Naryan-Mar
Description
Naryan-Mar is a sea and river port town and the administrative center of Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. The town is situated on the right bank of the Pechora River, 110 km upstream from the river's mouth, on the Barents Sea. Naryan-Mar lies north of the Arctic Circle. Population: 21,658 (2010); 17,000 (1973).
History
Industrial development in the area around Naryan-Mar began in 1930, in the course of the first five-year plan of the Soviet Union. The growth of the region was the direct result of the development of the Pechora coalfield and the construction of related industrial infrastructure.
Naryan-Mar was for many years a center of the lumber industry, and possesses several large, and currently defunct, lumber mills. At present, the biggest employer in the town is the petroleum company LUKoil.
The town's importance derives from being the only developed commercial port in an area of several thousand square miles. As a result, Naryan-Mar has a reasonably well developed tourist and hospitality services, with several saunas and hotels. The town also hosts a local museum, a large World War II memorial, an Orthodox church, and a historic district which predates the foundation of the modern city. Sports fishing is also possible in the area.
Transportation
The town is served by the Naryan-Mar Airport, which is connected to the town by the 3 kilometres (1.9 mi)-long A-381.
