Zeya () 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 ...

Amur Oblast Amur Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located on the banks of the Amur and Zeya rivers in the Russian Far East. The oblast borders Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the south. The administrati ...

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 on the

Zeya River The Zeya (; from indigenous Evenki word "djee" (blade); zh, 结雅; mnc, m= , Mölendroff: jingkiri bira) is a northern, left tributary of the Amur in Amur Oblast, Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . The average flow of the rive ...

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Amur The Amur River () or Heilong River ( zh, s=黑龙江) is a perennial river in Northeast Asia, forming the natural border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China (historically the Outer Manchuria, Outer and Inner Manchuria). The Amur ...

) southeast of Tynda and north of

Blagoveshchensk Blagoveshchensk ( rus, Благовещенск, p=bləɡɐˈvʲeɕːɪnsk, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. It is located at the confluence of the Amur River, Amur and the ...

History

It was founded in 1879 as the settlement of ''Zeysky Sklad'' (, lit. ''Zeya warehouse''), as a supply and administrative center for the exploitation of newly discovered

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

deposits in the Zeya River basin. By 1906, the settlement had grown to over 5,000 inhabitants, and was granted town status under the name ''Zeya-Pristan'' (, lit ''Zeya Port''). In 1913, the town's name was shortened to Zeya. The town remained one of Russia's most important centers of gold production until the opening of the

Kolyma Kolyma (, ) or Kolyma Krai () is a historical region in the Russian Far East that includes the basin of Kolyma River and the northern shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as the Kolyma Mountains (the watershed of the two). It is bounded to ...

region in the 1930s. Construction of the

Zeya Dam The Zeya Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Zeya River by the town of Zeya, Russia, Zeya, Amur Oblast, Russia, north of the China, Chinese border. On average the Zeya Hydroelectricity, Hydroelectric Power Station generates 4.91 TWh of ele ...

, beginning in 1964, saw a new growth period for the town.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Zeya 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 ...

Zeysky District Zeysky District () is an administrativeLaw #127-OZ and municipalLaw #73-OZ district (raion), one of the twenty in Amur Oblast, Russia. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the town of ZeyaAccording to Law #127-OZ, the admin ...

,Law #73-OZ even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately as Zeya Urban Okrug—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

.Law #127-OZ As a municipal division, this administrative unit also has urban okrug status.Law #407-OZ

Economy

The

is the main economic focus for the town, with forestry, gold mining and agriculture also conducted in the area.

Geography

The town is located on the Zeya River (a tributary of the Amur) 230 kilometers (140 mi) southeast of Tynda and 532 kilometers (331 mi) north of

Climate

Zeya experiences a monsoon influenced

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

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 ...

''Dwb'') with frigid, dry winters and short, warm summers.

Sister cities

* Baker City,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

References

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

Official website of Zeya

Zeya Business Directory
{{Use mdy dates, date=February 2024 Cities and towns in Amur Oblast Populated places established in 1879