View source for Kamchatka Peninsula

{{Redirect|Kamchatka}}
{{Short description|Peninsula in the Russian Far East}}
{{Infobox peninsulas
| name               = Kamchatka Peninsula
| local_name         = {{nobold|{{lang|ru|полуостров Камчатка}}}}
| image_name         = Location Kamchatka Peninsula.PNG
| image_caption      = Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Russia
| image_size         = 
| map                = Russia
| location           = Far East
| coordinates        = {{Coord|57|N|160|E|region:RU-KAM_scale:5000000|display=inline,title}}
| area_km2           = 270000
| highest_mount      = [[Klyuchevskaya Sopka]]
| elevation_m        = 4750
| waterbody          = <div>[[Sea of Okhotsk]]<br />Pacific Ocean</div>
| country            = {{flagu|Russia}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = Federal subject
| country_admin_divisions = [[Kamchatka Krai]]
| country_capital    = [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]]
| density_km2        = 0.62
| demonym            = 
| population         = 289,033 (2023 estimate)<ref name=2023Estimate>{{cite web |title=Предварительная оценка численности постоянного населения на 1 января 2023 г. |trans-title=Preliminary estimate of the resident population as of January 1, 2023 |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/PrPopul2023_Site_.xlsx |publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]] |access-date=21 February 2023}}</ref>
| citizenships       = 
| length_km          = 1250
}}
The '''Kamchatka Peninsula'''{{efn|Occasionally spelled '''Kamčatka'''<ref name=":0" />}} ({{langx|ru|полуо́стров Камча́тка|poluóstrov Kamchátka}}, {{IPA|ru|pəlʊˈostrəf kɐmˈt͡ɕætkə|pron}}, {{langx|ain|Cupka}}) is a {{convert|1,250.|km|mi|adj=mid|-long}} [[peninsula]] in the [[Russian Far East]], with an area of about {{convert|270000|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref>''Быкасов В. Е.'' [http://www.bykasov.com/1991/oshibka-v-geografii Ошибка в географии]{{in lang|ru}} // Известия Всесоюзного Географического Общества. — 1991. — № 6. {{in lang|ru}}</ref> The [[Sea of Okhotsk]] bounds the peninsula's western coastline,<ref name=":0">{{cite web
|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9044464/Kamchatka-Peninsula
|title=Kamchatka Peninsula
|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica
|access-date=2008-02-20
}}
</ref> immediately offshore of the peninsula and below the Bering Sea runs the {{convert|9,600.|m|ft|adj=mid|-deep}} [[Kuril–Kamchatka Trench]]. Its eastern coastline is the [[Bering Sea]], part of the [[Pacific Ocean]].

The Kamchatka Peninsula, the [[Commander Islands]], and [[Karaginsky Island]] constitute [[Kamchatka Krai]] of the [[Russia|Russian Federation]]. The majority of the 322,079&nbsp;inhabitants are ethnic [[Russians]], with about 13,000 being [[Koryaks]] (2014).<ref name=GovKK-KP>{{cite web|title=Kamchatka Peninsula |url=http://www.kamchatka.gov.ru/en/index.php?cont=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013192126/http://www.kamchatka.gov.ru/en/index.php?cont=3 |archive-date=13 October 2010 |publisher=Government of Kamchatskiy Kray |access-date=17 October 2014 }}</ref> More than half of the population lives in [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] (179,526 in 2010) and nearby [[Yelizovo]] (38,980). The Kamchatka Peninsula contains the [[volcanoes of Kamchatka]], a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]], that form part of the [[Ring of Fire]].

==Geography==
{{moresources|section|date=August 2022}}
[[File:kamchatka peninsula topo.jpg|thumb|left|Topography of the Kamchatka Peninsula]]
{{multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Kamchatka Peninsula.jpg
| width1 = 127
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = 
| image2 = Sea Ice Imitates the Shoreline along the Kamchatka Peninsula.jpg
| width2 = 127
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| footer = Views of Kamchatka from space in early summer (left) and late winter (right). Note the [[sea ice]] paralleling the coastline.
}}
[[File:Map of Russia - Kamchatka Krai (2008-03).svg|thumb|The highlighted area is Kamchatka Krai, which includes Kamchatka Peninsula and some of the mainland to the north.]]

