Mariupol Ukraine Information

Mariupol or, sometimes, Mariupolis (Ukrainian: Маріуполь, pronounced [mariˈupʌlʲ]; Russian: Мариу́поль; Greek: Μαριούπολη), formerly known as Zhdanov (Ukrainian and Russian: Жда́нов), is a port city in southeastern Ukraine. It is located on the coast of the Azov Sea, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Mariupol is the largest city in Priazovye - a geographical region around Azov Sea, divided by Russia and Ukraine - and is also a popular sea resort. Administratively, the city is located in the Donetsk oblast and historically formed a part of the broader Donbas region. As of June 1, 2010, the city population stood at 490,063 people.

Mariupol is an important industrial centre and seaport. Two of its steel mills - Ilyich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal - are among the largest in the country and make up a significant part of Ukraine's total exports.[citation needed] «Azovmash», a machine-building concern, located in Mariupol, is the largest company of its kind in Ukraine. Overall, Mariupol industry accounts for 37.5% of Donetsk oblast's total exports and about 7.0% of all Ukraine's exports.

From 1948 to 1989 the city was named Zhdanov in honor of Andrei Zhdanov and has historically had a relatively large Greek minority

Ethnic Structure - Ukrainians make less than half of the population of the city; the second greatest ethnicity of Mariupol is Russian. Other peoples include Greeks, Jews, Armenians, and Belarusians etc. The city home to the largest Greek population in Ukraine ("Greeks of Priazovye"): 21,900, with 31,400 more in the 6 nearby rural areas, totaling to about 70% of the Greek population of the area and 60% for the country.

History

The territory on which Mariupol is situated started being settled down from the earliest times. The following archaeological monuments give evidences to it: Neolithic burial ground, burial mounds of the copper-bronze epoch tribes and the Scythian and the Sarmatians times. In the middle of XVIII century Zaporozhean Cossacks raised a sentry post in the mouth of the Kalmius. After the Azov region had been joined to Russia Pavlovsk was founded here in 1778. In two years the city was settled by Greeks – the migrants from the Crimea. Since that time it has been called Mariupol.

Before the revolution Mariupol had been the main town of the Mariupol County in the Novorossiysk district, Mariupol Greek county of Taganrog district, Mariupol county of Jekaterinoslavskaya district.

The citizens pursued a trade, but the main profit was produced by the income from commercial grain trading. In 1882 a railway branch was lead up to Mariupol; in 1889 a new commercial seaport was built. Consular posts of Italy, France, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, Greece, Germany, Spain and others were opened.

At the end of XIX century two metallurgical plants - of Nokopol-Mariupol community and «Russian Providence» were built near Mariupol on Russian-Belgium and Russian-French ownership capital. The city turned into important industrial and transport centre of the South of Russia. If at the end of XVIII century the population was about 3 thousand people, in 1917 there were already 97 thousand 300 citizens.

Mariupol was the religious centre of the region. In its orthodox cathedrals the relics brought by Greeks from the Crimea were kept, among them the Byzantian icon of XI c. "Saint George with hagiology" (now it is kept at the National Museum of Ukrainian Art in Kyiv). Several synagogues, Catholic and Lutheran churches acted in the city. The gymnasiums – a men's gymnasium a three women's ones – brought up the local brainpower. Since 1878 the Mariupol theatre has been acting. The natives of Mariupol are a great landscapist A.I. Kuindzhi, the founder of the first Institute of psychology in Russia a philosopher G.I. Chelpanov, a fine art expert D.V. Ainalov, ophthalmologist M.I. Averbach, a geneticist and breeder M.I. Khadzhinov and others.

The shocks at the beginning of XX century - industrial recession, sharp social stratification - lead to a movement of workers in the city. On the 30th of December the Soviet regime was established in Mariupol by armed forces. The aftermath of the Civil War lay on the economy of the region as a heavy burden. The most of plants and establishment were inactive. The difficult situation in the region was worsened by the famine, waves of typhoid epidemic, cholera, and malaria.

In the 1930s the old industrial plants in Mariupol were not only reconstructed but also a more powerful metallurgical plant - «Azovstal» was built.

Since 1932 Mariupol is the city of regional sub ordinance of the Donetsk region. The citizens of Mariupol faced hardship during 1941–1943. 700 days of occupation, famine, arrests and executions by a firing squad, deportation to slave labor to Germany... Five days continued the fights for liberation of the city. The sad result of war troubled years was ruin and depopulation – there were no more than 85 thousand people left in the city. For forty years (1948–1989) the city was called after A.A. Zhdanov – a representative of Stalin's epoch.

