Apatity is a town in Murmansk Oblast

Murmansk Oblast

Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk.-Geography:...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, located along the Murmansk Railway

Murmansk Railway

Murman Railway is a broad gauge Russian railway network that links the Murman Coast and Murmansk city and Saint Petersburg...

 between Lake Imandra

Lake Imandra

Imandra is a lake in the south-western part of the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, slightly beyond the Arctic circle. It is located 127 m above sea level; its area is about 876 km², maximum depth is 67 m. The shape of the shore line is complicated. There are a number of islands and the...

 and Khibiny Massif

Khibiny Massif

The Khibiny Massif, Khibiny Mountains, Khibinsky Mountains or Khibins, Khibinsky tundras, Khibiny is one of the two main mountain ranges of the Kola Peninsula, Russia, within the Arctic Circle, located between Imandra and Umbozero lakes.The massif is of oval shape of about 1,300 sq.km...

, 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) west of Kirovsk

Kirovsk, Murmansk Oblast

Kirovsk , known as Khibinogorsk until 1934, is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the spurs of the Khibiny Massif on the shores of the Lake Bolshoy Vudyavr, south of Murmansk...

 and 185 kilometres (115 mi) south of Murmansk

Murmansk

Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...

, the administrative center of the oblast

Oblast

Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...

. The town is named after one of its most abundant natural resources in the area, apatite

Apatite

Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually referring to hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite, chlorapatite and bromapatite, named for high concentrations of OH−, F−, Cl− or Br− ions, respectively, in the crystal...

, the raw mineral used in the production of phosphorus mineral fertilizers.

History

The railroad crossing of Bely was built in 1926 and the settlement of Apatity was founded in 1935. It was classified as an urban locality by the VTsIK Resolution of August 20, 1935, when the settlement of pri sovkhoze "Industriya" was merged into Apatity and it was granted work settlement

Urban-type settlement

Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...

 status. Town status was granted to it in 1966.

Economy

The main employer of Apatity is the joint stock company "Apatit", the largest mining and concentrating enterprise in Europe and Russia. Other employers include the Kola Science Center of the Russian Academy of Science and various state and private enterprises.

The joint civilian-military Kirovsk Apatity airport is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southeast of the town.

Museums

• Museum of Investigation and Development History of the European North of Russia (International Cultural Center of KSC RAS);
• Museum of regional studies and history (municipal);
• Geological museum (KSC RAS);
• Mineralogical museum (The Institute of Geology KSC RAS)

Demographic evolution

• 1939: 4,000
• 1959: 15,200
• 1970: 45,600
• 1989:
• 2002:
• 2010:

Notable people

• Maxim Kononenko
  Maxim Kononenko
  Maksim Kononenko is a Russian journalist, writer, TV show host, and political activist, computer programmer. Known on the Internet as "Mr...
  
  , journalist
• Andrey Malakhov
  Andrey Malakhov
  -Eurovision:In May 2009, Malakhov presented the semifinals of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest with the Russian model Natalia Vodianova.-Personal life:...
  
  , television personality
• Fedor Fedorov (ice hockey), ice hockey forward

Twin towns/sister cities

Apatity is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Alta

Alta, Norway

-Birdlife:For those interested in bird watching, the river outlet, known locally as Altaosen is well worth a visit. This tidal area is used as a stopover for many wetland species.-Transportation:...

, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 Boden Municipality

Boden Municipality

Boden Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Boden.In 1919 the evolving garrison town of Boden was detached from Överluleå and instituted as a city municipality of its own. In 1967 the rest of Överluleå was merged into the city together with...

, Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 Keminmaa

Keminmaa

Keminmaa is a municipality of Finland.The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is.-Villages:...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

External links

• Interactive map of Apatity