Politically, the peninsula forms part of [[Kamchatka Krai]]. The southern tip is called [[Cape Lopatka]]. (Lopatka is Russian for spade.) The circular bay to the north of this on the Pacific side is [[Avacha Bay]], home to the capital, [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]]. Northward up the Pacific side, the four peninsulas are called Shipunsky Point, Kronotsky Point, Kamchatsky Point, and Ozernoy Point. North of Ozernoy Point is the large [[Karaginsky Bay]], which features [[Karaginsky Island]]. Northeast of this (off the displayed map) lies [[Korfa Bay]] with the town of [[Tilichiki]]. On the opposite side is the [[Shelikhov Gulf]].

The Kamchatka or Central ([[Sredinny Range|Sredinny]]) Range forms the spine of the peninsula. Along the southeast coast runs the [[Eastern Range (Kamchatka)|Eastern Range]] ''(Vostochny)''. Between these lies the central valley. The [[Kamchatka River]] rises northwest of [[Avacha Volcano|Avacha]] and flows north down the central valley, turning east near [[Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai|Klyuchi]] to enter the Pacific south of Kamchatsky Point at [[Ust-Kamchatsk]]. 

In the 19th century, a trail led west from near Klychi over the mountains to the Tegil river and town, which was the main trading post on the west coast. North of Tegil is [[Koryak Okrug]]. South of the Tegil is the Icha River. Just south of the headwaters of the Kamchatka, the [[Bolshaya (river)|Bistraya River]] curves southwest to enter the Sea of Okhotsk at [[Bolsheretsk]], which once served as a port connecting the peninsula to [[Okhotsk]]. South of the Bistraya flows the [[Golygina River]].

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the settlements in the central part of the peninsula are connected by highway to [[Ust-Kamchatsk]]. The road is asphalt in its southern part, but changes to gravel about halfway north where the population is sparser. Another highway connects the local capital with Bolsheretsk. Bus service is available on both roads. Most other roads are gravel-covered or dirt roads, requiring off-road-capable vehicles. There is semi-regular passenger transportation with aircraft.

[[File:ISS-38 Kliuchevskoi Volcano on Kamchatka.jpg|thumb|The eruption of [[Klyuchevskaya Sopka]]]]

The obvious circular area in the central valley is the [[Klyuchevskaya Sopka]], an isolated volcanic group southeast of the curve of the Kamchatka River. West of Kronotsky Point is the [[Kronotsky]] Biosphere Reserve with the [[Valley of Geysers]]. At the southern tip is the Southern Kamchatka Wildlife Refuge with [[Kurile Lake]]. There are several other protected areas on the peninsula.

===Climate===
Kamchatka receives up to {{convert|2700|mm|in|-1|abbr=on}} of precipitation per year. This is much higher than the rest of Eastern Russia. The increase in precipitation is due to prevailing westerly winds blowing over the [[Sea of Japan]], which pick up moisture that rises as it hits the higher topography of the peninsula, and condenses into rain. The summers are moderately cool, and the winters are rather stormy; however, the storms rarely produce [[lightning]].
{{climate chart
| [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]]
| −9.8 | -5.1 |118
| −9.4 |-4.5|80
| −7.0 |-1.8|84
| −2.6|2.1|90
| 1.2|6.6|64
| 5.7| 11.9| 53
| 9.3| 15.0|62
| 10.2| 15.9| 91
|7.1| 13.2 | 111
| 2.6| 7.8| 174
| −3.3|1.0|130
| −7.9| -3.5 |109
| float = right
| clear = <!--none-->
| source = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate/32583.htm |title=Погода и климат |publisher=Pogodaiklimat.ru |access-date=2018-06-19}}</ref> }}
{{climate chart
| [[Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai|Klyuchi]]
| −19 | -12 | 80
| −17 | -10 | 43
| −14 | -4 | 41
| −6 | 2 | 32
| 1 | 9 | 61
| 6 | 16 | 40
| 10 | 19 | 67
| 9 | 18 | 78
| 4 | 13 | 63
| −2 | 6 | 63
| −11 | -5 | 43
| −17 | -11 | 75
| float = right
| clear = yes<!--none-->
| source = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucm.es/info/cif/station/ru-kyluc.htm |title=Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial |publisher=Ucm.es |access-date=2018-06-19}}</ref> }}
Although Kamchatka lies at latitudes similar to [[Scotland]]'s, cold arctic winds from [[Siberia]] combined with the cold [[Sea of Okhotsk|Oyashio]] [[Oyashio Current|sea current]] keep the peninsula covered in snow from October to late May. Under the [[Köppen climate classification]], Kamchatka generally has a [[subarctic climate]] (''Dfc''), but higher and more northerly areas have a [[polar climate]] (''ET''). The peaks of the highest mountains have an [[ice cap climate]] (''EF''). Kamchatka is much wetter and milder than eastern Siberia. It is essentially transitional from the hypercontinental climate of Siberia and [[northeast China]] to the rain-drenched [[subpolar oceanic climate]] of the [[Aleutian Islands]].

