Murmansk

Location

Murmansk is the capital of the Murmansk Region, on the Kola Gulf of the Barents Sea in the North Western part of European Russia.

Population

approx. 470,000 (est 1990)

Economic Activity

Murmansk is an ice free port and the terminus of the North East Passage and holds the distinction as the world's largest city North of the Artic Circle. Before the break up of the Soviet Union, it was a leading port for Soviet freight, a base for fishing fleets, a major base for the Soviet Navy, and the main home for the Russian nuclear submarine fleet. Murmansk was a prosperous and thriving industrial, commercial and shipping center. It boasted of facilities for fish canning, shipyards, textiles factories, breweries, sawmills and commercial fleets. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Murmansk lost state funding, and has seen difficult economic times. The formerly active railroad terminus that links Moscow to St. Petersburg has seen its traffic decrease by one half of its Soviet levels. The commercial fleets have been sold for scrap metal, the nuclear submarines have been relocated and many workers have been laid off.

Overview

Before the first World War Murmansk was a small village. In 1915-1916 the port and the inland rail line from St. Petersburg was built but was cut off shortly thereafter by the Central Powers (this was effected by cutting off the Russian Baltic and Black Sea supply routes). Allied forces occupied the city and the surrounding area for two years (1918 to 1920), during the Russian Civil War. Murmansk was a major supply base during World War II and was also used as a port for Anglo-American convoys. Because of it's strategic importance during the war, the Germans bombarded the city. After World War II, the Murmansk oblast was enlarged through the incorporation of some former Finnish territories (one major Finnish territory was Petsamo which is also known as Pechenga). In the 1970's and 1980's, the Sea of Murmansk was used as a dump site for exhausted cores from Soviet nuclear reactors. The Murmansk oblast is known in the nuclear industry as a region with rich apatite and nickel mines.