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History of Kamchatka

1696-1697
The travels of the brave Cossack Vladimir Atlasov at the end of the 17th century were the beginning of Russia's settlement of Kamchatka. Atlasov was an intrepid entrepreneur who came to Siberia in search of fortune and riches. He was the first to discover and describe the Kamchatka peninsula; his efforts were instrumental in Kamchatka's inclusion as a Russian territory. The first maps of the peninsula were created at this time.

1725-1741
The first Kamchatka Expedition (organized on the orders of Tsar Peter the Great) and the Second Kamchatka Expedition (undertaken by Vitus Bering, a Russian seaman of Danish descent) take place.

October 6, 1740 - the day of founding of the port of Petropavlovsk that later became the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
The 18th century expeditions explored the peninsula's Eastern shore, created new maps, including maps of the Pacific Ocean, the Kuril and the Aleut Islands. The pioneers went all the way to the American shores and provided detailed descriptions of the newly discovered territories. They also found the route from Kamchatka to Japan.

1737-1741
The explorer Stepan Krosheninnikov made a great contribution to the study of Kamchatka. He gathered geographic, historical, and ethnographic materials. He wrote "The Description of Kamchatka's Lands," a scientific work that retains its value to this day.
Two English frigates, Discovery and Resolution, sailed into the port of Petropavlovsk. The vessels were a part of James Cook's third round-the-world expedition. However, by this time the frigates were under the command of Charles Clark: captain Cook had been murdered earlier by some aboriginal tribesmen in Hawaii. Charles Clark, aged 38, died at sea; his grave is in Petropavlovsk.

The French round-the-word expedition lead by Francois de la Perouse comes into the Avachinsky Bay on frigates Astrolabe and Boussole.

1804-1805
Frigate Nadezhda ("Hope") of the First Russian Round the World Expedition lead by Ivan Krusenstern comes into the port of Petropavlovsk several times.

1849
The enormous Kamchatka Region is formed: it includes territories from the Arctic Ocean to Japan.

1854
The defense of the port of Petropavlovsk attacked by the united English-French Fleet.
This same year Kamchatka's explorer Karl von Dietmar discovers of the Uzon Coldera, a unique giant crater left behind in the place of an ancient volcano (please, see the back of this map for more detailed information).

1915
The beginning of Kamchatka's seismological observations program. The Petropavlovsk seismology center is created.

1941 .
Another natural phenomenon, the Valley of the Geysers, is discovered (please, see the back of this map for more detailed information).

1961
The Volcanology Institute is founded: it is the largest in the world and the only one in Russia. A regional network of seismic labs is also created.

1991
The Kamchatka Region is opened to foreign nationals and tourists.