Chukotsky District

Chukotsky District (Russian: Чуко́тский райо́н, Čukótskiy rayón; Chukchi: Чукоткакэн район, Čukotkakèn rajon) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the six in Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia. It is the easternmost district of the autonomous okrug and Russia, and the closest part of Russia to the United States. It borders with the Chukchi Sea in the north, the Bering Sea in the east, Providensky District in the south, and the Kolyuchinskaya Bay in the west. The area of the district is 30,700 square kilometers (11,900 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality (a selo) of Lavrentiya. Population: 4,995 (2021 census); 4,838 (2010 census); 4,541 (2002 census); 6,878 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Lavrentiya accounts for 30.2% of the district's total population.

The district is populated mainly by indigenous peoples, the majority being either Chukchi or Yupik. The sparse nature of the population means that this is the only district in the autonomous okrug without any urban localities. The selo of Uelen is located in the district, which is a focal point for indigenous artwork of the region as a whole and the birthplace of Yuri Rytkheu, the first internationally recognized Chukchi writer.