Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is one of the largest cities in the Far East and the administrative center f the Khabarovsk Territory. It is situated in the south of the region on the right bank of the Amur and stretches for 28 miles. The area of the city is about 154 square miles. The population of the Territiry is under 2 million, over 650 thousand live in Khabarovsk.
The history of Khabarovsk goes back to the 19 th century. It was a small military settlement founded by the soldiers of the 13th Siberian Battalion under the command of Captain Dyachenko. In 1893 the military post of Khabarovka was turned into Khabarovsk.
Nowadays Khabarovsk is a major transport center, which connects remote eastern parts of Russia with the CIS and Pacific Rim countries. Its railway station, international airport, Amur river port are the largest in the Far East. The Transsiberien Railroad built in 1916 is over 6 000 miles long.
Khabarovsk airport with its international terminal is the second largest airport in Russia after Moscow. There are 40 domestic routes and regular flights to Japan, China, North and South Korea, the USA, Singapore as well as charter flights to many countries of the world. The Amur Shipping Company carries cargo to many seaports of our country and abroad.
Khabarovsk is an important industrial center of the region. The products of many enterprises are well known all over the world and exported to many than 50 countries, among them are Finland and Japan, Turkey and Bulgaria and others. Lately about 250 joint ventures, commercial banks and joint stock companies have been set up in the city.
Unique nature and rich natural resources attract foreign investors. Russian partners are interested in foreign capital , advanced know-how and managerial experience of other countries.
Khabarovsk is one of the largest educational and scientific centers in the country. There are mealy 80 schools , 8 universities and academies in the city which train specialists in the field of engineering, transport, education, medicine, commerce and finance, state and military service.
Achievements in science are very considerable. Scientific Research Institutes are engaged in the comprehensive study of the Far Eastern ecological system, processes in the earth’s crust. The scientists work out the scientifis basis for fishery and fish breeding, forestry and wood industry, geology and agriculture.
Khabarovsk is the large cultural center. Its Drama, Symphony orchestra, Musical and Youth Theatres are well known not only in Russia but also in many counties fog the world.
The Museum of Regional Studies founded in 1894 is a treasury of historical documents and exhibits. The Khabarovsk Art Museum founded in 1931 has the richest collection of original works of antique art and Renaissance, canvases by Pembrandt, Rubens, Manet. Art works by outstanding Russian painters Repin, Levitan, Polenov and others are on display there.
Khabarovsk is the center of tourism. Annually thousands of foreign guests visit our beautiful, picturesque city, as there is much interesting to see in it.
Ex. 1. Open the brackets. Use the Passive Voice if necessary:
- Khabarovsk (to situate) on the right bank of the Amur.
- The town (to found) by the soldiers of the 13th Siberian battalion.
- In 1893 the military post Khabarovka (to turn) into Khabarovsk.
- The Transsiberian Railroad (to build) in 1916.
- The Amur Shipping Company (to carry) cargo to many sea ports.
- Russian businessmen (to interest) in foreign capital.
- Unique nature to attract) foreign investors.
- The Museum of Regional Studies (to found) in 1894.
- Specialists in different fields of engineering and science (to train) in universities and academies.
- Universities and academies (to train) specialists in the field of engineering, transport and education.
Ex.2. Put questions to the underlined words:
- Khabarovsk is situated in the south of the region.
- The military post was founded in 1858.
- Khabarovsk connects the Far East with the CIS and Pacific Ocean. (CIS – (Commonwealth of Independent states – СНГ – Содружество Независимых Государств).
- There are 40 domestic routes in the Khabarovsk Aeroflot Company.
- The Amur Shipping Company carries cargo to many seaports of our country and abroad.
- Lately about 250 joint ventures have been set up in the city.
- Unique nature of the region attracts foreign investors.
- Russian partners are interested in foreign capital.
- The scientists work out the scientific basis for forestry and wood industry.
- The Khabarovsk Sympfony Orchestra is well-known in many countries of the world.
- The Khabarovsk Art Museum has the richest collection of works of art.
- Art works by outstanding Russian painters are on display there.
- Annually thousands of foreign guests visit our beautiful city.
Khabarovsk Territory
The Khabarovsk Territory is called the heart of the Far East not by chance. Located in the center of the Far-Eastern economic region it is the point of intersection of the most important transport ways connecting internal districts of Russia with the Pacific Rim Countries.(страны тихоокеанского региона).
It has a favorable geographic position, unique nature, rich natural resources, industrial and scientific potential, developed transport network and experienced personnel to expand its foreign economic ties, tourism and to attract foreign investors.
The Khabarovsk Territory is one of the largest administrative-territorial units in the Russian Federation. Its area is 788.600 sq.km. The Territory stretches for 1800 kilometers from North to South. It boarders on the Sakha Republic (Yakutiya) , the Jewish Autonomous Are, the Primorski Territory, the Amur region and the Magadan Region. The Khabarovsk Territory is washed by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.
The climate of the Khabarovsk can be defined as a monsoon climate. Winter is very long and severe. Summer is warm and humid. Climate conditions vary significantly from North to South and depend on the land relief and sea vicinity.
