FACTS
Capital: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Currency: Ruble
Time zone: GMT+12
GEOGRAPHY
Kamchatka lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west. Hidden immediately offshore along the Pacific coast of the peninsula runs the 10,500 meter deep Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. The volcanoes of Kamchatka are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and 29 of the 160 volcanoes are active!
PEOPLE
Out of the few indegenous tribes that remain after persecution by fur traders, the Chukchi live in the northeast, the Evens are in the central part of the peninsula and the Koryaks live on the West coast. They still live by traditional reindeer herding and sea fishing, which provide both food and clothing, and still preserve their culture and traditional lifestyles.
ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
The variable climate of Kamchatka promotes different flora zones where tundra and muskeg are dominant succeeded by grasses, flowering shrubs and forests of pine, birch, alder and willow. Wolves, Wolverines, Brown bears, Golden Eagles and Raindeer are all in evidence and the peninsular is the breeding ground for Stellar's Sea Eagles.