There is considerable variation, however, between the rain-drenched and heavily glaciated east coast and the drier and more continental interior valley. In the heavily glaciated [[Kronotsky Peninsula]], where maritime influences are most pronounced, annual precipitation can reach as high as {{convert|2500|mm|in}}, whilst the southeast coast south of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky generally receives around {{convert|1166|mm|in}} of rainfall equivalent per year. Considerable local variations exist: southern parts of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky metropolitan area can receive as much as {{convert|430|mm|in|0}} more than the northern part of the city. Temperatures here are very mild, with summer maxima around {{convert|16|C|F}} and winter lows around {{convert|−8|C|F}}, whilst diurnal temperature ranges seldom exceed {{convert|5|C-change|0}} due to persistent [[fog]] on exposed parts of the coast. South of [[57th parallel north|57° ˚N]], there is no [[permafrost]] due to the relatively mild winters and heavy snow cover, whilst northward, [[discontinuous permafrost]] prevails. The west coastal plain has a colder and drier climate with precipitation ranging from {{convert|880.|mm|in}} in the south to as little as {{convert|430|mm|in}} in the north, where winter temperatures become considerably colder at around {{convert|-20|C|F}}.

The interior valley of the [[Kamchatka River]], represented by Klyuchi, has much lower precipitation (at around {{convert|450|to|650|mm|in}}) and significantly more continental temperatures, reaching {{convert|19|C|F}} on a typical summer day and during extreme cold winter spells falling as low as {{convert|-41|C|F}}. [[Sporadic permafrost]] prevails over the lower part of this valley; however, it becomes more widespread at higher altitudes and glaciers, and continuous permafrost prevails north of [[55th parallel north|55˚° N]].

The summer months, when maximum temperatures range from {{convert|15|to|20|C|F}}, are popular with tourists, but a growing trend in winter sports keeps tourism pulsing year-round. The volcanoes and glaciers play a role in forming Kamchatka's climate; further, hot springs have kept dozens of species alive that were decimated during the [[Quaternary glaciation|last ice age]].<ref>
{{cite web
 | title = Climate of Kamchatka peninsula
 | url = http://www.travelkamchatka.com/climate.htm
 | access-date =13 March 2011
}}
</ref>

===Geology, earthquakes and volcanoes===
{{Main|Volcanoes of Kamchatka}}
{{Main|Kamchatka earthquakes}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| WHS           = [[Volcanoes of Kamchatka]]
| image         =
| image_upright = 1.2
| caption       =
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)}}(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)
| ID            = 765bis
| year          = 1996
| extension     = 2001
}}

The [[Kamchatka River]] and the surrounding central side valley are flanked by large [[volcanic belt]]s containing around 160&nbsp;[[volcano]]es, 29&nbsp;of them still active. The peninsula has a high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 19 active volcanoes included in the six [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage List]] sites in the Volcanoes of Kamchatka group, most of them on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the most volcanic area of the Eurasian continent, with many active cones. The Kamchatka Peninsula is also known as the "land of fire and ice".<ref>{{cite web
|author=World Heritage
|year=1996
|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/765
|title=Volcanoes of Kamchatka
|publisher=UNESCO
|access-date=2008-02-20
}}</ref>

The highest volcano is [[Klyuchevskaya Sopka]] ({{cvt|4,750.|m|ft|disp=or}}), the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/public-affairs/press-releases/index.phtml?menu=pressreleases&code=INT-113/08&create_date=27-may-2008 |title=Press Releases – Public Affairs Office – The University of Nottingham |publisher=Nottingham.ac.uk |date=2008-05-27 |access-date=2018-06-19}}</ref> Many have highly symmetrical cones, and [[Kronotsky]] is viewed by volcanologists Robert and Barbara Decker as a prime candidate for the world's most beautiful volcano.<ref>{{cite web  |url=https://whc.unesco.org/document/154211 | title=World Heritage Nomination - IUCN Summary Volcanoes of Kamchatka (Russia) |page=70 | author=IUCN/WCMC | date=April 1996 |access-date=28 August 2021 | website=unesco.org}}</ref> Somewhat more accessible are the three volcanoes visible from [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]]: [[Koryaksky]], [[Avachinsky]], and [[Kozelsky (volcano)|Kozelsky]]. In the center of Kamchatka is the [[Valley of Geysers]], which was partly destroyed by a massive mudslide in June 2007.<ref>{{cite web
 |author=The World Wildlife Fund
 |year=2007
 |url=http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,116385.shtml
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730025332/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,116385.shtml
 |archive-date=2012-07-30
 |title=Natural Wonder of the World Transformed within Hours, says World Wildlife Fund
 |publisher=earthtimes.org
 |access-date=2008-02-20
}}
</ref>

