Bratsk

Bratsk

Bratsk ( _ru. Братск) is a city in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Angara River near the vast Bratsk Reservoir. Population: 259,335 (2002 Census).

Bratsk was founded by Russian settlers in 1631 as a fortress. Several wooden towers from the 17th-century fort are now exhibited in Kolomenskoye Estate of Moscow. Bratsk was among the Blacksmith Institute's "Dirty Thirty", the thirty most polluted places in the world. [ [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/ten.php The Blacksmith Institute ] ]

The city's rapid development started in the mid-1950s with the construction of the 4,500-megawatt hydroelectric plant. Other industries in the city include aluminum plant and a wood pulp plant.

Until recently, the Bratsk Reservoir - one of the world's largest - was a source of drinking water for many nearby cities. Last year, after tons of mercury were found at the bottom of the reservoir, warnings were posted urging local citizens to avoid the reservoir at all costs. However, owing to Russia's economic troubles, the reservoir still remains a source of fish and other food products for many hard-pressed local residents. According to Yuri Udodov, head of the Federal Committee on Ecology (FCE) in the state of Irkutsk, this region has "the highest rate of discharge of metallic mercury into the environment [in] all of Siberia." [ [http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/winter99/wn_winter99merc.html Earth Island Institute: Earth Island Journal - World News (Winter/Spring 1998-1999) ] ] The extent of mercury pollution in the ground around the nearby Usolye chemical plant is equal to half the total global production of mercury in 1992. [ [http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/winter99/wn_winter99merc.html Earth Island Institute: Earth Island Journal - World News (Winter/Spring 1998-1999) ] ]

Bratsk has been declared an ecological disaster zone. The Bratsk Aluminium Plant has been polluting its surroundings to such great degree that the town of Chikanovskiy was evacuated in 2001 due to repeated health emergencies. [ [http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/ten.php The Blacksmith Institute ] ]

Bratsk is connected by the Baikal Amur Mainline railway and Bratsk Airport.

Educational facilities are the Bratsk State Technical University and a branch of Irkutsk State University.

References

See also

* Bratsk hydroelectric plant


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  • Bratsk — /brddahtsk/, n. a city in the S central Russian Federation in Asia, on the Angara River. 249,000. * * * ▪ Russia       city, Irkutsk oblast (province), east central Russia. It lies along the Angara River just below its confluence with the Oka. A… …   Universalium

  • Bratsk — Brạtsk,   Stadt im Gebiet Irkutsk, Russland, am Bratsker Stausee der Angara, 259 400 Einwohner; internationale Messe; Bratsk bildet mit Ust Ilimsk einen Industrieschwerpunkt in Ostsibirien; Wasserkraftwerk, Aluminium , Holzverarbeitungswerk… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Bratsk — Original name in latin Bratsk Name in other language Brack, Brats k, Bratsk, Bratska, Bratskas, Gorad Brack, beulacheukeu, bratsk, bu la ci ke, buratsuku, Братск, Братськ, Горад Брацк State code RU Continent/City Asia/Irkutsk longitude 56.1325… …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

  • Bratsk — geographical name city Russia in Asia, NNE of Irkutsk near site of Bratsk Dam (in the Angara) population 259,000 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Bratsk hydroelectric plant — (named 50 years of Great October ) is the second level of the Angara River hydroelectric stations cascade in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. Located near Bratsk. Since its full commissioning in 1967, the station was the world’s single biggest power… …   Wikipedia

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