 Belgorod is a regional, industrial and cultural centre of Belgorod region. It's located in the South of Central Black-Earth Zone of Russia, at a distance of 695 kilometres from Moscow. The name "Belgorod" in English means "While city". It because the city of Belgorod is situated on the large deposits of chalk. The population of the city is near 315 thousands of people.
Belgorod is a very old city. Not long ago it had celebrated its millenium anniversary. For many centuries it's looking from chalk hills in the bright waters of the river Seversky Donets.
In XVI century in reign of tsar Feodor Ioannovich (the son of Ioann the Terrible) in Belgorod a big fortress was built. In that distant times the city stayed just on the border of Russian state and "Wild field", the large steppe, where lived a lot of nomads tribes. For many years Russian warriors on the walls of the fortress keep the border and defended Rus from many invasion of wild nomad's hordes.
There are many well-known historical persons, who were connected with Belgorod in different times. So in 1708 Peter the Great was in Belgorod when his troops moved through it just before the battle of Poltava. It this battle two Belgorod regiments took part, there were the infantry and dragoon regiments.
For a long time (just till 1917) in Belgorod 35-th dragoon Belgorod regiment was staying. Soldiers from Belgorod fought under the banners of field-marshal count Suvorov and in the war of 1812 year.
Here, near Belgorod is a small settlement, Prokhorovka by name. In July,12, 1943 near Prokhorovka there was the biggest tank-battle in all Human History. It the battle took part near 1200 tanks and a lot of planes. This battle was one of the greatest victories of the Red Army in that War.
And in the evening of August, 5, 1943 in Moscow was the first salute and fireworks in honour of this victory. It was the beginning of the new tradition to celebrate avery new big victory with salutes.
So, from that day our city is often called "The city of the first salute".
There are many monuments of Wold War II in Belgorod. One of them is the Belgorod Diorama.
Now Belgorod is a quickly developing industrial and cultural centre. The regional administration is determined to create favorable conditions for in vestors and will consider tax privileges for enterprises with foreign investment and enterprises producing consumers goods of high demand. The main legislative act regulating the order of attracting and use of foreign investments as well as the rights and obligations of investor in the region is the local law "On Investments In The Belgorod Region", adopted by the regional Duma on October 10, 1995.
There are 2,500 small and medium size joint stock companies operating in the region. 400 joint ventures were registered as of April 1994. Export outside the CIS are estimated at US$ 4.3 million, imports at US$ 2.2 million. Main export items are raw materials and rolled metals, chemical products, fertilizer and consumer goods. The bulk of export (70%) is provided by the main ferrous metal plants: the Oskol Electro-metallurgic Complex, the Lebedinsky Mining and Enriching Factory, the Stoilensky Mining and Enriching Factory.
Other large-scale exporters of the Region include the "KMA Ore Enterprise", the JSC "Power Engineering Plant" (boiler and pipeline producing enterprise), the JSC "Metallurgic Machine Building Plant", the JSC "Citric Acid Plant". Main import items are vehicles, processed foodstuff and pharmaceuticals. Traditionally, main trading partners are West and East European Countries.
Metallurgical Industry
The region is characterized by rich deposits of iron ore, where over 40 billion tons of raw materials are concentrated on an area of 5,000 squares km, 80% of the resources of the kursk magnetic anomaly are located here. This make around 40% of the total iron ore reserves in Russia.
The local ore contain over 60 and in some places 65-68% of iron and are virtually free of hazardous admixtures.
Ferrous Metallurgy
Ferrous metallurgy of Belgorod Region is represented by Oskolsky Electro-Metallurgic Complex, one of the largest enterprises of its kind in the world, Lebedinsky and Stoilensky Mining and Enriching Complex, producing high quality iron ore concentrated.
Agriculture and Food Processing
One third of the Region's territory is covered by its famous fertile black earth soils (600,000 ha). The Belgorod Region is one of the major produc ers of grain, sugar and sunflower seeds, meat and milk in Russia. Its food processing industry is represented by 11 sugar mills, 10 meat and 22 milk processing plants. The main problem of agribusiness in the region, typical however for the whole country, is lack of modern food processing facilities which causes enormous losses of the harvest.
Pharmaceuticals
One of the major pharmaceutical enterprises in Russia, Belvitamin, is located in Belgorod. The factory is interested in cooperation with foreign companies.
Construction
The Technological Academy of Construction Materials located in Belgorod is one of the best scientific and research institutions of this field in Russia. The Academy hosts a number of laboratories and companies which create and manufacture advance construction materials. It works in close cooperation with local enterprises where advanced technologies are being implemented.
Belgorod also is a city of students. The main educational centres are the Belgorod Technological Academy, the Belgorod State University, the Belgorod Agricultural Academy.
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