Kryvyi Rih

Kryvyi Rih or Krivoi Rog (Ukrainian: Кривий Ріг [krɪˈvɪj riɦ];Russian: Кривой Рог [krʲɪˈvoj ˈrok], Crooked Horn) is a city in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine; it is the 8th most populous city in the country. It lies within a large urban area, administratively incorporated with Kryvyi Rih Municipality as a city of region significance. It also serves as the administrative center of the district although it is not part of it. The city extends for 126 km from north to south.

Standing on the Saksahan and Inhulets river, Kryvyi Rih has been a major settlement for most of its history, going back to its founding as a postal city in 1775 by the Cossacks. A military settlement until 1860, it formed part of Kherson, although it was incorporated during the 20th century with areas of Yekaterinoslav. The township began to expand "at an astonishing rate" at the beginning of the 1880s. Kryvyi Rih's urbanization was unplanned; French and English investment arrived due to a boom in metallurgy, iron mining and investigation of rich deposits of iron ore. The building of the Yekateryninska Railway in 1884 - built for transportation of ore to the Donbas - transformed Kryvyi Rih into a major industrial town that culminated in city status in 1919. Nationalization and investment spurred by Soviet authorities led to extensive growth. In 1934 Kryvorizhstal was built, the first of more than 500 factories. The city also gave rise to the foundation of Kryvyi Rih National University. Financially, the city's growth after the Nazi occupation increased due to economic reforms. Also, investment spurred by Ukrainian Independence, market economy and the 2014 revolution led to extensive regeneration, particularly in the city centre.

Kryvyi Rih Raion

Kryvyi Rih Raion (Ukrainian: Криворізький район) is a raion (district) of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, southeastern-central Ukraine. Its administrative centre is located at the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is incorporated separately as a city of oblast significance and is not a part of the raion. Population: 44,971 (2013 est.).

Geography

Climate

Kryvyi Rih experiences a dry continental climate (Dfb/Dfa) according to the Köppen climate classification system, like much of Ukraine. This tends to generate warm summers and cold winters with relatively low precipitation. Snowfalls are not common in the city, due to the urban warming effect. However, districts that surround the city receive more snow and roads leading out of the city can be closed due to snow.