Klyuchi () is a rural locality (a settlement) in Ust-Kamchatsky District of Kamchatka Krai, Russia, located on the Kamchatka River, to the north of Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano. It had a population of a marked decrease from that of the population at its peak numbered
Geography The settlement is located near the point where the course of the Kamchatka River turns from north to east.
History Klyuchi was founded in 1731. It was granted urban-type settlement status in 1951, and town status in 1979. In 2004, it was demoted to a rural locality in order to become eligible for increased funding from the Russian federal budget.
Military Klyuchi, being in a very isolated part of the former Soviet Union, has been near an intercontinental ballistic missile testing range since the Cold War, the Kura Missile Test Range, and is served by Klyuchi air base just southwest of the town. Klyuchi's original airfield consisted of a dirt airstrip and was located east-southeast of the town. It was abandoned in the 1960sDETAILED REPORT OF KLYUCHI COMPLEX, USSR, September 26, 1963 (Top Secret, declassified June 8, 2000), Central Intelligence Agency, Washington D.C., 1963. and is being reclaimed by forest.
Transportation There is a road connecting Klyuchi to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. Driving, according to Google Maps, can take as long as several hours.
Climate Klyuchi has a typical subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), albeit with slight early dry-summer precipitation patterns. Summers are generally mild and rainy with cool nights, while winters are long, cold, and very snowy. Due to Klyuchi being located in the interior, the maritime influence is less than for Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the nearest coastal locality of Ust-Kamchatsk.
References
External links Unofficial website of Klyuchi