Smila, Ukraine
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Smila (Ukrainian: Смiла) is a city located on the Tyasmyn River in the Cherkasy Oblast (province) in central Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Smiliansky Raion (district), the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. It is located 23km from the oblast capital, Cherkasy.
The current estimated population is 69,400 (as of 2006).
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[edit] History
According to legend, during one of the numerous Golden Horde raids, a local girl guided the Kievan Rus army to the rear of invaders. The enemies were defeated but the girl has been killed by their arrow. Nobody knew her name. When a colony appeared on the place, settlements named it Smila (from the Ukrainian smila meaning "brave").
The settlement was first mentioned in XVI century when a part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 1648-1654 Smila was a Cossack squadron town within Chyhyryn regiment. In 1773 the city obtained Magdeburg rights. In 1795 it became a part of Russian Empire. The city speed up its development following the opening of a railroad in 1876. In the XX century it suffered from devastating World War I, II, Holodomor, and economic depression following the fall of the Soviet Union. In the 1990s, the industrial production sank over 70% and Smila lost more than 10% of population. But each time the city recovered, and now it's once again experiencing growth.
[edit] Economy
The economic emphasis is on mechanical engineering, besides it food industry is of importance. Aluminium ore stores are diminished i proximity of the city.
Smila is one of the most important railway junctions in Ukraine. It is crossed by Kiev-Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa-Russiarail routes.
[edit] Sister City
Rzhev, Russia
[edit] References
- (Ukrainian) (1972) Icтopia мicт i ciл Укpaїнcькoї CCP - Черкаськa область (History of Towns and Villages of the Ukrainian SSR - Cherkasy Oblast), Kyiv.
[edit] External links
- (Ukrainian) Official city website
- (Russian) Smila city blog
- (Ukrainian) Smila-Newton sister city partnership website
- (English) Smila on a site devoted to Ukrainian Heraldy
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Administrative divisions of Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine |  |
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Raions: Cherkaskyi | Chornobaivskyi | Chyhyrynskyi | Drabivskyi | Horodyshchenskyi | Kamianskyi | Kanivskyi | Katerynopilskyi | Khrystynivskyi | Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi | Lysianskyi | Mankivskyi | Monastyryschenskyi | Shpolianskyi | Smilianskyi | Talnivskyi | Umanskyi | Zhashkivskyi | Zolotoniskyi | Zvenyhorodskyi |
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Cities: Cherkasy | Chyhyryn | Horodysche | Kamianka | Kaniv | Khrystynivka | Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi | Monastyrysche | Shpola | Smila | Talne | Uman | Vatutine | Zhashkiv | Zolotonosha | Zvenyhorodka |
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Urban-type settlements: Babanka | Buky | Chornobai | Drabiv | Irdyn | Katerynopil | Lysianka | Mankivka | Shramivka | Stebliv | Tsvitkove | Tsybuliv | Verkhniachka | Vilshana | Yerky | more... |
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