Magadan Oblast[a] is afederal subject (anoblast) ofRussia. It is geographically located in theFar East region of the country, and is administratively part of theFar Eastern Federal District. Magadan Oblast has a population of 136,085 (2021 Census), making it the least populated oblast and the third-least populated federal subject in Russia.[6]
Magadan is the largestcity and thecapital of Magadan Oblast with the majority of the oblast's inhabitants living in the city itself. The coastline has a less severe climate than the interiors, although both are relatively cold for their latitudes.
Magadan Oblast was established on December 3, 1953[1] in what had popularly been known asKolyma. As a result of considerable raw resources, especially gold, silver, tin, and tungsten deposits, mining activities and road building had been developed during theStalin era in the 1930s and 1940s under the coordination ofDalstroy and its forced labor camps. Upon Stalin's death, Dalstroy was disbanded and the regional administration took over many of its former responsibilities.
From then on, paid labor replaced most of the convict-based manpower, attracted by the region's rapid economic expansion, especially the gold-mining interests.
The indigenous peoples of the region, including theEvens,Koryaks,Yupiks,Chukchis,Orochs,Chuvans andItelmens, who had traditionally lived from fishing along theSea of Okhotsk coast or from reindeer herding in theRiver Kolyma valley, suffered from the industrialization of the area but were able to rely on institutional support until 1987 whenPerestroika started to cause many of the older structures to close. As a result, many of those who can no longer rely on traditional sources of income are now unemployed.[9]
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug was formerly administratively subordinated to Magadan Oblast, but declared its separation in 1991.
On 4 July 1997, Magadan, alongsideBryansk,Chelyabinsk,Saratov, andVologda signed a power-sharing agreement with the government of Russia, granting it autonomy.[10] The agreement would be abolished on 30 January 2002.[11]
Magadan Oblast consists principally of mountainous desert,tundra, andtaiga. The southern part of the region is partly forested with birch, willow, mountain ash, larch and alder.
The animal species in the south includesnow sheep,reindeer,moose andbrown bears. There are also many varieties of birds, including ducks and seabirds. Coastal waters of theSea of Okhotsk host notable biodiversity where large vertebrates such asbowhead whales[13] may appear, and have rich fishing grounds for pollock, herring, cod, flounder and salmon, as well as crabs and shellfish.
The economy is centered on mining interests for gold, silver and other non-ferrous metals. The city ofMagadan is the only large industrial center. Agriculture is not well developed in the region. In April 2014 theRussian government has endorsed bills for extending the operations of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Magadan Oblast through to December 31, 2025.[14]
Magadan Oblast is considered one of the world's richestmining areas.Gold is the region's main resource, althoughsilver andtin deposits are also being developed. There are nearly 2,000 placer gold deposits, 100 gold ore deposits, and 48 silver ore deposits in the territory.[15]
Recently, there has been interest in exploiting thecoal resources in the region. In 2023, theEast Mining Company reported that the Magadan Oblast may contain coal reserves exceeding 100 million tons.[16] Over the medium term, there seem to be excellent opportunities forpetroleum andnatural gas exploitation.
The fishing industry is the region's only food sector and is second in importance after mining. The 600,000 square kilometers (230,000 sq mi) area of the Sea of Okhotsk that borders on Magadan Oblast is one of the most productive regions of the world's oceans. Magadan Oblast has more than 15,900 kilometers (9,900 mi) of coastline and 29,016 kilometers (18,030 mi) of rivers of commercial importance. The catchingvessels of the oblast's fishing companies operate mainly in Russia's economic zone, theSea of Okhotsk and theBering Sea, and to some extent in the Sea of Japan. Most of the catch comes from coastal waters. Fishing industry companies are concentrated inMagadan,Ola,Yamsk, andEvensk. The most important commercial fish arepollock,herring, cod, navaga (a member of the cod family), flounder, and various kinds of salmon.Crabs,squid,shrimp, andwhelks are also caught.[15]
Owing to the severe climate, agriculture is Magadan Region's least developed economic sector; as a result, 50% of all food products must be supplied from outside. The agricultural complex consists of companies producing agricultural products, the food and processing industries, a production infrastructure, and farm enterprises. The particular areas of specialization arereindeer herding,fur farming, and traditionalhunting,fishing, andfur trapping activities. Companies involved in food processing and production include Gormolzavod, adistillery, apasta factory, asausage factory, the Dukcha state poultry farm, and the Khasynsky state farm.[15]
Despite rich natural resources, the economy has not prospered as much as might have been expected in recent years. The severe climate and poorly developed infrastructure are partly to blame, but the difficult transition from Soviet times has led to the collapse of a number of companies with the result that many inhabitants have left the region. Recently, there does seem to have been renewed efforts to encourage foreign investment which could lead to improvements in the economy. Indeed, on a visit to Magadan in November 2005,PresidentVladimir Putin supported the extension of special tax advantages for the region in order to encourage gold exploitation.[17]
Magadan is the federal subject with the highest rate of depopulation in the Russian Federation. Its population, which stood at 384,525 in 1991, stood at 165,820 on January 1, 2008 (according to the State Committee of the Russian Federation on Statistics), falling at a rate of around 2% per year. The rural population, which had stood at 59,151, was just 8,833 in 2008 and decreasing at a rate of around 10% per year. Entire villages are being emptied out and the population of the rural areas of the districts is simply disappearing. The rural population ofYagodninsky District was reduced from 13,843 (1991) to 445 (2007). TheOmsukchansky District saw its rural population plummet from 1,301 to 79. Especially extreme is the example ofSusumansky District, where the rural population almost disappeared: from 9,764 in 1991 to just 116 in 2007. Emigration is evident from the fact that for the 20–24 age group, there were only 66 females living in rural areas, compared to 202 males. Male life expectancy for rural areas rose to 53.73 years in 2006 from 51.88 in 2005.[26] In 2021 the depopulation continues with approximately the same rate, as the population is about 139,000 people.
Although Magadan Oblast is a part of the program of resettlement of ethnic Russian families.[27]
According to a 2012 survey[28] 29.6% of the population of Magadan Oblast adheres to theRussian Orthodox Church, 3% are unaffiliated genericChristians, 3% is an Orthodox Christian believer without belonging to any church or adheres to otherOrthodox churches, 2% of the population adheres to theSlavic native faith (Rodnovery) or toSiberian shamanism, 1% toIslam, 1% to theOld Believers. In addition, 27% of the population declares itself to be "spiritual but not religious", 13% isatheist, and 20.4% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.[28]
Магаданская областная Дума. №218-ОЗ 28 декабря 2001 г. «Устав Магаданской области», в ред. Закона №2185-ОЗ от 14 июня 2017 г. «О принятии поправки к Уставу Магаданской области». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Магаданская правда", №201 (18919), 29 декабря 2001 г. (Magadan Oblast Duma. Law #218-OZ of December 28, 2001Charter of Magadan Oblast, as amended by the Law #2185-OZ of June 14, 2017On Adopting an Amendment to the Charter of Magadan Oblast. Effective as of the day ten days after the official publication date.).
Президиум Верховного Совета СССР. Указ от 3 декабря 1953 г. «Об образовании Магаданской области». (Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Decree of December 3, 1953On Establishing Magadan Oblast. ).
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