Bilibino, Administrative center in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia
Bilibino is a mining settlement in the easternmost part of Chukotka, where the Karalveyem and Bolshoy Keperveyem rivers meet. The town sits at 274 meters elevation, surrounded by treeless tundra and low hills that turn green during the short summer and freeze solid through the long winter months.
The discovery of gold veins in the early 1950s brought miners and engineers to this remote area, and a small settlement formed around the mining operations. In 1993 the place officially became a town, after the economy shifted toward the nearby nuclear plant built decades earlier.
The name honors geologist Yuri Bilibin, who mapped gold deposits across this region during the early 1930s. Today Russian, Ukrainian, Chukchi and Even residents live together here, adapted to the rhythms and demands of Arctic life.
The local Keperveyem Airport offers connections to larger towns, while road traffic operates mainly in summer when routes thaw. Most supplies and goods arrive during the short warm months, and visitors should prepare for cold, windy weather and long nights through the winter season.
The local nuclear plant supplies power to the entire region and has operated for decades as the northernmost facility of its kind on Earth. Operators now work on plans to replace the aging reactors with smaller modular units better suited to extreme conditions.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