Owing to the [[Kuril–Kamchatka Trench]], deep-focus seismic events and tsunamis occur fairly commonly. A pair of [[megathrust earthquake]]s [[Kamchatka earthquakes|occurred off the coast]] on October 17, 1737, and on November 5, 1952, with magnitudes of ≈9.3 and 9.0 respectively. [[2006 Kamchatka earthquakes|A chain of more shallow earthquakes]] were recorded as recently as April 2006.<ref>{{cite web|author=Earthquake Hazards Program|year=2006|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2006/usltbt/|title=Magnitude 7.6 – Koryakia, Russia|publisher=US Geological Survey|access-date=2008-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302141052/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2006/usltbt/|archive-date=2008-03-02
}}</ref> A significant 7.7-magnitude earthquake with a shallow depth of {{convert|10|km|ft|sigfig=2}} occurred in the Pacific Ocean, {{convert|202|km|nmi}} east-southeast of [[Nikolskoye, Kamchatka Krai|Nikolskoye]], on July 18, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20009x42/executive|title=M 7.7 – 202 km ESE of Nikol'skoye, Russia|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|access-date=January 30, 2018}}</ref> [[2025 Kamchatka earthquake|An 8.8-magnitude earthquake]] with a depth of {{convert|21|km|ft|sigfig=2}} occurred in the Pacific Ocean, {{convert|119|km|nmi}} east-southeast of [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]], on July 30, 2025 (July 29 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000qw60/executive|title=M 8.8 - 119 km ESE of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=July 29, 2025|access-date=July 29, 2025}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="140px">
File:OPALA.jpg|[[Opala volcano]] in the southern part of Kamchatka
File:Akademia nauk.jpg|The lake-filled [[Akademia Nauk]] caldera, seen from the north with [[Karymsky (volcano)|Karymsky]] volcano in the foreground
File:Kamchatka Volcano Koryaksky (24231533812).jpg|[[Koryaksky]] volcano towering over [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]]
File:Kronotsky volcano.jpg | [[Kronotsky]] volcano in the [[Kronotsky Nature Reserve]] east of [[Lake Kronotskoye]]
</gallery>

==History and exploration==
Prior to Russian exploration, the peninsula was inhabited by various [[Chukotko-Kamchatkan]] peoples (specifically the [[Itelmen]], [[Koryaks|Koryak]], and [[Alyutor]]). The southern tip of the peninsula was also the northernmost extent of [[Ainu in Russia|Ainu]] settlement.

When the Russian explorer [[Ivan Moskvitin]] reached the [[Sea of Okhotsk]] in 1639, further exploration was impeded by the lack of skills and equipment to build seagoing ships and by the harsh land to the northeast inhabited by the warlike [[Koryaks|Koryak]] people. Consequently, Russians entered Kamchatka from the north. In 1651, after having assisted in the foundation of the [[Anadyrsk]] [[Ostrog (fortress)|''ostrog'']], the explorer [[Mikhail Stadukhin]] went south and followed the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk from [[Penzhina Bay]] to [[Okhotsk]]. From about 1667 there were reports of a Kamchatka River to the south. Some time before 1700, [[Fedot Alekseyev Popov|a group of Russians]] were stranded and died on Kamchatka.

