Tiksi

Tiksi (Russian: Ти́кси, IPA: [ˈtʲiksʲɪ]; Yakut: Тиксии, Tiksii – lit. a moorage place) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Bulunsky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the shore of the Buor-Khaya Gulf of the Laptev Sea, southeast of the delta of the Lena River. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 5,063.[3]

Tiksi Тикси
Urban-type settlement[1]
Other transcription(s)
• Yakut	Тиксии
View of Tiksi
Location of Tiksi
Tiksi Location of Tiksi Tiksi Tiksi (Sakha Republic)
Coordinates: 71°39′N 128°52′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Sakha Republic[2]
Administrative district	Bulunsky District[2]
Settlement	Settlement of Tiksi[2]
Founded	1933
Urban-type settlement status since	1939[2]
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[3]
• Total	5,063
• Estimate  (2018)[4]	4,537 (−10.4%)
Administrative status
• Capital of	Bulunsky District[2], Settlement of Tiksi[2]
Municipal status
• Municipal district	Bulunsky Municipal District[5]
• Urban settlement	Tiksi Urban Settlement[5]
• Capital of	Bulunsky Municipal District[6], Tiksi Urban Settlement[5]
Time zone	UTC+9 (MSK+6 [7])
Postal code(s)[8]	678400, 678403, 678409
Dialing code(s)	+7 41167
OKTMO ID	98612151051

Tiksi population

2010 Census	5,063[3]
2002 Census	5,873[9]
1989 Census	11,649[10]
1979 Census	9,505[11]

History

In August 1901, Russian Arctic ship Zarya headed across the Laptev Sea, searching for the legendary Sannikov Land but was soon blocked by floating drift ice in the New Siberian Islands. During 1902, the attempts to reach Sannikov Land continued while Zarya was trapped in fast ice. Leaving the ship, Russian Arctic explorer Baron Eduard Toll and three companions vanished forever in November 1902 while traveling away from Bennett Island towards the south on loose ice floes. Zarya was finally moored close to Brusneva Island in the Tiksi Bay, never to leave the place again. The remaining members of the expedition returned to St. Petersburg, while Captain Fyodor Matisen went to Yakutsk.

Modern Tiksi was founded in 1933; urban-type settlement status was granted to it in 1939.[2] During the Cold War, Tiksi saw military construction projects at Tiksi North and Tiksi West airfields. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Tiksi's population has declined markedly and many of its apartment blocks have been abandoned. Despite its rapid population decline, it remains the world's most northerly settlement with a population of over 5,000.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, the urban-type settlement of Tiksi[1] serves as the administrative center of Bulunsky District.[2] As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Bulunsky District as the Settlement of Tiksi.[2] As a municipal division, the Settlement of Tiksi is incorporated within Bulunsky Municipal District as Tiksi Urban Settlement.[5]

Economy

Transportation

Tiksi serves as one of the principal ports for accessing the Laptev Sea. It is served by the Tiksi Airport, which was shut down by the Defense Ministry on October 1, 2012 except for helicopters.[12] Tiksi was connected only by helicopter flights and winter roads. The closure was harshly criticized by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Following an agreement between the Defense Ministry and the Government of the Sakha Republic in April 2013, the airfield re-opened to passenger traffic in June 2013. In December 2013, President Vladimir Putin announced that the Tiksi airport would be "rehabilitated" along with others beyond the Arctic Circle.[13]

The Lena River is navigable in the summer months. There is infrequent passenger navigation from Yakutsk.

Climate

Tiksi has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). Winters are similar to those of the inland subarctic regions, and have frequent and occasionally heavy snowfalls. Temperature normals and extremes are slightly less severe than in the southerly interior, but the winter length is longer courtesy of the higher latitude. The very short summers are generally cooler than inland regions (although in 1991 a temperature as high as +34 °C (93 °F) was reported) and see rainfall on most days. The polar night lasts from November 19 to January 24, and the period with continuous daylight, the midnight sun, lasts a bit longer, from May 11 to August 3.

