Places

Volgograd is a city located in the eastern part of Russia. The city is more famously known as Stalingrad because it was home to one of the greatest and most intense battles of the World War II. The city was almost completely destroyed and reduced after the war ended. It was rebuilt from scratch in the years following the war. Today Volgograd serves as an important industrial city, and its rich history can be found in the various war memorials, monuments and museums in the city.

Volgograd is located on the western bank of the Volga River in south eastern Russia. It’s part of the Volgograd Oblast(district).

The city has an approximate area of 565km² and is about 90km in length, making it the longest city in Russia.

Because of the heroism and bravery of the soldiers who fought in the city during the battle of Stalingrad, it is also sometimes called the Hero-City.

The city was formed in 1589 as a military fortress and was named Tsaritsyn at the time. It soon became an important trading settlement and military outpost.

For the next few centuries the city suffered several rebellions and enemy raids. At the start of the 20th century the city underwent rapid industrialization.

During the Russian Civil War(1917-1922), the White Army(Pro-Communists) and the Red Army (Anti-Communists) fought for the city’s control because of its industrial wealth.

The Red Army eventually defeated the Whites and took control of the city. The city was renamed to Stalingrad in 1925 in honor of Joseph Stalin who played an important part in defeating the White Armies in the civil war.

In August 1942 during World War II, The Germans invaded Russia and attacked the city in what became known as the Battle of Stalingrad. The battle lasted for more than 5 months. It is remembered for being one of the greatest battles in history and also the turning point of the World War II which eventually led to allied nations winning the war.

During the battle, the saw city saw intense and bloody fighting in its streets and buildings. Strategic points across the city were captured and recaptured several times by Russians and Germans. The city’s railway station changed hands 13 times.

At one time the Nazis took control of over 90% of the city. Eventually the Red Army launched its counteroffensive after receiving reinforcements and encircled the German 6th Army division which was in control of the city. The Germans eventually surrendered after their commander Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus was captured by the Russian Army in February 1943.

The battle is regarded as the most bloodiest in history. More than 2 million lost their lives including German and Russian soldiers and civilians as well.

More than 1 million bombs were dropped on the city during the war. The battle reduced most of the city to debris and rubble. At the end of the war the city’s population was reduced from half a million to only 35000.

After the war, the city was completely rebuilt. Most of the city’s older buildings were destroyed and much of the present architecture in the city is post World War II era.

In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev(Soviet Premier at the time) renamed the city to its present name, Volgograd. He did it as part of his de-Stalinization reforms to remove Stalin’s ideology from Russian politics.

Volgograd has a population of over 1 million people. The city’s economy is mainly driven by its industrial sector. Industries in the city include ship building, oil refining, aluminium, steel production and automobile manufacturing.

Volgograd has a slightly cold weather. The city’s average annual temperature is about 8.3 °C. The warmest month is July when the temperature is an approximate 24.3°C , while the coldest month is January when temperature drops to an average low of about -7.5°C.

Average rainfall in the city is about 380mm per year and average snow received is 27.1 inches per year. Snowy season starts from October and ends in April.

Volgograd has a lot of memorials and monuments including an 86m tall statue named “The Motherhood Calls”. The statue is built over Mamayev Kurgan, a hill that was one of the main battle grounds during the Battle of Stalingrad.

The statue was built to commemorate the Stalingrad Battle and Russian Victory. 35000 soldiers are buried in the monument’s grounds including the famous Russian sniper Vasily Zaitsev who killed 225 enemy soldiers during World War II.

Some buildings survived the destruction partially or completely and are now considered part of the city’s heritage.

The city also has a number of museums that have stories about the Battle of Stalingrad and other remnants from the battle, paintings and also a lot of stuff from the Russian Civil War.

Another memorial, Rossoshka Memorial Cemetery holds the graves of more than 80000 soldiers. 60000 Germans, 20000 Russian and 2000 Romanian soldiers who died in the Battle of Stalingrad are buried in this cemetery.

Tarragona is a small city located in the Catalonia region on the northeast coastline of Spain, that runs along the Mediterranean Sea. The exact year the city was founded is unknown but people believe the city to be older than 500 BC. According to some legends the city could be as old as
2407 BC. Tarragona was inhabited by Hispanic tribes until it was captured by Roman Forces in 218 BC. Later the city was ruled by Muslim Caliphs and then Christian Kings. Modern day Tarragona is part of the Catalonia community in Spain.

Tarragona has a total area of 57.9km² with an elevation of 68m above sea level.

The city has a population of more than 132000 thousand individuals. The average age of people living in the city is 40 years, while the average life expectancy is 78 for men and 84 for women.

The city has a hot and humid climate in summers and mildly cool winters. The average temperature during summers is around 20°C while in winters it’s about 11°C.

The average annual temperature is approximately 15-16 °C. Tarragona receives an average rainfall of 560mm per year.

Tarragona is an important economic hub of Catalonia and is considered the second most important financial center of Catalonia.

The city’s economy is mainly run by its petrochemical industry. It represents about 25% of Spain’s chemical industry as a whole and is considered the chemical hub of Southern Europe.

Tarragona also has a busy sea port which plays a very important role in Spain’s economy.

Tarragona is also famous for the Castell (human tower) at its festivals. This is an integral part of Catalonian culture. People climb on top of each other to form a short tower called the Castell.

Because Tarragona used to be a Roman Colony, it has a rich roman heritage and a lot of roman archaeological sites and walls still exist in the city. Many of the new buildings and structures of the modern day city are built on the ruins of the Roman era.

One of these roman relics is an old amphitheater located near the sea. This amphitheater also has the ruins of a church that belonged to the Knights Templar.

Apart from the amphitheater, the city has other roman remains which include some walls, a citadel, a Roman palace, a Roman circus and also the remains of an old aqueduct which was used to transport freshwater during the Roman era.

Sunnyvale is part of the silicon valley in Santa Clara, California, USA. The city is famous for being one of the major tech hubs in USA. A lot of tech and defense companies have their offices in the city.

The total area of the city is 58.8km². 1.8km² of this area is water.

The town was named Sunnyvale on March 24,1901. It was named Sunnyvale because of its sunny climate in contrast to its surrounding areas which had a foggy climate.

Sunnyvale officially became a city in 1912. Ms. Edwina Benner was elected as the first mayor of Sunnyvale in 1924.

Sunnyvale has a population of more than 140000 according to a census conducted in 2010.

Average size of a family in Sunnyvale is 3.15

The median age of people living in Sunnyvale is 36.

The city has an unemployment rate of about 2.2%.

Average household income of a family living in Sunnyvale is about $121546 US dollars per year.

The combined GDP of the San Jose – Sunnyvale- Sana Clara area is $275 billion USD.

The city has warm and dry summers with mildly cool winters. Temperature in Sunnyvale varies from 6-44°C throughout the span of an year.

Average rainfall in the city is 584mm per year.

The city has offices of some major tech and defense companies including Yahoo, Advanced Micro Devices(AMD), LinkedIn, Lockheed Martin, Apple and Google.

Some famous people from Sunnyvale include actress Teri Hatcher, economist Max Lorenz, scientist Charles Walton and rapper Antonio William.