Описание (английский)
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is a city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia.
The city is situated on high hills and surrounded by volcanoes. The
surrounding terrain is mountainous enough that the horizon cannot be
seen clearly from any point in town. Across Avacha Bay from the city in Vilyuchinsk is Russia's largest submarine base, the Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base, established during the Soviet period and still used by the Russian Navy.
The city is located 6,766 kilometers (4,204 mi) from Moscow and about 2,220 kilometers (1,380 mi) from Vladivostok.The city is considered to be founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering in the service of the Russian Navy,
although the foundation was laid by navigator Ivan Yelagin few months
earlier. Bering reached Avacha Bay in late 1740 and as superior, named
the new settlement "Petropavlovsk" (Peter and Paul) after his two ships,
the St. Peter and the St. Paul, built in Okhotsk for his second expedition.
The town's location on the sheltered Avacha Bay and at the mouth of the Avacha River saw it develop to become the most important settlement in Kamchatka. It was granted town status on April 9, 1812.
During the 1854–1855 Crimean War, the city was put under siege by the Anglo-French forces, but never fell. The city had been fortified under the command of Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky
in the years prior, but only possessed a small garrison of a few
hundred soldiers and sixty-seven cannons. After much exchange of fire,
600 Anglo-French troops landed south of the city, but were forced to
retreat by only 230 Russian troops after heavy fighting. One week later,
900 Anglo-French troops landed east of the town, but were again
repelled by the Russians. The allied ships then retreated from Russian
waters. The total Russian losses were reported at around 100 men; those
of the Anglo-French at least five times that number.
Petropavlovsk was a great source of fish, particularly salmon, and crab meat for the Soviet Union in the 20th century. Since the end of the Soviet era, fishing rights have also been granted to foreign interests.
Poaching of salmon for their caviar at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky remains a problem, unhampered by lax law enforcement and widespread corruption.
The city has developed a tourist infrastructure. About twenty large
tourism companies offer a wide range of services from bear hunting to
paragliding. No roads connect the Kamchatka Peninsula
to the rest of the world. Travel to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is
expensive but is growing in popularity because of the remarkable scenery
throughout the peninsula. The city is served by Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport, which is linked to the town and its port via the A-401 road.