HOMEL

also spelled Gomel, city and administrative centre, Homel oblast (province), Belarus, on the Sozh River. First mentioned in 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 Homel developed as a major railway junction, and industries began to flourish. The city now is an important port and industrial centre, producing superphosphate fertilizers, agricultural machinery, machine tools, cables, bearings, timber products, glass, and footwear, foodstuffs, and other consumer goods. There are rolling-stock and rivercraft repair yards. Homel has teacher-training and railway-engineering institutes and a forestry-research institute. Pop. (1991 est.) 503,300. also spelled Gomel, oblast (province), Belarus. The oblast occupies the level plain of the middle Dnieper River and its tributaries, in the southeastern corner of the republic. There are considerable areas of reed and grass marsh and of peat bog, most of the drier areas lying in dense forest of oak, pine, and hornbeam on soils that are commonly sandy. Much of the oblast is swampland, but some of this has been reclaimed in a number of localities. The east has slightly higher ground, largely cleared of forest and cultivated for flax, hemp, and potatoes. Dairying is widespread, the broad floodplain meadows along the rivers being used for hay and pasture. The timber industry is highly developed, the cities of Homel (the oblast headquarters) and Dobrush being the main lumbering centres. Other industries include machine building, metalworking, and food and timber processing. Area 15,600 square miles (40,400 square km). Pop. (1991 est.) 1,628,400.