Ufa

[oo-fah]

Ufa, city (1989 pop. 1,082,000), capital of Bashkortostan, E European Russia, at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers. An industrial center in the Urals, Ufa produces electrical and mining equipment and has oil refineries and a major petrochemical industry. It is the junction of many gas, petroleum, and rail lines. Russians established Ufa in 1574 and built a fortress and settlement.

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Ufa

Ufa (Уфа́; Өфө, Öfö; ; Ӗпхӳ, Ephü) is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. Population: 1,036,026 (2005 est.); 1,042,437 (2002 Census).

Geography

Ufa is one of the industrial centres in the Western Urals area, and is situated at the confluence of the Belaya and the Ufa Rivers. Industries include electrical and mining equipment, oil refining, petrochemicals, synthetic rubber, and processed foods. The Ufa Airport connects the city to several towns in Russia, as well as to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Turkey and Uzbekistan. There is also the smaller Ufa Maximovka Airport northeast of the city.

History

The city began as a fortress built on the orders of Ivan IV in 1574, and originally bore the name of the hill it stood on, Tura-Tau. The city began to be called Ufa, meaning "small" in Turkic, by locals and the name stuck. In 1802, Ufa became the principal city of Bashkiria.

In 1918, Ufa was the residence of the Provisional All-Russian Government.

Educational institutions include Bashkir State University, Bashkir State Teachers Training University named after M.Akmulla, Ufa State Aviation Technical University, Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, Ufa Architectural University, Ufa Agricultural University, and others.

Famous natives of Ufa include Vladimir Spivakov, singer Vlad Kaplan, rebel Salawat Yulayev, the Muslim Bolshevik Mirsaid Sultangaliev, the painter Mikhail Nesterov, dancer Rudolf Nureyev, pianist Vera Timanova, NHL ice hockey players Andrei Zyuzin Alexander Semak and Igor Kravchuk, rock singer Zemfira. Navigator Valerian Albanov of ill-fated Arctic ship St. Anna, as well as rock singer Yuri Shevchuk and his band DDT were Ufa residents for some time.

Economy

There are some important enterprises in Ufa:

UMPO (ОАО «Уфимское моторостроительное производственное объединение») (main products:air jet)
JPC Bashneft (ОАО «АНК «Башнефть»»)
UFNC (Ufaneftekhim) (ОАО «Уфанефтехим») (petrochemical)