Yoshkar-Ola (English) Йошкар-Ола (Russian) Йошкар-Ола (Mari) |
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Yoshkar-Ola City Hall |
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Location of the Mari El Republic in Russia |
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Yoshkar-Ola
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Coordinates: | |
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City Day | Third Saturday of August |
Administrative status | |
Country | Russia |
Federal subject | Mari El Republic |
Capital of | Mari El Republic[1] |
Municipal status | |
Urban okrug | Yoshkar-Ola Urban Okrug |
Head | Oleg Voinov |
Representative body | City Duma |
Statistics | |
Area | 101.45 km2 (39.17 sq mi) |
Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
248,688 inhabitants[2] |
- Rank in 2010 | 74th |
Population (2002 Census) | 256,719 inhabitants[3] |
- Rank in 2002 | 74th |
Density | 2,451 /km2 (6,350 /sq mi)[4] |
Time zone | MSD (UTC+04:00)[5] |
Founded | 1584 |
Postal code(s) | 655000 |
Dialing code(s) | +7 3902 |
Official website |
Yoshkar-Ola (Mari and Russian: Йошка́р-Ола́) is the capital city of the Mari El Republic, Russia. Population: 248,688 (2010 Census preliminary results);[2] 256,719 (2002 Census);[3] 241,601 (1989 Census).[6]
Yoshkar-Ola means red city in Mari. The current name is the third to have been given to the city. The city was known as Tsaryovokokshaysk (Russian: Царёвококшайск) before 1919 and as Krasnokokshaysk (Russian: Краснококшайск) between 1919 and 1927. These names were derived from the name of the Malaya Kokshaga River, which runs through the city.
During the Soviet era, especially after World War II, the city was a regional industrial and transport center and grew to its current size. The collapse of the Soviet Union removed support for state enterprises, and led to the shutdown of most manufacturing activity in the area. Much of the city's economic activity was supported by shuttle traders who would transport (often counterfeit) goods from the bustling markets of Moscow to Yoshkar-Ola's bazaars. The sharp decline in living standards led to the emigration of specialized professionals to larger cities in Russia.
The 14th Kiev-Zhitomir Rocket Division of the 27th Guards Missile Army of the Strategic Rocket Forces is located nearby.[7]
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Yoshkar-Ola is linked to other cities and regions in Russia by a series of train and bus routes. The local train station is currently served by a daily train to and from the capital Moscow with other short-service trains running to and from Kazan. Moscow and various other nearby towns and regions can also be reached by buses departing from the local bus station. The Yoshkar-Ola Airport is also located 9 km north of the city and handles small aircraft Moscow-bound flights (Domodedovo International Airport) since June 2008. It is planned to expand the range of destinations in the near future.
Destinations within the city limits can be reached through a network of buses, trolleys, and route taxis, or marshrutkas. There are currently seven different bus routes, eleven different trolley routes, and seventeen marshrutka routes.
The city is situated in a temperate continental climate. The winters are long and cold with high yearly snowfall totals in these regions, in the majority of winter seasons a temperature of −18 °C (−0 °F) or lower can be expected with January as the coldest month. The area enjoys pleasantly warm summers, marred by only occasional, brief intervals of sultry or rainy conditions with July as the hottest month (+22...+24°C).
Yoshkar-Ola is home to several institutions of higher education:
Yoshkar-Ola is twinned with:
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