Ambarchik

Ambarchik lies on the East Siberian coast where the Kolyma River enters the Arctic Ocean. The bay is shallow and sheltered, but the sea is frozen or choked with ice for much of the year. Summer navigation lasts only a short time, while winter travel follows ice and packed snow. The river corridor links the coast with the interior of Yakutia.

Yukaghir, Chukchi and other northern peoples used the lower Kolyma for fishing, hunting and reindeer herding. River mouths and coastal camps provided seasonal access to fish, seals and migratory birds. The region remained distant from Russian administrative centres until Cossack parties explored and imposed tribute during the seventeenth century.

Russian expeditions explored the wider Arctic coast in the eighteenth century. Boats, sledges and winter routes allowed movement between inland rivers and coastal settlements, although ice and weather imposed severe limits.