrad Executive Committee granted the district an ethnic status. The Presidium of the Leningrad Oblast Executive Committee confirmed this decision on January 7, 1931. In 1934, the Murmansk Okrug Executive Committee developed a redistricting proposal, which was approved by

5170-538: The early 21st century, and is considered the most industrially developed and urbanized region in northern Russia. Despite the peninsula's northerly location, its proximity to the North Atlantic Current (an extension of the Gulf Stream ) leads to unusually high temperatures in winter, but also results in high winds due to the temperature variations between land and the Barents Sea. Summers are rather chilly, with

5264-582: The end of the 12th century, the Pomors explored all of the northern coast of the peninsula and reached Finnmark (an area in the north of Norway ), necessitating the Norwegians to support a naval guard in that area. The name given by the Pomors to the northern coast was Murman —a distorted form of Norman meaning "Norwegian". Pomors were soon followed by tribute collectors from the Novgorod Republic , and

5358-581: The exception of Varzuzhskaya and Umbskaya Volosts, which were a part of Dvinsky Uyezd ), as well as the northern part of Karelia all the way to Lendery . Despite the economic activity, permanent settlement of the peninsula did not intensify until the 1860s, and even then it remained sporadic until 1917. The population of Kola in 1880, for example, was only around 500 inhabitants living in 80 households, compared to 1,900 inhabitants in 300 households living there in 1582. Transportation facilities were virtually non-existent and communication with

5452-556: The executive committee. Nevertheless, on February 1, 1963, the Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR established the new structure of the districts of Murmansk Oblast, which classified Lovozersky District as rural. However, this classification only lasted for less than two years. The November 21, 1964 Decree by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR restored

5546-425: The extraction of salt from the sea water. The salt extraction in Kandalaksha and Kola was mostly carried out by the monasteries in Pechenga and Solovki , and for a long time remained the only "industry" on the peninsula. By the mid-16th century, Atlantic cod fishing developed on the Murman Coast in the north. The 1560s saw a rapid growth of international trade, with the Russian merchants from different regions of

5640-463: The first documented permanent settlements of the Novgorodians, date back to 1466. Over time, all coastal areas to the west of the Pyalitsa River had been settled, creating a territory where the population was mostly Novgorodian. Administratively, this territory was divided into Varzuzhskaya and Umbskaya Volosts , which were governed by a posadnik from the area of the Northern Dvina . The Novgorod Republic lost control of both of these volosts to

5734-424: The following special features. Similar to Russian, palatalization of a consonant in Kildin Sámi is marked by the letter Ь or one of the vowel letters Е , Ё , И , Ю , and Я following the consonant. Palatalized Д, Т, Н, however, are marked by ҍ or one of the vowel letters Ӓ and Ӭ . The consonant letter Н before Ь or one of the vowel letters Е , Ё , И , Ю , and Я does not represent palatalization but

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5828-414: The language has eroded so rapidly over the centuries, it is more widely spoken amongst or between older elders who were taught and educated between themselves and thus retained the spoken language and hardly spoken by children. In Lovozero, Kilden Sámi was taught as an elective subject for first through fourth graders as of 2017 ; however, beginning in the 2014–15 school year, Kilden Sámi language instruction

5922-516: The language is still spoken by 700–800 ethnic Sámi amongst a total village population of approximately 3,000. However, today the Saami are but a minority in Lovozero: the large majority of the population consists of Russians and Izhma Komi . The language has only about 100 active and perhaps 600 passive speakers. As a result of relocation, migration, and forced movement of the group, the community has really fragmented and become divided over other areas in Murmansk Region, thus leading to an inability for

6016-431: The letters Ҋ / Ј , Ӆ , Ӎ , Ӊ , and Ҏ . The velar nasal is written as Ӈ . According to Kuruch, Kildin Sámi nouns are classified into several declensions. In Kildin Sámi negation is formed by a syntagma , which consists of a finite negative auxiliary and a finite main verb in a special form called connegative (negative form of the main verb). The negative auxiliary gets inflected by person, number and mood, while

