KONOTOP

city, centre of a rayon (sector), Sumy oblast (province), northern Ukraine. It was founded in 1652 as a fortress on Russia's frontier with Poland and the Crimean Tatars; it became a city in 1780. Rapid growth began in the early 20th century when the railway reached the city, which now has railway and electrical-engineering industries. There is a college of building technology, a medical school, and a local museum. Pop. (1991 est.) 97,700.