Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg; alternative spelling: Ekaterinburg or Jekaterinburg (Екатеринбург) is a city in Russia, in 1924-1991 known as Sverdlovsk (Свердловск), which lies on the Asian side of the Ural mountain range. It is a major manufacturing site and, at 1,3 million (2002), Russia's fifth largest city.
History
The city was founded in 1723 and named after tsar Peter the Great's wife Yekaterina. It was renamed to Sverdlovsk after the a Bolshevik party leader and Soviet official Yakov Sverdlov.
Soon after the Russian Revolution Tsar Nicholas II his wife, Alexandra, and their children Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Tsarevich Alexei were executed by Bolsheviks in this city.
There was an anthrax outbreak in Yekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) in April and May 1979, which was attributed by Soviet officials to the locals eating contaminated meat. However, American agencies believes that the locals inhaled spores accidentally released from an aerosol of pathogen at a military microbiology facility.
Geography
Yekaterinburg is situated 1,667 km (1,036 mi.) east of Moscow.
Economy
The city produces much heavy machinery, steel, chemicals, tires, and petroleum. Gem cutting is a well-developed light industry.
Education
The city is the leading cultural center of the Urals and has numerous institutions of higher education, including the Urals A.M. Gorky State University (founded 1920), a conservatory, and polytechnic, mining, forestry, agricultural, law, medical, and teacher-training institutes. The Urals branch of the Academy of Sciences and many scientific-research establishments are also located there.
Transportation
Yekaterinburg is an important railway junction, with lines radiating to all parts of the Urals and the rest of Russia. As the economic slump subsides, several European airlines started or resumed flying to the city. These include Lufthansa, British Airways, Malev, CSA Czech Airlines and Finnair.
