Tula

City in the Russian Federation and capital of the Tula oblast, situated on the River Upa, 193 km/121 mi south of Moscow; population (2002) 481,200. Its traditional industries are the manufacture of firearms and samovars (Russian tea urns). The city also produces iron and steel, chemicals, agricultural equipment, and machine tools.

Plentiful iron-ore and coal deposits in the region encouraged the growth of a metalworking industry. The first Russian ordnance factory, for the production of small arms, was founded in Tula in 1712 by Peter the Great.

The former country estate of Leo Tolstoy (Yasnaya Polyana) is in the vicinity of Tula. The city – which has a 16th-century citadel (Kremlin) and an 18th-century Cathedral of the Assumption – has been known since 1146. It belonged for a while to Ryazan principality, was Muscovite from 1503, and was often raided by Crimean Tatars; it was made the provincial capital in 1775. In more recent times, Tula withstood a German siege in 1941; in 1991 and 1993, the crack 106th Guards Airborne Division based here played a key role in the failure of the attempts to overthrow constitutional government in Moscow.

Tula

Ancient city of the Toltec civilization in central Mexico, 65 km/40 mi northwest of Mexico City, which flourished from about 750 to 1168. At its height, it is thought to have housed a population of around 40,000. The modern town of Tula de Allende is nearby.

The centre of the ruined city consists of a plaza bordered by a lavishly decorated pyramid temple. The site also contains palace complexes and courts for the ritual ball game played throughout ancient Central America. In the 11th century, Toltecs who emigrated from Tula are believed to have settled on the site of the former Mayan city of Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán peninsula, where they put up buildings in the Tula style.

Tula

Oblast (region) of the western Russian Federation; area 25,700 sq km/9,923 sq mi; population (1996) 1,815,000 (81% urban). The capital is Tula. There are engineering, metalworking, coalmining, and chemical industries. Grain and potatoes are grown.

The region is situated south of Moscow on the central Russian upland. Some 14% of the area, in the northwest of the oblast, is forested (mainly with deciduous species). There are deposits of lignite (see Moscow Coal Basin) and iron ore. Major hydroelectric power stations are located in the region. Cities in the region include Novomoskovsk.