In 1695, explorer [[Vladimir Atlasov]] became commander of Anadyrsk. In 1696, he sent the Cossack [[Luka Morozko]] south. Morozko got as far as the [[Tigil River]] and returned with reports and some mysterious writings, probably Japanese. In 1697–1699, Atlasov explored nearly the whole of the peninsula. He built an ''ostrog'' at Verkhny-Kamchatsk, rescued or captured [[Dembei|a Japanese castaway]], and went to Moscow to report. In 1699, the Russians at Verkhny-Kamchatsk were killed on their way back to Anadyrsk by the Koryaks. In 1700, a punitive expedition destroyed a Koryak village and founded Nizhne-Kamchatsk on the lower river. Bolskeretsk was founded in 1703. From about 1705, there was a breakdown of order. There were numerous mutinies and native wars all over the peninsula and north to the Koryak country of the [[Penzhina Bay|Penzhina River]] and [[Olyutor Gulf]]. Several people were sent out to restore order, including Atlasov, who was murdered by mutineers in 1711. Vasily Merlin restored some degree of order between 1733 and 1739. There was no significant resistance after 1756. A major smallpox epidemic that hit in 1768–1769 quickly decimated the native population; the roughly 2,500 [[Itelmens]] present in 1773 were reduced to 1,900 in 1820, from an original population of 12,000–25,000. Those who survived adopted Russian customs, and there was a great deal of intermarriage, such that "Kamchadal" (the original Russian name for the Itelmens) came to mean any Russian or part-Russian born on the peninsula.

In 1713, [[Peter the Great]] sent shipbuilders to Okhotsk. A fifty-four-foot boat was built and sailed to the Tegil River in June 1716. This one-week journey, later redirected to Okhotsk-Bolseretsk, became the standard route to Kamchatka. In 1720, [[Ivan Yevreinov]] mapped Kamchatka and the Kurils. The Danish-born Russian explorer [[Vitus Bering]] left Nezhe-Kamchatsk for his first voyage in 1728 and, as part of his second voyage, founded [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky]] in 1740.

Vitus Bering's [[Great Northern Expedition|Second Kamchatka Expedition]] (ca 1733–1743), in the service of the [[Russian Navy]], began the final "opening" of Kamchatka, helped by the fact that the government began to use the area to exile people, famously the Hungarian nobleman and explorer the [[Maurice Benyovszky|Count de Benyovszky]] in 1770.  In 1755, [[Stepan Krasheninnikov]] published the first detailed description of the peninsula, ''An Account of the Land of Kamchatka''. The Russian government encouraged the commercial activities of the [[Russian-American Company]] by granting land to newcomers on the peninsula. By 1812, the [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] population had fallen to less than 3,200 while the Russian population had risen to 2,500.

In 1854, the [[Second French Empire|French]] and [[British Empire|British]], who were battling Russian forces in the course of the [[Crimean War]], attacked [[Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky|Petropavlovsk]]. During the [[Siege of Petropavlovsk]], 988 men with a mere 68 guns managed to defend the outpost against 6 ships with 206 guns and 2,540 French and British soldiers. Despite the successful defense, the Russians abandoned Petropavlovsk as a strategic liability after the French and British forces withdrew. The next year, when a second enemy force came to attack the port, they found it deserted. Frustrated, the ships bombarded the city and withdrew.

On 24 May 1861, the ship ''Polar Star'' (475 tons), of [[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]], wrecked on the west coast of Kamchatka during a dense [[fog]] and [[gale]]. The chief officer and a boat's crew perished while attempting to reach the shore. The rest of the crew were saved by the [[barque]] ''Alice'', of [[Cold Spring Harbor, New York|Cold Spring]], and the ship ''Oliver Crocker'', also from New Bedford.<ref>Williams, H. (1964). ''One whaling family''. Boston, Houghton Mifflin.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Starbuck |first=Alexander |title=History of the American Whale Fishery from Its Earliest Inception to the year 1876 |year=1878 |publisher=Castle |isbn=1-55521-537-8 }}</ref>

On 21 May 1865, the [[American Civil War]] came to the area: the [[Confederate States Navy]] steamer [[CSS Shenandoah|''Shenandoah'']] sailed past the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula on its way to hunt United States whaling ships in the Sea of Okhotsk. As a [[commerce raider]], the CSS ''Shenandoah'' aimed to destroy Union merchant shipping and thus draw off United States Navy ships in pursuit, thereby loosening the US Navy blockade of Confederate coasts. The ship spent almost three weeks in the Sea, destroying only one ship due to the dangerous ice, before moving on to the North Pacific, where it virtually captured or bonded 24 whalers, sinking most of them.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

