Cities

We share these facts with you so that you may start to learn more about the geographic regions and the history that comes with your child. We can not guarantee that these facts are up to date. If you would like to add to this list with an overview of your child’s city or other areas of interest, please contact Families for Russian & Ukrainian Adoption at FRUAUSA@aol.com

Armenia - Capital: Erevan. Located on the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, the country has high plateaus and mountainous terrain.

Baku, Azerbaijan - The capital city of Baku is a Caspian seaport. The largest oil fields in the former Soviet Union lie here. There is a university and the main industries are metals, textiles and food processing.

Gomel, Belarus - population .5 million. The city is a railroad junction known for engineering and textiles.

Minsk, Belarus - Capital of Belarus. Population 1.5 million. Was an industrial center with a university. During World War II, under German occupation, the entire Jewish population was exterminated, accounting for 40% of the pre-war population.

Bulgaria - Capital: Sofia. 43,000 square miles, population 10 million. Monetary units: Lev, stotinka. The country has 20 universities. Main rivers are Lom, Vit, Danube, Tundzha, Stryama, Maritsa and Mesta. Major cities are Rila, Ruse, Aytos, Butan, Byclu, Elena, Iskra, Stara, Varna, Bleven, Burgas, Plevna, Zagora and Plovdiv. The Balkan Mountains run through Bulgaria. Average temperatures in the summer are 90 degrees F, in the winter -15 to 40 degrees F depending on location. People: Slav, Tatar, Bulgar and Gypsies.

Estonia - Capital: Tallinn. 17,400 square miles, population 1.5 million. Monetary units: kroon, estmark and sent. A plain with many lakes and rivers (Ema, Narva, Parnu, Kasari). The main concerns are dairy farming, potatoes, cereals, mining and lumber. Major cities: Narva, Parnu, Reval, Tartu. Ruled by Teutonic Knights 1346 - 1521, by Sweden 1561 - 1721, Russia 1721-1918, independent 1918, part of the former Soviet Union 1940, German occupation during World War II, returned to independence recently. People: Esth, Aesti

Georgia - Capital: Tbilisi. Population 5 million. 27,000 square miles. Located in the Southwest Caucus Mountains, bordering on Turkey and the Black Sea. The main industries were manganese mining, tea, fruit, coal and oil. Before the civil war, Georgia was called a paradise.

Kazahkstan - 1 million square miles in area, population of 15 million. Capital: Almaata. The country has a dry climate. Agriculture is wheat and fruit. Oil, copper, lead and zinc sustain the economy. The people are Turkic and Islamic.

Kirghizistan - Capital: Frunze. Old name: Pishpek. This mountainous country was conquered by Russia in 1876. Main agricultural interests are livestock, root vegetables and fruit.

Latvia - Capital: Riga, 25,600 square miles, population 3 million. Monetary units: Lal rublis, kapeika, santums. This country is low lying with heavy forest. Main crops are cereals, flax, meat and dairy. Main industries are metals, paper and textiles. Rivers are Ogre, Divina, Gauja, Venta, Salaca and Lielupe. Major cities are Cesis, Liabau, Dvinsk, Libaca, Tukums, Jelgava, Liepaja, Rezekne, Valmiera, Dunaburg and Daugaupils. Developed as a trading center, the country was conquered by Teutonic Knights in the 13th century AD, Poland in 1561, Sweden in 1621, Russia in 1710 and independent in 1918. People: Lett

Lithuania - Capital: Vilnius. 25,200 square miles, population 3.5 million. The country has many lakes and rivers (Neman, Neris, Rusne, Venta, Dubysa, Lielupe, Pregolya) and is located on the Baltic Sea. Agriculture is root vegetables, cereals and cattle. Main industries are timber, ship building, engineering. Major cities: Jelgava, Kapsukas, Klaipeda and Siauliai. Developed as an independent region against the Teutonic Knights in the 13 century AD, unified with Poland in 1386, conquered by Russia 1795 and independent in 1919. People are Litvak or Lett.

Moldavia - 13,000 square miles, population 4 million. Capital: Kishinev. Borders on Romania. Hilly plain that has an agricultural focus. Crops are wine grapes, root vegetables and corn.

Ekaterinburg, Russia - Old name: Sverdlovsk, population 1.3 million. Located in the Eastern Urals, the city has a university and an opera house. Industries are iron and steel, machinery, chemicals, and food processing. Czar Nicholas II and his family were shot here in 1918.

Irkutsk, Russia - population .6 million. Located in Southeast Siberia on the Angara river, the major industries are mining, lumber, and furs. Irkutsk is on the Trans Siberian Rail Road.

Khabarovsk, Russia - In Northeast Siberia, the city is a railroad center with oil refineries and engineering. Population .6 million

Kirov, Russia - Old name: Vyatka, population .5 million. Railroad junction and industrial center for textiles and machinery.

Moscow, Russia - Capital city since 1918, located in the central Russian plain on the Moscow river. The best known landmark is the Kremlin, a medieval citadel, serves as the center of government and is located on Red Square along with St. Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Tomb and the GUM. While occupied by the French, the city was destroyed by a fire in 1812. Main industries are engineering and textiles. Moscow is a communication, industrial and transportation center.

Nizhni Novogorod, Russia - Population 1.5 million. Located on the Volga river, the city produces cars, paper, textiles, and ship building. There is a university.

Nizhni Tagil, Russia - Population .5 million. Located in the central Urals (about 2 hours outside of Ekaterinburg), the city focuses on chemical industries.

Nobosibirsk, Russia - Old name: Novonikolaevsk, population 2.0 million. In the Kuznetsk region of western Siberia, on the Ob river, the city is a stop on the Trans Siberian Railroad. main industries are metals, engineering, textiles and food processing.

Perm, Russia - Once named Molotov (1940-1957), this port city is on the Kama river. It was an industrial center and has a university.

St. Petersburg, Russia - On the Gulf of Finland in the Neva delta. Founded in 1703, St. Petersburg was the capital of Russia from 1713 to 1918. The city is of cultural and architectural importance. It was an industrial center with a university. Population 5 million.

Samara, Russia - Old name: Kuibyshev, population 1.5 million. Located on the Volga river, the city has a university. Main industries are engineering, paper, and oil refining.

Tadzhikistan - Capital: Dyushambe, population 4 million. A mountainous country with Pamirs mountains in the east.

Turkmenistan - Capital: Ashkhabad, population 3 million. Located in the Kara Kum desert, it was conquered by Russia in 1869. People: Moslem, Turkic

Kiev, Ukraine - Capital of Ukraine, population 2.5 million. Located on the Dnieper river, the city was founded during the 9th century AD. It was the ecclesiastical capital of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1051 to 1240 when it was destroyed by Mongols. The city is a commercial, industrial and transportation center.

Uzbekistan - Capital: Tashkent. The country is a plateau, with a desert and mountains. Cotton is grown. Main industry is oil. The country was conquered by Russia in 1865.