- Rybachiy Peninsula
Rybachiy Peninsula ( _ru. Полуостров Рыбачий, _no. Fiskerhalvøya, _fi. Kalastajasaarento, _se. Giehkirnjárga) is the northernmost part of continental
European Russia . Its name is translated as "Fishermen's peninsula". It consists of two parts: Sredniy Peninsula ("middle peninsula") connected with the continent by a thinisthmus and Rybachiy proper, connected with Sredniy by a similar thin isthmus. So the peninsula is in fact nearly completely surrounded by water. Administratively, it is included into thePechenga raion ofMurmansk Oblast and is within several hours of ride fromMurmansk .Main occupations of the population are
reindeer herding and (since 2003)petroleum drilling.History
The peninsula lies in an area where borders were marked relatively late; the Norwegian-Russian border was drawn in
1826 , leaving Rybachiy on the Russian side of the border. At the time, several Norwegian settlers lived on the peninsula.After the Russian Revolution, the Western parts of Srediy and Rybachiy were ceded to Finland. They were passed to the Soviet Union after the Soviet-Finnish
Winter War in 1940. The Norwegian settlers became "trapped" in Soviet Russia after the revolution; some of their descendants were allowed Norwegian citizenship after the fall of theIron Curtain .During the
World War II for three years it was an arena of apositional war between Germans and Soviets. The peninsula covered the access to Murmansk andArkhangelsk , which were the main gates for theLend-Lease . The front split the peninsula in two parts, both sides having heavily fortified positions.Before the
collapse of the Soviet Union the territory was heavily militarized because of the immediate vicinity ofNorway , aNATO member. Now the military is removed, butas of 2005 the territory is still closed to foreigners.
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