Kamchatka

Oblast (region) in the Russian Far East; area 472,300 sq km/182,355 sq mi; population (1996) 411,000 (81% urban) (81% Russian, 2% Koryak, 0.5% Chukchi). Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy is the capital, and other cities include Klyuchi and Kamchatsk. The oblast comprises the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Koryak National Okrug (an okrug is a district within an oblast or krai), and the Komandorskii Islands (Commander Islands). It has mountainous terrain containing many volcanoes (over 20 of which are active) and hot springs.

Kamchatka features tundra on the west coast of the peninsula. The principal river is the Kamchatka. Mineral resources include gold, oil, iron ore, and copper. Major industries include fishing (over 10% of the national catch), fish processing, woodworking, fur trapping, and extraction of coal and peat. There is also dairy farming and cultivation of potatoes, and reindeer herding in the north.