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52
СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ВОПРОСЫ ЦИРКУМПОЛЯРНОГО МИРА
УДК 911.3
Sébastien Gadal1, Florian Eyraud2, Mikhaïl Prisyazhniy3
POST-SOVIET GEO-DEMOGRAPHIC DYNAMICS AND METROPOLISATION PROCESSES IN THE REPUBLIC OF SAKHA (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)*
The dynamics of metropolisation in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the context of the post-soviet geo-demographic processes, globalisation, territorial integration and global warming are analyzed in the article. These processes are characterised with the emergence of an urban region centred on Yakutsk. The decreasing of population is driving by the economic changes, the lifestyle evolutions of the society, and rural migrations to urban centres. They are impacting the population balances and generating new spatial demographic repartitions.
Keywords: metropolisation, Yakutsk, geo-demographic processes, globalisation, territorial integration, global warming
Introduction
Since the end of the 2000's the territory of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) is entering to the dynamics of metropolisation characterised with the emergence of an urban region centred on Yakutsk. During the last 25 years, this process of societal and territorial transformation is driven by some specific socio-demographic changes and news repartitions of populations. The number of inhabitants is decreasing in many small towns and villages, and increasing continuously in Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha Republic with a large urban concentration of migrants and the emergence of an urban region, despise a low quality infrastructure road network of transportation.
The socio-demographic territorial changes concern the transformations of the repartitions of the populations in Yakutia in the geo-demographic environment of decreasing of the inhabitants of the remote urban localities, the PGT (urban type settlement and cities) and
1 Sébastien Gadal - Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, 29 avenue Robert Schuman, F-13621 Aix-en-Provence cedex 1, France. E-mail: sebastien.gadal@univ-amu.fr.
2Florian Eyraud - Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, 29 avenue Robert Schuman, F-13621 Aix-en-Provence cedex 1, France. E-mail: eyraudflorian@hotmail.fr.
3Mikhaïl Prisyazhniy - North Eastern Federal University (NEFU), Department of Geography, Yakutsk. Email: wirt@mail.ru
*Материалы Международной конференции ЮНЕСКО «Адаптация общества и человека в арктических регионах в условиях изменения климата и глобализации».
faraway rural localities. The post-soviet period accelerating the decreasing of population started before the end of the Soviet Union. During this period several PGT (industrialised villages having an urban status) has been abandoned in mountainous regions as, for examples, Oimyakonski and Oust'-Yanski ra'ions.
The decreasing of population is driving by the economic changes, the lifestyle evolutions of the society, and rural migrations to urban centres. They are impacting the population balances and generating new spatial demographic repartitions: Nineteen PGT was removed between the latest census of population of 2010 and the latest census of the USSR made in 1989. This territorial process is on-going.
1. Emergence of an urban region 1.1. Economic context and global warming
Three elements are driving the socio-demographic, societal transformations and the territorial changes: the economical context, the climate change and the emergence of the process of globalisation.
The economic context is characterised by three economical dynamics: the decreasing of the economy during the 1990's with the closing of many mine's and manufactures, the increasing of the Russian economy during the last 14 years bringing by the important need of natural resources at the global level and the high prices of its. The process of redistribution to the Russian population was important with an important increase of the level of life. But during this period the mutations of the economic structure were limited. In Yakutia, despise the closing of mine's and manufactures during the last decade of the 20e century, the geo-economic structure built during the USSR based on the exploitation of the natural resources didn't change. It is characterised by a low territorial integration at the regional level and at the scale of the Republic of Sakha. Raw natural resources are exported to the Federal and international market. The industry of transformation of natural resources is almost inexistent. The geo-economical system based on the exploitation of the natural resources generates many problems of spatial and territorial redistributions richness and developments.
The climate change and the global warming are one of major point of the economic policy and development of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Sakha with the expectation of new available lands and territories. The projects of implementations of new industrial clusters in Arctic and Subarctic regions are founded on the projections of the global warming. The competition between China, South Korea and India for the control of the resources is more and more significant, and will concern more and more the Far-Eastern.
