Okha, Russia

This article is about a town in Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. For the town in India, see Okha, India.

Okha (Russian: Оха́) is a town and the administrative center of Okhinsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. Population: 23,008 (2010 Census);^[2] 27,963 (2002 Census);^[7] 36,104 (1989 Soviet census).^[8]

Okha Оха
Town[1]
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Okha
Okha Location of Okha Show map of Russia Okha Okha (Sakhalin Oblast) Show map of Sakhalin Oblast
Coordinates: 53°35′20″N 142°56′57″E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Sakhalin Oblast[1]
Administrative district	Okhinsky District[1]
Founded	1880
Town status since	1938
Elevation	30 m (100 ft)
Population  (2010 Census)[2]
• Total	23,008
Administrative status
• Capital of	Okhinsky District[1]
Municipal status
• Urban okrug	Okhinsky Urban Okrug[3]
• Capital of	Okhinsky Urban Okrug[3]
Time zone	UTC+11 (MSK+8 [4])
Postal code(s)[5]	69449x
Dialing code(s)	+7 42437[6]
OKTMO ID	64736000001
Website	www.okhacity.ru

Geography

Okha is located on the east coast of the far north of Sakhalin island, just south of the isthmus of the Schmidt Peninsula, approximately 850 km (530 mi) north of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, near the shoreline of the Sea of Okhotsk.

History

It was founded shortly after the discovery of petroleum in the area in 1880, initially under the name Okhe.^{[citation needed]} 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 Okutan (奥端町, Okutan-chō) or Okuhan (奥哈町, Okuhan-chō) depending on Kanji used. Town status was granted to it in 1938.^{[citation needed]}

Climate

Climate data for Okha/Oha, Sakhalin Oblast, Russia (2005–2015)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average precipitation mm (inches)	38.0 (1.50)	27.3 (1.07)	49.4 (1.94)	54.9 (2.16)	52.8 (2.08)	21.5 (0.85)	36.6 (1.44)	70.1 (2.76)	84.2 (3.31)	80.4 (3.17)	57.5 (2.26)	54.7 (2.15)	627.4 (24.69)
Average relative humidity (%) (daily average)	80	77	77	79	77	77	83	83	83	80	81	81	80
Average dew point °C (°F)	−24 (−11)	−22 (−8)	−14 (7)	−6 (21)	2 (36)	10 (50)	14 (57)	14 (57)	8 (46)	−1 (30)	−12 (10)	−20 (−4)	−4 (24)
Mean daily sunshine hours	1.6	3.1	3.6	4.3	8.3	8.8	8.7	7.2	6.5	4.5	1.8	1.0	5.0
Source 1: Time and Date (2005–2015)[9]
Source 2: Weather Atlas (sun hours)[10]

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 of Okhinsky District and is subordinated to it.^[1] As a municipal division, the town of Okha and ten rural localities of Okhinsky District are incorporated as Okhinsky Urban Okrug.^[3]

Economy

Okha, along with the oblast's administrative center Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, is the center of Sakhalin's petroleum industry. An oil pipeline and gas main runs from Okha to Komsomolsk-on-Amur on the Russian mainland. A number of oil wells exist in close proximity to the town, mainly controlled by the company Rosneft.

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 and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

References

Notes

1. Law #25-ZO
2. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
3. Law #524
4. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
5. Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. (Russian Post). Поиск объектов почтовой связи (Postal Objects Search) (in Russian)
6. Телефонные коды Сахалина - Dialing codes of Sakhalin Archived December 17, 2017, at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
7. Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
8. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
9. "Climate & Weather Averages in Okha, Russia". Time and Date. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
10. "Monthly weather forecast and climate in Okha, Russia". Weather Atlas. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.

Sources

• Сахалинская областная Дума. Закон №25-ЗО от 23 марта 2011 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Сахалинской области», в ред. Закона №62-ЗО от 27 июня 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в статью 10 Закона Сахалинской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Сахалинской области"». Вступил в силу 9 апреля 2011 г.. Опубликован: "Губернские ведомости", №55(3742), 29 марта 2011 г. (Sakhalin Oblast Duma. Law #25-ZO of March 23, 2011 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Sakhalin Oblast, as amended by the Law #62-ZO of June 27, 2013 On Amending Article 10 of the Law of Sakhalin Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Sakhalin Oblast". Effective as of April 9, 2011.).
• Сахалинская областная Дума. Закон №524 от 21 июля 2004 г. «О границах и статусе муниципальных образований в Сахалинской области», в ред. Закона №45-ЗО от 27 мая 2013 г. «О внесении изменения в Закон Сахалинской области "О границах и статусе муниципальных образований в Сахалинской области"». Вступил в силу 1 января 2005 г. Опубликован: "Губернские ведомости", №175–176(2111–2112), 31 июля 2004 г. (Sakhalin Oblast Duma. Law #524 of July 21, 2004 On the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations in Sakhalin Oblast, as amended by the Law #45-ZO of May 27, 2013 On Amending the Law of Sakhalin Oblast "On the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations in Sakhalin Oblast". Effective as of January 1, 2005.).

External links

• Okha travel guide from Wikivoyage