Tiksi

History

In August 1901, Russian Arctic ship Zarya headed across the Laptev Sea, searching for the legendary Sannikov Land but was soon blocked by floating drift ice in the New Siberian Islands. During 1902, the attempts to reach Sannikov Land continued while Zarya was trapped in fast ice. Leaving the ship, Russian Arctic explorer Baron Eduard Toll and three companions vanished forever in November 1902 while traveling away from Bennett Island towards the south on loose ice floes. Zarya was finally moored close to Brusneva Island in the Tiksi Bay, never to leave the place again. The remaining members of the expedition returned to St. Petersburg, while Captain Fyodor Matisen went to Yakutsk.

Modern Tiksi was founded in 1933; urban-type settlement status was granted to it in 1939. During the Cold War, Tiksi saw military construction projects at Tiksi North and Tiksi West airfields. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Tiksi's population has declined markedly and many of its apartment blocks have been abandoned. Despite its rapid population decline, it remains the most northerly settlement with a population of over 5,000.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, the urban-type settlement of Tiksi serves as the administrative center of Bulunsky District. As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Bulunsky District as the Settlement of Tiksi. As a municipal division, the Settlement of Tiksi is incorporated within Bulunsky Municipal District as Tiksi Urban Settlement.

Transportation

Tiksi serves as one of the principal ports for accessing the Laptev Sea. It is served by the Tiksi Airport, which was shut down by the Defense Ministry on October 1, 2012 except for helicopters. Tiksi was connected only by helicopter flights and winter roads. The closure was harshly criticized by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Following an agreement between the Defense Ministry and the Government of the Sakha Republic in April 2013, the airfield re-opened to passenger traffic in June 2013. In December 2013, President Vladimir Putin announced that the Tiksi airport would be "rehabilitated" along with others beyond the Arctic Circle.

The Lena River is navigable in the summer months. There is infrequent passenger navigation from Yakutsk.

Climate

Tiksi has a tundra climate (Köppen ET). Winters are similar to those of the inland subarctic regions, and have frequent and occasionally heavy snowfalls. The very short summers are generally cooler than inland regions (although in 1991 a temperature as high as +34 °C (93 °F) was reported) and see rainfall on most days. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from May 11 to August 3, and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer, polar night from November 19 to January 24.