Russian version (CP1251)

Noone knows the exact date of the first stage inhabiting the Kola Peninsula. But they used to think, that Saami came to the Kola Peninsula and northern Scandinavia in ancient times (approximately 8 ths. years BC) from the regions of Ladozhskoe and Onezhskoe lakes. At that time saami led nomad way of life, mainly it was fishing and hunting for sea and fur-bearing animals.

In XII-XIX the number of residents sufficiently increased by alien population. The first alien people, having come from neighbouring regions, were mainly the inhabitants of Russian Novgorod feudal republic. They established producers' settlements, which were gradually occupied by permanent dwellers.

In XV-XVI in the Kola Peninsula there were formed some settlements, inhabited by alien people: Umba, Varzuga, Kandalaksha and Kola.

In 1887 there happened a great reindeers' loss in the White sea region, Komi-izhemtsi together with Nenets, working as shepherds, moved in the Kola Peninsula from the Kanin Peninsula. They came with the rest of their herds and inhabited the Lovozero grave yard.

In 1899 there came to living the Alexandrovsk town with military population.

By late XIX the region was inhabited by Saami, Russian, Finnish, Norwegian, Komi and Nenets people. Totally alien population predominated sufficiently. According to the data on the total number of people, living in the Kola North by the 29th of January 1897, the population accounted for 9183, including 1724 Saami.

Besides permanent population, seasonal people inhabited the Peninsula too, mainly, fishmen. Annually pomors from the Zimniy, Mezensk, Kanansk, Letniy, Onezhsk and Karelia of the White sea coast came to Murman for seasonal fishing.

By the middle of XIX, annually, about 1500 fishmen from Pomor area came to Murman. By that time there were founded 20 settlements.

In 1913 the Peninsula was populated by 10.8 ths. of people. In the towns of Alexandrovsk and Kola there lived 627 and 684 inhabitants, respectively.

The rest part of population lived in settlements, scattered all over the coast of the Barents and White seas. Internal regions were less inhabited.

Further increase of population was brought about constructing the Murmansk railway and a new town in the coast of unfreezing Kola bay. By 1917 the population of Romanov-on-Murman (Murmansk today) accounted for 3-4 ths.

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