Kemerovo

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For the pig, see Kemerovo (pig).

Kemerovo (Russian: Ке́мерово) is an industrial city in Russia, situated on the Tom River, east-northeast of Novosibirsk. It is the administrative center of Kemerovo Oblast, located in the major coal mining region of the Kuznetsk Basin. Population: 532,884 (2010 Census preliminary results); 484,754 (2002 Census); 520,263 (1989 Census).

The city is served by the Kemerovo International Airport.

Geography and economy

The city is located 3,482 kilometers (2,164 mi) east of Moscow at the confluence of the Iskitim and Tom Rivers. It is an important industrial city developed during Soviet times with important chemical, fertilizer, and manufacturing industries and is linked to western Russia by a branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the city's industries have experienced a severe decline, creating high levels of unemployment.

Kemerovo's position gives it a continental climate with average temperatures varying between −18 °C (−0 °F) in January to +20 °C (68 °F) in July and relatively low precipitation of around 420 millimeters (17 in) annually.

History

Kemerovo is an amalgamation of, and successor to, several older Russian settlements. A waypoint named Verkhotomsky ostrog was established nearby in 1657 on a road from Tomsk to Kuznetsk fortress. In 1701, the settlement of Shcheglovo was founded on the left bank of the Tom; soon it became a village. By 1859, seven villages existed on the area of the modern Kemerovo: Shcheglovka (or Ust-Iskitimskoye), Kemerovo (named in 1734), Yevseyevo, Krasny Yar, Kur-Iskitim (Pleshki), Davydovo (Ishanovo), and Borovaya. In 1721, coal was discovered in the area. The first coal mines were established in 1907 and a chemical works was established in 1916. By 1917, the population of Shcheglovo had grown to around 4,000 people.

The area's further development was boosted by building a railway between Yurga and Kolchugino (now Leninsk-Kuznetsky) with a connection between Topki and Shcheglovo. Shcheglovo was granted town status in 1918, which is now considered to be the date of Kemerovo's founding. In 1932, Shcheglovsk was renamed Kemerovo and became the center of Kemerovo Oblast in 1943.

Administrative and municipal status

Administratively, it is incorporated as Kemerovo City Under Oblast Jurisdiction—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. Municipally, Kemerovo City Under Oblast Jurisdiction is incorporated as Kemerovsky Urban Okrug.

Education

Five higher education institutions are located in Kemerovo: Kemerovo State University, Kuzbass State Technical University, Kemerovo State Medical Academy, Kemerovo State Art Institute, Kemerovo Agricultural Institute and Kuzbass Economy and Justice Institute.

Sports

The public interest for bandy is the biggest in Russia. 26,000 watched the opening game of the 2011-2012 Russian Bandy League against Dynamo Moscow and Kuzbass is among the very best in the Russian Bandy League. The 2007 Bandy World Championship was held in the city. Female bandy only exists in a few places in Russia. Now Kemerovo is about to start it up. Kemerovo has the first indoor arena in Russia only used for bandy. Kuzbass plays the matches in the league at Khimik Stadium because of the big public interest.

Yeti claims

In October 2011, Kemerovo administrators announced that they had "indisputable proof" that mountains in the region were inhabited by Yeti.^[11]

Notable people

• Yuri Arbachakov, boxer
• Andreas Beck, association football player
• Marina Domashenko, opera singer
• Vyacheslav Ivanenko, retired race walker
• Andrei Panin, actor, director
• Masha Rasputina, singer

Honorable citizens

• Alexey Leonov, cosmonaut

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

Twin towns and sister cities

Kemerovo is twinned with: