Coat of arms Flag Area 15,254 km² Local time Thursday 10:06 PM | Urban okrug Okhinsky Urban Okrug Founded 1880 Number of airports 1 | |
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Weather -4°C, Wind NW at 13 km/h, 84% Humidity | ||
Okha (Russian: Оха́) is a town and the administrative center of Okhinsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the east coast of the far north of Sakhalin island, approximately 850 kilometers (530 mi) north of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, near the shoreline of the Sea of Okhotsk. Population: 23,008 (2010 Census); 27,963 (2002 Census); 36,104 (1989 Census).
Contents
- Map of Okha Sakhalin Oblast Russia 694496
- History
- Administrative and municipal status
- Economy
- Transportation
- References
Map of Okha, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, 694496
History
It was founded shortly after the discovery of petroleum in the area in 1880, initially under the name Okhe. The name is derived from an Ainu word meaning Bad Water. Industrial exploitation of the petroleum reserves began in 1923, during the Japanese occupation of Sakhalin from 1920-1925. Town status was granted to it in 1938.
The town suffered significant damage in the 1995 Neftegorsk earthquake that occurred on May 28, and was used as pivotal base for rescuers deployed to Neftegorsk, which was destroyed to the extent that it was not rebuilt. A number of survivors of Neftegorsk were later transferred to Okha. Another smaller earthquake hit the town on May 10, 2005, but there were no fatalities or significant damage.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Okha serves as the administrative center of Okhinsky District and is subordinated to it. As a municipal division, the town of Okha and ten rural localities of Okhinsky District are incorporated as Okhinsky Urban Okrug.
Economy
Okha, along with the oblast's administrative center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, is the center of Sakhalin's petroleum industry. An oil pipeline and gas main runs from Okha to Komsomolsk-on-Amur on the Russian mainland. A number of oil wells exist in close proximity to the town, mainly controlled by the company Rosneft.
Transportation
The town is the northern end point for the island's road system. There was a rail connection to the island's narrow-gauge rail network at Nogliki; however, this was closed in 2006.
There is an airport in Okha with service to Khabarovsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.