THE PORT OF KOLA

Evening Star, Issue 16911, 7 December 1918, Page 9

THE PORT OF KOLA

The I?u ! sinn port of Kola and the Murrnan crai't generally ep-.ang Into prominence recently in connection with the allied campaign against iho Gormans and Bolihovikj in North Russia. Kola is situated at the

I junction of the Kola and Tulor.m Rivers Before tho war it had only about 600 inhabitant’, according to a war'geography bulletin of the Xa ional Geographical Society. Prior to the collapse of all organised governments j in Russia, however, it laid become a place of great importance because of iho fact that its harbor is relatively free from ice all the i year, thanks to its location on tho Murman ; coast, which is tempered by the North Atlantic drift. Kola is about 25 miles south cf ! Akxaadrovsk, the Russian naval base established 19 years ago, five miles from the mouth of Kola Bay. In peace time's tho chief occupation of the poop if of Kola is fishing, which is profitably foll-wcd by the natives* from Mav io Ausust. Kola is well within tho Arctic Circle, beiim iu latitude fiSdcg 52min. Id is 335 miles norih-wc-t of Archangel, tho great White Sea, port of Russia. Tho peninsula of Kola constitutes the major part of what, is known as Russian Lapland. It is bounded on tho north by the Arctic Ocean and on the couth by tire While Sea. Id is largely a plateau, having an average elevation of 1,000 feet. Tho Arctic chore, extending a distance of 260 miloi, is known as tho Murman cruet (a corruption of ” Norman ”). It presents a rutrged appearance, with cliffs rising abruptly from the sea to a heigh: of neatly 70Cft in many places. There a.o several indentations, how. ever, where . exocSont anchorage may be found. One of tliate breaks iu the granite line is Kola Bay. ° The month at July In ihi- region is usually quite wa;m, and' Iho crops mature rapidly, ; tho time of harvest being August, which is also the rainy month. Winter settles clown | over tbo peninsula in November. The Kok and Tuloma are two of tiro many rivers which flow into the Arctic. There aro also several largo streams, which drain the southern half of the peninsula and flow into the White Sea, i