NOVOSIBIRSK

oblast (province), south-central Russia, in western Siberia. It lies across an extremely level plain known as the Baraba Steppe in the north and Kulunda Steppe in the south, most of which is exceptionally swampy, with many lakes. The oblast is drained by the Ob River and by tributaries of the Irtysh River. Lake Chany, which has no outlet, is a basin of inland drainage. The swampy forest, or taiga, of the north gives way southward to forest-steppe of birch groves and finally to true steppe on fertile soils. Apart from the city of Novosibirsk, which is the economic and cultural capital of an area of Siberia that is vastly wider than the limits of the oblast, the towns are small, and the economy is almost wholly agricultural. In the north, wheat, rye, and flax are grown, while in the more fertile south, which is largely cultivated, spring wheat, oats, barley, and sunflowers predominate. Dairying is dominant in the swampy Baraba Steppe, which has been partly reclaimed. Fishing is important in the Lake Chany region. Area 68,000 square miles (178,200 square km). Pop. (1991 est.) 2,795,800. city, administrative centre of Novosibirsk oblast (province) and the chief city of western Siberia, in south-central Russia. It lies along the Ob River where the latter is crossed by the Trans-Siberian Railroad. It developed after the village of Krivoshchekovo on the left bank was chosen as the crossing point of the Ob for the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 1893. The settlement was known variously as Gusevka or Aleksandrovsky, but in 1895 it was renamed Novonikolayevsky in honour of the accession of Tsar Nicholas II. The bridge was completed in 1897, and in 1903 town status was conferred. The continued development of the town was based chiefly on its proximity to the Kuznetsk (Kuzbass) Coal Basin coalfield to the east and the establishment of important railway routes. In 1925 the town was renamed Novosibirsk (New Siberia). The city's industry was especially stimulated in World War II, when many factories were evacuated from European Russia to the area. It is now one of the largest cities in Siberia. Novosibirsk is a major manufacturing centre. Although it has a wide range of industries, metallurgy and engineering predominate. The old, pre-Revolutionary iron industry has been transformed into the modern Kuzmin steelworks. The city also has a large tin smelter and a highly specialized gold refinery. Engineering works produce heavy machinery, hydraulic presses, electrothermal equipment, ore-concentrating and mining machinery, and agricultural machinery. Precision- and light-engineering plants make machine tools, instruments, radios, and automatic looms. There are also ship and locomotive repair shops. The chemical industry has developed rapidly. Consumer products include furniture, pianos, shoes, textiles, knitwear, and foodstuffs. Power is provided by a dam and hydroelectric station above Novosibirsk and several thermal stations in the city itself. In addition to the trunk railway services via the Trans-Siberian, Kuzbass, and Turksib lines, local electric commuter trains link the suburbs to the city centre. There are two airports, a smaller one serving local air connections and a large main airport with direct flights to Moscow and other major cities of Russia. The Ob River is navigable. Transportation within the city is by bus, streetcar, and trolleybus. Novosibirsk is the principal cultural and educational centre in Siberia. It has an opera and ballet theatre, botanical gardens, an art gallery, and museums, as well as a symphony orchestra. There are many educational institutions, headed by the Novosibirsk State University, founded in 1959; other higher-educational establishments include railway engineering, electrotechnical, medical, agricultural, and teacher-training institutes. The university and a number of these institutes are located in the satellite town of Akademgorodok (Academic Town), on the southern outskirts of the city. Also in Akademgorodok are most of the specialist research institutes that the Academy of Sciences of Russia maintains in Novosibirsk. Pop. (1991 est.) 1,446,300.