Arkhangelsk

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Port in the north of the Russian Federation, capital of Archangelsk oblast; population (2002) 356,100. Situated on the Northern Dvina River, it is Russia's chief timber-exporting port, and the centre of a rapidly growing mineral extraction industry (oil drilling and diamond mining). Formerly blocked by ice for half the year, it has been kept open constantly since 1979 by icebreakers. Archangel was made an open port by Boris Godunov and was of vital significance for trade until Peter the Great built St Petersburg.

The city was founded in 1584, after the establishment of Anglo-Muscovite trade, as Novokholmogory; it was named Arkhangelsk in 1613. It was the embarkation point for the Allied interventionist armies in collaboration with the White Army in their effort to overthrow the newly established Soviet state 1918–20. In World War II, together with Murmansk, Archangel was the destination for Allied convoys bringing essential military supplies to the USSR. Pomor State University in Archangel is the largest institution of higher education in northern Russia. It was founded as a teacher training institute in 1932 and became Pomor State University in 1996.

The Pillars of Hercules represent the promontories of Gibraltar and Ceuta. The shield represents the regions of Castile, Léon, Aragón, Navarre, and Granada. Effective date: 18 December 1981. >>