Lower Amur Region

The Lower Amur Region was located on the Pacific coast of the USSR and was washed by the waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Tatar Strait . The natural conditions of the region were characterized by a mid-mountainous topography (in the south there were lowlands), a dense river network, a monsoon climate with frosty winters and cool summers and associated soils and vegetation.

Relief and minerals

Most of the region was occupied by low and medium mountains. In the south of the region (south of the Uda River), mountain ranges and intermountain plains alternated. The largest ridges of this part of the region were Sikhote-Alin on the right bank of the Amur River and the Yam-Alin ridges (the highest point is 2279 m), Chayatyn , Omalsky , Mevachan , and Magu on the right bank. These ridges had both a sub-latitudinal and a submeridian direction. The largest plains of the south of the region were the Lower Amur Lowland , as well as the lowland stretching from the mouth of Tugur to the lower reaches of Goryun . Both lowlands abounded with lakes and swamps.

In the northern part of the region, the largest ridge was Dzhugdzhur , stretching parallel to the shore of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk (altitude up to 2000 m). Between Dzhugdzhur and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk was located lower Coastal Range (height up to 1581 m). From the west, the Yudomo-May Highlands adjoined Dzhugdzhur.

The extreme northeast of the region was occupied by numerous short sub-meridian mountain ranges adjacent to the Oymyakon and Nersky plateaus. The highest point of these ranges, as well as the entire region, was Mount Asi (2400 m).

Of the minerals explored by the mid-1950s, only numerous gold deposits were of industrial importance. Reserves of iron ore, coal, non-ferrous metals, stone building materials, clays and peat were also found ^[1] .

Climate

The monsoon climate dominated the territory of the Lower Amur Region. In winter, cold, dry air masses and north and north-west winds (blowing from land) prevailed. As a result, winter was very cold and dry. The average January temperature ranged from −24 ° C on the coast to −26 ° ... -31 ° C inland. The coldest part of the region was the western slopes of Dzhugdzhur, where the average January temperature reached −40 ° С.

In summer, south winds blowing from the sea prevailed, which made this season cool and humid. The average temperatures of the warmest month (August - on the coast, July - in the interior of the continent) ranged from + 13 ° С ... + 16 ° С near the sea to + 15 ° С ... + 18 ° C far from it. The warmest parts of the region were the lower reaches of the Amur and the coast of the Tatar Strait.

During the year, 370-580 mm of precipitation fell. The most arid part of the region was the western slopes of Dzhugdzhur, and the most humid - its eastern slopes.

Average annual temperatures in the region ranged from 0 ° C in the south of the region to −6 ° C in the north. Together with a small amount of snow, this contributed to the almost universal distribution of permafrost . The growing season in the region lasted 140–154 days ^[1] .

Hydrography

The rivers of the region belonged to the basins of the Laptev Sea , the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Tatar Strait. The rivers of the far north of the region flowed submeridially from north to south and flowed into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The largest of them were Inya , Ulbeya , Kukhtuy , Okhota , Urak . From the eastern slopes of Dzhugdzhur, the Ulya River and a number of small rivers flowed into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The rivers of the western part of the region flowed down from the western slopes of Dzhugdzhur and belonged to the Lena basin. The largest of them were tributaries of the Aldan - May , Yudoma and Uchur .

To the south of the Dzhugdzhur, the Uda River flowed into the Ud Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. Further south flowed into the Tugur Bay, which flowed into the Gulf of Tugur . The southernmost part of the region belonged to the Amur basin. In addition to the Amur River, the largest river in the south of the region was its tributary Amgun .

There were few lakes. The largest of them were Chlya , Orel , Udyl , Big Kizi and the Chukchagirskoe . All of them were located in the southern, flat part of the region ^[1] .

Soils and vegetation

The most fertile soils of the Lower Amur region were floodplain soils in the valleys of the Amur and its tributaries. In the lower reaches of the Amur, brown mountainous soils prevailed. On the territory of the Lower Amur Lowland, up to 20% of the area was occupied by bog soils. In mountainous areas, at the bottom of the slopes, sod-podzolic soils were common. In the upper part of the slopes were thin stony soils, which alternated with areas almost completely devoid of soil.

