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Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk, an administrative centre of the Arkhangelsk Region, was founded in 1584 on the order of the Tsar Ivan the Terrible. It is situated mostly on the right bank of the Northern Dvina River and on the numerous islands in its mouth; the city stretches for about 40 km. The most famous among the12 large islands is Solombala. The name is derived from Karelian word «solenba» which means ‘boggy island’. The area of the municipality «The city of Arkhangelsk» is 29442 hectares.
The climate in the city longitude is sub-arctic, marine, with a long winter and a short cool summer. It is influenced by the Northern seas and the huge air masses from the Atlantic Ocean; the sun radiation is small. The average January temperature is 13 degrees below zero, the average July temperature is 17 degrees. Annually we have 529 mm of precipitation.
The city population is 364 700 people by 01.01.2001.
Arkhangelsk is a large research and industrial centre in the north-west of Russia. Here wood-working, wood chemistry, pulp-and-paper, fish-processing, machine-building, microbiology industrial enterprises are concentrated. 7700 enterprises are registered in the city, 2200 of them are large productions. The leading role belongs to the wood and timber industries. Wood enterprises make more than 40 % of the whole amount of produce of the city. Timber, cardboard, pulp, as well as fish, are still the basics of Arkhangelsk trade with other regions of Russia and western countries.
Arkhangeslk of our days is not only the largest sea port in the North, but a complex transportation junction connected to other regions of Russia by air, railway and automobile.
200 educational institutions work in Arkhangelsk today, as well as 18 municipal public health institutions.
Arkhangelsk is by right considered the largest research centre in the Russian North. Graduates from the Pomor State University, the Northern State Medical University, the State Technical University, of the oldest in Russia Merchant Marine School are working in many regions of the country. There are academic institutes of ecological problems of the North and ecological physiology of man, the Urals Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, research institutes of wood and agriculture, the Northern Branch of the Polar Research Institute of Fishery and Oceanography.
Cultural life in contemporary Arkhangelsk is very rich and diverse. There are three theatres in the city, the Pomor Philharmonic Society with a wonderful organ hall, a huge research library of more than 2 million books. Arkhangelsk is proud of its famous museums, their general collection numbers more than 500 thousand items. The State Academic Northern Russian Folk Choir, Singing and Dancing Ensemble «Siverko», the Arkhangelsk Chamber Orchestra are well known in Russia and abroad.
Arkhangelsk is a firework of colours and festivals! The city hosted the International Cinema Festival «Sozvezdiye» and the Television Films Festival «Spolokhi», The Folklore Festival «The Pearl of the North», and Theatre Festival «European Spring» , festivals of jazz and classical music, world championships in bandy and thaekvon-do. When the repeated champion of Russia and the winner of European championships bandy team «Vodnik» is playing it becomes a grandiose celebration of the Russian hockey.
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