Ayano-Maysky District

Ayano-Maysky District ( _ru. Ая́но-Ма́йский райо́н) is a district (raion) in Khabarovsk Krai in Russia. Its administrative center is the village of Ayan. District's population: 3,271 (2002 Census); 4,802 (1989 Census). Geographical coordinates: coord|55|29|N|135|0|E.

The major settlements of the district include the villages of Ayan, Aim, Dzhigda, and Nelkan. Ayan, the administrative center, is located 1,447 km (899 mi) from Khabarovsk and 631 km (392 mi) by sea from Nikolayevsk-on-Amur.

Geography

The district has two climatic zones: a sharply continental and a maritime continental. Aim, Dzhigda, and Nelkan are located in the former, and Ayan belongs to the latter. Areas along the coast receive much precipitation; have a frequent share of cloudy days, storm winds, and blizzards. Average winter temperatures range from −16°C to −20°C; average summer temperatures—from +18°C to +20°C.

The impact of the Sea of Okhotsk on the coastal region is constant and as it moves west inland toward the Dzhugdzhur mountain range and becomes weaker the impact creates a climatic subzone, transforming the maritime climate into a sharply continental one. The ridge of the Dzhugdzhur Mountains demarcates the border between two climates.

In the sharply continental zone, which gets very little precipitation and is humidity free, average winter and summer temperatures vary from −40°C to −45°C and from +26°C to +30°C respectively.

History

In the 17th century, shortly after the establishment of Yakutsk, the exploration of what is now Ayano-Maysky District pursued two goals. Yakutsk officials through eastward expansion sought to come up with new sources of tribute for the Tsar's treasury while at the same time trying to find a shorter, more convenient passage to the Okhotsk Sea, in order to continue to care for the needs of rich Russian colonies in the Far East and North America.

In 1639, a group of Russian explorers under the leadership of Ivan Moskvitin reached the Sea of Okhotsk for the first time through the territory of modern Ayano-Maysky District. In the first half of the 19th century, the Russian-American Company became the first trading company in the region with its merchant office located in the port of Okhotsk. In 1842, the Company decided to find a better, more advantageous spot for a sea port. Consequently, in 1845 the Russian American Company's merchant office was moved to Ayan.

After the Alaska purchase, life was virtually brought to a standstill. By 1867 the Russian-American Company was no longer in business. Many leading experts of diverse profession joined the exodus of merchants that had discontinued commercial traffic resulting from the trade in the region.

By the decree of the Soviet government, Ayano-Maysky District was officially formed on December 10, 1930 by combining the areas of Ayan and Nelkan. Ayan was assigned a role of being the administrative center. In the 1930s, the Soviet government began forming state and collective farms, opened local schools and hospitals, amateur musical clubs, and otherwise encouraged the Evenks to switch from their nomadic lifestyle to a settled way of life. In 1936, the first local farmers' market was opened with in hopes of bringing locals together. State farm workers and private small farm owners sold their meat, wild game, fish, berries, mushrooms etc.

People who made the decision to make this region their temporary home received added governmental bonuses to their pay and an earlier retirement age; for men when they reached 55 and women at 50.

With the collapse of the Soviet system, however, some state farms and enterprises were disbanded and government subsidies discontinued, forcing many residents to move out of the settlements to bigger cities or other regions of Russia

References

* [http://www.khabkrai.ru/about/ayno-maiskiy.html Information on Ayano-Maysky District on the official website of Khabarovsk Krai] ru icon