Climate data for Tiksi
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	−7.6 (18.3)	−5.2 (22.6)	1.6 (34.9)	9.6 (49.3)	23.6 (74.5)	32.8 (91.0)	34.3 (93.7)	29.8 (85.6)	23.0 (73.4)	6.1 (43.0)	−1.2 (29.8)	−4.9 (23.2)	34.3 (93.7)
Average high °C (°F)	−26.7 (−16.1)	−26.1 (−15.0)	−22.1 (−7.8)	−13.5 (7.7)	−2.6 (27.3)	7.2 (45.0)	12.1 (53.8)	11.1 (52.0)	4.2 (39.6)	−7.9 (17.8)	−20.1 (−4.2)	−25.1 (−13.2)	−9.1 (15.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−30.2 (−22.4)	−29.6 (−21.3)	−26.3 (−15.3)	−18.3 (−0.9)	−6.1 (21.0)	3.2 (37.8)	7.6 (45.7)	7.7 (45.9)	1.6 (34.9)	−10.8 (12.6)	−23.4 (−10.1)	−28.4 (−19.1)	−12.8 (9.0)
Average low °C (°F)	−33.8 (−28.8)	−33.3 (−27.9)	−30.8 (−23.4)	−23.6 (−10.5)	−9.7 (14.5)	0.1 (32.2)	3.9 (39.0)	4.5 (40.1)	−1.2 (29.8)	−14.3 (6.3)	−27.1 (−16.8)	−31.9 (−25.4)	−16.4 (2.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−48 (−54)	−50.5 (−58.9)	−47.2 (−53.0)	−46.9 (−52.4)	−32.2 (−26.0)	−15.8 (3.6)	−4 (25)	−4 (25)	−18.2 (−0.8)	−35 (−31)	−43.9 (−47.0)	−48.8 (−55.8)	−50.5 (−58.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	32 (1.3)	22 (0.9)	16 (0.6)	10 (0.4)	13 (0.5)	27 (1.1)	45 (1.8)	50 (2.0)	27 (1.1)	16 (0.6)	21 (0.8)	42 (1.7)	321 (12.6)
Average rainy days	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1	12	20	20	9	0.1	0.0	0.0	62.1
Average snowy days	23	21	21	19	20	5	0.2	0.3	10	25	23	23	190.5
Average relative humidity (%)	82	82	83	83	85	82	83	83	82	83	82	81	83
Mean monthly sunshine hours	0.0	40.0	176.9	276.5	199.0	238.2	246.4	132.6	86.8	52.9	4.0	0.0	1,453.3
Source 1: погода и климат[14]
Source 2: (sunshine only)[15]

Coastal temperature data for Tiksi
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average sea temperature °C (°F)	-1.8 (28.76)	-1.8 (28.76)	-1.8 (28.76)	-1.8 (28.76)	-1.5 (29.3)	.4 (32.72)	3.9 (39.02)	7.6 (45.68)	4.8 (40.64)	0.7 (30.74)	-1.7 (28.94)	-1.8 (28.76)	0.317 (32.57)
Source: [16]

References

Notes

1. According to Article 7 of the Law #77-I, lower-level administrative divisions with the status of a settlement have their administrative centers in an inhabited locality with the status of an urban-type settlement. According to the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic, Tiksi is the administrative center of the Settlement of Tiksi.
2. Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic
3. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
4. "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
5. Law #173-Z #353-III
6. Law #172-Z #351-III
7. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
8. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
9. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
10. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
11. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 г. Национальный состав населения по регионам России" [All Union Population Census of 1979. Ethnic composition of the population by regions of Russia] (XLS). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1979 года [All-Union Population Census of 1979] (in Russian). 1979 – via Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics.
12. Якутский аэропорт Тикси закрыт для приёма и отправки рейсов до декабря, причины не названы. Газета.ru (in Russian). Moscow. October 3, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
13. "Putin orders Arctic military boost". December 11, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
14. Погода в Тикси
15. "Tiksi, Russia Travel Weather Averages (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
16. http://russia.pogoda360.ru/459329/water/

Sources

• Official website of the Sakha Republic. Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic. Bulunsky District. (in Russian)
• Государственное Собрание (Ил Тумэн) Республики Саха (Якутия). Закон №172-З №351-III от 30 ноября 2004 г. «Об установлении границ и о наделении статусом муниципального района муниципальных образований Республики Саха (Якутия)», в ред. Закона №1535-З №597-V от 27 ноября 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в статьи 1 и 2 Закона Республики Саха (Якутия) "Об установлении границ и о наделении статусом муниципального района муниципальных образований Республики Саха (Якутия)"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Якутия", №245, 31 декабря 2004 г. (State Assembly (Il Tumen) of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. Law #172-Z No. 351-III of November 30, 2004 On Establishing the Borders and on Granting the Municipal District Status to the Municipal Formations of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, as amended by the Law #1535-Z No. 597-V of November 27, 2015 On Amending Articles 1 and 2 of the Law of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic "On Establishing the Borders and on Granting the Municipal District Status to the Municipal Formations of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
• Государственное Собрание (Ил Тумэн) Республики Саха (Якутия). Закон №173-З №353-III от 30 ноября 2004 г. «Об установлении границ и о наделении статусом городского и сельского поселений муниципальных образований Республики Саха (Якутия)», в ред. Закона №1058-З №1007-IV от 25 апреля 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Республики Саха (Якутия) "Об установлении границ и о наделении статусом городского и сельского поселений муниципальных образований Республики Саха (Якутия)"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Якутия", №245, 31 декабря 2004 г. (State Assembly (Il Tumen) of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic. Law #173-Z No. 353-III of November 30, 2004 On Establishing the Borders and on Granting the Urban and Rural Settlement Status to the Municipal Formations of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, as amended by the Law #1058-Z No. 1007-IV of April 25, 2012 On Amending the Law of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic "On Establishing the Borders and on Granting the Urban and Rural Settlement Status to the Municipal Formations of the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).

Further reading

• Barr, William (1981). "Baron Eduard von Toll's Last Expedition: The Russian Polar Expedition, 1900–1903". Arctic. 34 (3): 201–224. doi:10.14430/arctic2524.