Vladivostok overview
Vladivostok (other spellings are Vladivostock, Vladivastok, Vladivostoc) is a city and port in the Far East of Russia, an administrative center of Primorye krai, the end of Trans-Siberian Railway.
Vladivostok city is located ashore of Japan Sea on Muravyov-Amurski peninsula. It is supposed that one municipal unit called Bolshoi (Big) Vladivostok will be formed on the basis of Vladivostok and its suburbs. In November 2012 the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will take place in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok population is about 581,000 (2009) on the territory of 562 sq. km.
Vladivostok city phone code is +7 4232; postal codes are 690000-690xxx.
Vladivostok history
In 1859 the governor-general of Eastern Siberia Nikolai Nikolayevich Muravyov-Amurski while going on board a ship in a gulf Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great), paid a special attention at a well-hidden bay. It remained a bay Zolotoy Rog (Golden Horn) in Konstantinopol and the governor-general suggested to call it the same way and to found a military post on the shores of the bay. He called the post Vladivostok.
In 1862 the military post turned into a port and in order to increase the volume of foreign trade Vladivostok was given a status of a free port. In 1871 the main base of the Siberian military fleet, the residence of the governor-general and other naval institutions removed to Vladivostok from Nikolayevsk-on-Amur.
The same year submarine telegraph cable connected Vladivostok with Shanhai and Nagasaki. On March 16th, 1883, Alexander III approved the first coat of arms of the city. In 1888 Vladivostok became a center of Primorsky region.
In 1903 the Trans-Siberian Railway connected the city with Moscow. In 1890s Vladivostok gradually became the place where Russian culture in the Far East was concentrated. Vladivostok was a center where expeditions of Russian explorers and scientists were organized (N.M.Pzhevalsky, S.O.Makarov, V.K.Arsenyev, V.L.Komarov and others).
Since 1938 Vladivostok is the center of Primorsky kray. In 1958 it became a marine base of Soviet fleet and for 30 years it could not be visited by foreigners. In 1991 the first President of Russia Boris Yeltsin signed a decree by which Vladivostok seized to be a closed city from January 1st, 1992.
Vladivostok views
Vladivostock city general view
Author: Nikolay Kundyshev
Vladivostok city view
Author: Alexey Yefremov
Vladivostok Russia city view
Author: Melnikov Vladimir
Vladivostok features
Vladivostok remained an important transportation, industrial, trade and financial center of Russia, which promotes its further development. APEC summit on the island Russky in 2012 will be of great importance.
The word “Vladivostok” came into being like the name of the fortress Vladikavkaz in 18th century - a derivation from the words “own” and “East”. The original English name of the bay Zolotoy Rog - Port May.
The climate of Vladivostok city area is of monsoon type. Winters are dry and cold with serene weather. Springs are long, cool, with temperatures changing often. Summers are warm and humid, with max of rains. Autumns, as a rule, are warm, dry, with serene weather.
An international airport “Vladivostok” is located 44 km to the north of the city. The federal highway M60 connects the city with Khabarovsk, the road A118 - with Nakhodka and Eastern port.
Vladivostok city kept its military importance till nowadays. Headquarters and other services of the Navy of Russia in the Pacific Ocean are located in Vladivostok. Here in the navy base named the same way as the city a part of the fleet ships is based.
Vladivostok sceneries
Vladivostok Russia city scenery
Author: Max Palchevsky
Vladivostok city scenery
Author: Nikolay Vyatkin
Vladivostock city auto market
Author: Viktor Biryuk
Vladivostok economics
Industrial machine-building is presented mainly by shipbuilding and ship-repairing as well as fishing equipment-making (tool-, gadget- and radio- making plants). For meeting Vladivostok city needs there are light, food and construction industries. Vladivostok is a base of fishing trade and refrigerator fleet.
Vladivostok has an intermediate position between Trans-Siberian Railway and seaways in the Pacific Ocean and this makes the city an important cargo and passenger port.
The main items exported are fish and sea food, timber, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, ships. Imported are mainly food, medicines, clothes, shoes, household techniques and ships. Vladivostok is an important intermediate city for goods imported from Japan, South Korea and China.
“Fresh Plaza” is currently the only business center of international “A” level built for the APEC summit of 2012. The other places of the summit are a bridge across Zolotoy Rog bay and a bridge to the island Russky as well as Far East Federal University.
