Almost all countries define and designate their own geographical center. In the Russian Federation, it is located in Evenkia, near the magnificent lake. Vivi. Craftsmen from the nearest settlements built a chapel and erected an Orthodox cross, which is 8 meters high. More recently, geodesists have marked the geographic center of Russia.
However, tourists do not visit these dense places very often, since you can get here only by air. By helicopter from Tuva, the flight takes 2 hours. In a number of sources, information appeared that in connection with the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula to Russia, the geographical center shifted to the west. Despite this fact, nomadic natives come here from time to time. Reindeer herders graze animals in these places.
What does the term "geographic center" mean?
The geographical center of Russia or another state is a rather vague concept. Among European countries, Lithuania, Germany, Slovakia and Poland claim it. The location of the center is determined depending on the borders of the country and its extreme points.
The geographical center of Russia on the map was determined by the same principle. Calculating the location of this pointproduced by Academician P. Bakut. The conditionality of this position does not prevent us from considering it a geographical symbol. Along with other attributes of the state, this point can be considered significant for the country.
Search history for the geographic center of the Russian Federation
The exact coordinates of the place were determined by D. Mendeleev in 1906. The scientist performed theoretical calculations on paper, but they were gathering dust in the archives until 1983. At that time, the 150th anniversary of D. Mendeleev was celebrated, and at the indicated coordinates (near the mouth of the M. Shirt River) an obelisk was erected, which was a small copy of the ship of the St. Petersburg Admir alty.
After the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, there was a change in state borders. A new calculation of the geographic center was made. This was done by Doctor of Technical Sciences P. Bakut in 1974. Soon a scientific and sports expedition was organized, which put a sign of the country's geographical center in the upper reaches of the river. Taz, which is located in the Tyumen region. The modern point was calculated after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now many people know where the geographical center of Russia is located - on the shore of Lake. Vivi.
Approval of the center and installation of the sign
It all started with the fact that the coordinates were once again rechecked. 3 groups of scientists carried out calculations independently of each other. After painstaking calculations, we settled on the fact that the geographical center of Russia has the following coordinates: 94º15' E. and 66º25' s. sh.
Then they started making an obelisk, whichwill be installed at the designated location. Several projects were presented, but the “Golden Flower of Russia” by Papanin, a member of the expedition, was recognized as the best. The description of the obelisk is as follows:
- Outwardly, it resembles a blooming flower - a symbol of the revival of the country.
- At the top of the stem is a double-headed golden eagle.
- Near the base of the flower there are golden scrolls resembling petals. On their surface there is a text with the names of people involved in its installation.
In practice, making these scrolls was the hardest part. The height of each exceeded 1 m. The text is engraved on the outside. However, the greatest difficulty was caused by the implementation of curvature. Thanks to the ingenuity of the creators, all ideas were brought to life.
On July 27, 1992, the geographical center of Russia was inaugurated. A chapel was built and illuminated near the obelisk. The expedition members dream that over time, holy places of three more major religions will appear here.
Lake Vivi
The geographical center of the Russian Federation is located on one of the shores of the lake. This is a freshwater reservoir, into which 33 streams flow. The surface area of the lake is 229 km2. In winter, the reservoir is shackled by an ice crust, which disappears only at the beginning of summer.
There are no settlements on the banks. Lake Vivi attracts with the beauty of the surrounding nature. There is a known case when a hermit lived here, who did not want to leavewonderful places.
Geology and species diversity
The lake was formed in a break in the earth's crust, so its shape is gradually changing. Earthquakes often occur in this area. It has an elongated shape with obvious angular curves. Its dimensions are 4 × 90 km. There are larch forests along the banks.
The lake is poorly understood. To this day, its exact depth is not known. Scientists believe that the maximum value will be from 80 to 200 m. The geographical center of Russia on the southeast coast is the main and only attraction of the reservoir.
The ichthyofauna of the lake is unique: graylings, huge loaches and taimen, whitefishes. Travelers and fishermen sometimes come here for such representatives of the fauna. The lake is a symbol of a new subject of the Russian Federation, which was formed as a result of the unification of Evenkia, Taimyr and the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
New territory of Russia
The entry into the Russian Federation of the Crimean peninsula has shifted the location of the geographical center of the country. Its coordinates are already known, an Orthodox cross has been placed there.
The geographical center of Russia before that was on a hill near the lake. His new location is located dozens of meters to the south. It has become even more difficult to see it, but this will not prevent those who wish to get here at any time of the year by air.