1.2. Globalisation, territorial integration and metropolisation
The integration of the Republic of Sakha, more especially, the urban region of Yakutsk to the European part of Russian Federation and the Asiatic area results consecutively of several
factors: the relative political, human and territorial opening of the 1990's, the increase of the level of life; and the new geopolitical and economical environments with the development of the Asia. Russian policy is stimulating partly the increase of inter-connexions of the Russian Federation and the Eastern Siberia with Asiatic region. However, the geo-economic structure of the Republic of Sakha is fragmented: the region of Yakutsk is concerned by the emergence of a metropolised urban region (central Yakutia), the mine's towns territories connected with the Federal level constitute the second spatial pattern, and the abandoned settlement the last. These three geo-economical and territorial systems are not connected.
The integration of the Far-Eastern regions and Yakutia in the dynamics of globalisation and regional integrations with the emergence of the societal and territorial processes of globalisation is characterised by expand of the territorial interactions at the regional and Federal levels, the regionalisation and the emergence of the pattern of territorialisation in Yakutsk: the metropolisation.
The metropolisation can be definite as the territorial and geographic model of the dynamics of globalisation and representation of the societal changes. The Earth observation analysis made with the OLS-PL VNIR (visible near infrared) sensors of the DMSP satellite series between 2002 and 2010 taken by night.
V
Figure 1. Emergence of the metropolised territory.
Urban structure of central Yakutia in 1992 Sébastien Gadal, CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, ANR CLASSIQUE, sources: NOAA (DMSP F-10), GADM database of Global Administrative Areas
The region of Yakutsk is spatially characterised between the end of the USSR and 2010 by the processes of densification of the urban centres located in central Yakutia, the increase of the suburbanisation with the emergence of news satellite villages and small towns around Yakutsk within the road network of communications (North-South and East-West).
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Figure 2. Urban structure of central Yakutia in 2010 Sébastien Gadal, CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, ANR CLASSIQUE, sources: NOAA (DMSP F-15), GADM database of Global Administrative Areas
The city expansion is going on the Tuiimadaa plains, towards the North till the former PGT of Makha (integrated as a district of the city) and the South till Khatassui (Khatas) which is still a village (not included in Yakutsk). In 2004, two PGT and four settlements were integrated in the city. PGT were included as a district: Khangalassui (North of Yakutsk with 1779 inhabitants in the census of 2002) and Makha (in continuity of Yakutsk by the North with 12041 inhabitants in 2002). Nowadays, there is no transition between Makha and Yakutsk; both are composing the agglomeration of Yakutsk. Nevertheless, some other localities can be added like Jataï (9504 inhabitants in 2010) and the municipality of Khatasski (6610 inhabitants in 2010). In 2010, the total population of this agglomeration was 285715.
Growth of the number of inhabitants of Yakutsk (1959-2013) [1-6]
1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 80006 117975 169193 212722 238356 279105 296045
Yakutsk 74330 107617 153137 187661 210642 269601 286456
Rural population 7251 8054 8528 6801 7923 16559 16551
TOTAL 87257 124029 177721 219523 246279 295664 312596
2. Geo-demographic transformations 2.1. Administrative and clustering changes analysis
The geo-demographic analysis is based on the functional and administrative changes of the oulous and ra'ions, and the evolution of the number of inhabitants. Disappears and the reorganisation of the PGT made between 1989 and 2010 follow the socio-demographic and economic changes with the emergence of a new political and economic system.
The level of the demographic and territorial transformations depends of the locations: The quasi-total inaccessibility of the Oust'-Yanski region was an aggravating factor for the decreasing of population. Some PGT are moved to villages like Tchagda in the raion of Aldan which became a village in 2001, or are included in the administrative area of a larger town such as Uilluimakh in the raion of Aldan which was included in the city of Tommot after 2002.
We noted that in many naslegs (sel'soviets, the smallest administrative entity inside the Republic of Sakha), several settlements exist. Census before 1979 and accounts of populations don't focus inside the nasleg giving the total of inhabitants.
The Sakha Republic is divided in 35 sub-divisions oulous and raions. Their size and territories are geographically different. Oulous of Central Yakutia are covered mostly by taiga and different varieties of lakes. The eastern raions are mountainous. Some regions are quite similar in terms of geography and density of populations. These criteria's have been used to clustering and identified in 8 categories of geo-demographical territories having the similar geographical and demographical change dynamics and structures.
