Ayon, Russia
| Ayon (English) Айон (Russian) |
|
|---|---|
| - Rural locality - Selo |
|
 Houses in Ayon village |
|
.svg) Location of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in Russia |
|
 Ayon
|
|
|
|
|
| Administrative status (as of June 2009) | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Chukotka Autonomous Okrug |
| Administrative district | Chaunsky District |
| Municipal status (as of January 2011) | |
| Municipal district | Chaunsky Municipal District |
| Rural settlement | Ayon Rural Settlement |
| Administrative center of | Ayon Rural Settlement |
| Statistics | |
| Population (2010 Census) | 252 inhabitants |
| Population (January 2016 est.) | 203 inhabitants |
| Time zone | PETT (UTC+12:00) |
| Ayon | 1940 |
| Previous names |
Zavadey, Sabodey (until c.1821) |
| Postal code(s) | 689425 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 42737 |
Ayon (Russian: Айон) is a rural locality (a selo) in Chaunsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, situated on the northwestern shores of Ayon Island in the entrance to Chaunskaya Bay. It is the only populated place on the island Population: 252 (2010 Census); Municipally, Ayon is subordinated to Chaunsky Municipal District and is incorporated as Ayon Rural Settlement.
Archeological investigations have revealed that the village site has been inhabited from the first millennium AD, with the discovery of tools, arrowheads, antlers and the remains of old Yaranga indicating that the area has been inhabited for centuries by people engaged in reindeer herding.
The first mention of Aion was in the writings of Isaya Ignatiev, who landed on the island and traded with the locals living there in 1646 and in 1761 Ayon was visited by the merchant Nikita Shalaurov. There were still indigenous settlers on the island when it was first visited by Ferdinand von Wrangel in 1821, mainly Chukchi engaged in traditional reindeer husbandry. Early Russian visitors to the region including explorer Nikita Shalaurov called the island Zavadey (Russian: Завадей) and later: Sabodey (Russian: Сабодей) by Wrangel, but the island and the village itself was called Ayon from 1875 when the missionary Argentov overheard local Chukchi referring to the area as such, although other sources suggest the date was 1857. The name was initially translated as Marrow Island, although other sources contend that the name is derived from the Chukchi word meaning "brain", as the island's shape is somewhat like a brain. The local expert on Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages, Pyotr Inenlikey considers that the name derives from the Chukchi word Ayo, meaning revive and that the island is thought of as a place of revival by the idegenous inhabitants. The abundant pastures present on the island (since it lies within Chukotka's Taiga zone) add weight to this theory, as well as the fact that although the island is covered in ice and snow during the winter, in the summer, this melts and the island provides a good pasture for reindeer herds as well as being the home to swarms of midges and .
...
Wikipedia