The general dataSamara oblast (province), western Russia.
It occupies an area of 20,700 square miles (53,600 square km) in the middle Volga River area where the river makes a great loop around the Zhiguli Hills. The hills, heavily forested and deeply dissected by ravines, rise to 1,214 feet (370 m). The Volga left (east) bank, constituting most of the oblast, is largely level plain. The natural oak woodlands and grass steppe of the left bank have been almost entirely ploughed up since Russians began intensive colonization of the area in the 18th century. But the oblast's agriculture, which is dominated by spring wheat, corn (maize), millet, and sunflowers, suffers severely from recurrent droughts and insufficient irrigation. Market gardening is important near Samara, the oblast headquarters, and fruit growing is important on the Volga right bank. World War II and the presence of abundant petroleum and natural-gas deposits in the oblast led to great industrial development, especially oil refining, petrochemicals, and a broad range of engineering in the towns along the Volga. A large automobile plant began production at Tolyattigrad in 1970. A huge hydroelectric station was built at Zhigulyovsk on the Volga in 1950–57. Pop. (1991 est.) 3,289,600 TOLYATTI [Tolyatti] , city, W European Russia, on the Volga River, near Samara. It is the site of Russia's largest automobile factory, which receives its power from Lenin dam at Zhigulyovski. Other manufactures include heavy machinery, artificial fibers, and synthetic rubber.
Tolyatti was established in 1739 as a missionary Russian Orthodox centre designed to educate and convert to Christianity native steppe tribes to ensure their assimilation into the Russian Empire. The city was originally called Stavropol - "City of the Holy Cross" in Byzantine Greek. The city grew and developed quickly, its economy focussing mainly on agriculture and cattle-breeding. In 1954, the city's development was boosted by the construction of a massive hydroelectric plant on the Volga. it was moved to higher ground following the 1957 completion of the dam. In 1964 it was renamed Tolyatti, after the Italian Communist party leader Palmiro Tolyatti. |
About Togliatty city
