Zhigulyovsk
Encyclopedia
Samara Oblast
Samara Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Samara. Population: In 1936–1990, it was known as Kuybyshev Oblast , after the Soviet name of Samara .-Demographics:Population:...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located on the right bank of the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
in the Samara bend
Samara bend
The Samara bend is a large hairpin bend of the middle Volga River at the confluence of the Samara River . It is situated in Samara Oblast, Volga Federal District of Russia....
near the Zhiguli Mountains
Zhiguli Mountains
The Zhiguli Mountains or simply Zhiguli , sometimes called Zhiguli Height - Жигулëвская возвышенность [Zhigulyovskaya vozvyshennost], are a range of wooded mountains located in Russia on the right bank of the Volga River, in the Samara bend. The mountains are an important source of oil, being...
(see below), 92 kilometres (57.2 mi) west of Samara
Samara, Russia
Samara , is the sixth largest city in Russia. It is situated in the southeastern part of European Russia at the confluence of the Volga and Samara Rivers. Samara is the administrative center of Samara Oblast. Population: . The metropolitan area of Samara-Tolyatti-Syzran within Samara Oblast...
. Population:
The town occupies the territories of former villages of Otvazhnoye and Morkvashi . The work settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
of Otvazhny was built here to develop the oil deposits. In 1949, it was merged with the villages and renamed Zhigulyovsk. It was granted town status in 1952.
The name Zhigulyovsk is taken from the Zhiguli Mountains
Zhiguli Mountains
The Zhiguli Mountains or simply Zhiguli , sometimes called Zhiguli Height - Жигулëвская возвышенность [Zhigulyovskaya vozvyshennost], are a range of wooded mountains located in Russia on the right bank of the Volga River, in the Samara bend. The mountains are an important source of oil, being...
, but they are named for an earlier town of Zhigulyovka, itself probably named for an early inhabitant, Zhegul .
Besides oil, the town also develops limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
deposits.