Yakutsk (Яку́тск), Russia

Tower of Ostrog, a 17th-century fort in Yakutsk, Russia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Y-ostrog.jpg
Author: Saaska


Yakutsk (Russian: Яку́тск; local Sakha language: Дьокуускай) is a city in the Sakha Republic in Siberia, Russia. Yakutsk covers 121.93 sq km (47.08 sq mi) and has a population of 270,000 people (2012 estimate).

Yakutsk dates back to 1632, when it was established by Cossack explorer Pyotr Beketov as a fort. It remained an insignificant settlement until the late 19th century, when the discovery of gold in the Sakha region spurred interest in the area. The city rapidly industrialized under the Stalin administration. This in large part was also due to the forced labor camps established by Stalin in the city.

Today mining remains the mainstay of Yakutsk's economy. Among the minerals extracted, diamonds from Yakutsk mines today account for 20% of the world diamond output.

Yakutsk experiences a frigid subarctic climate. Winters here are long and cold while summers are short and moderately warm. The Yana River basin to the northeast of Yakutsk recorded the lowest ever temperature in the world outside of Antartica. On the average, July usually experiences the warmest weather, with average high temperatures of 25.1°C (77.2°F) while January the lowest temperature, averaging -42.8°C (-45°F).

Visiting Yakutsk

There are flights to Yakutsk from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and Khabarovsk, among others. There are also international flights from Harbin.

Places of Interest in Yakutsk

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