The region is situated in the south-east part of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District and sprawls north to south by 500 kilometers, west to east - by over 350. The square counts about 107,000 square kilometers. In its size, it leaves behind almost 70 states of the world.

Alongside with the fact that the region is quite significant in the area, it is one of the most poorly populated. The average population density per 100 square kilometers is less than 10 persons.

In spite of its remoteness, Krasnoselkupsky region was for a long time a geographical center of the former Soviet Union.

The region seems severe in its climatic conditions. It is true that winter lasts for nine months here, but in hot summer you can undoubtedly dip up some water from a river and drink it up when thirsty without any risk to your health.

In the lakes and rivers here there are fishes like: whitefish, white salmon, taimen, peled. The unique system of Chertovy Lakes and in the upper course of the rivers Tolka and Ratta can boast of tugunok - melting delicious fish, also called 'tsar's herring'.

The woods in the region are abundant in cloudberry, cranberry, red bilberry, and great bilberry. When it is extremely hot, you can treat yourself to crowberry; some peoples of the North call it 'shiksha', which means 'a glass of water'. For hunting, there are numerous upland fowls, sable, and marten. There are deers, elks, and bears.

The birth of Krasnoselkupsky region coincided with the appearance of Tyumen region on the map of USSR. It was formed according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of RSFSR on August 10, 1944. The region united the territories of Verkhnetazovsky, Tazovsko-Nenetsky, Tazovsko-Selkupsky, and Tymsko-Karakonsky nomadic Soviets, which had been on board at Turukhansky region of Krasnoyarsk Territory.

According to the decision of Tyumen regional executive committee d/d May 16, 1957, Tazovsko-Nenetsky village Soviet was renamed into Sidorovsky, Tazovsko-Selkupsky village Soviet - into Tolkinsky, and Tymsko-Karakonsky - into Krasnoselkupsky.

Now Krasnoselkup is quite a modern township with architecture and planning inherent to it. The names of the streets are permeated with the spirit of heroic times of exploration pioneers: Geologorazvedchikov, Stroiteley, Komsomolskaya, Vostochnaya, Berezovaya... In those days it was just a small township, where 351 people lived. Its main part was situated on the river bank. It had two streets of about 600 meters long each. Not far away from the bank there was a boarding house, an eight-year public school, a fishing cooperative society, a fishery plant, a regional newspaper, and regional committees of the party and Komsomol. 1978 became a year of rapid construction, Krasnoselkupskaya oil-and-gas exploration expedition got to work. Then the most affluent reserves of hydrocarbonates were discovered.

The oldest settlement of the region is considered to be Sidorovsk. This village emerged in 1863 close to the place where Mangazeya had used to be. The name was given to it after the gold mines owner Sidorov, who sponsored expeditions. One of those, headed by Yu.M. Kushelevsky, based Pier Sidorovskaya on the place of a fishermen camping ground.

Late in the 60s, after sovkhozes came to be bigger, Sidorovsk inhabitants moved to Krasnoselkup to live. Now there are fewer than 10 people left in Sidorovsk, these are basically elderly people and youngsters who haven't found their way in a large town.

Taiga Ratta is the most remote spot of the region. In pre-war years it used to be the largest settlement, which had three kolkhozes, a fishing cooperative society, a store, radio- and meteorological stations.

In the 50s there were 65 households and 286 people lived here. Now the figures are approximately the same. No reforms or changes in the country could influence these people's lifestyle. Ratta is a special world where even time flows differently. It simply slowed down. Little has changed here since the middle of last century. It is the raciest, the most unusual, and steadiest village. Moreover, Ratta is the beginning of Verkhne-Tazovsky reserve, which has existed for 17 years already. Its square counts 631,000 ha. It is among the top ten biggest reserves in Russia. On its territory there are 34 registered species of mammals, 550 species of insects, and 180 species of birds. A lot of representatives of fauna are in the Red Data Book. Apart from environment-oriented and research activities, the reserve staff carry out environmental educational work.

Since last year, according to the district target programs, the region has started reviving agriculture and traditional industries. Especially this is true about sovkhoz Polyarny. Trading stations are revived as well. Besides, to increase employment among the indigenous population and encourage the quickest self-sufficiency, a sovkhoz store and a tailoring workshop were set up. Any person willing to buy felts, or fur hats, or various souvenirs can purchase them from the sovkhoz craftspeople. The revival of sovkhoz households is directly connected with revival of traditional crafts, which means it is going to give rise to the Renaissance of traditional culture of indigenous people of the North. From this year on, on the initiative of Ratta inhabitants, they started celebrating The Day of a Reindeer Breeder, Fisherman, and Hunter, which was not celebrated for many years.

