Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

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Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (English) Петропавловск-Камчатский (Russian)
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at night
Location of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the map of Russia
Coordinates 53°1′N 158°39′E / 53.017, 158.65Coordinates: 53°1′N 158°39′E / 53.017, 158.65
Coat of Arms

City Day: October 17
Administrative status
Federal subject In jurisdiction of Administrative center of	Kamchatka Krai Kamchatka Krai Kamchatka Krai
Local self-government
Charter	Charter of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Municipal status	Urban district
Head	Vladislav Skvortsov
Legislative body	City Duma
Area
Area	400 km² (154.4 sq mi)
Population (as of the 2002 Census)
Population - Rank - Density	198,028 inhabitants 93rd 495.1/km² (1,282.3/sq mi)
Events
Founded	October 17, 1740
Town status	April 9, 1812
Renamed Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky	1924
Other information
Postal code	683000 (main)
Dialing code	+7 4152
Official website
http://petropavlovsk.kamchatka.ru/

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russian: Петропа́вловск-Камча́тский) is the city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai (Russia). Population: 198,028 (2002 Census); 268,747 (1989 Census). Ethnic Russians and Ukrainians make up majority of population. The city itself is home to more people than its neighboring regions Magadan Oblast and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

It was founded by the explorer Vitus Bering, who reached Avacha Bay in 1740 and laid the foundation stone for the port of Petropavlovsk, which is named after his two ships, the St. Peter and the St. Paul, built in Okhotsk for his second expedition. During the Crimean War, the fortress held out during the siege by the Anglo-French forces and never fell.

Petropavlovsk was a great source of fish (particularly salmon) and crab meat for the Soviet Union in the 20th century; however, since the end of the Soviet era fishing rights have been granted to foreign interests. The city is situated on high hills and surrounded by volcanoes. In fact, the horizon cannot be seen clearly from any point of town as volcanoes and mountains are everywhere. Across Avacha Bay from the city is Russia's largest submarine base, the Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base, (location and satellite photos: 52°55′N 158°29′E / 52.92, 158.49) established during Soviet times and still used by the Russian Navy. [1]

The climate is subarctic (Köppen Dfc) and precipitation averages are estimated at 860 millimeters (33.9 in), or about three times as much as average in Siberia, with most falling as snow. Temperatures in winter are milder than in Siberia—a typical January day averages −7.3 °C (18.9 °F), while in summer 20 °C (68 °F) constitutes an average July maximum.

The city has developed a tourist infrastructure. About twenty large tourism companies offer a wide range of services from bear hunting to paragliding. No roads connect the Kamchatka Peninsula to the rest of the world. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the second largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road after Iquitos, Peru. Travel to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is expensive but is growing in popularity because of the remarkable scenery throughout the peninsula. The city is served by Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport.