The indigenous peoples of Chukchi national Okrug: Population and settlement

Abstract

Abstract The expansion of mining activities (gold, tin, tungsten, mercury) in Chukchi National Okrug, in northeasternmost Siberia, has given rise to a great influx of population (Russians, Ukrainians and others) since the 1950's, overshadowing the indigenous population, which consists mainly of Chukchi, Eskimos and Evens. The share of indigenous population has declined from 26 percent in the 1959 census to 13 percent in the 1970 census, with, an estimated further drop to 11 percent by 1975. The rural‐urban population distribution and the ethnic composition of the indigenous peoples is discussed in detail, with statistical tables, and the changing pattern of settlement is described. (The author's original material has been updated and condensed by the Editor, Polar Geography. For a related article, see D. B. Shimkin and E. M. Shimkin, “Population dynamics in Northeastern Siberia, 1650/1700–1970,”; The Musk‐Ox, No. 16, 1975.)