Donetsk formly known as Yuzovka
after John Hughes, and then Stalino because
of steel production in city (there is an
erroneous opinion that city was named after
Stalin), is a city in eastern Ukraine on
the Kalmius river. Administratively, it
is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically,
it is the unofficial capital and largest
city of the economic and cultural Donets
Basin (Donbas) region.
The name of Donetsk comes from the Seversky
Donets, a tributary of the Don. The city
was founded in 1869 by a Welsh businessman,
John Hughes, who constructed a steel plant
and several coal mines around the region.
Today, the city still remains an important
coal mining region of the Donbas and Ukraine,
and houses the "Donetsk" special
economic zone, established in 1998.
The city is currently home to two major
professional football teams in Ukraine:
Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalurh Donetsk, both
of which currently play in the Ukrainian
Premier League. Important attractions of
the city include the Cathedral Transfiguration
of Jesus, the Donetsk National University,
and others.
Donetsk currently has a population of over
1,100,000 inhabitants (2007) and has a metropolitan
area of over 1,566,000 inhabitants (2004).
According to the 2001 Ukrainian Census,
Donetsk is the fifth-largest city in Ukraine.
