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GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION

Donetsk region is founded in July 17, 1932.

The region is situated in a step zone of the south-eastern part of Ukraine. It borders on Dniepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions in the south-west and west, on Kharkov region in the north-west, on Lugansk is in the north-east, and on Russian Federation / Rostov region in the east. It is washed by the Sea of Azov in the south.

The territory of region covers 26,5 ths square km., i.e. 4,4 % of the whole Ukrainian territory. Its length is 240 km from north to south, 170 km from west to east.

Donetsk region is populated with 5,1 min people (10% of Ukrainian population).

Average density of population accounts 193 people for 1 square km. 4 627 ths people live in towns (90%).

The region includes 51 towns,28 regional suburbs, the largest cities are Donetsk, Makeyevka, Mariupol, Gorlovka, Kramatorsk, 21 intertown districts, 134 town type settlements, 17 village districts, 253 village Soviets, 1124 village localities. Regional centre is Donetsk with population of 1092,7 ths citizen.

HISTORICAL EXCURSUS

Archaeological discoveries of last years prove that Donetsk region refers to those regions as Ukraine which were populated in deep antiquity, beginning with epoch of Palaeolithic period.

Lately on the territory of region, known as Wild field, dwelled mainly nomads - Scythians, Sarmatians, Pechenegs, Polovtzy and others. The first settlement appeared here in the second half of XVIth century along the banks of the Seversky Donets. It were guards of the Russian state to prevent Tatar encounters. Ukrainian Cossacks enlisted and also fugitive peasants from right bank of Ukraine and Russia began to settle down here.

The first locality is considered to be the Svyatogorsk monastery, writing mentioning referred to 1642.

The intensive industrial assimilation of regional territory started at the end of XVIIIth century in connection with the beginning of industrial coal extraction. At the end of the 90-ties the first fiscal and peasant mines has been laid. Mass transmigration of inhabitants of the nearest densely populated agrarian regions of Ukraine and Russia to these lands has started after abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861.

From the second half of XIXth century on the territory of Donetsk region the industry quickly develops thanks to its natural resources, nearness to seller markets,presence of cheap working energies.

To the end of XIXth century a lot of modern localities has already existed.

DONETSK REGION HISTORY

The region was first settled during the early Palaeolithic era. Twenty-five monuments from the Neolithic period (8th cent. B.C.) notably burial grounds near Mariupol have been uncovered. In the 7th cent. B C. the territory of the region was inhabited by Scythian tribes; in the 2nd cent. B.C. - by the Sarmatians. The Huns appeared in the region in the 4th cent., and in the 6th-7th cent., the Avars and Bulgarians.

In the 8th-10th cent. the area was inhabited by tribes of the Saltiv culture. In the late 9th cent. the Pechenegs invaded the area, and in the 11th cent., the Polovtsian.

In the 11th-13th cent. some territories of Donets region were part of the Polovtsian lands.

In 1185 a battle was fought between the prince of Novhorod-Siversky Ihor Svyatoslavych's armies and the Polovtsians, which was masterfully described in the epic "The Lay of Ihor's Campaign."

In 1223 the princes of Kyiv fought the Tatars at the river Kalka (now Kalchyk river).

In the 16th-18th cent. the southern lands were controlled by the Crimean Khans and the right bank was ruled by the Zaporozhian Kozaks. The northern territories of the region formed part of Slobidska Ukraine.

In 1707-08 the town of Bakhmut (now Artemivsk) was one of the centres of a popular uprising led by K.Bulavin. The uprising was crushed and the Kozak towns and settlements were fumed by order of Tsar Peter I.

With the establishment of the Ukrainian defence line against the Turks in 1731, the Donets lands began to be settled by foreign colonists, especially the Germans. The development of coal mines, metallurgical plants and railroads brought an influx of Russian businessmen and workers to the Donets region. Thus began the gradual Russification of the region and the Ukrainian language eventually disappeared from educational institutions, businesses, and factories.

From: http://www.sez.donetsk.ua/E/ra/

Last Updated: 21 January 2002