Leningrad

Former name (1924–91) of the Russian city St Petersburg.

Leningrad

Oblast (region) in the northwestern Russian Federation; area 85,900 sq km/33,166 sq mi; population (1996) 1,676,000 (66% urban). The capital is St Petersburg, and Vyborg and Gatchina are other cities. The region borders Finland in the northwest and includes Lake Ladoga in the north. It is partly forested lowland, with a maritime climate. There are bauxite, oil-shale, and peat deposits. Industries include peat and oil extraction, manufacture of timber products, aluminium, building materials, chemicals, foodstuffs, and consumer goods. Agricultural products include vegetables, potatoes, and coarse grains, and dairy farming and fishing are other industries.

History The area (except for the west of the Karelian Isthmus) formerly belonged to Novgorod, and was at times partly held by Sweden in the 16th–17th centuries, and only finally became Russian in 1721. The Karelian Isthmus, with Vyborg, belonged to Finland until 1944. Most of the oblast was occupied by German forces in World War II and witnessed much bitter fighting. After the demise of the Soviet Union, the inhabitants of the oblast, in contrast to the citizens of St Petersburg, elected to retain the name of Leningrad.