| Novosibirsk (English) Новосибирск (Russian) |
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| - City[1] - City of oblast significance[2] |
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Location of Novosibirsk Oblast in Russia |
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Novosibirsk
Location of Novosibirsk in Novosibirsk Oblast
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| Coordinates: | |
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| City Day | Last Sunday of June[3] |
| Administrative status (as of 2008) | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Novosibirsk Oblast[1] |
| Administrative center of | Novosibirsk Oblast, Novosibirsky District[4][5] |
| Municipal status (as of August 2009) | |
| Urban okrug | Novosibirsk Urban Okrug[1] |
| Administrative center of | Novosibirsky Municipal District[6] |
| Mayor[8] | Vladimir Gorodetsky[7] |
| Representative body | Council of Deputies[9] |
| Statistics | |
| Area (city) (2007) | 503.1 km2 (194.2 sq mi)[10] |
| Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
1,473,737 inhabitants[11] |
| - Rank in 2010 | 3rd |
| Population (2002 Census) | 1,425,508 inhabitants[12] |
| - Rank in 2002 | 3rd |
| Density | 2,929 /km2 (7,590 /sq mi)[13] |
| Time zone | OMSST (UTC+07:00)[14] |
| Founded | 1893[15] |
| City status since | 10 January, 1904 [O.S. 28 December 1903][16] |
| Previous names | Novonikolayevsk (until February 12, 1926)[16] |
| Postal code(s) | 630000–630992, 901073, 901077[17] |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 383[10] |
| Official website | |
Novosibirsk (Russian: Новосибирск; IPA: [nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk]) is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 (2010 Census preliminary results).[11] It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District. The city is located in the southwestern portion of the federal district and occupies an area of 477.2 square kilometers (184.2 sq mi).[18]
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It was founded in 1893 at the future site of a Trans-Siberian Railway bridge crossing the great Siberian river of Ob and was named Novonikolayevsk (Новониколаевск), in honor of both Saint Nicholas and the reigning Tsar Nicholas II. The bridge was completed in the spring of 1897, making the new settlement the regional transport hub. The importance of the city further increased with the completion of the Turkestan-Siberia Railway in the early 20th century. The new railway connected Novosibirsk to Central Asia and the Caspian Sea.[19]
At the time of the bridge's opening, Novonikolayevsk hosted a population of 7,800 people. Its first bank opened in 1906, with a total of five banks operating by 1915. In 1907, Novosibirsk, now with a population exceeding 47,000, was granted town status with full rights for self-government. The pre-revolutionary period saw the population of Novosibirsk reach 80,000. During this period the city experienced steady and rapid economic growth, becoming one of the largest commercial and industrial centers of Siberia and developing a significant agricultural processing industry, as well as a power station, iron foundry, commodity market, several banks, and commercial and shipping companies. By 1917, Novosibirsk possessed seven Orthodox churches and one Roman Catholic church, several cinemas, forty primary schools, a high school, a teaching seminary, and the Romanov House non-classical secondary school. In 1913, Novonikolayevsk became one of the first places in Russia to institute compulsory primary education.[19]
The Russian Civil War took a toll on the city, with wartime epidemics, especially typhus and cholera, claiming thousands of lives. In the course of the War the Ob River Bridge was destroyed and for the first time in its history the population of Novonikolayevsk began to decline. The Soviet Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies of Novonikolayevsk took control of the city in December 1917. In May 1918, Czechoslovak prisoners of war rose in opposition to the revolutionary government and, together with the White Guards, captured Novonikolayevsk. The Red Army took the city in 1919, retaining it throughout the rest of the Civil War.[19]
Novonikolayevsk began reconstruction in 1921 at the start of Lenin's New Economic Policy. It was given its new name, Novosibirsk, in 1926.[19] The new name can be translated as "New Siberian City".
