CITIES: KRIVOY ROG

Kryvyy Rih (krivi rikh) , Rus. Krivoy Rog, city (1989 pop. 713,000), SE Ukraine, at the confluence of the Inhulets and Saksagan rivers. It is a rail junction, an industrial center, and a metallurgical and coking center of one of the worlds richest iron-mining regions. The city extends 20 mi (32 km) in a narrow belt paralleling the iron ore deposits. Burial mounds in the area indicate that Scythians inhabited it and used the iron deposits. Founded in the 17th cent. by Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, the city received its name (Crooked Horn) because of the shape of the iron-mining area. Kryvyy Rihs industrial growth dates from 1881, when French, Belgian, and other foreign interests founded a mining syndicate. The city has mining and pedagogical institutes.

Krivoy Rog is a big industrial city. It is the center of Krivoy Rog iron ore basin, the major raw-material base of metallurgy of Ukraine. The prospected resources of iron ores make over 32 billion tons, including deposits of rich martite ores - unique raw material for powder metallurgy and electronic industry.

There are many legends about our city Krivoy Rog. One of these legends says that the city was founded by a Cossack, named Rog. People said he lost his eye in a cruel fight with Tatar invaders that put out his eye with a saber. So, he got this name Krivoy Rog (in Russian it means one-eyed Rog). On his way back from the war he was carrying much salt and was sharing it with all people he met. After some time he decided to stop and to establish his residence.

And at the intersection of two rivers - Ingulets and Saksagan’ he established an inn. People never left this inn alone - some people came to ask for some salt, some just wanted to stay for a night after a long way home, and some people just dropped in to listen to his truthful stories about the war or to ask for a piece of advice.

Meanwhile the inn of Rog was getting surrounded by other pot-houses, the village was expanding and turned into a small town. One day Krivoy Rog died being an old man. But the village saved his name.

The major industry is iron and steel metallurgy. It is a powerful industrial complex which includes mining and metallurgical mills, four MCMs and one iron ore combine, two mine managements, three plants for mining equipment maintenance and other.

The city is very green. There are 21 parks, 134 squares, 12 quays, 22 gardens that stretch at the area of 16 thousand acres.

Electro transport of the city is 22 trolleybus routes the extent of which is 258,1 km, and 20 tram routes with the length of 88,1 km.
Since 1986 the population of city uses a high-speed tram. Its line length is 18 km.

Climate is steppe, Atlantic-continental, characterized by the hot dry summer and moderately soft winter with often thawing weather.

It is quite warm in summer (average daily temperature in July is +25-27 C, 76-80 F) and average temperature in winter is -3-4 C, 24-26 F.

Best time for visiting is in the late spring - the late April, May (nice nature and fresh air), first part of June, and early in autumn: September and October (beauty of towns yellow parks). Period of rains is normal in the middle of autumn. Other times are mainly dry with a few showers or storms in the summer time.

Today there are totaled 156 general educational establishments of all types, 149 preschool educational establishments, 4 boarding schools for children with disabilities, 4 childrens houses, 3 orphanages and a teaching- and-educational social - rehabilitation complexes.