Kamchatka Region and Koryak Autonomous Okrug
Population, economic development and infrastructure
The population of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug lives mainly in the coastal areas and in the major river valleys. The area is the original home of the Koryaks. In the north, their area overlaps with those of the Chukchi and Evens. Also a minor number of Chuvans live in the
Penzhina
River
valley. In the south of the okrug, the Koryak homelands overlap with those of the Itelmens, the former population of southern
Kamchatka
, which was significantly reduced in number during colonisation. Itelmens live today mainly in the village Kovran and its surroundings, and some in the urban centres of Tigil and Palana. Russian and other immigrant populations live concentrated in the urban centres along the eastern coast, the
Penzhina
River
valley and in Palana, the okrug capital, and Tigil.
The remaining part of the Kamchatka Region on the southern part of the peninsula has an overwhelming percentage of Russian population. The major part lives in the industrial centres and seaports of
Petropavlovsk
and surroundings and Ust-Kamchatsk, but also along the coast of the
Sea
of
Okhotsk
and in the
Kamchatka
Valley
. The Kamchadals, descendants of Itelmens, Russian immigrants and other nationalities form a major part of the population of the
Kamchatka
River
valley, centred in Milkovo. A significant number lives also in the towns
Petropavlovsk
and Yelizovo. They have recently regained their status as a "numerically small indigeous people". A minor Even population lives in the mountains to the west of the
Kamchatka
Valley
.
Population of
Kamchatka
, without Koryak A.O. (1989): 432,000 (of these Kamchadals: 9000, Koryaks: 600, Evens: 800, Aleut: 390, Itelmens: 260, Chukchi: 70).
Population of the Koryak Aut. Okrug (1989): 40,000 (of these Koryaks: 6600, Chukchi: 1500, Itelmens: 1200, Evens: 700)
There is little industry in the Koryak Aut. Okrug, except for some timber and other light industry in Palana. In spite of the presence of resources (coal, nickel, copper, gold), mining has been little developed yet. A coal mine is situated at Korf in the north, and a gold mine at Ametist, north of Palana.
The main economy of the Kamchatkan Region is fishery (salmon, cod, navaga, flounder, herring, etc.). Timber and stock farming with milk and meat products is of major importance in the
Kamchatka
Valley
. The industrial centre of
Petropavlovsk
also has metal industry, beside timber and food processing.
Several oil and gas provinces occur off the Kamchatkan coast and include mainland areas both in the west and in the east. Economic gas resources have been found in the western province, in the Kvachina area (W of Tigil) and in the Kolpakovo area. These are now developed, and the construction of a pipeline across the mountains is planned to provide gas for the power plant in Petropavlovsk/Yelizovo, which now runs on coal and imported oil.
Good road connections are developed in the southern, most populated part of the region. The Koryak Aut. Okrug has a very poor infrastructure comparable with that of adjacent Chukotka, where shipping in summer and air traffic are the only motorised ways to reach most of the places.