Makhachkala

Makhachkala (English)
Махачкала (Russian)
МахIачхъала (Avar)
Магьачкъала  (Kumyk)
-  City  -


Location of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia
Makhachkala
Coordinates:
Coat of arms
Flag
Administrative status
Country Russia
Federal subject Republic of Dagestan
Capital of Republic of Dagestan
Municipal status
Urban okrug Makhachkala Urban Okrug
City Head Said Amirov
Representative body Assembly of Deputies
Statistics
Area 466.3 km2 (180.0 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census,
preliminary)
577,990 inhabitants[1]
Rank in 2010 26th
Population (2002 Census) 462,412 inhabitants[2]
Rank in 2002 37th
Density 1,240 /km2 (3,200 /sq mi)[3]
Time zone MSD (UTC+04:00)[4]
Founded 15th century
Previous names Petrovskoye (until 1857),
Petrovsk-Port (until 1921)
Dialing code(s) +7 8722
Official website

Makhachkala (Russian: Махачкала́; Avar: МахIачхъала; Lezgian: Магьачкъала; Kumyk: Магьачкъала, Mağaçqala) is the capital city of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 577,990.[1]

Contents

History

Makhachkala's historic predecessor was the town of Tarki, now a near suburb, whose history goes back to the 15th century and possibly much earlier. The modern city of Makhachkala was founded in 1844 as a fortress; town status was granted in 1857. The original Russian name of the city was Petrovskoye (Петро́вское)—after the Russian tsar Peter the Great who visited the region in 1722. However, among the locals it was known as Anzhi-Qala (A Fortress of Soil, Qala or Kala قلعه means Fortress in Arabic and Turkic). The city was renamed Petrovsk-Port (Петро́вск-Порт) in 1857, sometimes simply Petrovsk, and then Makhachkala in 1921. The city incurred major damage during the earthquake of May 14, 1970. It was shortly renamed as Shamilkala in 1920s.

In January 1919, during the Russian Civil War, the British based No. 221 Squadron Royal Air Force at Petrovsk. In March they were joined by No. 266 Squadron and both squadrons were involved in bombing operations against Bolshevik forces in Astrakhan and elsewhere. In August 1919 both squadrons were withdrawn from Petrovsk.[5]

Unrest

Makhachkala is close to areas of fighting and therefore it and the surrounding region has a heavy security service presence. On 25 November 2011, a protest took place in Makhachkala attended by up to 3,000 people demanding an end to illegal activities perpetrated by the security services.[6]

On 15 December 2011, Gadzhimurat Kamalov, a Russian investigative journalist and founder of the independent Chernovik newspaper was shot dead in an apparent assassination.[7]

City districts

Administratively, the city is divided into three city districts: Kirovsky, Leninsky, and Sovetsky.

Demographics

The population of Makhachkala included: [1]

Transportation

The city is served by Uytash Airport, Russian Railways and Caspian Sea International Port.

Sport

The city's football team, FC Anzhi Makhachkala, play in the Russian Premier League.

Climate

Climate of Makhachkala has elements of (warm) subtropical and (chill) continental climate, with influence of semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk) - which occurs in the entire basin of the Caspian Sea.

Climate data for Makhachkala
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 3.2
(37.8)
3.5
(38.3)
7.2
(45.0)
14.1
(57.4)
20.7
(69.3)
25.7
(78.3)
28.5
(83.3)
27.6
(81.7)
23.3
(73.9)
16.6
(61.9)
11.0
(51.8)
6.1
(43.0)
15.63
(60.13)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0.6
(33.1)
1.1
(34.0)
4.5
(40.1)
10.7
(51.3)
17.0
(62.6)
22.0
(71.6)
25.0
(77.0)
24.1
(75.4)
19.9
(67.8)
13.5
(56.3)
8.3
(46.9)
3.6
(38.5)
12.53
(54.55)
Average low °C (°F) −2.1
(28.2)
−1.4
(29.5)
1.7
(35.1)
7.3
(45.1)
13.3
(55.9)
18.3
(64.9)
21.4
(70.5)
20.5
(68.9)
16.5
(61.7)
10.3
(50.5)
5.6
(42.1)
1.0
(33.8)
9.37
(48.87)
Precipitation mm (inches) 24
(0.94)
31
(1.22)
22
(0.87)
19
(0.75)
24
(0.94)
24
(0.94)
25
(0.98)
23
(0.91)
36
(1.42)
44
(1.73)
27
(1.06)
29
(1.14)
328
(12.91)
Avg. precipitation days 6 6 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 5 5 6 59
Sunshine hours 74.4 72.5 105.4 171.0 244.9 279.0 282.1 269.7 195.0 151.9 81.0 68.2 1,995.1
Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN),[8] Hong Kong Observatory[9] for data of sunshine hours

Notable residents

International relations

Twin towns/sister cities

Makhachkala is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ a b Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2011). "Предварительные итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года (Preliminary results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/results-inform.php. Retrieved 2011-04-25. 
  2. ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 
  3. ^ The value of density was calculated automatically by dividing the 2010 Census population by the area specified in the infobox. Please note that this value may not be accurate as the area specified in the infobox does not necessarily correspond to the area of the entity proper or is reported for the same year as the population.
  4. ^ Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №725 от 31 августа 2011 г. «О составе территорий, образующих каждую часовую зону, и порядке исчисления времени в часовых зонах, а также о признании утратившими силу отдельных Постановлений Правительства Российской Федерации». Вступил в силу по истечении 7 дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №197, 6 сентября 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #725 of August 31, 2011 On the Composition of the Territories Included into Each Time Zone and on the Procedures of Timekeeping in the Time Zones, as Well as on Abrogation of Several Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation. Effective as of after 7 days following the day of the official publication).
  5. ^ Bowyer, Chaz (1988). RAF Operations 1918-1938. London: William Kimber. pp. 40, 41. ISBN 0718306716. 
  6. ^ Russian journalist gunned down in violent republic of Dagestan, Guardian, retrieved 16/12/2011
  7. ^ Newspaper chief's murder in Dagestan adds to toll of Russian journalists, Guardian, retrieved 16/12/2011
  8. ^ "Weather Information for Mahackala". http://www.worldweather.org/107/c01038.htm. 
  9. ^ "Climatological Information for Mahackala, Russia". http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/europe/russia/mahackala_e.htm. 

See also