Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

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Coordinates: 53°1′N 158°39′E

Location of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Petropavlovsk, as seen from Avacha Bay

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russian: Петропа́вловск-Камча́тский) is the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Oblast (Russia). Population: 198,028 (2002 Census); 268,747 (1989 Census). The city itself has more people than its neighboring regions Magadan Oblast, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and Koryak Autonomous Okrug, making it the largest by far in the far northeast.

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. The climate is subarctic (Köppen Dfc) and precipitation averages are estimated at 860 millimetres, 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, while in summer +20 °C 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. Because Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the second largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road after Iquitos, Peru, travel here is extremely expensive but is growing in popularity because of the remarkable scenery throughout the peninsula. The city is served by Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport.