Vorkuta
Vorkuta (Russian: Воркута́; Komi: Вӧркута, Vörkuta; Nenets for "the abundance of bears", "bear corner") is a coal-mining town in the Komi Republic, Russia, situated just north of the Arctic Circle in the Pechora coal basin at the river Vorkuta. In 2010, its population was 70,548, down from 84,917 in 2002.
Vorkuta
Воркута | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Komi | Вӧркута |
Central Vorkuta | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
Location of Vorkuta | |
Vorkuta Location of Vorkuta Vorkuta Vorkuta (European Russia) Vorkuta Vorkuta (Arctic) | |
| Coordinates: 67°30′N 64°02′E | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Komi Republic |
| Founded | January 4, 1936 |
| Town status since | November 26, 1943 |
| Government | |
| • Administration Manager | Yaroslav Shaposhnikov |
| Area | |
| • Total | 28.69 km2 (11.08 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 180 m (590 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 70,548 |
| • Rank | 224th in 2010 |
| • Density | 2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi) |
| • Subordinated to | town of republic significance of Vorkuta |
| • Capital of | town of republic significance of Vorkuta |
| • Urban okrug | Vorkuta Urban Okrug |
| • Capital of | Vorkuta Urban Okrug |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK ) |
| Postal code(s) | 169900 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 82151 |
| OKTMO ID | 87710000001 |
| Website | xn--80adypkng |
Vorkuta is the fourth largest city north of the Arctic Circle and the easternmost town in Europe. It is also the coldest city in all of Europe, boasting a record cold temperature of −52 °C (−61 °F).
Vorkuta's population has dropped steadily since the fall of the Soviet Union, when mines were privatized and many people began moving farther south. Many of the mines have been abandoned and by September 2020, the city's estimated population was only about 50,000. A report in March 2021 described the villages in the area as "ghost towns" with many "abandoned structures".