Where is the Tatar Strait, and why is it so named?

In ancient times there was a distant and unknown country - Tartary. Lived in it unknown tribes, tartars, threatening Christianity (in the European sense) and leading its origin from Tartarus itself - the realm of horror, the deepest areas of Hell. So almost to the beginning of the 19th century, Western Europe perceived all the peoples living in the territory located between the Caspian, China and the Pacific Ocean.

Title History

Why is the Tatar Strait called Tatar? After all, from Sakhalin, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, which he connects, to the place where Tatars live, several thousand kilometers ... The fact is that the Europeans learned about the Tatars in the times of Genghis Khan. Not particularly understanding the languages and culture of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples, Europeans all called them Tatars. Over time, the word "Tatars" was transformed into "tartars". An important role in this change was played by the phenomenon, which in linguistics is called contamination: the sound of the word was much like "Tartarus" - the deepest areas of hell.

Over time, the peoples living on an unknown distant territory, began to attribute all the features peculiar to the inhabitants of hell. The words "Tatars" and "Tartars" were so messed up that the strait connecting Tartary with the rest of the territory was called Tatar. However, it is not surprising that the Tatar Strait was associated with many with something terrible, almost otherworldly. Even in its southernmost part of 40-80 days a year the strait is covered with ice. In the northern part of the "ice" period can last up to 170 days. The ice conditions in the Tatar Strait made it so complicated that the cartographers argued for a long time that this geographical object is a gulf or a strait.

Features & Geographical Location

La Perouse in 1787, Kruzenshtern in 1805, Brauton in 1796 entered the Tatar Strait, but, fearing the numerous shoals that are exposed during low tides, could not pass through to the end. They were sure that Sakhalin is a peninsula, and this place, respectively, is a gulf. In 1846 the traveler Gavrilov confirmed their version and made sure that neither the strait, nor Sakhalin, nor the Amur have any practical significance for Russia. He did not know that a few decades earlier the Japanese land surveyor had passed through the strait from beginning to end, making sure that Sakhalin was an island, he noted the Tatar Strait on the map. However, in addition to the Japanese, until 1849 this information was not known to anyone. Only Nevelsky could prove that the strait is passable for ships. But it happened only in 1849. What is the strait today? It separates the island of Sakhalin from Asia. The system, consisting of the Tatar Strait, the Amur Estuary and the Sakhalin Bay, connects the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. The map of the Tatar Strait clearly shows how its width differs in different places. In the narrowest Strait of Nevelskoe, it does not reach 8 kilometers, in the North it is equal to 40 kilometers, and in the south of the coast they are 324 kilometers apart.

The miracle of nature - the Tatar Strait

Surprising is not only the quaint coast of the bay, but its immense depth. One of its "shallow" places is located between the Imperial Harbor and DeKastri. Here the depth gauge shows 32-37 meters, and this is only two miles from the shore. Near the Sakhalin coast, near the island of Monteneron, near Cape Lesseps, the depth varies from 50 to 100 meters. But between the capes of Lazarev and Pogibi, where, according to rumors, there is an underground passage from the island to the mainland, the depth is only 10 meters. Almost all the cities located along the straits are equated to the regions of the Far North. High humidity, low temperatures greatly complicate the life of people, but do not affect the life of marine life. In the waters of the strait, there is pink salmon and chinook salmon, perch and sockeye salmon. Surprisingly, periodically the inhabitants of the coast catch two-meter sharks. For a long time it remained a mystery how a fish that does not tolerate colds gets into the network of local fishermen. Today, all write off the extreme curiosity and mobility of this predator. "Zaletnaya" - so jokingly and seriously local call the caught sharks. In the Tatar Strait, herring, smelt, and trout are harvested.