The entire territory of the region was part of the taiga forest zone. However, due to the mountainous terrain and harsh climate, the forest cover was small - from 60–70% in the south of the region to 30–40% in the north. In the mountains, the upper border of the forests passed at an altitude of 900-1000 m (sometimes 1200 m) in the south of the region and at an altitude of 300-400 m in the north.

Larch prevailed in the species composition of forests. Significant arrays of spruce and fir- spruce forests were found in the south of the region. In the river valleys, birch was often found, and along the sea coast and at the upper border of the forest in the mountains - a stone birch . Pine groves were found in the valleys of Mai, Uda, and Amguni, and narrow bands of poplar and willow grew along the beds of mountain rivers.

In the valleys of large rivers in the south of the region and in the lowlands, Mary - wet cereal meadows in combination with hummocky and peat bogs, overgrown with thickets of shrubbery and low-growing larch, were often found.

Above the upper border of the forest, cedar dwarf was widespread, and even higher, the mountain tundra began, in which lichens, mosses and shrubs grew ^[1] .

Fauna

The fauna of the Lower Amur Region was typical of taiga forests and mountain tundra. Of the mammals , elk, reindeer, ermine, wolverine, lynx, otter, brown bear, wolf, squirrel, lemmings were widespread. A typical fauna for the south of the Far East was distributed in the southern part of the region: Manchurian deer, roe deer, musk deer, black bears, flying squirrels. Work was carried out to restore the sable population and to acclimatize the muskrat. Birds were represented by cedar woodpeckers, woodpeckers, blackbirds, hazel grouse, stone grouse, partridge, owls, goshawks.

On the coast and islands of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, rookeries of sea animals — sea lions, striped seals, and ringed seals — were often found. There was a large number of bird markets , the largest of which was on the island of Jonah .

The species composition of commercial fish was very diverse. In large numbers, there were salmonids - chum, pink salmon, and sim - which came to spawn in the Amur and rivers of the Okhotsk coast. Also, commercial, sturgeon (Amur sturgeon and Kaluga ), pike and catfish were of commercial importance ^[1] .

In the Lower Amur Region, as in other administrative units of the USSR, there was a Soviet-party system of power: the regional committee of the CPSU (b) (since 1952 - the CPSU) and the regional executive committee.

Chairmen of the regional executive committee:

• Kanter O.K. 1934 - February 1935
• Tolpygo B.V. 1936 - December 1937
• Afanasyev P.Y. 1947-1950
• Ustinov V. 1950—?
• Esaulenko K. E.? —1956

The first Secretaries of the regional committee of the CPSU (b) / CPSU:

• Vasiliev I.A. 1935-1937
• Gudinov A.I. 1937 - August 1938
• Gavrilov M.A. 1939-1941
• Solovyov P.N. 1941-1949
• Romashkov A.P. 1951-1954 ^[3]

After the liquidation of the district division in the USSR in 1930 in the country, the question arose of managing a large number of administrative regions by regional or regional authorities. In the Far East, management was complicated by the vast territory and the lack of communication routes. To solve this problem, in 1932, the creation of internal regions began in the Far Eastern Territory. As part of this process, the Lower Amur Region was created ^[4] .

In the first months of its existence, the region was divided into 3 districts ( Kerbinsky , Nizhneamursky , Ulchsky ) ^[3] and the Okhotsk-Evensky national district . By a decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of September 15, 1934, the Okhotsk-Evensky National District was abolished, and its regions were directly subordinate to the Lower Amur Oblast Executive Committee ^[5] . Thus, the number of districts increased to 6 - the Ayano-May , Okhotsk and Tuguro-Chumikan districts were added.

The administrative division of the Lower Amur Region on October 1, 1938 ^[6] :

The city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur was not part of the districts and was directly subordinate to the regional authorities.

In the areas where national minorities live, national village councils were created. At the end of the 1930s, there were 42: 16 Evenki , 9 Ulchi , 7 Nivkh , 6 Even , 4 Negidal ^[7] .

In 1939, the Kerbinsky district was renamed the district named after Polina Osipenko ^[8] . In the same year, the working village of Didbiran was formed in the Ulchi district.

April 2, 1943 from the composition of the Nizhneamursky district was allocated Takhtinsky district with its center in the village Ottoman ^[3] . After that, the number of districts in the region remained unchanged until its abolition.