During Stalin's industrialization push, Novosibirsk secured its place as one of the largest industrial centers of Siberia. Several massive industrial facilities were created in the city, including the 'Sibkombain' plant, specializing in the production of heavy mining equipment. Additionally a metal processing plant, a food processing plant and other industrial enterprises and factories were built, as well as a new power station. The Great Soviet Famine saw the influx of more than 170,000 refugees to Novosibirsk. The new arrivals settled in barracks at the outskirts of the city, giving rise to slums such as Bolshaya Nakhalovka, Malaya Nakhalovka, and others.[19]
Rapid growth and industrialization were the reasons behind Novosibirsk's nickname: the "Chicago of Siberia".[20]
Tram rails were laid in 1934, by which time the population had reached 287,000, making Novosibirsk the largest city in Siberia. The following year the original bridge over the Ob River was replaced by the new Kommunalny bridge.[19]
The rapid growth of the city prompted the construction of a hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 400,000[21] kilowatts, necessitating the creation of a giant water reservoir, now known as the Ob Sea. As a direct result of the station's construction vast areas of fertile land were flooded as were relic pine woods in the area; additionally, the new open space created by the reservoir's surface caused average wind speeds to double, increasing the rate of soil erosion.[19]
In the 1950s, the Soviet Government directed that a center for scientific research be built in Novosibirsk; consequently, the multi-facility scientific research complex of Akademgorodok was constructed about 30 kilometers (19 mi) south of the city center in 1957. The Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences has its headquarters in Akademgorodok, and the town hosts a total of fourteen research institutions and universities. Although it possesses a fully autonomous infrastructure, Akademgorodok is administratively a part of Novosibirsk.
On September 2, 1962, the population of Novosibirsk reached one million. At that time, it was the youngest city in the world with over a million people. Novosibirsk took fewer than seventy years to achieve this milestone.[22]
In 1979, work began on the Novosibirsk Metro Transit System, culminating in the opening of the first line in 1985.[19]
On August 1, 2008, Novosibirsk was in the center of the path of a solar eclipse, with a duration of 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
The city stands on the banks of the Ob River in the West Siberian Plain. To the south of the city lies the Ukok Plateau, which forms part of the Golden Mountains of Altai UNESCO World Heritage Site.[23]
The climate is humid continental (Koppen Dfb), with warm summers and severely cold winters. Snow is frequent, falling on almost half of winter days, but individual snowfalls are usually light. Average temperatures range in summer is from +15 °C (59 °F) to +26 °C (79 °F), in winter from −20 °C (−4 °F) to −12 °C (10 °F). However, winter temperatures can go as low as −30 °C (−22 °F) to −35 °C (−31 °F), and summer temperatures can go as high as +30 °C (86 °F) to +35 °C (95 °F).[18] The difference between the record high and the record low temperatures is 88 °C (158 °F). Most days the weather is sunny, with an average of 2,880 hours of sunshine per year, but heavy rain is possible in summer.[18]
Travelers coming from countries with mild climates may find Novosibirsk’s winter tough, but it will not be extraordinary for those from northern countries. At times, bitter cold may hold for some days, but temperatures of −40 °C (−40 °F) and lower do not occur every year. In the springtime, streets and roads become dirty as a result of mud and melting snow, while the weather is still cold.
| Climate data for Novosibirsk | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −12.2 (10.0) |
−10.3 (13.5) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
24.0 (75.2) |
25.7 (78.3) |
22.2 (72.0) |
16.6 (61.9) |
6.8 (44.2) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
7.0 (44.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −16.2 (2.8) |
−14.7 (5.5) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
3.2 (37.8) |
11.6 (52.9) |
18.2 (64.8) |
20.2 (68.4) |
17.0 (62.6) |
11.5 (52.7) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−6 (21.2) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
2.4 (36.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −20.1 (−4.2) |
−19.1 (−2.4) |
−11.8 (10.8) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
11.7 (53.1) |
6.4 (43.5) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−16.4 (2.5) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 19 (0.75) |
14 (0.55) |
15 (0.59) |
24 (0.94) |
36 (1.42) |
58 (2.28) |
72 (2.83) |
66 (2.6) |
44 (1.73) |
38 (1.5) |
32 (1.26) |
24 (0.94) |
442 (17.4) |
| Source: "Mean monthly climatic data for the city of Novosibirsk from 1961 to 1990". Roshydromet. http://meteoinfo.ru/climate/klimatgorod/1716-1246618396. Retrieved 2010-10-17. | |||||||||||||
The most prominent tree genera native to Novosibirsk are birch, pine, and aspen. Some mountain ash, hawthorn, spruce, and fir are also present. European species of apple, ash, elm, linden, and oak have been successfully introduced.
