IRKUTSK

The administrative center of Irkutsk Region with the population of 596 thousand people (January, 1 1999). The city is located on terraces of the Angara river valley and oď the nearby heights, at a confluence of the Irkut and the Ushakovka rivers in it, 65 kms from Lake Baikal and in 5042 kms from Moscow. It is the largest city near Baikal. The area of the city is about 30637 hectares (1997). Irkutsk is one of few cities of Russia where the amount of sun shining a year exceeds 2000. There are spacious meadows, pine, pine-larch, pine-birch woods, birchwoods around Irkutsk.

Irkutsk located in the center of Eastern Siberia is the modern trade center, the largest transport unit on the Transsiberian railroad. From Irkutsk airport you can travel to Moscow and Vladivostok, to the international airports of China, Mongolia, Japan, and other countries. There are 10 trolleybus routes with the common extent of 47,2 kms, 5 tram routes with the common extent of 23,7 kms and 52 bus routes in the city. Moreover, there are widely spread fixed-route taxis and the river transport in Irkutsk.

The industry of Irkutsk presents a unified regional complex with such branches as power, mechanical engineering, light and food industries, manufacture of building materials, aircraft industry, ship-repair and aircraft-repair manufactures.

The city consists of five districts. Kirovsky district is the historical and modern city center. There are the majority of administrative establishments, theatres, museums, libraries, monuments of architecture situated. The territory of Kujbyshevsky district is the oldest industrial part of the city, which have received the name of workers' suburb. Octyabrsky district is the modern Irkutsk. Sverdlovsky district is the territory of power industry workers, science and education. there are Irkutsk hydroelectric power station, Academgorodok, Studgorodok situated in its territory. Leninsky district is a large railway junction of the East-Siberian railway.

Irkutsk is not only an administrative and industrial center of the region. The cultural wealth of the Siberian region is carefully kept in Irkutsk museums and libraries. Collections of arts products, monuments of a history and the nature are gathered in the regional art museum named after V.P.Sukatchyov, the museum of regional studies, the museum of the history of the city unique. The scientific library of Irkutsk state university, regional universal scientific library of I.I.Moltchanov-Sibirsky are the keepers of invaluable book treasures.

The theatrical and musical life of the city is various. Five professional theatres work in Irkutsk now: the Academic drama theatre named after N.P.Okhlopkov, the musical theatre, the young spectators' theatre, the regional puppet theatre, the national drama theatre and some amateur collectives. Concerts of chamber, classical and organ music take place in the regional philharmonic society.

Irkutsk is a large center of science in Eastern Siberia. It is possible to receive higher education here at classical, technical, pedagogical, medical, linguistic, economic universities, agricultural academy and other universities. .

There are more than 150 periodicals in the city. 4 local TV and 5 local radio stations broadcast daily.

Irkutsk is the city of the future with the surprising past. The history of the city is rich in unique events.

The source is CD "The Planet of Baikal. Photo-album (Summer)"