Okha () is a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and the
administrative center
An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of
Okhinsky District of
Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast ( rus, Сахали́нская о́бласть, r=Sakhalinskaya oblastʹ, p=səxɐˈlʲinskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands in the Russian ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. Population:
Geography
Okha is located on the east coast of the far north of
Sakhalin
Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...
island, just south of the isthmus of the
Schmidt Peninsula, approximately north of
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, near the shoreline of the
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk; Historically also known as , or as ; ) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, Japan's island of Hokkaido on the sou ...
.
History
It was founded shortly after the discovery of
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
in the area in 1880, initially under the name ''Okhe''. The name is derived from an
Ainu word meaning ''Bad Water''. Industrial exploitation of the petroleum reserves began in 1923, during
the Japanese occupation of Sakhalin from 1920 to 1925. During this time the town was called or depending on Kanji used. Town status was granted to it in 1938.
Climate
The town suffered significant damage in the
1995 Neftegorsk earthquake that occurred on May 28, and was used as pivotal base for rescuers deployed to
Neftegorsk, which was destroyed to the extent that it was not rebuilt. A number of survivors of Neftegorsk were later transferred to Okha. Another smaller earthquake hit the town on May 10, 2005, but there were no fatalities or significant damage.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the
framework of administrative divisions, Okha serves as the
administrative center
An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
of
Okhinsky District and is subordinated to it.
[Law #25-ZO] As a
municipal division, the town of Okha and ten rural localities of Okhinsky District are incorporated as Okhinsky Urban Okrug.
[Law #524]
Economy
Okha, along with the
oblast
An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...
's
administrative center
An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, is the center of Sakhalin's
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...
industry. An oil pipeline and gas main runs from Okha to
Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Komsomolsk-on-Amur ( rus, Комсомольск-на-Амуре, r=Komsomolsk-na-Amure, p=kəmsɐˈmolʲsk nɐ‿ɐˈmurʲə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the west bank of the Amur R ...
on the Russian mainland. A number of oil wells exist in close proximity to the town, mainly controlled by the company
Rosneft
PJSC Rosneft Oil Company ( stylized as ROSNEFT) is a Russian integrated energy company headquartered in Moscow. Rosneft specializes in the exploration, extraction, production, refining, transport, and sale of petroleum, natural gas, and pet ...
.
In 1920, during the
Siberian Intervention, Japan
occupied the northern part of Sakhalin Island, returning it to the Soviet Union in 1925 after the
Treaty of Beijing was signed on January 20, 1925. However, Japan formed the state owned firm
North Sakhalin Oil () which extracted oil from the
OKHA Oil Field () near Okha on North Sakhalin from 1926 to 1944.
Transportation
The town is the northern end point for the island's road system. There was a rail connection to the island's narrow-gauge rail network at
Nogliki; however, this was closed in 2006.
There is an
airport in Okha with service to
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...
and
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Notable People
* Katya Clover - Erotic model (November 12, 1989)
References
Notes
Sources
*
*
External links
*
{{Use mdy dates, date=November 2012
Cities and towns in Sakhalin Oblast