Mogocha

Mogocha (Russian: Могоча; IPA: [mɐˈgotɕə]) is a town and the administrative center of Mogochinsky District in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Mogocha and Amazar Rivers, 709 kilometers (441 mi) northeast of Chita, the administrative center of the krai. Population: 13,258 (2010 Census); 13,282 (2002 Census); 17,847 (1989 Census).

Etymology

The name "Mogocha" is derived from the river on which it stands, whose name comes from the Evenki word mongochi. This meaning of this word is ambiguous; it can be translated as golden valley, but also as belonging to the Mongo tribe.

History

It was founded in 1910, with the construction of the local section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Rail traffic began in 1914. In addition to its status as a supply point for the railway, from the 1920s and 1930s it became the base for gold mining in the surrounding area. Town status was granted to it in 1950.

From 1947 until 1953, Mogocha was site for the Klyuchevlag prison labor camp of the gulag system. The camp held up to 3,000 prisoners at any one time, mainly used as forced labor for molybdenum and gold mining in the villages to the southwest of the town.