Magadan, city (1989 pop. 152,000), capital of Magadan region, Russian Far East, a port on the Sea of Okhotsk. Ship building and fishing are major industries. Magadan is connected with a port (navigable from May to December) and a major airport. A highway leads from Magadan to the gold-mining region on the upper Kolyma River. During the Stalin era, it was a major transit center for prisoners being sent to labor camps.