The administrative division of the Lower Amur Region on July 1, 1945 ^[9] :

In the period from 1945 to 1956, another 4 urban-type settlements appeared in the region - Agnie-Afanasyevsky , Lazarev , Mago and Okhotsk.

In 1956-1957, some poorly organized peripheral areas were liquidated in the RSFSR that did not have “strong” regional centers and were in significant economic dependence on more remote large cities. Among these regions was Nizhneamurskaya, which was annexed to the Khabarovsk Territory ^[10] .

According to the 1939 census , 98,480 people lived in the Lower Amur Region. ^[11] . 17.3 thousand people lived in cities and urban-type settlements. (17.6%), in rural areas - 81.2 thousand people. (82.4%) ^[12]

National composition in 1939 ^[11] :

In the districts of the region, the population was distributed as follows:

Industry

The main industries of the Lower Amur Region in the mid-1950s were: fish, gold mining, forestry and shipbuilding.

The main industry was fishing. Catching and processing of fish was carried out by 2 state enterprises (Nizhne-Amur Gosrybtrest and Okhotsk-Ayan Gosrybtrest), as well as fishing collective farms (82 by 1954). The trusts in 1939 included 5 fish processing plants and 31 fish factories. The centers of fish processing were De-Kastri , Okhotsk , Nikolaevsk-on-Amur , Nizhny Prong , Puir , Ozerpakh , Baidukov island , Kol , Petrovskaya spit , Chkalova island , Oremif , Tnevyakh , Chnyry , Jaore , Lazarevka , Aldoma , Inya - on the sea coast ; Tyr , Chlya , Susanino , Bogorodskoye , Solonetsy , Dudi , Mulka , Mariinsky - on the rivers. To serve the needs of fishing and fish processing, there were 5 motor-fishing stations, 4 canning plants, 2 canning factories, a forestry plant, a refrigerator, and a greasy plant (on Baidukov Island). In Nikolaevsk in the early 1940s, a shipyard was built where fishing vessels were built and repaired. The main objects of fishing were salmon (they accounted for 70-80% of the total catch), herring, and part-time . The region accounted for 3% of all-Union fish catch ^{[15] [16]} .

Gold mining was the oldest industry in the region - the first prospectors on the Lower Amur appeared in the 1850s. By the end of the 1930s, there were several mine departments: Kolchanskoye, Kherpuchinskoye (Nizhneamursky district); Udylskoye, Pildo-Limurian (Ulchi district); Kerbinskoe (district named after Polina Osipenko); Okhotsk (Okhotsk region). An enrichment factory was operating at the Kolchan deposit ^[17] .

The forest industry is most widespread in the Ulchi and Lower Amur regions. Logging was carried out by the Kizinsky timber industry (Ulchi district) and a number of non-core economic organizations (fish factories, mine departments, etc.). In the season of 1938–39, 602 thousand m³ of timber was harvested in the region, which is 88% more than in 1933–34. Wood processing was represented only by the sawmill industry ^{[18] [1]} .

Agriculture

Due to the harsh climatic conditions in the territory of the Lower Amur Region, agriculture was poorly developed and had an auxiliary value. The area of ​​farmland by 1954 amounted to only 1.5% of the total territory. Almost all cultivated land was located in the southern regions of the region, mainly in the Amur Valley.

In 1915, the area under crops in the territory of the future Lower Amur Region was 390 hectares. Since the beginning of the 1930s, measures have been taken in the region to increase the area under crops, increase productivity, and mechanize agriculture. By 1939, the area under crops increased by more than 10 times and amounted to 4057 ha. Of these, 73% were occupied by potatoes, 13.5% - vegetables, 11% cereals, 2% - root crops. The average yield of potatoes in the region in 1938 was 80 kg / ha, vegetables - 100 kg / ha, root crops - 115 kg / ha, and cereals - 6.5 kg / ha.

By 1954, the sown area of ​​the region exceeded 5.5 thousand hectares. The most important crop was still potatoes, which occupied 57% of the crops. At the same time, the share of fields under cereals increased to 26%.

The livestock of collective farm cattle in 1939 was: 1950 horses, 710 cattle, 394 pigs. The main forage base for animal husbandry was floodplain meadows. Reindeer husbandry was developed in the north of the region. In 1938, a research reindeer breeding center was established in the Ayano-May district.

Fur trade also played a significant role in the economy of the region - hunting for squirrels, foxes, sables, ermines, and columns . 90% of the fur was mined in the northern regions of the region - Ayano-May, Tuguro-Chumikansky and Okhotsk. Animal husbandry and farms were created ^{[19] [1]} .

Transport

The main mode of transport in the territory of the Lower Amur Region was water . There were no roads and railways in the region. The closest railway station to Nikolaevsk-on-Amur was Dzemgi near Komsomolsk-on-Amur (opened in 1936). There, transshipment of goods from the railway to the Amur ships was carried out.

The main port of the region was Nikolaevsk, which, thanks to its position at the mouth of the Amur, served both river and sea transportation. Ship repair was provided by ship repair workshops organized in 1925 ^[20] . In addition to Nikolaevsk, small seaports operated in De-Kastri , Chumikan , Okhotsk and Ayana . Before the construction of the Sakhalin - Komsomolsk oil pipeline in the 1940s, Sakhalin oil accounted for a significant share in sea and river transportation.

In the 1930s, active development of air transport began in the region. By 1937, there were permanent airlines Khabarovsk - Komsomolsk - Mariinsky - Nikolaevsk - Okha , Mariinsky - Aleksandrovsk-Sakhalinsky , Nikolaevsk - Kerby ^[21] .

Education

By the time the region was created, a whole network of elementary, seven-year and secondary schools already existed on its territory, universal primary education was introduced. According to 1939, there were 151 elementary schools in the region, 22 seven-year-olds, 17 secondary schools. 18,440 students were enrolled in these schools, of which 6327 were in classes from 5 to 10. There were 35 boarding schools at schools. 725 teachers worked in schools, of which 91 had higher education. By 1940, universal seven-year education was introduced in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, and in rural areas it covered 60% of children ^[22] . According to the 1939 census, 85.1% of the region’s residents over 9 years old were literate ^[23] . By 1954, there were 166 primary and 94 seven-year and secondary schools in the region.

33 schools were national - they were created to teach children of the indigenous peoples of the North - Nivkhs , Ulchi , Evenks , Evens , Yakuts . For the training of personnel of national schools in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, the Pedagogical School of the Peoples of the North was opened (230 students in 1939).

Extracurricular work with children was carried out in 17 pioneer camps, in which more than 2,000 children visited in 1939.

In the 1930s, large-scale measures were taken in the region to eradicate illiteracy . In the second half of the 1930s over 5 years, 10,000 adult and illiterate were trained. Working youth could continue their education in 7 seven-and ten-year evening schools.

Vocational education in 1939 was presented by the already mentioned Pedagogical School of the peoples of the North, as well as the Nikolaev School of Marine Apprenticeship, which trained skippers, navigators, minders, radio operators and ship repairmen. By 1954, there was also a feldsher school and a vocational school.

Also in the region at the end of the 1930s there were 22 kindergartens (by 1956 there were 40) and 1 orphanage, in which 120 people were brought up. ^{[24] [1]}

Culture

In 1939 there were 4 houses of culture in the region, 56 clubs, 12 libraries, 69 reading houses, 37 cinema installations (20 of them mute), a cultural base, and a drama theater. Various clubs worked in clubs - music, theater, defense; film screenings, lectures, collective readings of the press and fiction were held. In Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, regional art competitions were held ^[25] . In the late 1930s, the Nivxgu mәkәr-qlaj-d̦if newspaper was published in Nivkh for a short time.

By 1956, the network of cultural and educational institutions significantly expanded: in the region there were 6 district cultural houses, 71 clubs, 109 libraries, 54 reading rooms, a museum of local lore, a cinema, and 120 film installations. The regional newspaper Krasny Mayak and 6 district newspapers were published ^[1] .

• Kryuchkov E.V.Nizhne-Amur Region. Socio-economic essay . - Khabarovsk: Dalgiz, 1940.

• Decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee "On the New Administrative Division of the Far Eastern Territory" of July 22, 1934
• Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 23, 1956 “On the abolition of the Lower Amur Region of the Khabarovsk Territory”