| The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. |
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| Solovetski Islands |
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(s lvy t´sk ) (KEY) , archipelago, c.150 sq mi (390 sq km), N European Russia, in the White Sea at the entrance of Onega Bay. A monastery, built in the first half of the 15th cent., is on the largest island. It was used as a military fortress against Sweden in the 16th and 17th cent., and the early settlement and economic development of the Karelo-Murmansk area was from there. From the reign of Ivan IV until 1956 the islands were a dreaded place of exile for criminals and for political and religious prisoners. Solovetski forced-labor camps produced lumber, peat, and building stone. The islands were declared a natural and historical preserve in 1974. |
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| | | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2007 Columbia University Press. |
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