Magadan

Magadan
Магадан
Magadan seen from the local mountains
Anthem: none
Interactive map of Magadan
Magadan
Location of Magadan
Magadan
Magadan (Magadan Oblast)
Coordinates: 59°34′N 150°48′E / 59.567°N 150.800°E / 59.567; 150.800
CountryRussia
Federal subjectMagadan Oblast
Founded1929
Town status sinceJuly 14, 1939
Government
 • BodyTown Duma
 • Head/MayorAndrey Popov (Head),

Larisa Olegovna Polikanova (Mayor)

Area
 • Total
295 km2 (114 sq mi)
Elevation
70 m (230 ft)
Population
 • Total
95,982
 • Estimate 
(2025)
89,193 (−7.1%)
 • Rank178th in 2010
 • Density325/km2 (843/sq mi)
 • Subordinated totown of oblast significance of Magadan
 • Capital ofMagadan Oblast, town of oblast significance of Magadan
 • Urban okrugMagadan Urban Okrug
 • Capital ofMagadan Urban Okrug
Time zoneUTC+11 (MSK+8 )
Postal codes
685000–685005, 685007, 685017, 685021, 685024, 685030–685031, 685098–685099, 685700, 685960–685961
Dialing code+7 4132
OKTMO ID44701000001
Town DayJuly 14; observed on the
third Saturday of July
Websitewww.magadangorod.ru

Magadan (Russian: Магадан, IPA: [məɡɐˈdan]) is a port town and the administrative centre of Magadan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the isthmus of the Staritsky Peninsula by the Nagaev Bay; it serves as a gateway to the Kolyma region.

Magadan, founded in 1929, was a major transit centre for political prisoners during the Stalin era and the administrative centre of the Dalstroy forced-labor gold mining operation. The town later served as a port for exporting gold and other metals. Magadan plays a significant role in transportation with the Port of Magadan and Sokol Airport.

The local economy relies on gold mining and fisheries, although gold production has declined. The town has various cultural institutions and religious establishments, such as the Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Roman Catholic Church of the Nativity. The Mask of Sorrow memorial commemorates Stalin's victims. Magadan experiences a subarctic climate with prolonged and cold winters, causing the soil to remain permanently frozen.