Large mammals native to the Novosibirsk area include the brown bear, reindeer, moose (elk), wolf, and fox. Also present are wolverine, ermine, marten, weasel, and polecat. The predators among them are supported by populations of beaver, hare, mouse, hamster, vole, shrew, squirrel, and chipmunk. More than 350 species of birds have been recorded. On the other hand, only a few cold-blooded vertebrate species occur on land, but they include the venomous adder and the swift grass snake. Perch and carp are prominent among the fish, of which there are more than thirty species. The carp often host a dangerous parasite, the liver fluke. Ticks in the area are frequent carriers of viral encephalitis.
Novosibirsk is home to Russia's most powerful shortwave relay station east of the Ural mountains. This relay station can reach most of South Asia, the Middle East, and the China. The Magadan and Vladivostok relay stations when operated in conjunction with Novosibirsk can guarantee that the Voice of Russia or any other broadcaster renting time at Novosibirsk is heard in the intended target area.
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia (after Moscow and St. Petersburg) and the first in Siberia in which a metro system was established (the Novosibirsk Metro, opened in 1985). The city is served by Novosibirsk Tolmachevo Airport with regular flights to Europe and Asia as well as to other Russian cities. Tolmachevo is the hub for S7 Airlines. There is also the auxiliary Novosibirsk Elitsovka Airport and a smaller field for general aviation at Novosibirsk Severny Airport. Novosibirsk was one of the stops for the 2008 edition of the popular television show, "The Amazing Race (Series 14, Leg 5)."
Novosibirsk is a large industrial center. The industrial complex consists of 214 large and average industrial enterprises. These produce more than two thirds of all industrial output of the Novosibirsk region. Leading industries are the electric power industry, gas supply, water supply, metallurgy, metal working, and mechanical engineering.
According to the television station RBC Novosibirsk took third place in 2008 in the list of the cities of Russia most attractive to business (in 2007 it was placed thirteenth).
Before the relocation of its headquarters to Ob, S7 Airlines had its head office in Novosibirsk.[24]
The headquarters' of a number of large Russian companies are located in Novosibirsk:[25]
A number of modern business complexes operate in Novosibirsk:
Several professional sports clubs are active in the city:
Novosibirsk is the home town of several former Olympians, including Alexander Karelin, a twelve-time world Greco-Roman wrestling champion who has been voted the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the twentieth century by FILA.
Several contemporary classical violinists – Vadim Repin, the late Alexander Skwortsow, Natalia Lomeiko, and Maxim Vengerov – are natives of Novosibirsk. Also born in the city were punk legend, poet and singer-songwriter Yanka Dyagileva and folk/folk–rock singer Pelageya Khanova and cellist Tatjana Vassiljeva.
The city possesses a Conservatory (named in honor of Mikhail Glinka), Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, and several notable music venues.
Novosibirsk is home to the following educational institutions:
Akademgorodok is a suburb of Novosibirsk dedicated to science. It houses the Siberian division of the Russian Academy of Sciences and is the location of Novosibirsk State University. (All other higher education institutions are located in the central part of the city.)
The Novosibirsk Zoo is a world-renowned scientific institution as well as a popular tourist attraction. The zoo has over four thousand animals and is an active participant of thirty-two different captive breeding programmes for endangered species. On average, around 700,000 people visit the zoo each year.
In 2000, the zoo held the closest relative to the cape lion of South Africa. John Spence was always fascinated about the stories of these grand lions scaling the walls of General van Riebeeck's castle in the 17th century. Spence's search took thirty years, which led him to the Novosibirsk Zoo, where he found the closest living resemblance to the cape lion; the zoo called the lion Simon. The lion and his family are kept outdoors in large, natural settings. "It is kept all the year around in the climate conditions of the west Siberia at the temperatures from −49 °C (−56 °F) to 36 °C (97 °F). In forty years, more than sixty cubs were born."[29]
The zoo's current curator is Rostislav Shilo. Simon's cubs were named after him and his wife, Olga.[30]
Novosibirsk is twinned with:
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