*** Welcome to piglix ***

Orenburg

Orenburg (English)
Оренбург (Russian)
-  City  -
Orenburg collage.JPG
Clockwise from top: City Hall, Nikolsky Orthodox cathedral, Ural River Embankment, Ramazan Mosque, City skyline from Tchkalova street, Pedestrian bridge over Ural River, Monument to Orenburg cossacks
Map of Russia - Orenburg Oblast (2008-03).svg
Location of Orenburg Oblast in Russia
Orenburg is located in Orenburg Oblast
Orenburg
Orenburg
Location of Orenburg in Orenburg Oblast
Coordinates: 51°47′N 55°06′E / 51.783°N 55.100°E / 51.783; 55.100Coordinates: 51°47′N 55°06′E / 51.783°N 55.100°E / 51.783; 55.100
Coat of Arms of Orenburg.png
Flag of Orenburg.png
Coat of arms
Flag
Administrative status (as of October 2015)
Country Russia
Federal subject Orenburg Oblast
Administratively subordinated to City of Orenburg
Administrative center of Orenburg Oblast,Orenburgsky District, City of Orenburg
Municipal status (as of October 2015)
Urban okrug Orenburg Urban Okrug
Administrative center of Orenburg Urban Okrug, Orenburgsky Municipal District
Head Yevgeny Arapov
Representative body City Duma
Statistics
Area 259 km2 (100 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census) 548,331 inhabitants
Rank in 2010 28th
Density 2,117/km2 (5,480/sq mi)
Time zone YEKT (UTC+05:00)
Founded 1743
Postal code(s) 460000
Dialing code(s) +7 3532
Official website
on

Orenburg (Russian: Оренбург; IPA: [ərʲɪnˈburk]) is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast (region), Russia, lies on the River Ural, 1,478 kilometers (918 mi) southeast of Moscow. Its geographical location is in the boundary of Europe and Asia. Orenburg is also very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Population: 548,331 (2010 Census); 549,361 (2002 Census);546,501 (1989 Census).

The city is in the basin of the middle current of the River Ural (near its confluence with the River Sakmara). The highest point of the city is 154.4 meters (507 ft).

Several historians have tried to explain the origins of the city's name. It was traditionally accepted that the word "orenburg" means a fortress on the River Or. In all probability, the word combination "orenburg" was proposed by I.K. Kirillov, who was the founder of the city. In 1734, in accordance with his project, a package of governmental documents was worked out. This was the starting point for Orenburg as a fortress city near the place where the Or and the Ural rivers cross.

On 7 June 1734, "A Privilege for Orenburg" (tsar's edict) was ordered by Empress Anna Ivanovna. While a construction site of the main fortress changed many times (down the River Ural), the very name "Orenburg" has not changed since its founding in 1743.

Between 1938 and 1957, the city was referred to as Chkalov, named after the famous Soviet pilot Valery Chkalov, although he was not born in and never lived in Orenburg, and never visited Orenburg. In 1954, Chkalov's 5-meter bronze sculpture was erected on the occasion of his 50th birth anniversary; this was installed on a 7-meter pedestal in the Boulevard (on the riverside promenade of the city, commonly named "Belovka").


...
Wikipedia

...