Arkhangelsk

Port in the north of the Russian Federation, capital of Archangelsk oblast; population (2002) 356,100. Situated on the Northern Dvina River, it is Russia's chief timber-exporting port, and the centre of a rapidly growing mineral extraction industry (oil drilling and diamond mining). Formerly blocked by ice for half the year, it has been kept open constantly since 1979 by icebreakers. Archangel was made an open port by Boris Godunov and was of vital significance for trade until Peter the Great built St Petersburg.

The city was founded in 1584, after the establishment of Anglo-Muscovite trade, as Novokholmogory; it was named Arkhangelsk in 1613. It was the embarkation point for the Allied interventionist armies in collaboration with the White Army in their effort to overthrow the newly established Soviet state 1918-20. In World War II, together with Murmansk, Archangel was the destination for Allied convoys bringing essential military supplies to the USSR. Pomor State University in Archangel is the largest institution of higher education in northern Russia. It was founded as a teacher training institute in 1932 and became Pomor State University in 1996.

Plesetsk, to the south, is a launch site for crewed space flight, while Severodvinsk, 40 km/25 mi to the west of Archangel at the mouth of the Dvina, is an important submarine base for the Russian Navy. Famous mathematician Ivan Meshchersky was born in Archangel in 1859. He studied mechanics, in particular the motion of bodies of variable mass. His work formed the basis for the rocket technology developed after 1945.

Arkhangelsk

Oblast (region) in the northwestern Russian Federation; area 587,400 sq km/226,795 sq mi (including Nenets Autonomous Okrug , Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, and the Solovetski Islands); population (1996) 1,521,000 (92% Russians, 1% Komi and Nentsy (Samoyeds)). The main cities are Archangel (capital), Severodvinsk, and Kotlas. Situated adjacent to the Barents Sea (part of the Arctic Ocean), the region is predominantly lowland, covered by coniferous forests; the severe climate causes the coastal waters to freeze over for five months of the year. The main industries are lumbering and wood processing; fishing and the farming of dairy cattle are also important.