KAMCHATKA, katn-chat'ka, or KAMT CHATKA, Siberia, a large peninsula of the Russian Empire, situated between the 50th and 60th parallels' of latitude, 850 miles long from north to south, and of irregular breadth, the maximum being about 250 miles. It has an area of 104,260 square miles. The coasts are dangerous of approach on account of outlying reefs. A lofty range of volcanic mountains traverses the country in a southwesterly direc tion, with many peaks between 7,000 and 17,000 feet high. The snow line, in lat. 56° 40', is at an elevation of 5,260 feet. Dittmar, a Russian traveler, devoted three years to the exploration of the geology of Kamchatka. He traced five successive formations, and found 17 volcanoes in active operation. Numerous rivers have their rise in the heights. The Kamchatka, with its affluent the Yelovka, is navigable for 150 miles. The most fertile portion of the penin sula for agricultural purposes lies along the valley of this river. The Russian settlers here raise oats, barley, rye, potatoes and garden vegetables, but the rest of the country is little adapted for culture. The climate is very severe; the winter lasts nine months, and frost is common at all seasons. The mean annual temperature at Petropavlovsk on the east coast is 28.5°, while at Tigil on the west is 43°. The average temperature of summer at the former place is 55.5°, and that of winter 19°, but the thermometer has been known to fall as low as Earthquakes are frequent and violent. Animal life is very abundant, and fish swarm in the seas and rivers. The wild ani mals, still abundant in the more sequestered localities, are bears, wolves, reindeer, argalis or wild sheep, black, red and gray foxes, er mines, sables and otters. Wild fowl are very numerous. The principal varieties of fish are
herrings, cod and salmon. Whales are numer ous in the adjacent seas. The mountains are covered with forests of birch, larch, pine and cedar, of considerable size in the south, but diminishing northward until the northernmost portion of the territory is covered only with reindeer moss.
The Kamchadales, the principal native tribe, are of diminutive stature, but stout, with flat features, small eyes, thin lips, lank black hair, and scarcely any beard. They are a peaceable, honest, lazy and intemperate race. In winter they reside in sunken huts, in summer in dwellings elevated on poles some 13 feet from the ground. Their dress is well adapted to the changes of temperature, being of fur in winter and nankeen in summer. They are nominally governed by their own chiefs, under the jurisdiction of the Russian ispravnik or chiefjudge, and the most of them are Greek Catholics. Dog trains are used as the means of transport. The other principal tribe are the Koryaks, who live north of lat. 58°. While the Kamchadales are hunters and fishermen with fixed habitations, the Koryaks are a wan dering tribe, subsisting on the produce of the reindeer, and differing from the Kamchadales in language and mode of life. The commerce of Kamchatka is chiefly with Okhotsk. Its ex ports are furs, skins, oil, etc. Its imports are flour, sugar, dry goods, whisky, rice and coffee, almost all passing through the port of Petro pavlovsk, the capital, on Avatska Bay. Pop. of peninsula, 7270. Consult article by Barett Hamilton in the Scottish Geographical Maga zine (Vol. XV, pp. 224-56), in which there is a bibliography.