Population of Krivoy Rog: number, demographic situation, ethnic structure. History of the settlement of the city

Krivoy Rog is a large industrial center of the Dnieper region, the eighth most populated city in Ukraine. It was founded in the second half of the 18th century. How many people live here today? What peoples inhabit the modern Krivoy Rog?

Krivoy Rog: Population and general demographic situation

The most important metallurgical, transport and educational center of the country has a number of interesting and impressive records. Here are just a few of them:

• Krivoy Rog is the leader in the extraction and processing of iron ore in Ukraine;
• This is the longest city in Europe (its length is 66 kilometers in a straight line);
• In the city is the deepest in Europe iron ore quarry;
• Here are the biggest flower clock in Ukraine.

However, this unusual city is famous for other achievements, less pleasant. Thus, the population of Krivoy Rog is rapidly declining. The indicators of natural growth here are among the lowest in the country. For 25 years of Ukrainian independence, the number of residents in this city has decreased by almost 100 thousand! In addition, Krivoy Rog was and remains the leader in the number of drug addicts in Ukraine (3.46 per 1000 inhabitants).

The population of Krivoy Rog as of January 1, 2016 is 645 thousand people. Almost one million people live within the so-called Krivoy Rog agglomeration. It also includes the Yellow Waters, Pyatikhatki and the city of Apostolovo.

In 2015 the population of Krivoy Rog fell by almost 5,5 thousand people (by 80% - due to natural population reduction). Nevertheless, the city continues to occupy the eighth place in terms of the population in Ukraine.

History of the settlement of the city

Krivoy Rog was founded by Zaporozhye Cossacks in 1775 (according to official data). Zaporozhtsy chose a picturesque place at the confluence of two steppe rivulets - Ingulz and Saksagan. The first hundred years of its history Krivoy Rog remained a small provincial village.

But everything changed radically at the end of the XIX century, when the development of the richest deposits of iron ore began here. Here is how the local historian and economist Y. Mikhailovich described Kryvyi Rih in 1886: "Krivoy Rog and its environs are 60 miles in circumference abounding in a myriad of minerals. The mines of Krivoy Rog can compete with the best mines in Belgium or England ... ".

Indeed, with the beginning of the active development of the Krivoy Rog subsoil, an unknown settlement in the steppe quickly became an important industrial center of the Russian Empire, and then the Soviet Union. The mines and mines arose one after another, workers from all over Russia gathered in Krivoy Rog. The population began to increase sharply. In 1919 the village received the status of a city.

In the 1920s and 1930s Krivoy Rog was experiencing a real "economic boom". It was at this time in the city was built KMC - a giant of modern Ukrainian metallurgy. And if in 1924 there were only 3 thousand houses, then by 1939 their number was already 24 thousand. This "demographic leap" is very clearly visible in the following diagram.

Rapid industrialization of Krivoy Rog was interrupted by the Second World War. However, in the late 1940s the process of restoration and further development of the metallurgical complex of Krivoy Rog began.

Ethnic structure of the population of Krivoy Rog

The city is dominated by Ukrainians (about 79%). However, here live representatives of many other nations. Ethnoses, whose number in Krivoy Rog is more than 1000 people, are listed below:

• Russian;
• Belarusians;
• Jews;
• Armenians;
• Azerbaijanis;
• Gypsies.

A fairly powerful Jewish community was formed in the city. There is a synagogue, a Hebrew newspaper. Recently, a Jewish school began its work.

In Krivoy Rog there are also quite a few Poles and Bulgarians. Representatives of these peoples actively populated the city at the end of the XIX century. The Poles helped the Krivorozhans erect the first metallurgical plants, and the Bulgarians brought a high crop of vegetable growing to the banks of Ingulz.

Language situation, science and education in the city

According to the last population census in Krivoy Rog, 71% of its inhabitants consider their native language Ukrainian, 27% - Russian. However, on the streets of the city you can often hear the so-called "surzhik". It is a lively spoken language, combining vocabulary and elements of both Ukrainian and Russian.

In Krivoy Rog, science and education are quite developed. There are 28 universities in the city. The most famous among them are the Krivoy Rog National University (KNU) and the Pedagogical University (KSPU). Among the institutions of the city, leading scientific activities, it is worth highlighting the Research Mining Institute, as well as the Botanical Garden.

Department of Social Protection of Population

Krivoy Rog is a city with a lot of acute social and demographic problems. Many of them require constant monitoring and an integrated approach to their solution. Social protection of the population in Krivoy Rog is carried out by a special structural subdivision.

The Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Population is located in the building of the Krivoy Rog City Executive Committee, at the address: Metallurgov Avenue, 36-B. It includes four departments:

• Social protection of the population;
• Labor and social and labor relations;
• Financial and economic department;
• Department of personalized accounting.

Conclusion

645 thousand people live for today in the "iron heart of Ukraine". Although 25 years ago, residents were one hundred thousand more. The population of Krivoy Rog is rapidly declining. The reason for this - low birth rate, poor ecology and a significant outflow of youth from the city.