Belomorsk (russian: Беломо́рск; krl, Šuomua; fi, Belomorsk/') is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than city, cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares ...

and the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of Belomorsky District of the

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia (russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; ; krl, Karjalan tašavalta; ; fi, Karjalan tasavalta; vep, Karjalan Tazovaldkund, Ludic: ''Kard’alan tazavald''), also known as just Karelia (ru ...

, Russia, located on the Onega Bay on the shore of the

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is s ...

. Population:

History

In the beginning it was a small village named Soroka (), or Sorotskaya () in the official Russian Imperial statistics. On September 11, 1938, Soroka and several nearby localities were merged to form the town of Belomorsk. In 1941-1944, during World War II, it served as the temporary

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...

of the

Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic The Karelo-Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic (Karelo-Finnish SSR; fi, ; rus, Каре́ло-Фи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респу́блика, r=Karelo-Finskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Resp ...

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Belomorsk serves as the

of Belomorsky District, to which it is directly subordinated.Law #871-RZK As a municipal division, the

of Belomorsk, together with eleven rural localities, is incorporated within Belomorsky Municipal District as Belomorskoye Urban Settlement.Law #813-RZK

Culture

Belomorsk is the cultural center of Pomorye. Historical places nearby include Zalavruga and Besovy Sledki with ancient

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other description ...

Transportation

Belomorsk is situated on the mouth of the

White Sea – Baltic Canal White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

. The town can be said to be situated at the entrance to the canal, the end point of the waterway system being in St. Petersburg. The

Kirov Railway Railway between Murmansk on the Baltic_Sea.html"_;"title="Arctic_Ocean_and_Saint_Petersburg_on_the_Baltic_Sea">Arctic_Ocean_and_Saint_Petersburg_on_the_Baltic_Sea_ Kirov_Railway_(russian:_Кировская_железная_дорога,_''Kiro ...

connects Belomorsk with

Murmansk Murmansk ( Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. " Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ ...

and St. Petersburg. A new port is being constructed in Belomorsk that will have a capacity of nine million tons of cargo by 2014.''Barents Observer''
New port to be constructed near Belomorsk
. By Thomas Nielsen, September 9, 2010. In a second stage the capacity can be increased to fifteen million tons. The port will not be ice-free year around, but will nevertheless operate without interruption by using icebreakers during winter.

References

Notes

Sources

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External links

Official website of Belomorsk

Directory of organizations in Belomorsk

Belomorskiye Petroglify Belomorsk District Museum of Local Lore
{{Authority control Cities and towns in the Republic of Karelia Kemsky Uyezd White Sea