There are so many interesting places on the map of Russia that it is simply impossible to know everything about them. Various cities and towns, mountains and rivers. In this article, we will talk about such a small, but very important and interesting corner of the country, like Cape Dezhnev.
A bit of history
Before studying information about the cape, you need to look a little into history and find out who was its discoverer, as well as who the person in whose honor the cape got its name. Interesting will be the fact that this cape until 1879 was called simply Eastern. And only in that distant year, at the insistence of the Swedish polar explorer A.E. Nordenskjöld, he began to be named in honor of the outstanding and famous Russian explorer of Eastern and Northern Siberia - Semen Ivanovich Dezhnev. Semyon Ivanovich himself lived in the 17th century, was not only a explorer and navigator, but also a Cossack chieftain. During his life he participated in numerous skirmishes and battles, had about 13 wounds, three of which were very serious. However, this did not stop the traveler. In 1647, he joined the expedition of Popov as a collector of yasak. With the same group of comrades, he went east. Many ships wrecked on this journey, but Dezhnev and his companions nevertheless reached the strait between Asia and America, circling the Chukchi Peninsula from the north. On the shores of the so-called "Big Chukchi Nose" (now this is Dezhnev Cape), he stopped with his team, visited the Eskimos. With his campaign, Semen Ivanovich, in fact, made two huge discoveries from a geographical point of view:
- He proved that America is a completely independent continent, separated by water.
- I found out that from Europe to China can be reached by the northern seas, simply bypassing Siberia.
So there should not be questions about who discovered Cape Dezhnev. This was Semen Ivanovich himself. But with regard to the strait, it was called Bering, since there was no information about Dezhnev’s campaigns in Europe (all of it was preserved in the Yakutsk prison). Therefore, the priority of the discoverer nevertheless remained with V. I. Bering.
About the names
Information regarding the names of this cape will also be interesting. Only from the end of the 19th century did it bear the name of the sailor Dezhnev. In the days of the researcher's life, he was called simply the Big Chukchi Nose, or the Stone Nose. His name was also known as Necessary (that is, one that cannot be circumvented). And in 1778, the English mariner Cook called it simply the Eastern Cape (as it was called mainly in Europe), which bore this name until it was renamed Cape Dezhnev.
Geography
How can you find Cape Dezhnev on the map? Everything is simple, it is located in Chukotka and is the most extreme eastern point of the continent. Besides the fact that this is the most extreme eastern continental point of Russia, it is also the extreme eastern point of all Eurasia. This cape is not very suitable for life, as it is a steep mountain range (its height reaches 740 meters), which abruptly breaks off to the sea. It is located in the Bering Strait, which connects the Chukchi Sea (Arctic Ocean) and the Bering Sea (Pacific Ocean). It is also worth finding out the coordinates of Cape Dezhnev. It is 66 ° 04′45 ″ s. w. 169 ° 39′7 ″ s d.
Nearest points
Very interesting will be the information that from Cape Dezhnev (extreme eastern point of Eurasia) to Cape Prince of Wales (extreme western point of North America - Alaska), only 86 kilometers. And in clear weather, you can even consider the outlines of another continent - North America.
Naukan
And although Cape Dezhnev is practically unsuitable for life, there are still residential settlements there. Ten kilometers from it is the small village of Uelen. On the very territory of the cape is the abandoned whalers Naukan, which existed in the 18-20th centuries. However, during the Soviet era, in 1958, as part of a campaign to remove the Russian population from America, the village was disbanded. Until that moment, about 400 people lived there, who were in about 13 large genera. Today, some families whose grandfathers and great-grandfathers lived in Naukan, live nearby, in the nearby Chukchi villages of Lorino, Uelen, Lawrence, as well as the Eskimo villages of Sereniki, Welkar, Novoe Chaplino. The village itself is considered an architectural monument and is protected by the laws of the federation.
Whalen
As mentioned above, the nearby village to Cape Dezhnev is the village of Uelen. The following information will be interesting: its ancient name is Ulyk ', Chukchi - Pok'ytkyn, Eskimo - Olyk'. In translation, all this means "the end of the earth", "the end of the world", "a place that is flooded with water." It is worth mentioning that in the distant past Uelen was an Eskimo settlement, but the Chukchi gradually crowded out the Eskimos, occupying residential areas near Cape Dezhnev. Today, this village is a very independent administrative unit. It has its own administration, an agricultural enterprise, a boarding school, a weather station, a culture center, a kindergarten, and a hospital. In addition, there are quite a lot of outlets. The main occupations in the village: sea hunting. Lahtak, walrus, seal, and, more recently, whale have been mined here. The locals then trade with these same marine inhabitants.
Flora and fauna
What else is rich in Cape Dezhnev? So, there is a diverse flora and fauna. Inhabitants of the sea: bowhead and gray whales, lahtak, polar cod, goby, flounder, Far Eastern navaga and Arctic char. Quite often, such animals as wolverine, wolf, fox, arctic fox, polar bear are found. As for the birds, white partridges and white owls, crows, gyrfalcons and guillemots live here.
Monuments
Having figured out where Cape Dezhnev is located on a map of Russia, it is also worth considering a little information about the monuments that are located both on the cape and near it. The first and main attraction of the cape is the lighthouse-monument to Semen Ivanovich Dezhnev. It was built in the form of a beautiful tetrahedral obelisk. Located at an altitude of about 100 meters above sea level. Nearby is a large old cross, which, oddly enough, still looks great. It is also worth mentioning that in honor of the sailor Dezhnev, the village, bay, island and peninsula were also named. And in Veliky Ustyug in 1972, a monument was erected to Semyon Ivanovich. Now a little about the attractions that lie in the vicinity of Cape Dezhnev:
- Uelen burial ground. First of all, it is the most valuable cemetery from the point of view of archeology.
- Equen is an ancient Eskimo burial ground, which today is an archaeological site of federal significance. Also important in terms of archeology.
- The oldest and most populous Eskimo village, which was later disbanded, is Naukan.
About beauty
After all of the above, it can be said with certainty that Cape Dezhnev is a very interesting geographical element (photo is the first proof of this). There are numerous bird markets. Here you can also see seals and sea rookeries - an entertaining sight, especially for people who are not used to it. And in the spring you can even see polar bears with cubs (visitors will definitely remember the white cartoon bear cub Umka with his mother). From time to time, gray whales and killer whales swim very close to the coastline. And in clear weather you can even see the shores of a completely different continent - North America.