Economy and social life of Krasnoselkupsky region

The contemporary history of the terrain is marked with a discovery of carbohydrates reserves. Far in 1978 Krasnoselkupskaya oil-and-gas exploration expedition got down to their investigation; in the early 90s of last century there were two geophysical parties working in the region, which were situated in the townships of Krasnoselkup and Tolka. In spite of the fact that the earth's interior is not explored well enough yet, we can already say that the volume of explored oil reserves counts 215,644 thousand tons, condensate - 255,840 thousand tons, gas - 1,700,800 million cubic meters. 25 deposits have been opened, most of which are ready for being utilized. Oil and gas virgin lands are the future of the extremely attractive for business and investments taiga region.

Today the basic tax deductibles to the region budget are provided by Rosneft-Purneftegaz. No wonder that the development of oil industry of Krasnoselkupsky region started from its west, from Purovsky region, where oil industry workers have settled down and created a well-developed infrastructure. The big Kharampurskoye deposit is successfully exploited. In 2003 Kynskoye deposit was found (Chaselskaya group); this year development holes have been drilled at Fakhirovskoye deposit. 3.5 million tons of the black gold per year are planned to be extracted here. Oil was supposed to be the major thing to be extracted here, but gas and condensate reserves happened to be richer. However, in the south of the region there is a very prospective group of deposits, where technical reserves are 1.5 million tons of oil per year.

There is a huge Yuzhno-Russkoye gas deposit waiting in the wings, where according to calculations, it is possible to extract 25 billion cubic meters per year.

Conditions for subsurface use keep changing: gas extraction was supposed to start in 2000, and then it was postponed till 2004, now it is going to start in 2007. Now the license for the deposit belongs to a recently set up enterprise Severneftegazprom. For a dynamic development of the region, it is necessary to create an infrastructure for a gas complex - pipelines, electric power lines, hard top roads. There are some ways of solving global problems of development of oil-and-gas provinces.

Saint-Petersburg scientists have worked out a conception of the long-term territory development, according to which the notorious Stalin railway will be renovated. The Stalin railway will be restored in Republic of Komi, and then the rail-track will cross the regions of Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District - from Novy Urengoy to Yuzhno-Russkoye deposit and further through Krasnoselkup to Igarka. Rosneft-Purneftegaz has already started developing oil deposits of Krasnoyarsk Territory; very rich diggings have been found here. According to preliminary calculations by specialists, up to 8.5 million tons of oil per year will be extracted in seven or eight years. Oil, in accordance with this scheme, will go from Kynskoye deposit through Krasnoselkupsky region to Kharampur.

The question of construction of public surfaced roads in the region is under consideration at the moment. To specialists' point of view, the best solution is to bring the already existing gathering highways together into one united network (Urengoy - Yuzhno-Russkoye deposit, Chaselskaya group of deposits with a pass over the river Taz). This construction project would require the attraction of not only district investments, but finances of quite solvent companies-subsoil users, too. Building of fundamental roads is inevitable - that is only a matter of time:

The region industry is represented with two large enterprises so far: Krasnoselkupsky Logging Enterprise in Tolka and Mangazeya Oil Company. The Logging Enterprise is a socially crucial facility for the region. It was the starting point of the township. In pre-perestroika years the enterprise capacity was about 100,000 cubic meters of timber per year. Now it has gone down several orders lower. It used to provide the entire region with boards, cant, and millwork.

The region administration has now put forward a proposal to create a state enterprise. At the moment there is such an enterprise - Lesa Yamala, one of whose founders was the region itself. In prospect, the company is going to work for the district, supplying other regions with timber and millwork. Besides, there is partnership experience with neighbors: last year Purovsky region became the key customer of the Logging Enterprise - both in supplies of goods and in construction of housing buildings. Also, partnership with Tazovsky region is starting to outline; there are a lot of villages with indigenous population who also need goods of advanced timber processing. 150 inhabitants of Tolka work for the logging enterprise; the developing production will, undoubtedly, bring new working places.

