Uelen
| Uelen (English) Уэлен (Russian) Увэлен (Chukchi) |
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| - Rural locality - Selo |
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.svg) Location of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in Russia |
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 Uelen
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| Administrative status (as of June 2009) | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Chukotka Autonomous Okrug |
| Administrative district | Chukotsky District |
| Municipal status (as of November 2004) | |
| Municipal district | Chukotsky Municipal District |
| Rural settlement | Uelen Rural Settlement |
| Administrative center of | Uelen Rural Settlement |
| Statistics | |
| Population (2010 Census) | 720 inhabitants |
| Population (January 2016 est.) | 651 inhabitants |
| Time zone | PETT (UTC+12:00) |
| Postal code(s) | 689310 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 42736 |
Uelen (Russian: Уэлéн; Chukchi: Увэлен; Yupik: Улыӄ or Олыӄ; also known as Whalen in older English-language sources and Ugelen on USCGS charts) is a rural locality (a selo) in the Chukotsky District, just south of the Arctic Circle in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the Russian Far East. Population: 720 (2010 Census); Located near Cape Dezhnev where the Bering Sea meets the Chukchi Sea, it is the easternmost settlement in Russia and the whole of Eurasia. Uelen is also the closest Russian settlement to the United States. It is on the northeast corner of the Uelen Lagoon, a roughly 15 by 3 kilometres (9 by 2 miles) east-west lagoon separated from the ocean by a sandspit. Municipally, Uelen is subordinated to Chukotsky Municipal District and is incorporated as Uelen Rural Settlement.
There are a number of competing ideas as to the origin of the name of the village. The name Uelen is thought by some sources to derive from the Chukchi "uvelen" meaning "black, thawed patch", since the village is found at the foot of a hill surrounded by black mounds which are visible throughout the year and were often used as a navigation aid in the region.
There is a local legend which offers a second explanation for the origin of the name. It describes the life of a strong local man called Uvelel'yn (literally translated as "slob"), so named because he was an orphan who was dressed solely in tattered rags. As he grew older, so he used his strength to gain his revenge over the local people for perceived slights received during his childhood because of his background. In fear for their lives, the villagers killed Uvelel'yn. However they realised that in order to prevent these events repeating themselves in the future, they should take better care of their orphans and the village soon got its name to remind the villagers of their duty to those less fortunate than themselves.
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