6110-403: The north of the peninsula in the 7th–5th millennium BCE, the rest of its territory remained uninhabited until the 3rd millennium BCE, when various peoples started to arrive from the south. By the 1st millennium CE only the Sami people remained. This changed in the 12th century, when Russian Pomors discovered the peninsula's rich resources of game and fish. Soon after, the Pomors were followed by

6204-466: The northeastern edge of the Baltic Shield . The western border of the peninsula stretches along the meridian from the Kola Bay through the valley of the Kola River , Lake Imandra , and the Niva River to the Kandalaksha Gulf , although some sources push it all the way west to Russia's border with Finland. Under a more restrictive definition, the peninsula covers an area of about 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 sq mi). The northern coast

6298-430: The palatal nasal /ɲ/ . Long vowels are marked with a macron ⟨¯⟩ over the vowel letter (and above the diaeresis in the cases of Ё). The letter Һ occurs before the letters П , Т , К , Ц and Ч , and marks (historical) preaspiration . The actual pronunciation, however, varies between true preaspiration [ʰ] and the fricative sounds [h] , [ç] , or [x] . Voiceless sonorants are represented by

6392-459: The peninsula became heavily industrialized and militarized, largely due to its strategic position (as the pre-eminent Soviet ice-free Atlantic coast) and to the discovery of the vast apatite deposits in the 1920s. As a result, the peninsula suffered major ecological damage . After the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union , the economy went into decline. Its population fell from 1,150,000 in 1989 to 795,000 in 2010. The peninsula recovered somewhat in

6486-552: The peninsula to the Gulf Stream leads to unusually high temperatures in winter for the region, resulting in significant temperature variations between land and the Barents Sea and in fluctuating temperatures during high winds. Cyclones are typical during the cold seasons, while the warm seasons are characterized by anticyclones . Monsoon winds are common in most areas, with south and southwesterly winds prevailing in winter months and with somewhat more pronounced easterly winds in summer. Strong storm winds blow for 80–120 days

6580-464: The peninsula, mostly along the shores. However, the discovery of the vast natural resource deposits and industrialization efforts led to an explosive population growth during the Soviet times. By 1970, the population of the peninsula was around 799,000. The trend reverted in the 1990s, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union . The population of the whole Murmansk Oblast went down from 1,150,000 in 1989 to 890,000 in 2002 to 795,000 in 2010. As of

6674-452: The peninsula. Beluga whales are the only cetacean being common around the peninsula. Other dolphins, including Atlantic white-sided dolphins , white-beaked dolphins , and harbor porpoises , as well as large whales, such as bowhead , humpback , blue , and finback , also visit the area. The coasts of the Kandalaksha Gulf and the Barents Sea are important breeding grounds for bearded seals and ringed seals . The Barents Sea

6768-642: The peninsula. The main industrial pollution source is Norilsk Nickel in Monchegorsk —the large smelters responsible for over 80% of the sulfur dioxide emissions and for nearly all nickel and copper emissions. Since 1998, SO 2 emissions in the area have dropped by almost 60%, from 88.3 thousand tonnes to 37.3 thousand tonnes in 2016, according to Norilsk Nickel. Based on its new ‘Sulphur programme 2.0', Norilsk Nickel has set itself staged targets in cutting down sulphur dioxide emissions, which can have negative health and environmental effects. The ultimate aim

6862-587: The population of common eider , is located in the Kandalaksha Gulf . The peninsula is also the site of the Kola Superdeep Borehole , the deepest hole drilled into the Earth. The peninsula is located in the far northwest of Russia, almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is bordered by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast. Geologically, the peninsula occupies

