Ufa

 

Ufa (Russian: Уфа) is the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. Population: 1,036,026 (2005 est.); 1,042,437 (2002 Census).

 

Ufa is one of the industrial centres in the Western Urals area, and is situated at the confluence of the Belaya and the Ufa Rivers. Industries include electrical and mining equipment, oil refining, petrochemicals, synthetic rubber, and processed foods. The Ufa Airport connects the city to several towns in Russia, as well as to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Germany, Turkey and Uzbekistan. There is also the smaller Ufa Maximovka Airport northeast of the city.

 

The city began as a fortress built on the orders of Ivan IV in 1574, and originally bore the name of the hill it stood on, Tura-Tau. The city began to be called Ufa, meaning "small" in Turkic, by locals and the name stuck. In 1802, Ufa became the principal city of Bashkiria.

 

Educational institutions include Bashkir State University, Bashkir State Teachers Training University, Ufa State Aviation Technical University, Ufa Oil University, Ufa Architectural University, Ufa Agricultural University, and others.