Belushya Guba is the main settlement located on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. This urban type administratively belongs to the Arkhangelsk region.
The bay also bears the same name, on the banks of which the settlement is located. It is washed by warm sea and ocean currents, due to which its shores are acceptable for living. In addition, warm waters make it possible year-round navigation of ice class ships. Even during the most severe frosts, ice is formed no more than a kilometer from the coast with a thickness of about a meter. Due to the natural features of the location, Belushya Guba Bay is also protected from drifting ice floes, which are not uncommon in these parts.
Bay and settlement history
The first cartography of these regions, known to science, dates to the end of the 19th century. It was performed by S. Moiseev, explorer of the North. The decision to build a settlement was made by the Governor of Arkhangelsk A.P. Engelhardt in 1894 when he visited Novaya Zemlya on a visit. Soon, a research expedition set off to these parts. The beginning of the construction of the village of Belushya Guba dates from 1897.
However, officially it’s considered the birthday of the settlement to be a completely different date - September 17, 1954, when the construction of a nuclear testing ground was laid here. Today this training ground belongs to the Central Military District of the Russian Federation.
Infrastructure
Today, the village of Belushya Guba is the capital of the Central training ground of the Russian Federation. There is a developed infrastructure necessary for a normal life: a school and a kindergarten are working, residential buildings have been built, there are hotels, shops, restaurants, cultural centers, medical institutions, officers' houses, a swimming pool, a sports complex and even Orbita’s own television and radio station. All life support systems of the garrison located here are functioning stably.
Development prospects
Currently, a large-scale plan is being developed, an important place in which the Novaya Zemlya archipelago will take. Belushya Guba can become an important transportation hub. An oil port will be built here, from which Siberian oil will be transported. In addition, it is planned to build a production of liquefied natural gas produced on the Yamal Peninsula.
Promising areas are the nearby deposits of manganese and ores. With their development, the role of the village of Belushya Guba will also grow, in which the ore-processing industry will be located.
Population
No matter how deserted and uninhabited the place may seem New Earth, the village of Belushya Guba is a vivid example of the development of the region. Today its population is about 3 thousand people, 3/4 of which are men. This is due to the predominance of male military-technical professions in the archipelago.
Nature
The climate of Novaya Zemlya is severe. Winter is long and frosty, the temperature often drops to -40 ° C. Very strong gusty winds and blizzards are not uncommon in Belushi Guba.
To match the arctic climate and local nature. The fauna is represented by many northern animals. In the vicinity of the village there are deer, hares, arctic foxes, lemmings, and in winter even polar bears wander to human shelter in search of warmth and food. Seals, seals, and seals live on the coast. The bird world is very diverse. Belushya Guba Bay is the site of the largest bird markets, where gulls, puffins, guillets flock. To the north of it are extensive penguin settlements. From the Barents Sea, whales swim in the bay.
The local flora is represented mainly by lichens and mosses, but deciduous and coniferous plants are also found here. Belushya Guba attracts not only industrialists, but also people of art - its severe beauty attracts photographers, filmmakers and painters.
Mushrooms are widespread in the vicinity of the settlement: boletus, butterflies, honey agarics, chanterelles. An important place is occupied by the collection of the most valuable northern berries and medicinal plants.