6956-510: The practice of peat production from the Norwegians and started using peat for heating. Timber cutting industry developed in the region at the end of the 19th century; mostly in Kovda and Umba. The Soviet era saw drastic industrialization and militarization of the peninsula. In 1925–1926, significant deposits of apatite were discovered in the Khibiny Mountains, and the first apatite batch

7050-463: The region, was always considered important although the volumes of production remained insignificant until the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1920s–1930s, the Murmansk Trawl Fleet was created and the fishing infrastructure started to develop intensively. By 1940, fishing accounted for 40% of the oblast's and for 80% of Murmansk's economy. Kildin Sami language Kildin Sámi is

7144-461: The rest of Russia was irregular. 1887 saw an influx of Izhma Komi and Nenets people who were migrating to the peninsula to escape a reindeer-disease epidemic in their homelands and brought their large deer herds with them, resulting in increased competition for the grazing lands, a conflict between the Komi and the Sami, and in marginalization of the local Sami population. By the end of the 19th century,

7238-469: The revival and sustenance of their language, traditions, customs, and beliefs. The Kildin Sámi (Kola Sámi) first came into contact and had more subsequent meetings with the Russians in the 12th century, when Pomor traders from the republic of Novgorod landed on the southern shores of the Kola Peninsula. Russians themselves inhabited and set up shelters in the Kola and the Ter Coast as it was known then during

7332-483: The sea by the Northern Fleet and Murmansk Shipping Company . There is also evidence of contamination from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster , with contaminants being found in the flesh of reindeer and other animals, and from the 1972 and 1984 controlled nuclear explosions 21 kilometers (13 mi) northwest of Kirovsk . Additionally, several nuclear weapons test ranges and radioactive waste storage facilities exist on

7426-553: The significantly reduced outputs from pearl hunting . Commercial deer herding became more popular, although its share in the economy remained negligible until the 19th century. By the end of the 17th century, the practice of seasonal fishing and hunting settlements in the north of the peninsula became very common. Peter the Great , recognizing the political and economical importance of the peninsula, promoted its industries and commerce. The region fell into neglect after St. Petersburg

7520-607: The southern areas is composed mostly of pine trees and spruces . Reindeer herds visit the grasslands in summer. Other animals include red and Arctic foxes , wolverines , moose , otters , and lynx in the southern areas. American minks , which were released near the Olenitsa River in 1935–1936, are now common throughout the peninsula and are commercially hunted. Beavers , which became endangered by 1880, were re-introduced in 1934–1957. All in all, thirty-two species of mammals and up to two hundred bird species inhabit

7614-404: The sparsely populated territories outside the urbanized areas were used for deer herding. This region is also home to the Kola Superdeep Borehole . In 1920–1940, the town of Kirovsk and several work settlements were established on the peninsula. The Sami peoples were subject to forced collectivization , with more than half of their reindeer herds collectivized in 1928–1930. In addition,

7708-618: The territories subordinated to Apatity , Olenegorsk , and Polyarnye Zori . Because the last ice age removed the top sediment layer of the soil, the surface of Kola Peninsula is extremely rich in various ores and minerals, including apatites and nephelines ; copper , nickel , and iron ores ; mica ; kyanites ; ceramic materials , as well as rare-earth elements and non-ferrous ores. Deposits of construction materials such as granite , quartzite , and limestone are also abundant. Diatomaceous earth deposits are common near lakes and are used to produce insulation . Proximity of

7802-415: The traditional Sami herding practices were phased out in favor of the more economically profitable Komi approach, which emphasized permanent settlements over free herding. Since the Sami culture is strongly tied to the herding practices, this resulted in the Sami people gradually losing their language and traditional herding knowledge. Most Sami were forced to settle in the village of Lovozero , which became

7896-454: The transmission of the language to future generations nor is there an active effort to preserve written language for scholarly use or to build opportunities to learn Kildin Sámi at higher levels. Although authorities and some government officials express a desire and willingness to resuscitate and revitalize the language, the community is not using that to their advantage, either because they do not know how to do so or whom to reach out to. There

