Lensk

Lensk is located on the left bank of the Lena River, at the southern edge of the Lena Plateau, approximately {{convert|840|km|sp=us}} west of Yakutsk, the capital of the republic.Google Earth

The original settlement was founded as Mukhtuya ({{lang|ru|Мухтуя}}) in 1663 by Russian fur traders, on the site of an older Evenk settlement known as Mukhtuy.{{citation needed|date=May 2010}} The name of the original settlement was derived from an Evenk term meaning "great water".

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was a place of political exile. It experienced a period of rapid growth during the 20th century as a result of the discovery and development of diamond deposits in the Vilyuy River basin. As the closest significant settlement to the major kimberlite excavations at the Mir Mine and the establishment of the associated town of Mirny, Mukhtuya became a major base of construction. In 1956, roads were built connecting Mukhtuya to the future Mirny and the port was established. On July 13,{{citation needed|date=May 2010}} 1963, Mukhtuya was granted town statusRegistry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic and was given its present name, after the river on which it stands.{{citation needed|date=May 2010}}

In May 2001, Lensk briefly came to the world's attention when almost the entire town was flooded and a large amount of the buildings destroyed. The floods were caused by river ice blocking the river downstream, creating a dam. The town was largely rebuilt after the flooding.

File:Lensk after the 2001 flood.jpg

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Lensk serves as the administrative center of Lensky District. As an inhabited locality, Lensk is classified as a town under district jurisdiction. As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Lensky District as the Town of Lensk. As a municipal division, the Town of Lensk is incorporated within Lensky Municipal District as Lensk Urban Settlement.Law #173-Z #353-III

In addition to its association with the diamond industry and construction, Lensk has a significant forestry and timber sector and a large-panel housing factory. The town is also home to the Yakutalmaz scientific research organization.

Lensk is connected with Mirny by road and has scheduled air connections with Mirny, Yakutsk, and Irkutsk from the Lensk Airport. As a major port on the Lena, the town has developed as a processing point for the regional diamond industry.

Lensk has a history museum and operates a branch of the Irkutsk Polytechnic Institute. A karst cave with a {{convert|25|m|sp=us|adj=on}} waterfall and a karst lake is located {{convert|7|km|sp=us}} southwest of the town.

Lensk has a strongly continental subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). Winters are severely cold and long with average temperature -28.3 °C (-18.9 °F) in December, although compared to the rest of Yakutia, these temperatures are quite high. Summers are brief but quite warm with average temperature 18.0 °C (64.4 °F) in July. Precipitation is moderate and is significantly higher in summer than at other times of the year.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location=Lensk

|metric first=yes

|single line=yes

|Jan record high C=0.0

|Feb record high C=1.0

|Mar record high C=12.6

|Apr record high C=18.9

|May record high C=33.4

|Jun record high C=38.7

|Jul record high C=37.3

|Aug record high C=36.3

|Sep record high C=27.7

|Oct record high C = 17.2

|Nov record high C = 5.7

|Dec record high C = 1.1

|Jan high C = -23.8

|Feb high C = −17.9

|Mar high C = −6.6

|Apr high C = 3.8

|May high C = 13.0

|Jun high C = 22.7

|Jul high C = 24.7

|Aug high C = 20.9

|Sep high C = 11.4

|Oct high C = −0.5

|Nov high C = −15.0

|Dec high C = −24.5

|Jan mean C = −27.8

|Feb mean C = −23.5

|Mar mean C = −13.7

|Apr mean C = −2.6

|May mean C = 6.7

|Jun mean C = 15.5

|Jul mean C = 18.0

|Aug mean C = 14.3

|Sep mean C = 5.9

|Oct mean C = −4.4

|Nov mean C = −19.1

|Dec mean C = −28.3

|Jan low C = −31.9

|Feb low C = −28.9

|Mar low C = −21.0

|Apr low C = −9.7

|May low C = 0.2

|Jun low C = 8.0

|Jul low C = 11.4

|Aug low C = 8.2

|Sep low C = 1.4

|Oct low C = −8.2

|Nov low C = −23.3

|Dec low C = −32.3

|Jan record low C = −56.3

|Feb record low C = −56.1

|Mar record low C = −50.0

|Apr record low C = −37.7

|May record low C = −17.9

|Jun record low C = −5.2

|Jul record low C = −1.8

|Aug record low C = −5.5

|Sep record low C = −12.8

|Oct record low C = −31.8

|Nov record low C = −51.7

|Dec record low C = −56.1

|Jan precipitation mm = 21

|Feb precipitation mm = 17

|Mar precipitation mm = 16

|Apr precipitation mm = 18

|May precipitation mm = 35

|Jun precipitation mm = 50

|Jul precipitation mm = 65

|Aug precipitation mm = 65

|Sep precipitation mm = 46

|Oct precipitation mm = 37

|Nov precipitation mm = 32

|Dec precipitation mm = 22

|source 1 = climatebase.ru (1948-2011){{cite web|title=Lensk, Russia|url=http://climatebase.ru/station/24923/?lang=en|publisher=Climatebase.ru|access-date=January 23, 2013}}

}}

{{Reflist}}

• Official website of the Sakha Republic. Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Sakha Republic. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140202105204/http://sakha.gov.ru/node/12530 Lensky District]. {{in lang|ru}}
• {{RussiaAdmMunRef|sa|mun|list0}}
• {{RussiaAdmMunRef|sa|mun|list1}}

• {{in lang|ru}} [http://lenskcity.ucoz.ru/ Unofficial website of Lensk]
• {{in lang|ru}} [http://lenskfirstschool.narod.ru/ Website of the Secondary School #1 in Lensk]

{{Sakha Republic}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2013}}

Category:Cities and towns in the Sakha Republic

Category:Populated places established in 1663

Category:1663 establishments in Russia

Category:Populated places on the Lena River