Kryvyi Rih is a large industrial center of the Dnieper, 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 modern Krivoy Rog?
Kryvyi Rih: 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:
- Kryvyi Rih - the leader in the extraction and processing of iron ore in Ukraine;
- it is the longest city in Europe (its length in a straight line is 66 kilometers);
- the city has the deepest iron ore quarry in Europe;
- the largest flower clock in Ukraine is set here.
However, this unusual city is famous for other achievements, less pleasant. So, the population of Krivoy Rog is rapidly declining. The rates of natural growth here are among the lowest in the country. For 25 years of Ukrainian independence, the number of inhabitants 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 people per 1000 inhabitants).
The population of Krivoy Rog as of January 1, 2016 is 645 thousand inhabitants. Almost one million people live in the so-called Kryvyi Rih agglomeration. It also includes Yellow Waters, Pyatihatki and the city of Apostolovo.
In 2015, the population of Kryvyi Rih decreased by almost 5.5 thousand people (by 80% due to the natural decline in the population). However, the city continues to occupy eighth place in terms of population in Ukraine.
City settlement history
Kryvyi Rih was founded by Zaporizhzhya Cossacks in 1775 (according to official data). The Cossacks chose a picturesque place at the confluence of two steppe rivers - Ingults and Saksagani. The first hundred years of its history, Krivoy Rog remained a small provincial village.
But everything changed dramatically at the end of the 19th 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: “Kryvyi Rih and its environs are 60 miles in circumference abound with a myriad of minerals. Krivoy Rog mines can safely compete with the best mines in Belgium or England ... ”
Indeed, with the beginning of the active development of the Kryvyi Rih subsurface, an unknown settlement in the steppe very quickly turned into an important industrial center of the Russian Empire, and then the Soviet Union. Mines and mines sprang up 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 20-30s of the last century, Krivoy Rog experienced a real "economic boom". It was at this time that KMK was built in the city - 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. Very clearly, this “demographic leap” is visible in the following diagram.
The rapid industrialization of Krivoy Rog was interrupted by the Second World War. However, already in the late 40s, the process of restoration and further development of the metallurgical complex of Kryvyi Rih began.
The ethnic structure of the population of Krivoy Rog
The city is dominated by Ukrainians (about 79%). However, representatives of many other nations live here. Ethnic groups, whose number in Krivoy Rog exceeds 1000 people, are listed below:
- Russians
- Belarusians
- Jews
- Armenians
- Azerbaijanis
- gypsies.
A rather powerful Jewish community was formed in the city. A synagogue functions here, a Hebrew newspaper is published. Recently, a Jewish school began its work.
In Krivoy Rog there are also quite a lot of Poles and Bulgarians. Representatives of these peoples actively populated the city at the end of the 19th century. The Poles helped Kryvyi Rih residents to erect the first metallurgical plants, and the Bulgarians brought a high vegetable-growing culture to the shores of Ingulets.
Language situation, science and education in the city
According to the latest census in Krivoy Rog, 71% of its inhabitants consider Ukrainian to be their native language, 27% - Russian. However, on the streets of the city most often you can hear the so-called “surzhik”. This is a lively spoken language, combining vocabulary and elements of both Ukrainian and Russian languages.
In Krivoy Rog science and education are quite developed. The city has 28 universities. The most famous among them are: Kryvyi Rih National (KNU) and pedagogical (KSPU) universities. Among the institutions of the city conducting scientific activities, it is worth highlighting the Research Institute of Mining, as well as the Botanical Garden.
Department of Social Protection
Kryvyi Rih is a city with many acute social and demographic problems. Many of them require constant monitoring and an integrated approach to their decision. Social protection of the population in Krivoy Rog is carried out by a special structural unit.
The Department of Labor and Social Protection of the Population is located in the building of the Kryvyi Rih City Executive Committee, at 36-B Metallurgov Avenue. It includes four departments:
- social protection of the population;
- labor and social and labor relations;
- financial and economic department;
- personified accounting department.
Conclusion
645 thousand people live today in the "iron heart of Ukraine." Although 25 years ago there were a hundred thousand more inhabitants. The population of Krivoy Rog is rapidly declining. The reason for this is the low birth rate, poor ecology and a significant outflow of youth from the city.