Provideniya is a former Soviet military port, sited on a fjord sheltered from the Bering Sea. The largest inhabited locality east of Anadyr, it was established as a port to serve the eastern end of the Northern Sea Route.[2] The port is found in Komsomolskaya Bay (named after the Soviet Komsomol youth organization), a part of the much larger Provideniya Bay, providing a suitable deep water harbor for Russian ships, close to the southern limits of the winter ice fields. Lake Istikhed is located south of Provideniya airfield, on the eastern side of the bay.[10]
History
Provideniya, Provideniya Bay, and surrounding area
After discovery in 1660 of Providence Bay by the Russian expedition led by Kurbata Ivanov, the surrounding waters became a regular site for wintering fishing, whaling, and merchant ships. In the early 20th century, with the beginning of the development of the Northern Sea Route along the coast of the bay, a coal depot was constructed for refueling ships heading west back across the Arctic and in 1933 the first buildings of the future seaport were constructed in what would later become the settlement of Provideniya (lit. "of Providence").[2] In 1937, with the arrival of a convoy with building materials for the construction company Providenstroy, active construction of the port and the settlement began.[2] On May 10, 1946, the settlement of Provideniya was officially established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR.[2] The settlement continued to grow quickly and military units began to be deployed here.[2] On April 25, 1957, it was granted work settlement status.[2] In 1975, it was planned to grow the settlement into a town with a population of twelve thousand and to rename it "Dezhnyov".[citation needed] However, social and economic upheavals in the post-Soviet period left these plans unfulfilled and in the period from 1994 to 2002 no construction was undertaken at all.[2]
There is a technical school, one functioning movie theater, a post office, a museum of Chukotka history and culture, one of the only two ski slopes in Chukotka, a bakery complex, and port facilities.
Provideniya is sometimes referred to as the Doorway to the Arctic, and since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, tourism from nearby Alaska has given the local economy a significant boost. Bering Air, an Alaskan airline, offers charter services to the Provideniya Bay Airport from both Nome and Anchorage. Alaska Airlines made a Friendship Flight to Provideniya in July 1988. Chukotavia provides flights to Anadyr.
Seaport facilities in Provideniya
High-sprung transports connect the settlement's concrete slabbed main street with outlying destinations along the fjord and coast.
Demographics
A significant proportion of the settlement's current residents are Yupik, reflecting the high percentage of indigenous peoples in both Providensky and Chukotsky Districts. The settlement and the surrounding area struggle from alcoholism (which is especially high in indigenous areas), causing a high death rate, a low birth rate, and the population decline since 1990.
Climate
Provideniya has a dry-summer polar climate (KöppenETs), although winters are not as severe due to the coastal location and colorful flowers help bring the tundra to life during the summer. Winter temperatures are significantly higher than at other places within Chukotka such as Uelen and Ushakovskoye, because it is a more southerly settlement with greater maritime influence from the Bering Sea, as is the case with nearby Nome in the US, which has similar winter conditions. Summers are generally cool and the settlement receives heavy rainfall, especially when low pressure systems move northwards from the Pacific Ocean.
Правительство Чукотского автономного округа. Распоряжение №517-рп от 30 декабря 2008 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных и территориальных образований Чукотского автономного округа», в ред. Распоряжения №323-рп от 27 июня 2011 г. «О внесении изменений в Распоряжение Правительства Чукотского автономного округа от 30 декабря 2008 года №517-рп». Опубликован: База данных "Консультант-плюс". (Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Directive #517-rp of December 30, 2008 On the Adoption of the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial and Territorial Formations of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, as amended by the Directive #323-rp of June 27, 2011 On Amending the Government of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug Directive No. 517-rp of December 30, 2008. ).
Дума Чукотского автономного округа. Закон №45-ОЗ от 29 ноября 2004 г. «О статусе, границах и административных центрах муниципальных образований на территории Провиденского района Чукотского автономного округа», в ред. Закона №89-ОЗ от 20 октября 2010 г «О преобразовании путём объединения поселений на территории Провиденского муниципального района и внесении изменений в Закон Чукотского автономного округа "О статусе, границах и административных центрах муниципальных образований на территории Провиденского района Чукотского автономного округа"». Вступил в силу через десять дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Ведомости", №31/1 (178/1), 10 декабря 2004 г. (Duma of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Law #45-OZ of November 29, 2004 On the Status, Borders, and Administrative Centers of the Municipal Formations on the Territory of Providensky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, as amended by the Law #89-OZ of October 20, 2010 On the Transformation via Merger of the Settlements on the Territory of Providensky Municipal District and on Amending the Law of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug "On the Status, Borders, and Administrative Centers of the Municipal Formations on the Territory of Providensky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug". Effective as of the day which is ten days after the official publication date.).