The next 50 years were lean for Kamchatka. The naval port moved to Ust-Amur, and in 1867, Russia [[Alaska Purchase|sold]] [[Alaska]] to the United States, making Petropavlovsk obsolete as a transit point for traders and explorers on their way to the American territories. In 1860, a ''Primorsky'' (Maritime) ''Region'' was established{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} and Kamchatka was placed under its jurisdiction. In 1875, Russia ceded the [[Kuril Islands]] to Japan in return for Russian sovereignty over [[Sakhalin]] island. The Russian population of Kamchatka stayed at around 2,500 until the turn of the century, while the native population increased to 5,000. During the 19th century, scientific exploration of the peninsula continued. [[Karl von Ditmar]] made an important journey to the peninsula in 1851–1854.<ref name="cambridge">{{cite journal |url= http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=162977|title= Cambridge Journals Online – Polar Record – Abstract – Carl von Ditmar, 1822–92:a geologist in Kamchatka|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |journal= [[Polar Record]] |date= July 2003|volume= 39|issue= 3|pages= 248–251|publisher= Cambridge University Press |doi= 10.1017/S0032247403223172|s2cid= 131460547|access-date= 6 July 2013|url-access= subscription}}</ref>

In 1920, Russian leader [[Vladimir Lenin]] offered a 60-year lease of the peninsula to the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lenin confesses purpose to disturb America and Japan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/11/30/archives/lenin-confesses-purpose-to-disturb-america-and-japan-confirmation.html |issn=0362-4331 |work=[[New York Times]] |publication-date=November 30, 1920 |page=1 |url-access=subscription |access-date=November 22, 2021}}</ref>

World War II (1939–1945) hardly affected Kamchatka except for its role as a launch site for the [[Soviet invasion of Manchuria|invasion of Manchuria]] in August 1945. After the war, the Soviet authorities declared Kamchatka a military zone. Vilyuchinsk, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula about 20 kilometers (12 mi) across Avacha Bay from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, was founded as Sovetsky in 1968 through the amalgamation of three earlier settlements that supplied the Soviet Navy as a submarine constructor; it remains the home base of the Russian Pacific fleet. The [[Kura Missile Test Range]], an intercontinental ballistic missile impact area located {{convert|130|km|mi|sp=us}} northeast of the settlement of [[Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai|Klyuchi]], was developed beginning in 1955. Kamchatka remained [[closed city|closed]] to unauthorised Soviet citizens until 1989 and to foreigners until 1990.

From 1946 to 1949, around 50,000 [[Koreans in Kamchatka|North Koreans went to Kamchatka]] as workers. Several thousand refused to repatriate after the end of their contract, which has led to a community of around 1,800 by 2020.{{Sfnp|Lee|Khvan|2020|p=|pp=454, 463–464}}

[[Avacha Bay]] was the scene of massive die-off of [[Benthic zone|benthic]] marine organisms in September–October 2020.<ref>[https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/45476/environmental-disaster-kamchatka-russia/ Environmental disaster in Kamchatka, Russia] ''www.greenpeace.org''</ref><ref>[https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/12/29/russias-environmental-disasters-in-2020-a72508 Russia's Environmental Disasters in 2020, October] ''www.themoscowtimes.com''</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1134/S1028334X21030016 | title=Space Study of a Red Tide-Related Environmental Disaster near Kamchatka Peninsula in September–October 2020 | date=2021 | last1=Bondur | first1=V. G. | last2=Zamshin | first2=V. V. | last3=Chvertkova | first3=O. I. | journal=Doklady Earth Sciences | volume=497 | issue=1 | pages=255–260 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2021DokES.497..255B }}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Der Berg Kamtschatka (aus Krascheninnikow, Opisanie Zemli Kamcatki).jpg|Illustration from [[Stepan Krasheninnikov]]'s ''Account of the Land of Kamchatka'' (1755)
File:Скалы три брата.jpg|[[Tri Brata|Three Brothers]] rocks in the Avacha Bay
File:Собор Святой Живоначальной Троицы в Петропавловске-Камчатском.jpg|[[Holy Trinity Cathedral (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky)|Cathedral of the Holy Trinity]] in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
File:Weitsch Adam Johann von Krusenstern in Avacha Bay.jpg|''[[Adam Johann von Krusenstern]] in [[Avacha Bay]]'' by [[Friedrich Georg Weitsch]], c. 1806, [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum]] in [[Warsaw]]
</gallery>

==Fauna and flora==
[[File:Kamchatka amo 2013143 lrg.jpg|thumb|Kamchatka Peninsula surrounded by algal bloom in 2013]]
[[File:A bulky grace (53172599742).jpg|thumb|A [[Kamchatka brown bear]] in the summer]]