Ports of the Tatar Strait

Today every schoolboy knows where the Tatar Strait is. Learn at school and the cities located on its shores. They are few. At a distance of 663 km (this is the length of the strait) 8 cities are located. Soviet Harbor became known as the final point of the Baikal-Amur Mainline, although its history begins in August 1953. This port in the Tatar Strait today is connected by a railway line with Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a highway with Vanino and Lidaqa, and from May-Gatka Airport you can get to any The point of the earth. At 32 kilometers from the Soviet Harbor is a foggy port of Vanino. This is the largest port in the Khabarovsk Territory. The movement of ships here does not stop even in winter: icebreakers constantly clean the water area of the ice cover. Vanino piers stretched for 3 km, and 22 berths operate around the clock.

Aleksandrovsk, Nevelsk, Kholmsk

Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky administratively belongs to the Sakhalin region, and is located on the western shore. In 75 km from it there is a small airport Zonalnoe. With other settlements, the urban settlement is connected with a gravel road. This city in terms of climate is equivalent to the Far North. Life here is severe and literally cold.

Nevelsk also belongs to the Sakhalin region. This port in the Tatar Strait is known as the most avalanche-hazardous region in Russia. Probably, this is due to the fact that there are three rivers running: Kazachka, Lovetskaya and Nevelskaya. In 2007, the earthquake almost completely destroyed the city. Despite the fact that the restoration work has long been completed, people are gradually leaving the city.

Kholmsk is the only and largest port center on Sakhalin with an ice-free water area. Two modern terminals, three railway stations, a huge transport hub are connected to a single system. Kholmsk is the center of culture, fishery, and economy. Until 1946, he wore the Japanese name Mauka (Maoka).

De-Kastri, Shakhtersk, Uglegorsk

A tiny village with a population of less than 4 thousand people is valuable in that it has many natural shelters for ships. De-Castri bears the name of the Marquis, who sponsored the expedition of La Perouse. A small, but militarily valuable port belongs to the Khabarovsk Territory. Located near the center of Sakhalin, Shakhtersk also belongs to the Tatar Strait. It is the only airport connecting the region with Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and other cities of the island. Only YAK040 and AN-24 can sit here. The city's economy is gradually decaying: only Udarnovskaya and partially Solntsevsky coal mine are operating from several mines today. The port of Uglegorsk is known for its canal, which locals call the "Tukhlyanka River". He discharges the waste of the pulp mill to the Tatar Strait, or rather to the Sea of Japan. In the city there is a forestry enterprise and food enterprises. The average annual temperature here is -1.7 ° C. Until 1946, coal was mined here, but today mining is conducted elsewhere.

Mystery of the Tatar Strait

In the late 19th century, the idea of building an underground tunnel leading to Sakhalin was put forward. The attractive idea remained unrealized: there was no money for its implementation. The question was raised in 1929, but only Stalin made the final decision. Tunnel under the Tatar Strait was built by the forces of prisoners of the Gulag. It began at Cape Pogibi, and ended on the mainland, at Cape Lazarev. It is hardly worth mentioning how difficult the work of prisoners was in the conditions of the Far North. But with the death of Stalin all the work stopped. This happened in one day: billions of investments, tons of building materials remained unused. The passage of the tunnel did not even begin. However, many legends still go about this construction. According to one version, the construction is almost finished, but it is extremely classified. On the other side, thousands of prisoners were flooded in the tunnel. One thing is certain. Today, there are three options for connecting Sakhalin with the mainland: an embankment dam, a tunnel and a bridge. The timing of their implementation is not yet known, but go far beyond 2015. However, sometimes in the press there is information that if Japan takes part in the construction, it will be completed in the shortest possible time.

What will be the dam?

Scientists have calculated that if you wash the dam in the narrowest place (where the banks are only 7 km apart), then in a year you can build a reliable dam with just one dredge. On the finished dam, you can install a power plant that, when pumping water, will extract, not waste energy. According to the designers, the dam-power station will affect the climate of the Tatar Strait. The most daring dreamers declare that with the help of this technical device it will be possible to turn the severe climate of the strait into a warm and cozy resort area.