Klyuchi, Kamchatka Krai


Klyuchi is a rural locality in Ust-Kamchatsky District of Kamchatka Krai, Russia, located on the Kamchatka River, to the north of Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano. It had a population of a marked decrease from that of the population at its peak numbered

Geography

The settlement is located near the point where the course of the Kamchatka River turns from north to east.

History

It was founded in 1731. In 1951, it was granted urban-type settlement status and in 1979—town status. In 2004, it was demoted to a rural locality in order to become eligible for increased funding from the Russian federal budget.

Military

Klyuchi, being in a very isolated part of the former Soviet Union, has been near an intercontinental ballistic missile testing range since the Cold War, the Kura Missile Test Range, and is served by Klyuchi air base just southwest of the town. Klyuchi's original airfield consisted of a dirt airstrip and was located east-southeast of the town. It was abandoned in the 1960s and is being reclaimed by forest.

Transportation

There is a road connecting Klyuchi to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. Driving, according to Google Maps, takes several hours.

Climate

Klyuchi has a typical subarctic climate, albeit with slight dry-summer precipitation patterns.