Solovetsky Islands
The Solovetsky Islands (Russian: Солове́цкие острова́), or Solovki (Соловки́), are an archipelago located in the Onega Bay of the White Sea, Russia. As an administrative division, the islands are incorporated as Solovetsky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. Within the framework of municipal divisions, they are incorporated as Solovetskoye Rural Settlement within Primorsky Municipal District. The administrative center of both divisions is the settlement of Solovetsky, located on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island. Almost all of the population of the islands lives in Solovetsky. As of the 2010 Census, the district had a population of 861 inhabitants.
Kislaya Bay of Bolshoy Solovetsky Island | |
Map of the White Sea showing the Solovetsky Islands | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Onega Bay, White Sea |
| Coordinates | 65°05′N 35°53′E |
| Area | 347 km2 (134 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
Russia | |
| Oblast | Arkhangelsk Oblast |
| Capital and largest city | Solovetsky |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 861 (2010) |
| Official name | Cultural and Historic Ensemble of the Solovetsky Islands |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 1992 (16th session) |
| Reference no. | 632 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
The Solovetsky Monastery (founded in 1436), in 1923 became the site of the first Gulag establishment, the Solovki prison camp.