Magadan

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Magadan vicinity from the US Defense Mapping Agency (1978)

Orthographic projection centred over Magadan

Magadan, Russia city flag.

Magadan (Russian: Магада́н), is a city in and the administrative center of Magadan Oblast, Russia founded in 1933. It is a port on the Sea of Okhotsk. Geographical location: 59°33′N 150°48′E. Population: 99,399 (2002 Census); 152,000 (1989 Census). Ship building and fishing are the major industries. The city has a seaport (navigable from May to December) and a major airport, Sokol Airport. There is also a small airport close to town called Magadan 13. A highway leads from Magadan to the gold-mining region on the upper Kolyma River. This is known as the "Road of Bones" because of the prisoners who died during its construction—their bones were incorporated into the road.

During the Stalin era, Magadan was a major transit center for prisoners being sent to labor camps. The operations of Dal'stroy, a vast and brutal forced-labor gold-mining concern, were the main economic driver of the city for many decades during Soviet times.

Magadan is very isolated. There is only one road in and out, and the nearest major city is Yakutsk, 2000 km away via an unpaved road which is best used in the winter.

Magadan has an enormous Cathedral under construction, and the Mask of Sorrow memorial - a huge sculpture in memory of Stalin's victims.

1 Climate
2 Long Way Round
3 Sister cities
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Climate

The climate of Magadan is subarctic. Winters are prolonged and very cold, with up to six months of sub-zero temperatures, so that the soil remains permanently frozen. Permafrost and tundra cover most of the region. The growing season is only one-hundred days long. Average temperatures on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk range from -8 °F (-22 °C) in January to 54 °F (12 °C) in July. Average temperatures in the interior range from -36 °F (-38 °C) in January to 60 °F (16 °C) in July.

[edit] Long Way Round

Magadan was the focal point of the Long Way Round motorcycle journey made by Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman and their team. Although their ultimate destination was New York, they frequently noted how reaching the Russian city was the ultimate measure of success or failure for their adventure. Despite encountering swollen rivers, broken bridges and virtually impassable roads as they travelled through Siberia, they were ultimately able to ride the Road of Bones into Magadan, and flew from there to Anchorage, Alaska from where they continued to New York. Recalling his final day in Magadan before leaving for America, McGregor wrote;

"Magadan, Siberia. The place that had been in my thoughts and dreams for two years, like a mythical city forever beyond my reach. I wanted to capture it, somehow hold on to it and take a part of it with me when we began the long journey home."