Settlement Belushya Guba (Novaya Zemlya): features, population, history, photo

Belushya Guba is the main settlement on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago. This urban-type settlement is administratively related to the Arkhangelsk region.

The same name is used by the bay on which the settlement is located. It is washed by warm sea and ocean currents, so that its beaches are acceptable for living. In addition, warm water makes possible the year-round navigation of ships of the ice class. Even during the most severe frosts, ice forms no more than a kilometer from the shore at a thickness of about a meter. Thanks to the natural features of the location, the bay of Belushya Guba is also protected from drifting ice floes, which in these parts are not uncommon.

History of the bay and settlement

The first cartography of these edges, known to science, dates back to the end of the 19th century. It was carried out by S. Moiseev, a researcher of the North. The decision on the construction of the settlement was made by the Archangel Governor A. P. Engelhardt in 1894, when he visited the New Earth for a visit. Soon a research expedition set off for these parts. The beginning of the construction of the village of Belushya Guba dates back to 1897.

However, it is customary to consider the date of birth of the settlement to be a completely different date - September 17, 1954, when the construction of a nuclear test site was laid. Today, this testing ground belongs to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation.

Infrastructure

Today the village of Belushya Guba is the capital of the Central Range of the Russian Federation. There is a developed infrastructure necessary for a normal life: a school and a kindergarten are working, residential houses are built, there are hotels, shops, restaurants, cultural centers, medical institutions, officers' houses, a swimming pool, a sports complex and even Orbita's own television and radio station. All life support systems of the garrison stationed here function stably.

Development prospects

Currently, a large-scale plan is being developed, an important place in which the New Earth archipelago will occupy. Belushya Guba can become an important transport hub. An oil loading port will be built here, from which the Siberian oil will be transported. In addition, it is planned to build liquefied natural gas production on the Yamal peninsula.

Prospective directions are also nearby deposits of manganese and ores. With their development, the role of Belushya Guba settlement will also grow, where ore-processing production will be located.

Population

No matter how desolate and uninhabited, the New Land seemed, the Belushya Guba settlement is a vivid example of the development of the region. Today its population is about 3 thousand people, 3/4 of which are men. This is due to the prevalence of men's military-technical professions in the archipelago.

Nature

The climate of the New Earth is severe. Winter here is long and frosty, the temperature often drops to -40 ° C. Very strong gusts and blizzards are frequent in Belushia Bay.

The local nature also suits the arctic climate. The fauna is represented by many northern animals. In the vicinity of the village there are deer, hares, arctic foxes, lemmings, and in winter, even polar bears wander to human habitation in search of warmth and food. On the coast marine seals, seals, seals live. The bird world is very diverse. Bay Belushya Guba is the place of the largest bird markets, on which gulls, dead ends, guillemots flock. North of it, there are vast penguin settlements. From the Barents Sea to the bay swim whales.

The local flora is represented mainly by lichens and mosses, but deciduous and coniferous plants are also found here. Belushya Guba attracts not only industrialists, but also people of art - its harsh beauty attracts photographers, filmmakers and painters.

Mushrooms are widely distributed in the vicinity of the settlement: boletus, mushrooms, honey agarics, chanterelles, chanterelles. An important place is occupied by the collection of valuable northern berries and medicinal plants.

Hunting and fishing

Since ancient times, the population of Novaya Zemlya has paid great attention to fisheries. Arctic lakes are found in the lakes of the archipelago - a very valuable and tasty fish. There are other breeds here: cod, beluga, salmon, tuna.

Fur fishing is an important part of the national economy. Residents of the village Belushya Guba often engaged in hunting for the beast.