7990-539: The tribute collectors from the Novgorod Republic , and the peninsula gradually became a part of the Novgorodian lands. The Novgorodians, however, established no permanent settlements until the 15th century. The Soviet period (1917–1991) saw a rapid population increase, although most of the new arrivals remained confined to urbanized territories along the sea coast and the railroads. The Sami people were subject to forced collectivization , including forced relocation to Lovozero and other centralized settlements, and overall

8084-681: The tsarist regime of Nicholas II and led to the rise of the Bolsheviks, party systems, and emphasis towards a village-centered, peasant-centered, society, the Soviet state implemented laws or statutes that encouraged the development and protection of Sámi language and Sámi culture . During the 1930s, with an orientation toward Russian nationalism (" Russification ") and Russian identity that came about more dramatically with Joseph Stalin's rise to power and his oppressive tactics, Kola Sámi languages and culture came under intense pressure. His oppressive agricultural, economic, and cultural policies also led to

8178-517: The unified Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais and oblasts where the division into the urban and rural districts was introduced in 1962, and the districts of Murmansk Oblast were re-categorized as regular districts again by the January ;12, 1965 Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Decree. Some of the district's population is Sámi , who are indigenous to

8272-468: Was abolished on January 26, 1963, its selsoviets were transferred to Lovozersky District. On December 26, 1962, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR decreed to re-organize the Soviets of People's Deputies and the executive committees of the krais, oblasts, and districts into the industrial and agricultural soviets, Murmansk Oblast was not affected and kept one unified Oblast Soviet and

8366-408: Was first mentioned in 1565. In the end of the 15th century, the Pomors and the Sami people were forced into serfdom , mostly by the monasteries. Monastery votchiny greatly expanded during the 17th century, but were abolished in 1764, when all of the Kola Peninsula peasants became state peasants . In the second half of the 16th century, King Frederick II of Denmark–Norway demanded that

8460-400: Was folded into a broader class on Sámi history, culture, and folklore. The reasons for the loss and decline in speakership is as follows: a lack of education, dispersion of the Sámi, no generational transmission of traditional Sámi trades and ways of life, and not ever needing to speak or not regularly speaking the language have both caused speakership to take a hit over the years. Kildin Sámi

8554-474: Was founded in 1703 and most of the shipping trade shifted there. In 1732, large deposits of silver in native form were discovered on Medvezhy Island in the Kandalaksha Gulf and copper, silver, and gold deposits were found in the lower reaches of the Ponoy River. Despite the efforts ongoing for the next two centuries, there was no commercial success. At the end of the 18th century, the local population learned

8648-567: Was shipped only a few years later, in 1929. In 1930, sulfide deposits were discovered in the Moncha area ; in 1932–1933 iron ore deposits were found near the upper streams of the Iona River ; in 1935, significant deposits of titanium ores were discovered in the area of modern Afrikanda . The collectivization efforts in the 1930s led to the concentration of the reindeer herds in kolkhozes (collective farms), which in turn were further consolidated into

8742-536: Was signed in Novgorod regarding the Sami lands and the system of tribute collections, making the Sami people pay tribute to both Novgorod and Norway. By the terms of the treaty, Novgorodians could collect tribute from the Sami as far as the Lyngen fjord in the west, while Norwegians could collect tribute on the territory of the whole Kola Peninsula except in the eastern part of Tersky Coast. No state borders were established by

8836-518: Was turned over to the NKVD system. Until the 1800s, the Kola Peninsula was extremely sparsely populated, with only 5,200 inhabitants in 1858. In 1868 the Russian government created incentives for settlement and not only Russians but also Finns , Norwegians and Karelians moved to the peninsula. By the 1897 census 9,291 people were counted in the Kola uyezd ; 63% Russian, 19% Sami, 11% Finnish and 3% Karelian. By 1913 about 13,000–15,000 people lived in

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