Beringia National Park (russian: Берингия) is on the eastern tip of
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Chukotka (russian: Чуко́тка), officially the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug,, ''Čukotkakèn avtonomnykèn okrug'', is the easternmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia. It is an autonomous okrug situated in the Russian ...
("Chukotka"), the most northeastern region of Russia. It is on the western (i.e., Asian) side of the
Bering Strait.
Overview
Until 11,000 BCE, the territory of the park was connected by a
land bridge
In biogeography, a land bridge is an isthmus or wider land connection between otherwise separate areas, over which animals and plants are able to cross and Colonisation (biology), colonize new lands. A land bridge can be created by marine regre ...
– known as "
Beringia
Beringia is defined today as the land and maritime area bounded on the west by the Lena River in Russia; on the east by the Mackenzie River in Canada; on the north by 72 degrees north latitude in the Chukchi Sea; and on the south by the tip ...
" – to North America. On the eastern side, in Alaska, is the
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, operated by the
US National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
. There have been talks between the US and Russia about joining the two parks into a cross-border "international park", but as yet nothing has been formalized.
Most of the sparse population in the area are the indigenous
Chukchi people
The Chukchi, or Chukchee ( ckt, Ԓыгъоравэтԓьэт, О'равэтԓьэт, ''Ḷygʺoravètḷʹèt, O'ravètḷʹèt''), are a Siberian indigenous people native to the Chukchi Peninsula, the shores of the Chukchi Sea and the Berin ...
or
Yupik peoples
The Yupik (plural: Yupiit) (; russian: Юпикские народы) are a group of indigenous or aboriginal peoples of western, southwestern, and southcentral Alaska and the Russian Far East. They are related to the Inuit and Iñupiat. Y ...
.
The park was formalized as a National Park in 2013.
The park is spread over two districts on the
Chukchi Peninsula
The Chukchi Peninsula (also Chukotka Peninsula or Chukotski Peninsula; russian: Чуко́тский полуо́стров, ''Chukotskiy poluostrov'', short form russian: Чуко́тка, ''Chukotka''), at about 66° N 172° W, is the eastern ...
:
Providensky District
Providensky District (russian: Провиде́нский райо́н; Chukchi: , ''Urèlḳujym rajon''; Yupik: Уӷрилӄуйым район) is an administrativeLaw #33-OZ and municipalLaw #45-OZ district (raion), one of the six in Chukotka ...
to the south, and
Chukotsky District
Chukotsky District (russian: Чуко́тский райо́н, ''Čukótskiy rayón''; Chukchi: , ''Čukotkakèn rajon'') is an administrativeLaw #33-OZ and municipalLaw #47-OZ district (raion), one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russi ...
to the north. The topography is maritime highland subarctic tundra. The mountains are medium height – averaging 900 meters, with the highest being Mt. Iskhodnaya at 1194 meters. There are also extensive tundra plains.
Ecoregion and climate
Beringia is in the ''
Bering tundra
The Bering tundra ecoregion (WWF ID: PA1102) is an ecoregion that covers a portion of northeastern Russia, between the Kolyma Mountains on the west, and the Bering Sea coast to the east. The area is an important stopping place for migratory bird ...
'' ecoregion. The region experiences a ''
Subarctic climate, without dry season'' (
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
Subartic climate (Dfc)). This climate is characterized by mild summers (only 1–3 months above ) and cold, snowy winters (coldest month below ).
January is the coldest month with an average temperature in
Anadyr (town)
Anadyr ( rus, Ана́дырь, a=Ru-Anadyr.ogg, r=Anadyr, p=ɐˈnadɨrʲ; Chukchi: , ''Kagyrgyn'', ; Southern Chukchi: Въэӈын, ''V"èňyn'') is a port town and the administrative center of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located at ...
of −22.6 °C (−8.7 °F), and an average temperature of +11.6 °C (52.9 °F) in July.
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See also
*
Protected areas of Russia
Protected areas of Russia, (official Russian title: russian: Особо охраняемые природные территории, literally "Specially Protected Natural Areas"), is governed by the corresponding 1995 law of the Russian Federatio ...
References
External links
Official websiteMap of Indigenous Peoples of the North of the Russian Federation
Shared Beringian Heritage Program
at the US National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
{{authority control
Protected areas established in 2013
National parks of Russia
Bering Strait
Geography of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Protected areas of the Russian Far East
Tourist attractions in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug