Sverdlovsk, Oblast, (Russian: Свердло́вская о́бласть) has a population 4.5 million (2002). The administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg, (Russian: Екатеринбу́рг). In Soviet times the city was also known as Sverdlovsk but has reverted back to its pre Soviet name Yekaterinburg (also written as Ekaterinburg). Sverdlovsk is located in Asiatic Soviet Russia and lies mostly on the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains. Forest and mineral wealth have transformed it into an industrial region. Chief cities are Yekaterinburg, Nizhni Tagil, and Krasnouralsk. Many Mennonites have found their home in this region since the days of the exile and evacuation before and during World War II. They are primarily located in the industrial areas.

See also: Siberia

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1129. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.