# Yerbogachen

Yerbogachen (Russian: Ербогачён), sometimes written Erbogachen or Erbogachene, is a rural locality in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River. It is the administrative center of Katangsky District. Population: 1,965 (2010 Census);

## History

Yergobachen was founded in 1786 by Russian fur hunters not far from an Evenk settlement. Its original name was Nerbeketschen (Нэрбэкэчэн) – which goes back to the Evenki term nerbeke for 'pine-covered hill'.
In the 1930s, the town's economy expanded to include coal mining and other industries. From the 1940s, Yerbogachen continued to grow and develop, and it became an important transportation hub in the region. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Yerbogachen has faced a number of challenges, including declining population and economic decline. Despite these challenges, the town remains an important center of industry and transportation in eastern Siberia.

### Administrative divisions

From 1925 the village belonged to the Preobrazhensky District, the seat of which was the village of Preobrazhenka, Irkutsk Oblast [ru] (now in the Katangsky District), upstream and 140 kilometres (87 mi) to the south of Yerbogachen. In 1929, Yerbogachen was merged into the Kirensky Raion, based in Kirensk on the river Lena. In December 1930, Yerbogachen became the administrative seat of the newly formed Evenki National Raion of Katanga (Russian Katangski nazionalny (Ewenkijski). This raion took its name from the Katanga River, in the upper reaches of the Stony Tunguska, in the west of the area. Before 1940 the raion lost the status of a national raion; it has since then been the Katangsky District, with Yerbogachen remaining as its administrative center.

## Transportation

Despite its location, the town has good transportation links to the rest of the country. Yerbogachen is connected to the rest of Russia by road and rail. By road, Yerbogachen is connected to the rest of Irkutsk Oblast and beyond by the M53 federal highway, which runs through the town. The town is also served by local bus routes, which provide transportation to nearby towns and villages. By rail, Yerbogachen is served by the Trans-Siberian Railway, which runs through the town and connects it to the rest of Russia. The town has a railway station with regular passenger and freight services.
In addition to these forms of transportation, Yerbogachen is also served by a small airport, which offers limited flights to other cities in the region.
Considering its remote location, transportation and accessibility to Yerbogachen are adequate. However, travel times may be extended given the town's distance from major cities.

## Climate

Yerbogachen has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc). Winters are bitterly cold with average temperatures from −34.0 °C (−29 °F) to −23.9 °C (−11 °F) in January, while summers are warm with average temperatures from 10.8 °C (51 °F) to 24.8 °C (77 °F) in July. Precipitation is quite low, but is significantly higher in summer than at other times of the year.
Yerbogachen has a climate comparable to that of the Yakutia. As of 2017, It is probably also one of the only locations outside Yakutia that has a temperature amplitude of 100 °C (180 °F).
Climate data for Yergobachen :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | −1.0 (30.2) | 3.6 (38.5) | 11.8 (53.2) | 20.3 (68.5) | 33.9 (93.0) | 38.8 (101.8) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.1 (93.4) | 30.4 (86.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 6.2 (43.2) | 3.4 (38.1) | 38.8 (101.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −23.9 (−11.0) | −17.5 (0.5) | −6.2 (20.8) | 3.2 (37.8) | 12.1 (53.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 24.8 (76.6) | 20.9 (69.6) | 11.2 (52.2) | −0.5 (31.1) | −15.1 (4.8) | −24.2 (−11.6) | 0.6 (33.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −29.0 (−20.2) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −14.7 (5.5) | −3.4 (25.9) | 6.0 (42.8) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.9 (64.2) | 14.1 (57.4) | 5.5 (41.9) | −4.6 (23.7) | −20.3 (−4.5) | −28.9 (−20.0) | −5.6 (21.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −34.0 (−29.2) | −31.7 (−25.1) | −23.1 (−9.6) | −10.7 (12.7) | −0.3 (31.5) | 7.7 (45.9) | 10.8 (51.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 0.7 (33.3) | −8.7 (16.3) | −25.4 (−13.7) | −33.6 (−28.5) | −11.7 (10.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −61.2 (−78.2) | −59.5 (−75.1) | −53.3 (−63.9) | −43.2 (−45.8) | −23.6 (−10.5) | −8.6 (16.5) | −3.4 (25.9) | −6.9 (19.6) | −19.8 (−3.6) | −39.8 (−39.6) | −54.8 (−66.6) | −58.6 (−73.5) | −61.2 (−78.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 17 (0.7) | 13 (0.5) | 14 (0.6) | 20 (0.8) | 28 (1.1) | 47 (1.9) | 51 (2.0) | 47 (1.9) | 39 (1.5) | 40 (1.6) | 29 (1.1) | 21 (0.8) | 366 (14.5) |
| Average rainy days | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 88 |
| Average snowy days | 21 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 2 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 129.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 77 | 75 | 68 | 61 | 57 | 61 | 67 | 74 | 74 | 77 | 79 | 78 | 71 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 38 | 115 | 195 | 235 | 257 | 303 | 315 | 231 | 145 | 86 | 58 | 18 | 1,996 |
| Source 1: pogoda.ru.net ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (sun only, 1961-1990) ||||||||||||||