Shakhtyorsk
town in Russia
Shakhtyorsk (Russian: Шахтёрск; Japanese: 塔路, Tōro) is a town in Uglegorsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the western coast of the Sakhalin Island, 376 kilometers (234 mi) northwest of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 8,382 (2010 census); 10,643 (2002 census); 12,945 (1989 Soviet census).
Etymology
The name of the town derives from the Russian word "шахтёр" ("miner"), referring to the black coal production in the surrounding area.
History
It was founded after 1905 as Tōro, in the region then known as the Karafuto Prefecture of Japan. After the Soviet Union gained control over the southern part of the Sakhalin Island in August 1945, it became part of Sakhalin Oblast. It was granted town status and given its present name in 1947.
Administrative and municipal status
Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with four rural localities, incorporated within Uglegorsky District as the town of district significance of Shakhtyorsk. As a municipal division, the town of district significance of Shakhtyorsk is incorporated within Uglegorsky Municipal District as Shakhtyorskoye Urban Settlement.
Economy
The town's economy relies mainly on black coal mining, which supports a power station.
Notable people
Yuri Aleksandrovich Yakimov (born 28 February 1953, Shakhtyorsk) is a Russian rower who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Shakhtyorsk” is town in Russia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Shakhtyorsk, town and Russia, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “town in Russia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 16, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q198197. The Library of Congress control number is n97120851. Authority coordinates are 49.150, 142.100. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2010, 2002, 1989 and 1905.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Shakhtyorsk”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Shakhtyorsk primary sources, Shakhtyorsk archive and Shakhtyorsk research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Shakhtyorsk”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Shakhtyorsk” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.