Sverdlovsk

Former name (1924–91) of the Russian town of Yekaterinburg.

Sverdlovsk

Oblast (region) of the west-central Russian Federation, in western Siberia; area 194,800 sq km/75,212 sq mi; population (1996) 4,686,000 (88% urban). The capital is Yekaterinburg. There are engineering, iron, steel, non-ferrous metals, chemical, timber, and paper-processing industries. Grain, potatoes, and vegetables are grown, and there is dairy farming.

Geography The region is situated on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains and the adjacent part of the western Siberian lowland. It is largely covered with coniferous forests. There are rich deposits of iron ore, copper, bauxite, asbestos, gold, platinum, and other minerals. Cities include Nizhniy Tagil, Serov, and Kamensk-Uralski.

Economy The region has the highest concentration of industrial development in the Urals, with engineering plants, iron and steel works, and a non-ferrous metallurgical industry, notably the complex near Nizhniy Tagil. There are also chemical, timber, and paper-processing industries.

History The Sverdlovsk region was annexed by Russia in the 16th century as part of the Siberian Khanate. Industrial development dates from the early 18th century.

Famous people Boris Yeltsin, who became the first post-communist Russian president in 1992, was born in the village of Butka in the south of Sverdlovsk oblast, 190 km/118 mi east of Yekaterinburg.