Russian Homel
City (pop., 2001 est.: 490,000), capital of Homyel province, southeastern Belarus.
First mentioned in AD 1142 as Gomy, it passed to Lithuania in the 14th century and later to Poland; it was acquired by Russia in 1772. In the late 19th century it developed as a major railway junction, and industries began to flourish. The city, on the Sozh River, is an important port, with river connections to towns on the Dnieper (Dnyapro) River. It is also an industrial centre.