2.2. Methodological approach
Chain of cartographic processing
3. Geo-demographic change analysis 3.1. Anabaro-Olenekski cluster (AHa6apo-OneHeKCKMn)
The first category identified is composed by ra'ions ofAnabarski and Olenekski. The density of population is very low and the lack of heavy industrialisation: Olenekski has the record of the lowest density in Yakutia: 318500 km2 and 4127 inhabitants in 2010. These regions of tundra are composed of evenks and dolganes as for example in the locality of Urung-Khaia. The both administrative centers have practically the same amount of population, in 2010: 2317 habitants in Saaskuilaakh and 2273 in Olenek (Euleueun) and the population increase. The number of inhabitant is decreasing in many rural settlements. In the raion of Anabar the locus of Ebelyakh collapsed. In Olenekski region populations are either maintaining or growing.
Evolution of the Anabaro-Oleneksi sector's population [1-6]
Cluster 1 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Rural population 4783 5102 5906 7965 8115 7628 7455
TOTAL 4783 5102 5906 7965 8115 7628 7455
3.2. Yano-Nijnelenski cluster (Яно-Нижнеленский)
This geo-demographic cluster is composed of five ra'ions: Jiganski, Boulounski, Oust'-Yanski, Eveno-Buitantaiski and Verkhoyanski. This area is delimited by the drainage basins of the Lena River and the drainage basin of the Yana River. As the first cluster, endemic people are living on those administrative divisions. Evenes and evenks are, for a long time, living in different administrative areas: the evenks in Jiganski raion and evenes in Eveno-Buitantaiski as for example. The population strongly decreased since more 25 years. Tundra, Taiga and mountains cover this territory. The deindustrialisation is strong.
Tiksi remains the most important settlement. At the census of 1959, three PGT (Посёлок Городского Типа - industrialized settlement) existed: Tit-Arui, Buikovski and Tiksi. The two first received the status of village, one before 1970 and the second one in 1999. In 1989, the population of Tiksi was practically 12000 not-endemic citizens (Russians and Ukrainians) and the PGT could access to the status of city. The city has heavy infrastructures of transport: port in deep waters and an airport with a long runway. Today in 2013, the population is just beyond 5000 citizens.
Example of Verkhoyanski (1959-2013) [1-6]
Verkhoyanski (raion) 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 11532 11049 10549 13979 6366 5919 5454
Rural population 4859 6163 7472* 8137 7300 6896 6587
TOTAL 16391 17212 18021 22116 13666 12815 12041
*During the census of 1979, the three naslegs (sel'soviets) of Eveno-Buitantaiski were included inside Verkhoyanski.
The region of Oust'-Yanski was connected with the extraction of mineral resources. In 1989, 8 PGT with a total of 38852 habitants existed. At the last census of 2010, only three PGT were remaining with a total of 4353 citizens (and 4111 in 2013). This raïon presents the largest collapse of urban population inside the whole Yakutia. Depoutatski, the raïon-center is specialised in the extraction of Tin (Sn) and even if the industrial activity continues, the population decreases also. The rural population of this cluster increased till the census of 1989 and is decreasing since the end of the USSR.
3.3. Koluimo-Indigirski's cluster (KonwMO-MHgHrnpcKHH)
This cluster includes six raions of the North-East ofYakutia. Geographically, drainage basins of the Koluima and the Indigirka cover this territory. Main settlements, like administrative centers are located on these both important rivers of Eastern Siberia. This territory contains one city (Sredniekoluimsk) and four PGT: Bielaya Gora (Urung Khaia), Tchokouourdaakh, Zuiryanka, and Tcherski (Tcherskei). The sixth administrative centre has the status of village: Khonou (Mouoma) in the Momski raion. The rural and urban populations are mostly Yakut's however, in some villages of the West and the South, Even minority exists especially in the Momski raion and Srednekoluimski (village of Berezovka).
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Figure 3. Geo-demographic evolution of the Koluimo-Indigirski cluster. Florian Eyraud, CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, ANR CLASSIQUE, scale 1:12500000 [1-7]
If we except Zuiryanka, we observe a decreasing of populations since 1989. The decrease of population in Nijnekoluimski raïon is the most important. Sixteen hamlets were officially erased of the census of settlements in 1998.
Evolution of the Koluimo-Indigirski (1959-2013) [1-6]
Cluster 3 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 7591 17449 21078 30108 16222 14164 13679
Rural population 15456 18079 22278* 20531 16586 15047 14409
TOTAL 23047 35528 43356 50639 32808 29211 28088
*The administrative center of Alla'ikhovski ra'ion (Tchokouourdaakh) had the status of village (3428 habitants in 1979)
After the end of the Soviet Union, the population of urban settlements decreased much quicker than the population of rural settlements; excepting in Khonou (Mouoma) and Srednekoluimsk. The number of inhabitants keeps constant.
