- Berezniki
Berezniki ( _ru. Березники́) is a city in
Perm Krai ,Russia , situated on the banks of theKama River , it lies in theUral mountains . [ [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761584338/berezniki.html Berezniki - MSN Encarta ] ] Berezniki has a population of 201,000, [ [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Bereznik.html Berezniki – FREE Berezniki Information | Encyclopedia.com: Facts, Pictures, Information! ] ] It is the second-largest city ofPerm Krai . The name Berezniki is derived from abirch forest originally situated on the city's location.It was founded in 1932 as Soviet
industry was rapidly expanding underJoseph Stalin . After the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city's population dropped from 220,000 to about 190,000 due to increased unemployment [ [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761584338/berezniki.html Berezniki - MSN Encarta ] ] Nevertheless, the city was able to keep its main industries on track. Largechemical plant s such astitanium andsodium factories as well as several hugePotassium ,Magnesium andPotash mines are operational in Berezniki.Even though industrial plants pollute quite heavily, the natural environment around the city is beautiful and unique in many ways. It is common for wild animals to cross streets in the outskirts of town. Forests and lakes are yet clean and peaceful. Many nature loving adventurers from all around
Russia come here foroff-road trails andexpeditions . Berezniki has a theater and a museum of regional history.Russia's first president
Boris Yeltsin attendedPushkin High School in Berezniki.On
28 August 2006 , the magazine "Kommersant-Dengi" published its rating of 300 Major Russian Companies. JSC Uralkali (Berezniki, Perm Krai) with a capitalization of $3,128.2 million is in the 26th position on the list, 6 points higher than a year ago. The company from Berezniki has the largest capitalization among Russian chemical companies and the companies of the Perm Krai present in the list.Berezniki is served by
Berezniki Airport , the airport mainly serveshelicopters .In 2007 Berezniki made the news when a large
sinkhole opened [ [http://englishrussia.com/?p=1586 English Russia » A Giant Sinkhole ] ] in the potash mines [ [http://maps.google.com/?ll=59.38814,56.76772&spn=0.003721,0.009989&t=k Google Maps ] ] , the hole is 80m long, 40m wide and 200m deep. [ [http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/40512/ Virtual Globetrotting: 2007-11-02 - Another sinkhole threatens Russia ] ] The sinkhole is expected to expand, and destroy part of the only rail line which leads to and from thePotash mines, Berezniki produces around 10% of the worlds Potash, this would lead global demand towardsCanada , potentially damaging the local economy. Nobody was hurt when the sinkhole appeared.External links
* [http://www.berezniki.ru main site of Berezniki] ru icon
* [http://berezniki.perm.ru municipal site] ru icon
* [http://uralkali.com JSC Uralkali web site]References
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