Mangazeya Oil Company supplies the region with boiler and heating fuel, and fuels and lubricants. There is also an idea to create, on the basis of Mangazeya, a service enterprise for servicing and maintenance of gas equipment for extraction, transportation, and delivery of fuel to populated areas. Soon the boilers of the region center are going to switch to gas, which has already been laid on. After that, Tolka is going to be provided with gas supply; there is Akatymskoye gas deposit 38 kilometers away from it. Construction of gas-diesel electric power station in Krasnoselkup is also one of the projects to launch. In prospect, it will bring about high retrenchment of critical liquid hydrocarbons. Agricultural enterprises are socially important for the region; among these are sovkhoz Tolkinsky and municipal unitary enterprise Sovkhoz Polyarny, municipal unitary enterprise Tolka-Agro, which is in a formative stage at the moment. They are providing goods for preschool institutions and hospitals in our villages. Besides, agriculture involves a big part of indigenous population.

Great efforts have been made to get sovkhoz started. Currently, people, mainly Selkups, are busy with traditional trades - hunting, fishing, animal breeding, they are absorbing vegetable farming and raising pigs and other cattle. Local people get workplaces from OJSC Alkor, OJSC Dary Prirody and recreated community Lozyl-to, the township of Tolka. A lot of attention has been recently paid to construction in the region. Old wooden buildings, both apartment houses and social support facilities, wear out with time. Despite the fact that some people leave the district, new young families are born, those planning to live here. Thus, the need for accommodation is growing.

So far, a child health center has been opened, the only building to be thoroughly constructed, and a church of St. Martyr Vasily Mangazeysky in Krasnoselkup. Also, the major works on the indoor market site have been completed. The program Moving Out from Dilapidated and Dangerous to Use Accommodation is encouraging rapid construction of a 48-apartment house; there is intense construction work on a maternity department, laboratories, schools - everything should again be thoroughly constructed.

In 2004 three new detached houses in the sovkhoz were moved in. The municipal unitary enterprise Sovkhoz Polyarny got a new feed-processing building.

Two six-apartment houses are planned to be constructed, as well as construction completion of a new school in the region center. The school will have 3 storeys, and will be thoroughly constructed in accordance with modern requirements. The project is under the care of LLC SPO Promgrazhdanstroy. The school, meant for 500 students, will be able to handle 890 students in two shifts; it is going to have a sports gym, an assembly hall, and fully equipped classrooms. On top of that, there is a total of 40 million rubles allocated for a construction of a new school meant for 500 students in the region center this year.

Today, the key task is a total completion of the construction of gas pipeline Chernichnoye deposit - Krasnoselkup.

Aiming at keeping the traditional lifestyle, the administration encourages more active integration of indigenous people into modern social and economic processes.

At present, it is necessary to provide employment of indigenous people not only in the spheres of traditional management. Quite recently the region opened Crafts Center, which unites master hands of arts and crafts, mainly indigenous people. At their call, there are latest technologies for each kind of folk arts.

Priority is given to bringing up national human resources: school leavers are educated at universities and colleges at the cost of the region budget. Presently, schools have Selkup teachers, their own medical workers and culture-social workers.

Keeping and developing the Selkup language is one of priorities for today. It is being worked on. For example, Selkup programs by television company Alyans are watched by not only locals, but also by newly arrived people.

At the end of last year Prosvescheniye Publishing House (Saint-Petersburg) published The Book for a Selkup School Teacher, authors are S.I. Irikov and our schools' teachers - O.K. Bychkova, M.K. Morokova, А.А. Khozova, О.I. Boyakina.

Children are taught their native language only in elementary school so far. However, the language is changing and we cannot talk about the lack of live Selkup speech in villages, at trading stations, etc.

Paraphrasing Mihkail Lomonosov, let's say: not only oil and gas will contribute to the growth of Krasnoselkup region. There are endless reserves of bioresources here, fishing resources in particular. About 7 million hectares of forest are waiting to be brought under. Scientists from 13 countries, having carried out monitoring of this ecologically pure territory, have come to the conclusion that it is necessary to construct a research center in this unique place. The region has huge potential for the development of tourism. There are people willing to visit the site of the legendary Mangazeya, the historical outdoor monument - the unforgettable GULAG building, to get to know the folklore and customs of the aboriginal population, to take part in a northern safari or to go fishing. No wonder the region happened to be in the Atlas of International Tourist Routes. Tourism infrastructure is planned to be developed here. Welcome to the hospitable land of Krasnoselkupsky region!

The Head of the municipality of Krasnoselkupsky region
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Melnikov
Telephone numbers: (34932)2-12-01, 2-14-01

The administration e-mail: official@selkup.ru
fax: (34932) 2-11-02, 2-24-92.