DONETSK

also spelled Doneck, formerly (193861) Stalino, oblast (province) in the southeastern part of Ukraine. Formed in 1938 as Stalino oblast, it stretches from the Donets Hills in the north, across the low, gently rolling Azov Upland and the level coastal plain to the Sea of Azov. There is little surface water in this relatively dry region, and many of the smaller streams even dry out in summer; this, together with the heavy pollution of the Donets River, poses serious problems of water supply for industrial and domestic needs. The whole oblast is in fertile steppeland, and the greater part is under the plow. The oblast (headquarters at Donetsk city) includes the western half of the Donets Basin coalfield and associated industrial area, a factor reflected in the exceptionally high proportion (90 percent) of urban dwellers living in some 50 towns. Despite the overwhelming predominance of coal mining, iron and steel manufacture, heavy engineering, and chemicals in the economy, the oblast is important agriculturally, chiefly for winter wheat, corn (maize), and sunflowers. Market gardening is highly developed around the towns. Area 10,200 square miles (26,500 square km). Pop. (1991 est.) 5,352,600. also spelled Doneck, formerly (until 1924) Yuzovka, or (192461) Stalino city and administrative centre of Donetsk oblast (province), southeastern Ukraine, on the headwaters of the Kalmius River. In 1872 an ironworks was founded there by a Welshman, John Hughes (from whom the town's pre-Revolutionary name Yuzovka was derived), to produce iron rails for the growing Russian rail network. Later steel rails were made. The plant used coal from the immediate vicinity, and both coal mining and steel making developed rapidly. By 1914 there were 4 metallurgical plants, 10 coalpits, and a population of about 50,000. After the October Revolution (1917), Yuzovka was renamed Stalino and, in 1961, Donetsk. Heavy destruction in World War II led to postwar modernization and an increase in the scale of industry. Subsequent growth has been rapid and sustained. There are now more than 40 coalpits within the town limits. A major integrated coking, iron-smelting, and steel-making plant makes modern Donetsk one of the largest metallurgical centres of Ukraine. Coke by-products are the basis of a chemical industry producing plastics. There are several heavy-engineering works, which produce, in the main, mining equipment. Refrigerators are manufactured, and there are other light industries. The necessity of avoiding areas subject to subsidence caused by mining has led to a patchy development of the densely built-up residential and factory areas and open spaces over the extensive area of the town's administrative limits (162 square miles [420 square km]). The principal street, from the railway station to the steelworks, is 5.5 miles (9 km) long, with the main shops, hotels, and administrative buildings. There are a university; polytechnic, medical and trade institutes; and more than 30 scientific research establishments, including a branch of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Cultural amenities include several theatres and a philharmonic hall. Pop. (1993 est.) 1,121,000.