Kamchatka boasts abundant flora. The variable climate promotes different flora zones. [[Kamchatka tundra|Tundra]] and [[muskeg]] are dominant at higher elevations, with [[Kamchatka–Kurile meadows and sparse forests|meadows and sparse forests]] with grasses, flowering shrubs, and forests of [[pine]], [[birch]], [[alder]], and [[willow]] in the lowlands. [[Kamchatka Taiga]] of [[Yeddo spruce]] with [[Dahurian larch]] and [[Asian white birch]] grows in the Central Kamchatka Depression.<ref>{{cite web |author=((UNEP-WCMC Author Team)) |title=Kamchatka Taiga – One Earth |url=https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/kamchatka-taiga/ |website=One Earth |access-date=30 September 2025}}</ref> The wide variety of plant forms spread throughout the Peninsula promotes a similar diversity in animal species that feed off the flora. Although Kamchatka is mostly tundra, deciduous and coniferous trees are abundant, and forests can be found throughout the peninsula.

Kamchatka has diverse and abundant wildlife. This is due to many factors, including a wide range of climates; diverse topography and geography; many free-flowing rivers; proximity to the highly productive waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean, the [[Bering Sea|Bering]], and the [[Okhotsk Sea]]s; low human population density; and minimal development. The peninsula also boasts the southernmost expanse of Arctic [[tundra]] in the world. Nonetheless, commercial exploitation of marine resources and a history of fur trapping has taken its toll on several species.

Kamchatka is famous for the abundance and size of its [[brown bear]]s. In the [[Kronotsky Nature Reserve]], there are estimated to be three to four bears per {{convert|100|km2}}.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.kamchatkatravel.net/rus/kronock.shtml
|title=Кроноцкий государственный биосферный заповедник, Долина Гейзеров. Туры по Камчатке с камчатской туристической компанией |trans-title=Kronotsky State Biosphere Reserve, Valley of Geysers. Tours in Kamchatka with a Kamchatka travel company 
|publisher=www.kamchatkatravel.net
|access-date=2008-07-14
}}
</ref> Other fauna of note include carnivores such as [[Tundra wolf]] (''Canis lupus albus''), [[Arctic fox]] (''Vulpes lagopus''), [[red fox|Anadyr fox]] (''Vulpes vulpes beringiana''), [[Eurasian lynx|East Siberian lynx]] (''Lynx lynx wrangeli''), [[wolverine]] (''Gulo gulo''), [[sable]] (''Martes zibellina''), [[European otter|Eurasian otter]] (''Lutra lutra''), [[Stoat|East Siberian stoat]] (''Mustela ermine kaneii''), and [[least weasel|Siberian least weasel]] (''Mustela nivalis pygmaea''). The peninsula hosts habitat for several large ungulates including the [[snow sheep|Kamchatka snow sheep]], [[reindeer]] (''Rangifer tarandus''), and [[moose|Chukotka moose]] (''Alces alces buturlini''), one of the largest moose in the world and the largest in Eurasia, and [[rodents]]/[[leporids]], including [[mountain hare]] (''Lepus timidus''), [[marmot]], and several species of [[lemming]] and [[squirrel]]. The peninsula is the breeding ground for [[Steller's sea eagle|Steller's Sea Eagle]],<ref>{{cite iucn|author=BirdLife International |author-link=BirdLife International |year=2021 |title= ''Haliaeetus pelagicus'' |article-number= e.T22695147A204871862 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22695147A204871862.en |access-date=9 January 2024}}</ref> one of the largest eagle species, along with the [[golden eagle|Golden Eagle]] and [[gyr falcon|Gyrfalcon]].

Kamchatka most likely contains the world's greatest diversity of [[salmon]]id fish, including all six species of anadromous [[Pacific salmon]] ([[chinook salmon|chinook]], [[Oncorhynchus kisutch|coho]], [[chum salmon|chum]], [[Oncorhynchus masou|seema]], [[pink salmon|pink]], and [[sockeye salmon|sockeye]]). Due to its uniquely suitable environment, biologists estimate that a fifth of all Pacific salmon originates in Kamchatka.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/Traf-109.pdf
 |title=Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Pacific Salmon Fishing in Kamchatka
 |last=Dronova
 |first=Natalia
 |author2=Spiridonov, Vassily
 |year=2008
 |publisher=WWF Russia, IUCN
 |access-date=2012-08-14
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424232002/http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/Traf-109.pdf
 |archive-date=2013-04-24
}}</ref> [[Kurile Lake]] is recognized as the biggest spawning-ground for [[sockeye salmon|sockeye]] in Eurasia.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.rgs.org/WhatsOn/Past+events/Travel+Events/Kamchatka/Fauna.htm
|title=Discovering Kamchatka: Terrestrial and aquatic fauna
|year=2008
|publisher=The Royal Geographical Society
|access-date=2012-08-14}}</ref> In response to pressure from poaching and to worldwide decreases in salmon stocks, some {{convert|24000|km2|sqmi}} along nine of the more productive salmon rivers are in the process of being set aside as a nature preserve. Stickleback species, particularly ''[[Gasterosteus aculeatus]]'' and ''[[Pungitius pungitius]]'', also occur in many coastal drainages, and are likely present in freshwater as well.

