Vitim (; ) is an urban locality (an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

) in Lensky District of the

Sakha Republic Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...

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 ...

, located from

Lensk Lensk ( rus, Ленск, p=lʲɛnsk; , ''Lienskey'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Lensky District, Sakha Republic, Lensky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia. As of the Russian Census (201 ...

, 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 the district,''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic'' on the left bank of the

Lena River The Lena is a river in the Russian Far East and is the easternmost river of the three great rivers of Siberia which flow into the Arctic Ocean, the others being Ob (river), Ob and Yenisey. The Lena River is long and has a capacious drainage basi ...

at its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

with the

Vitim River The Vitim (; , ; , ; Buryat and , ''Vitim'') is a major tributary of the Lena. Its source is east of Lake Baikal, at the confluence of rivers Vitimkan from the west and China from the east. The Vitim flows first south, bends eastwards and the ...

. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 4,376.

History

Vitim was first mentioned in 17th-century historical sources as a winter fort and later as a trading fort.Газета "Якутия"
Витимская слобода
November 19, 2009 By the mid-19th century, the settlement spread along a section of the river, with a population of about 250 inhabitants, who made a living from river trade, fishing, hunting, gold mining, and handicrafts. During the Imperial era, it served as a place of political exile; H. Leivick was exiled here in 1912–1913.

Urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

status was granted to Vitim in 1958.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, the

of VitimAccording to Article 7 of the Law #77-I, lower-level administrative divisions with the status of a settlement have their administrative centers in an inhabited locality with the status of an urban-type settlement. According to the ''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic'', Vitim is the administrative center of the Settlement of Vitim. is incorporated within Lensky District as the

Settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

of Vitim. As a municipal division, the Settlement of Vitim is incorporated within Lensky Municipal District as Vitim Urban Settlement.Law #173-Z 353-III

Economy

Vitim's development is being influenced by the development of the Talakan oil field.

Transportation

Vitim is served by the

Vitim Airport Vitim Airport is a public use airport built in Vitim, Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Russia during World War II for the Alaska-Siberian (ALSIB) air route used to ferry American Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced ...

Climate

Vitim has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dfc'') with severely cold winters and warm summers.

Precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

is quite low but is somewhat higher in summer than at other times of the year.

References

Notes

Sources

*Official website of the Sakha Republic. ''Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic''
Lensky District
* {{Use mdy dates, date=April 2013 Urban-type settlements in the Sakha Republic Irkutsk Governorate Populated places on the Lena River