Uelkal
| Uelkal (English) Уэлькаль (Russian) валъкалык (Yupik) |
|
|---|---|
| - Rural locality - Selo |
|
.svg) Location of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in Russia |
|
 Uelkal
|
|
|
|
|
| Administrative status (as of June 2009) | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Chukotka Autonomous Okrug |
| Administrative district | Iultinsky District |
| Municipal status (as of June 2009) | |
| Municipal district | Iultinsky Municipal District |
| Rural settlement | Uelkal Rural Settlement |
| Administrative center of | Uelkal Rural Settlement |
| Statistics | |
| Population (2010 Census) | 243 inhabitants |
| Population (January 2016 est.) | 191 inhabitants |
| Time zone | PETT (UTC+12:00) |
| Postal code(s) | 689215 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 42734 |
Uelkal (Russian: Уэлькаль; Yupik: валъкалык, lit. Whale Jaw) is a village (selo) in Iultinsky District of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Population: 243 (2010 Census); a slight reduction on a 2003 estimate of 258, of whom 208 were indigenous people, which itself showed a slight increase, up from 202 the previous year. The village is located approximately 100 kilometers (60 mi) away from the administrative centre of Egvekinot, at the western side of the mouth of Kresta Bay. Municipally, Uelkal is subordinated to Iultinsky Administrative District and incorporated as Uelkal Rural Settlement.
Uelkal is situated on the south side of Cape Annyualkal spit at the entrance to Kresta Bay, by the Bering Sea, 174 km from the District centre Egvekinot. The village is the most western settlement in Russia in the western hemisphere and the most western Eskimo settlements in the world.
The village was founded in 1920 by settlers from Cape Chaplino. During World War II, this was the eastern stage on the ALSIB Uelkal-Krasnoyarsk route for US-made lend-lease warplanes to Russia. During the mid-1950s, the Central Intelligence Agency suspected that a major bomber staging base was being built at Uelkal capable of reaching United States, however the Soviets instead built the facility at Anadyr Ugolny Airport 102 miles (164 km) to the south and the Uelkal airfield fell into decline. Until the early 2000s near the village acted as tropospheric intermediate relay station number 20/103, part of the "North" link (call sign - "Kazan"). As of 2002, it had 258 inhabitants, of whom 202 were indigenous people, though this has reduced significantly in the last decade, with 2014 estimates indicating a population of only 210.
...
Wikipedia