After the war the citizens of Mariupol raised their city from ruins and ashes. Already by the end of 1950s all the 48 plants of the city were active. In 1950–1980s Mariupol continued its developing as a big industrial centre and a seaport town. In 1958 a heavy engineering plant, nowadays JSC "Azovmash" was created out of mechanical-engineering workshops of Illyich plant. Due to the extension of building the trusts "Azovstalbuilding", "Zhdanovmetalbuilding", "Zhdanovhausbuilding", "Donbassmetalmounting" were established.

With the development of Mariupol economy increased the number of its citizens: in 1958 – 280, 3 thousand people, in 1970 – 436 thousand people, in 1989 – 540, 3 thousand people. By the middle of 1980s there was a metallurgical institute, an affiliated institution of the Odessa institute of sea fleet engineers, 66 secondary schools, and other educational establishments in the city. The centre of the city was decorated by the building of the Donetsk region Russian drama theatre, A.I. Kuindzhi exhibition hall was opened, and V.G. Korolenko city library received new premises.

In the years of independent Ukraine Mariupol preserved its industrial potential. Nowadays he city occupies the leading position in the region in the volume of industrial output, it keeps the leading positions in Ukraine in metal production and metalworking, machinery-producing industry. Nowadays there are more than 60 active industrial plants of different status in the city. The city owns a developed transport system, and as before keeps the status of Donbass sea gates. There is LLC "Donbass Shipping" - the successor of Azov Shipping Company based in Mariupol.

Mariupol has gained a certain authority in the international field. Since 1996 there is a consulate of Greece, since 2006 - an Honorable consulate of the Republic of Cyprus. Mariupol is still a cultural centre of the region; it has a developed network of educational establishments. In 1993 it became a university town.

The modern architectural look of Mariupol combines the features of the past and the modernity. Theatre square ensemble with the building of the Donetsk region Russian drama theatre in the centre is illustrative. From the North the square is sphered by two buildings with spires, which create a peculiar focus in the city. There are antique mansions in the South side of the square. A slender building of water tower adjoins the ensemble from the West - this is an example of industrial architecture of the beginning of the XX century. Built of red bricks, decorated by ornamental arcs, pilasters, it adds a particular coloring to the centre of Mariupol. The decoration of historical part of Mariupol is the City Garden that was planted in 1863.

There are about 200 monuments and memorial plates in Mariupol, 5 buildings are the monuments of history and architecture. Some monuments of nature are preserved near the city. They are the locations of Ukrainian steppe reserve "Khomutovskaya Steppe" and "Kamyana Mohyla"

Geography

Mariupol is to the south of the Donetsk area, on the coast of the Azov Sea, in a mouth of the river Kalmius. The city occupies an area of 166.0 km (103.1 mi) ? (64 mi?) (with suburbs, i.e. the territories subordinated to the Mariupol city council – 244.0 km (151.6 mi) ? (94.2 mi?)). The down-town area is 106.0 km (65.9 mi) ? (40.9 mi?), the area of parks and gardens is 80.6 km (50.1 mi) ? (31.1 mi?). The city is mainly built on land that is made of Solonetzic chernozems, with a significant amount of underground subsoil waters that frequently leads to landslides.

Climate

There is a moderate-continental climate with recurring droughts and dry winds in the summer and thawing weather, fogs - in the winter. Annual precipitation is 400 mm (15.75 in) a year. Agro climatic conditions allow the cultivation in suburbs of Mariupol thermophilic agricultural crops with long vegetative periods (sunflower, melons, grapes etc.). However water resources in the region are insufficient, and consequently ponds and water basins are used for the needs of the population and industry.

Direction of a wind in the winter mainly east, in the summer - northern. Average temperature of air in January 22.6 °F (−5.2 °C), in July 72.9 °F (22.7 °C). Quantity of deposits – 450 mm annually. Absolute maximum of temperature of air in the summer is 104 °F (40 °C); a minimum in the winter is −25.6 °F (−32 °C).

Transportation

In city there are buses, trolley buses, trams, fixed-route taxi. Mariupol is connected by the railway, sea transport and the airport with many cities, ports and the countries of the world.

Urban electric transport ("MTTU", Mariupol Tram-trolleybus management):
A trams, street-cars (since 1933) - 12 routes (machines of type КТМ-5 and КТМ-8 work),
Trolley buses (since 1970) - 14 routes (machines of type: Skoda 14Тr, ZIU-10, ZIU-9, YuMZ T-1, and YuMZ T-2).