3.4. Cluster of Vostotchnui (Восточный)
Figure 4. Geo-demographic evolution of Vostotchnuï Florian Eyraud, CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, ANR CLASSIQUE, scale 1:8500000 [1-7]
This region is mostly covered by high mountains and contains three administrative divisions. Two of them are located on the road M-56 connecting Magadan (Magadan'skaya oblast') to the Central Yakutia. The Eastern raion is located on the Indigirka's drainage basin, others raions are located on the Aldan's one (the Aldan river is the largest affluent of the Lena). The population living in this territory is linked with the mine industry in Oust'-Maiski and Oimyakonski.
One village (Bordoi, located on an island close to Khanduiga) was abandoned after two successive flooding's of the Aldan River.
An important decrease of the population is observed since 1989. Two areas are dissociated: the northern zone with industrial settlements, most of them disappeared, and the Southern region composed of Yakut villages like Tomtor or Oimyakon (Euimeukeueun). Industrial settlements on the South-East linked with the mine extraction were more affected by the decrease of the population than others settlements located on the river. Nine PGT were abandoned.
Evolution of the Vostotchnuï region (1959-2013) [1-6]
Cluster 4 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 36432 37758 40840 52204 28759 21552 20133
Rural population 12041 13452 21272 23986 12754 11285 10775
TOTAL 48473 51210 62112 76190 41513 32837 30908
3.5. Youjnui's cluster (Южный)
The South region of Yakutia covers two raions: Aldanski and Neryoungrinski, the territory is covered by forests on small and medium mountains in the South. The majority of the population is located within the road M-56 and the railway. The development of this region was associated with the mine extraction activities (mostly coal and gold) generating an important immigration since the 1970s. Immigrants came from all Republics of the Soviet Union (5% Ukrainians), mostly from others regions of Russia (83%). The urban population was spread in 10 cities and PGT with a total of 169564 inhabitants. In the South part of the territory, we observe two demographical tendencies: firstly, the urban population growing quickly since 1970 and decreasing after 1989; and secondly, the rural population stayed constant. Evenk constitutes the endemic population of this area. Excepting the industrial villages and cities, the density of population and of rural villages is very low.
Evolution of the Youjnui's population (1959-2013) [1-6]
Sector 5 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 44372 55326 99763 169564 133304 119508 116835
Rural population 5633 5537 12278* 11978* 5838 5890 5657
TOTAL 50005 60863 112041 181542 139142 125398 122492
* Contains urban localities declassified as rural settlements till their erasure in 1998 (Katalakh and Emel'dyak around Uilluimakh).
3.6. Verkhnelenski cluster (BepxHeneHCKMn)
This territorial cluster, located on the upper stream of the Lena River in Yakutia is composed by two raions: Olekminski on the East and Lenski on the West. The majority of localities are located on the left bank. The agriculture and sylviculture are the main activities of rural villages; the climate there is less hard than in other regions. Urban localities are specialised in transportation. Activities of naval reparation are important. The population of Olekminski is mostly rural and the one of Lenski mostly urban. The river is the historical pillar of the region's colonisation and the main axe of transportation of Yakutia: many boats sail between the city of Oust'-Bam (Irkoutskaya oblast') - the most important port of the Lena River - till various regions of Yakutia. Transport concerns mostly goods, wood, hydrocarbons and other mineral resources. Vitim and Peledoui, they are mostly connected with the fluvial transportation. Lensk (Lenskei) is important because there start the road in direction of the North, which reaches all cities of the Vilyoui like the industrial Mirny and the Central Yakutia as the capital, Yakutsk.
Evolution of the Verkhnelenski's population (1959-2013) [1-6]
Cluster 6 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 23595 35506 44293 54472 44015 44079 43255
Rural population 23693 21773 24881 27122 22217 22471 21739
TOTAL 47288 57279 69174 81594 66232 66550 64994
Two opposite geo-demographic dynamics are observed. The rural population of Olekminski is growing and is decreasing in Lenski. The urban population is decreasing in Olekminski and is increasing in Lenski. Ethnic appurtenance of the population correlated of the mine's industry works can be an explanation: mostly Russians live in Lenski and mostly Yakut's in Olekminski.
Several rural localities disappeared because of the Salduikel' generated by the Lena's flooding in May 2001. Three villages disappeared between the census of 1989 and 2002.
3.7. Tsentralnui cluster (Центральный)
The Tsentralnui cluster area concentrate the higher density of population of Yakutia. This territory corresponds to the Central Yakutia which contains all raions localised on the three plains of Central Yakutia (Namski, territory of Yakutsk and Khangalasski), such are downstream of Amga and Aldan rivers (Amginski, Tchouraptchinski and Tattinski) and the western raion of Gornui. The population is mostly located on the basin drainage of the Lena River. Settlements are located either close to a river (Lena, Amga, Aldan, Taatta) on the left bank or close to an alas (small lake formed by the permafrost). The main sector of activity of the (industrialised) villages and cities is agriculture even if in some cases, exists an industrial activity of mineral resources extraction.
Evolution of the Tsentralnuï's population (1959-2013) [1-6]
Cluster 7 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 5038 10657 16172 22939 20600 19711 19155
Rural population 99899 120872 125230 142929 155455 157490 154188
TOTAL 104937 131529 141402 165868 176055 177201 173343
At the regional scale, we observe a systematic growth till 2002 and then, a stagnation. The rural population supports this growth. The urban population consisted in one settlement in 1959: Pokrovsk; three in 1970 (Pokrovsk, Mokhsogollokh and Bestyakh); four in 1979 (plus Nijni-Bestyakh); the same number in 1989; three after 2002 (less Bestyakh which became back a village). Rural settlements present various dynamics in function of their location and their amount of population. Oulous centres, the administrative centres of raions are growing.
Figure 5. Geo-demographic evolution of the Tsentralnuï region Florian Eyraud, CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, ANR CLASSIQUE, scale 1:6000000 [1-
7]
Villages as Namtsui, Borogontsui, Uituik-Kuel, Tattinki, Tchouraptcha, Maiya, Amga, Pokrovsk, Berdigestyakh, are characterised by a continuous growing of the population.
3.8. Vilyouiski's cluster (EnnroncKHn)
This region of Yakutia mostly corresponds to the drainage basin of the Vilyoui River till the confluence in Kobyaiski through the second historical living area of the Yakut people (Sountarski, Nyourbinski, Verkhnevilyouiski and Vilyouiski).
Evolution of the Vilyouïski's population (1959-2013) [1-6]
Sector 8 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 15412 56450 91005 124927 110556 101091 96824
Rural population 67812 88072 81455 92199 88057 85500 83251
TOTAL 83224 144522 172460 217126 198613 186591 180075
Figure 6. Geo-demographic evolution of Vilyouiski's area Florian Eyraud, CNRS ESPACE UMR 7300, ANR CLASSIQUE, scale 1:8500000 [1-7]
The oulous of Sangar lost an industrial village (Promuichliennui) removed in 2007. This settlement was also connected with the exploitation of coals.
Conclusion
The post-soviet period accelerated the process of depopulation at the Federal level. The decreasing of population concerns in Yakutia some specific clusters or areas at the local level, mostly related with the closure of factories, mines, industrial activities, etc. Oblasts and kraits of the Russian Federation and the Far-East Federal district are characterised by negative population balance. Yakutia Republic has a positive dynamic of the population. Small and medium urban and industrial places were mostly affected by the collapse of the USSR.
Urban population increased massively since 1959 with the migration of Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians and populations from other regions (Tatars of Tatarstan). This immigration was driving by the important need of qualified workers for the mine's industry and natural resource exploitation. Part of them, as the Lithuanians immigrated to Lithuania after the end of the Soviet Union and the restauration of the independence. Numbers of not-endemic populations of the Sakha Republic are still immigrating.
Demographic evolution of the Republic of Sakha (1959-2013) [1-6]
Sakha-Yakutia 1959 1970 1979 1989 1991 2002 2010 2013
Urban population 239411 374713 521889 732360 747298 611100 614545 620514
Rural population 247935 289590 328751 362102 371685 337500 343980 335066
TOTAL 487346 664303 850640 1094462 1118983 948600 958528 955580
The political and economic impacts of the 1990's were important: the population of Yakutia decreased between 1991 and 2002. Numerous areas located in the Arctic territories were strongly affected by the decreasing of population with the abandon of districts and settlements. The rural areas were less concerned comparatively of the urban settlements; the number of inhabitants, mostly endemics, staying constant. Since the beginning of the 2000's the number of inhabitant living in the Republic of Sakha is stable.
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