Cetaceans that frequent the highly productive waters of the northwestern Pacific and the [[Okhotsk Sea]] include [[orca]]s, [[Dall's porpoise|Dall]]'s and [[harbour porpoise]]s, [[humpback whales]], [[sperm whale]]s, and [[fin whale]]s. Less frequently, [[grey whale]]s (from the eastern population), the critically endangered [[North Pacific right whale]] and [[bowhead whale]], [[beaked whale]]s, and [[minke whale]]s are encountered. [[Blue whale]] are known to feed off of the southeastern shelf in summer. Among [[pinniped]]s, [[Steller's sea lion]]s, [[northern fur seal]]s, [[spotted seal]]s, and [[harbor seal]]s are abundant along much of the peninsula. Further north, [[walrus]]es and [[bearded seal]]s can be encountered on the Pacific side, and [[ribbon seal]]s reproduce on the ice of [[Karaginsky Bay]]. [[Sea otters]] are concentrated primarily on the southern end of the peninsula.

Seabirds include [[Auk|murrelet]]s,<ref>Attenborough, D. 1998. ''The Life of Birds''. BBC publication. {{ISBN|0563-38792-0}}</ref> [[northern fulmar|Northern Fulmar]]s, Thick- and Thin-billed [[Murre]]s, [[Kittiwakes]], Tufted and Horned [[Puffins]], Red-faced, Pelagic, and other [[Cormorants]], and many other species. Typical of the northern seas, the marine fauna is likewise rich. Of commercial importance are [[Kamchatka crab]] (king crab), [[scallop]], [[squid]], [[pollock]], [[cod]], [[herring]], [[halibut]], and several species of [[flatfish]].

==Tourism==
Points of interest on the Kamchatka Peninsula include thermal and mineral springs, volcanoes, glaciers, a diversity of plants and animals, and other natural features largely untouched by civilization. Activities include [[sport fishing]], alpine tourism, [[heliskiing]], [[snowboarding]], [[dog sledding]], and [[surfing]].<ref>{{cite web |title=skiing Kamchatka |url=https://www.freerideclub.net/heli-skiing-kamchatka  |website=Heli |access-date=November 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Хели-ски |trans-title=Heli-ski |url=https://visitkamchatka.ru/en/activities-list/winter-en/ |website=Камчатский туристический портал, все о туризме на Камчатке |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109050423/https://visitkamchatka.ru/en/activities-list/winter-en/ }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Russia}}
* [[Maritime fur trade]]

==References==
=== Explanatory notes ===
{{Notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |first=Diana |last=Gleadhill |title=Kamchatka: A Journal & Guide to Russia's Land of Ice and Fire |location=Hong Kong |publisher=Odyssey Books |year=2007 |isbn=978-962-217-780-2 }}.
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Kamchatka | volume= 15 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch |author1-link= Peter Kropotkin| last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas| page = 645 |short= 1}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Chaimun |last2=Khvan |first2=Lyudmila Borisovna |date=February 2020 |title=A Transnational Tale of Two Nationalities: Ethnic Koreans in Sakhalin Island and North Koreans in Kamchatka, Russia |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345140135 |journal=한국민족문화 |publisher=부산대학교 한국민족문화연구소}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Kamchatka}}
{{Wikivoyage|Kamchatka}}
* [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/765 UNESCO World Heritage Site profile]
* [https://kamchatka-t.ru/avia-bilety Information about Kamchatka peninsula and traveling there]

{{Regions of Asia}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kamchatka Peninsula| ]]
[[Category:Geography of Northeast Asia]]
[[Category:Landforms of Kamchatka Krai]]
[[Category:Landforms of the Russian Far East]]
[[Category:Landforms of the Sea of Okhotsk]]
[[Category:Pacific Coast of Russia]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Asia]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of Russia]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Russia]]