Belushya Guba, main town in Novaya Zemlya (continued)

Belushya Guba is a small permanent settlement on the west coast of Novaya Zemlya, in a sheltered bay of the southern island .

There are presently around 2 000 people living in Novaya Zemlya's only town.

Belushya Guba ( "beluga whale bay", in russian: Белу́шья Губа́, or just Belushye, Belushka) is also the administrative center of Novaya Zemlya.

Coordinates: 71.5° N, 52.3° E

Belushya Guba was founded in 1895. The settlement started to flourish in 1954, when Novaya Zemlya became established as a nuclear test site.

Largely home to military personnel and their families, the town is being looked to as a future oil and mining hub as Arctic shipping lanes develop. It has recently been upgraded with colourful painting and new services.

The new church, landmark of a washed and painted Belushya Guba for the 21st century.

Two icons of Russia, the orthodox church and a statue of Lenine, facing defiantly each other.

Colourful playground for the local school

A new lifestyle arrives with democracy and economic growth.

At present, the town offers a middle school for 560 people, kindergartens, apartment houses, hotels, shop, a hairdressing salon, a photo studio, several consumer services, hospitals with 200 beds, a clinic, the base Club, sports center with a 25 m. swimming pool...

Belushya Guba's main and best building - the House of Officers


Rogachevo airbase

The airfield lies around 9 kilometers northeast of Belushya Guba.

It is the major airport of the archipelago, receiving two scheduled flights from the mainland each week. Rogachevo was founded in the 1950s as a staging base for long-range bombing missions.

The port at Belushya Guba

Novaya Zemlya is becoming popular with cruise ships looking to catch glimpses of the isolated polar bear population that inhabit the islands, as well as their mountains and glaciers.

The natural conditions allow year-round sailing of all types and classes of vessels with minimal cost for icebreaking support. The bay is well protected from high surf and drifting ice.

The bay is located in a zone of warm sea currents. Natural conditions allow for all types and classes of ships, with minimal need for ice-breaking support. The bay is well protected from sea turbulence and penetration of drifting ice.

The temperature in Belushya Guba ranges from −12°C  to +10°C  in the summer months.

Auroras

Aurora over Belushya

Due to its arctic location north of the polar circle, Belushya Guba is often the scenery of magnificent auroras.

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Next post: Tyko Vylka, an artist from Novaya Zemlya, arctic Russia