Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai

For other places with the same name, see Klyuchi.

56°19′N 160°50′E

View of Klyuchi

Flag of Klyuchi

Coat of arms of Klyuchi

Klyuchi (Russian: Ключи́) is a rural locality (a settlement) in Ust-Kamchatsky District of Kamchatka Krai, Russia, located on the Kamchatka River, 30 kilometers (19 mi) to the north of Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano. It had a population of 5,726 (2010 Census);[1] a marked decrease from that of 7,073 (2002 Census);[2] the population at its peak numbered 11,251 (1989 Soviet census).[3]

Geography

The settlement is located near the point where the course of the Kamchatka River turns from north to east.

History

It was founded in 1731. In 1951, it was granted urban-type settlement status and in 1979—town status. In 2004, it was demoted to a rural locality in order to become eligible for increased funding from the Russian federal budget.

Military

Klyuchi, being in a very isolated part of the former Soviet Union, has been near an intercontinental ballistic missile testing range since the Cold War, the Kura Missile Test Range, and is served by Klyuchi air base just southwest of the town. Klyuchi's original airfield consisted of a dirt airstrip and was located 13 kilometres (8 mi) east-southeast of the town. It was abandoned in the 1960s[4] and is being reclaimed by forest.

Transportation

There is a road connecting Klyuchi to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. Driving, according to Google Maps, can take as long as several hours.

Climate

Klyuchi has a typical subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), albeit with slight early dry-summer precipitation patterns. Summers are generally mild and rainy with cool nights, while winters are long, cold, and very snowy. Due to Klyuchi being located in the interior, the maritime influence is less than for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the nearest coastal locality of Ust-Kamchatsk.

Climate data for Klyuchi (1991–2020, extremes 1885-present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	5.8 (42.4)	3.9 (39.0)	7.4 (45.3)	17.4 (63.3)	28.4 (83.1)	30.0 (86.0)	33.1 (91.6)	29.6 (85.3)	25.0 (77.0)	17.7 (63.9)	11.6 (52.9)	6.1 (43.0)	33.1 (91.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−12.0 (10.4)	−8.9 (16.0)	−3.1 (26.4)	2.5 (36.5)	10.4 (50.7)	17.6 (63.7)	21.1 (70.0)	19.2 (66.6)	14.1 (57.4)	6.2 (43.2)	−2.4 (27.7)	−10.0 (14.0)	4.2 (39.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−15.8 (3.6)	−13.1 (8.4)	−7.6 (18.3)	−1.5 (29.3)	5.6 (42.1)	12.2 (54.0)	15.9 (60.6)	14.4 (57.9)	9.4 (48.9)	2.7 (36.9)	−5.5 (22.1)	−13.5 (7.7)	−0.1 (31.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−19.6 (−3.3)	−17.1 (1.2)	−12.1 (10.2)	−5.4 (22.3)	1.3 (34.3)	7.1 (44.8)	11.3 (52.3)	10.5 (50.9)	5.5 (41.9)	−0.5 (31.1)	−8.7 (16.3)	−17.1 (1.2)	−4.1 (24.6)
Record low °C (°F)	−48.6 (−55.5)	−42.0 (−43.6)	−36.7 (−34.1)	−26.5 (−15.7)	−10.3 (13.5)	−3.7 (25.3)	2.3 (36.1)	−1.3 (29.7)	−7.2 (19.0)	−19.3 (−2.7)	−33.8 (−28.8)	−42.2 (−44.0)	−48.6 (−55.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	68 (2.7)	59 (2.3)	48 (1.9)	32 (1.3)	30 (1.2)	38 (1.5)	49 (1.9)	67 (2.6)	50 (2.0)	66 (2.6)	65 (2.6)	60 (2.4)	632 (24.9)
Average rainy days	0	0	0	0.3	8	16	17	19	17	12	1	0.2	110
Average snowy days	20	18	18	10	2	0	0	0	0	3	14	19	104
Average relative humidity (%)	83	80	75	70	68	70	77	81	79	76	79	84	77
Mean monthly sunshine hours	51.0	92.3	160.1	205.0	225.0	235.0	234.6	182.0	168.0	129.0	76.1	42.0	1,800.1
Source 1: Pogoda.ru.net[5]
Source 2: NOAA[6]

References

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
4. DETAILED REPORT OF KLYUCHI COMPLEX, USSR, September 26, 1963 (Top Secret, declassified June 8, 2000), Central Intelligence Agency, Washington D.C., 1963.
5. "Pogoda.ru.net-Climate Data for Klyuchi 1981-2010". Retrieved November 12, 2012.
6. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved August 2, 2023.

External links

• Unofficial website of Klyuchi (in Russian)