Koryak Autonomous Okrug

District within Kamchatka oblast (region) in the Russian Far East; area 301,500 sq km/116,409 sq mi; population (1996) 33,000 (24% urban) (62% Russians, 17% Koryaks). The capital is Palana and Ossora and Ostrovnoy are other towns. The district is located between the Okhotsk and Bering Seas, occupying the northern half of the Kamchatka Peninsula, together with part of the mainland and the island of Karagin. It is largely mountainous (Sredinnyy and Koryak ranges), with an extremely harsh climate. Industries include fishing, deer farming, and coal mining.

History Russian encroachment on the area began in the 17th century. The area became a district of the USSR in 1930. Decades of economic centralization and mismanagement, which have threatened traditional ways of life, have prompted moves among the indigenous Koryak people for greater autonomy.