Irkutsk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Irkutsk (English) Иркутск (Russian)
-  City  -
Location of Irkutsk Oblast in Russia
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Coordinates: 52°18′44″N 104°17′45″E / 52.31222°N 104.29583°E / 52.31222; 104.29583
Coat of arms	Flag
City Day	First Sunday of June
Administrative status (as of December 2011)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Irkutsk Oblast
Administratively subordinated to	City of Irkutsk
Administrative center of	City of Irkutsk, Irkutsky District, Irkutsk Oblast
Municipal status (as of December 2004)
Urban okrug	Irkutsk Urban Okrug
Administrative center of	Irkutsk Urban Okrug
Mayor	Viktor Kondrashov
Representative body	Duma
Statistics
Population (2010 Census, preliminary)	587,225 inhabitants
- Rank in 2010	24th
Population (2002 Census)	593,604 inhabitants
- Rank in 2002	24th
Time zone	IRKT (UTC+09:00)
Founded	1661
Postal code(s)	664xxx
Dialing code(s)	+7 3952
Official website: http://www1.irkutsk.ru/

Irkutsk is the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, one of the most important places in Siberia, being not only the principal commercial depot north of Tashkent, but also a fortified military post, an archbishopric of the Russian Orthodox Church and the seat of several learned societies. It is situated at 52°17′N 104°16′E, 5 185 km by rail from Moscow. Population: 593,604 (2002 Census); 500,000 (1975); 49,106 (1900); 32,512 (1875).

Geography

Irkutsk from space

The town proper lies at the Angara, a tributary of the Yenisei, 45 miles below its outflow from Lake Baikal, and on the opposite bank is the suburb of Glaskovsk. The river, which has a breadth of 1900 ft. (579 m), is crossed by a flying bridge. The Irkut River, from which the town takes its name, is a small river which joins the Angara directly opposite the town, the main portion of which is separated from the monastery, the fort, the port and the suburbs by another tributary, the Ida or Ushakovka.

History

Irkutsk grew out of the winter quarters established (1652) by Ivan Pokhabov for the collection of the fur tax from the Buryats. Its existence as a town dates from 1686.

In the early nineteenth century, many Russian artists, officers and nobles were sent into exile to Siberia for their part in the Decembrist revolt against Tsar Nicholas I. Irkutsk became the major center of intellectual and social life for these exiles, and much of the city's cultural heritage comes from them; also, many of their wooden houses, adorned with ornate, hand-carved decorations, survive today in stark contrast with the standard Soviet apartment blocks that surround them.

Economy

Energy

The 662.4 MW Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station was the first cascade hydroelectric power station in the Irkutsk region. The construction of the dam started in 1950 and finished in 1958.

Industry

The largest industry in Irkutsk is Irkut, the Irkutsk Aviation Industrial Association, which was set up in 1932 in the Transbaykal region of the Soviet Union. It is best known as being the manufacturer of the Su-30 family of interceptor/ground-attack aircraft. The Russian government has merged Irkut with Ilyushin, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev into a new company named United Aircraft Building Corporation.

There is the Irkutsk Aluminium Smelter which belongs to the Rusal Company.

Images for kids

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  Irkutsk Castle in 1735

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  Irkutsk Assembly of the Nobility in the early 1900s

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  Epiphany Cathedral and central Irkutsk in 1865

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  Irkutsk in 1918

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  Epiphany Cathedral (built in 1718–1746)

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  Cathedral of the Theotokos of Kazan

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  The original version of the coat of arms

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  Irkutsk railway station

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  Tram in Irkutsk

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  Irkutsk Academic Drama Theater

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  The Church of the Cross (1747–60) is a pinnacle of the Siberian Baroque architecture

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  Ice palace

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  Trolleybus

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  Bus on Sedov Street