Mental maps of the northern towns of Yakutia (Verkhoyansk and Srednekolymsk): socio-cognitive approach

The aim of the paper is to identify images of the northern towns of Yakutia (Verkhoyansk and Sred-nekolymsk) through mental maps and to create cognitive maps using geographic information systems (GIS) for the development of territories and tourist routes. The method of mental map, expert survey, GIS technology map are applied. The study found that the specificity of the image of Verkhoyansk lies in its positioning as a pole of cold from a scientific point of view. The image of Srednekolymsk is presented as a town of development of the North by Russian Cossacks, as a historical town on the Kolyma River. Symbols of suffering occupy key positions in the socio-cognitive map, in particular, the vivid expression of places of memory of the events of the Civil War, the Great Patriotic War, as well as the importance of the role of political exiles in the development of northern towns. It is concluded that the modeling the images of provincial towns using GIS technologies through the correlation of natural landscapes and historical and cultural monuments as symbols allows us to identify the socio-economic component of these areas. The developed maps systematize and structure the tourist and recreational potential of the northern towns of Yakutia, which contributes to their socio-economic development.