Ust-Maya

Ust-Maya (Russian: Усть-Ма́я; Yakut: Уус Маайа) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Ust-Maysky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located on the north bank of the Aldan River opposite the mouth of the Maya River, southeast of Yakutsk, the capital of the republic. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 2,293.

History

Ust-Maya was founded in 1930 as a base for gold mining activities on the Allakh-Yun and Yudoma Rivers to the east. It became the administrative center of the newly created Ust-Maysky District in 1931. During World War II, an airfield was built here for the Alaska-Siberian air route used to ferry American Lend-Lease aircraft to the Eastern Front. In 1957, Ust-Maya was granted urban-type settlement status. In 1972, the administrative center of the district was moved to Solnechny, where it remained until 1992, when it was moved back to Ust-Maya.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, the urban-type settlement of Ust-Maya serves as the administrative center of Ust-Maysky District. As an administrative division, it is, together with one rural locality (the selo of Ust-Yudoma), incorporated within Ust-Maysky District as the Settlement of Ust-Maya. As a municipal division, the Settlement of Ust-Maya is incorporated within Ust-Maysky Municipal District as Ust-Maya Urban Settlement.