The Khabarovsk Territory is rich in various natural recourses – land, water and other biological recourses, numerous mineral recourses. The Territory plays an important role in the economy of the Russian Far East and Russia due such natural recourses as timber, precious species of fish and fur animals, ferrous metals, water recourses and ets. It is also rich in such mineral recourses as coal, ores and gold. The Kgabarovsk Territory is one of the largest supplies of stanniferous raw materials.
There are more than 120.000 big and small rivers in the Khabarovsk Territory. One of the largest rivers, accessible for sea-going ships, is the Amur river. Energy recourses of rivers are great, but their usage is limited because of salmon spawning.
The Khabarovsk Territory is also situated in the forest zone with highly diverse forests, spread throughout the area of the Territory, although coniferous species dominate.
The population of the Khabarovsk Territory numbers about 1.6 million people. The density og the population in the Territory is 2.1 per square kilometer. The Territory is inhabited by more than 90 nations and nationalities such as the Russians, the Ukrainians, the Byelorussians, the Tatars and others.
Ex. 1. Answer the following questions:
- Why is the Khabarovsk Territory called the heart of the Far East?
- What countries and regions do the transport ways of the Khabarovsk Territory connect?
- What conditions does the Territory have to expand its foreign economic ties, tourism and to attract foreign investors?
- What is its area?
- Is the Khabarovsk Territory located in the center of the Russian Federation?
- What seas it is washed by?
- How can the climate of the Khabarivsk Territory be defined?
- What resources is the Khabarovsk Territory rich in?
- What mineral resources is the Khabarovsk Territory rich in?
- What is the population of the Territory?
Blagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk , the administrative, industrial and cultural center of the Amur Region, was founded in 1856 as Ust-Zeisk military post. In 1858 it became a town. The town is located at the confluence of two rivers – the Zeya and the Amur. The area of the town is 321 sq. kms. Blagoveshchensk extends for 8 kms along the Amur river and for 13 kms along the Zeya river. In 2002 the population of the town was 224.7 thousand people (it equaks 24.8% of the region’ s population).
Today Blagoveshchensk is the main industrial center of the Amur Region. There are 6.3 thousand enterprises and organizations in the town. 13% of them are industrial firms, 12% are building enterprises, 39,7% - trade and public catering.
As the most important transport center of the Region, Blagoveshchensk has a river port, a railroad station, an airport, a bus station, a custom passage.
Blagoveshchensk is one of the biggest scientific and educational centers of the Far East. It has developed scientific potential. Here operate such academic institutions as: The Amur Research Center of the Far Easten branch of the Russian academy of Science, The Far Easten Physiology and Breathing Pathology Research Institute, The Russian academy of medical sciences, the All-Russian Soyabean Research Institute, the Far Eastern Veterinary Research Institute, the Far Eastern Research Institute of the Agricultural Mechanization and Electrification .
Blagoveshchensk is the town of students. There are 7 institutes of higher education (The Amur State Medical Academy, The Amur State University, The Blagoveshchensk State Teacher’s Training University, The Blagovesgchensk Branch of Moscow Academy of business, The Far Eastern agrarian Univercity , the Far Eastern Military Institute, the Modern State Institute)., 15 specialized secondary schools, 9 vocational technical schools.
In the week-ends the citizens of the town and tourists visit popular cultural actions which take place in the Amur regional philharmonic society, parks of culture and rest, theatres (the Amur Regional Drama Theatre, the Amur Regional Puppet Theatre), Palace of the Trade Unions, center of aesthetic education, Museum of Local Lore.
The Amur Region
The Amur Region is situated in the Far East of Russia. It borders on China. The whole territory is about 19 thousand square kilometers.
The population of the Amur Region is over 1 million people. Most of the people are Russian, but there are also other nationalities. There 9 towns in the Amur Region. They are: Blagoveshchensk, Zeay, Belogorsk. Svobodny, Raichikhinsk, Tynda and others. The largest of them is Blagoveshchensk, the center of the Amur Region. It was founded in 1856 as Ust-Zeyskaya village, then the village was renamed into Blagoveshchensk. Now it is the main industrial, economic and cultural center of the Far East.
The climate of the Amur Region is continental with very cold winter and hot summer, but nature of our region is very beautiful. There are many plants growing there, which we can’t find in other parts of our country. The Amur Region is unique in the Far East. There are 80 kinds of animals, birds and fish in our region. You can find them in the woods and rivers. The longest rivers are: the Amur, the Zeya, the Selemdzha and the Burea.
Our region is highly developed industrial and agricultural region. Besides grain our people grow vegetables and fruit. Our region is famous for its cattle-farming and poultry.
The Amur Region has a well-developed railway system. It connects our region with different cities of our country. Besides that the Amur Region is a great river port, which connects the center of our region not only with other towns and villages, but also with China. Our region is very far from the center of our country, and we have a big airport, connected our region not only with all parts of our country, but also abroad.
Companies like “ Amurtourist”, “Pfoenix”, “Intourist” organize trips to the People Republic of China, Turkey, Greece, Thailand, the Republic of Korea and other countries.
Large expectations are connected with a creation of a new Russian Space Launching Site “Svobodny”, and the construction of a the bridge across the Amur.
The region confidently looks into the future.