Orotukan (Russian: Оротука́н) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Yagodninsky District of Magadan Oblast, Russia, located in the Kolyma region about 300 kilometers (190 mi) north of Magadan, on the right bank of the Orotukan River (a tributary of the Kolyma).

[5] In 1931, as geologists found gold reserves in the valleys of the Kolyma region, they built a camp on the river close to present location of Orotukan.

It received its name from the river, whose name came from the Yakut word өртөөһүн (örtööhün) meaning small burnt meadow or forest area.

From 1935, a camp in the regional section of the gulag system operated by Dalstroy was located here.

[7] The settlement lies on the M56 Kolyma Highway, which runs from Magadan through Susuman in the northwestern part of Magadan Oblast and onto Yakutsk, although the road is only completely passable during winter when the rivers en route are frozen.