They settled along the middle Lena and the lower Vilyuy and Aldan rivers, which provided grazing. The Yakuts brought with them a southern economy which is based on horse and cattle breeding. The Yakuts spread beyond the Lena area, in northeastern and western directions. They gradually moved towards the Arctic Ocean shores, assimilating indigenous ethnic groups. Yakuts were driven out, according to their own legends, by the Buryat (Vitebsky 1990: 304). The Sakha are thought to have migrated northwards from around Lake Baykal to the middle reaches of the Lena river and the lower Vilyuy and Aldan Rivers in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Sakha language belongs to the family of Turkic languages (cf section on culture and language) but has also a strong Mongolian influence. The name "Yakut" is thought to be a Russian corruption, through Evenk ( yako - a stranger), of their self name "Sakha". The origin the name of Sakha is not clear, therefore much debated.
This date is considered to mark the incorporation of Yakutia into the Russian state.
In 1632 Russian Cossacks built a fort on the right bank of the Lena, which then developed into the city of Yakutsk. The first Russian adventurers met the Sakha people on the banks of the Lena river in the 17th century. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) has 33 ulusy (districts) and 2 municipal territories (those of Neryungri and Yakutsk), 11 cities, 69 towns and 352 villages. During the summer season the top layer of soil may thaw to the depth of 0.4 - 3.5 meteres, while the ground below remains permanently frozen. The republic is located in the permafrost area.
#Almazy yakutia russia full#
The territory has a complex geology, correspondingly rich in raw materials, the full extent of which is still unknown. The Republic of Sakha is a land of mountains and plateaus, which occupy over 70 % of the territory. The town of Verkhoyansk is at the negative temperature pole of the northern hemisphere (the temperature here drops as low as -71.2 ☌). Sakha is known for being the coldest region of the northern hemisphere: seasonal temperature variations exceed 100 ☌ (from +40 during the summer to -60 during the winter). The climate in the republic is severe continental. The main of Sakha are: the Lena river (4,400 km) and its major tributaries, the Vilyuy river (2,650 km) and the Aldan river (2,273 km). The capital, Yakutsk is 8,468 km from Moscow, 6,280 km away from St.Petersburg. From the east through the south to the west, the republic neighbours are: Chukotskiy avtonomnyy okrug, Magadanskaya oblast', Khabarovskiy krai, Amurskaya oblast', Chitinskaya oblast', Irkutskaya oblast', Evenkiyskiy avtonomnyy okrug and Taimyr avtonomnyy okrug. Sakha borders the Laptev Sea and the East-Siberian Sea of the Arctic Ocean to the north. Over 40% of the territory lies within the Arctic Circle. The whole area of the republic is located in the high latitudes. It stretches 2,000 km north south and 2,500 km east west.Īpart from the mainland, the territory of the Republic includes several islands in the Arctic Ocean, such as the Novosibirskiye Islands. It is the biggest region and occupies one fifth of the total territory of Russia (cf factsheet). The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), previously known as Yakutia, is situated in the north-east of the Russian Federation. (Social and economic situation in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) for the period of January-December 1995. Sotsial'no-ekonomicheskoye polozheniye Respubliki Sakha (Yakutiya) za yanvar' - dekabr' 1995 goda. Goskomstat Respubliki Sakha (Yakutia).Demograficheskiye i sotsiokul'turniye pokazateli naseleniya respubliki (Demographical, social and cultural indicators). 27 September - Sovereignty Day (proclaimed in 1990).27 April - Constitution Day (adopted in 1992).Personal income index (July 1995, RF=100):įood prices/basket index (July 1995, RF=100): Serious crime rate (per 1000 inhabitants, 1994): Infant mortality (per 1000 inhabitants, 1994): Natural increase (per 1000 inhabitants, 1987): Native language breakdown (all figures in %) Nationalityīirth rate (per 1000 inhabitants, Jan-Nov 1995):ĭeath rate (per 1000 inhabitants, Jan-Nov 1995): Jump to: Names | Factsheet | Emblems | Map | Text Section | Links | References | Bibliography Note: This page is an archived page dating from the year 2000. Dissertations & Theses by SPRI students.