Verkhny Ufaley () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Chelyabinsk Oblast Chelyabinsk Oblast; , is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chel ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, located on the Ufaley River (a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Ufa River The Ufa (; ) is a river in the Ural Mountains, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Sverdlovsk Oblast, and the Bashkortostan, Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia; a right tributary of the river Belaya (Kama), Belaya.Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk; , is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, seventh-largest city in Russia, with a population ...

, the

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

of the

oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...

. Population:

History

One of the oldest populated places in the

Ural region Ural () is a geographical region located around the Ural Mountains, between the East European and West Siberian plains. It is considered a part of the Eurasian Steppe, extending approximately from the North to the South; from the Arctic Ocean ...

, it was founded in 1761 and was granted town status on 26 April 1940.

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with fourteen rural localities, incorporated as the

Town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of Verkhny Ufaley—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

.Resolution #161 As a municipal division, the Town of Verkhny Ufaley is incorporated as Verkhneufaleysky Urban Okrug.

Economy

Verkhny Ufaley is rich in mineral deposits (

nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...

and

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

fire clay Fire clay is a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines fire clay very generally as a "mineral aggregate composed of hydrous silicates of alumi ...

) and the economy of the town and the surrounding areas is heavily dependent on metallurgical factories, such as "UZMM" (Ufaley Metallurgical Machinery Works) and " Ufaleynickel". The latter, in particular, is the town's largest industrial enterprise, responsible for 75% of the total volume of the goods produced and much of the town's employment.

Lake Itkul

Lake Itkul, located at the altitude of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

, is one of the notable natural wonders in Verkhny Ufaley. It is fed by springs, creeks, and small rivers, so its waters renew within a year and are fresh and clean. The lake is clear but has a brownish reflection. The lake and its vicinity have become a popular destination for Verkhny Ufaley's residents and visitors alike.

Sports

The

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

club Nikelshchik plays in the second highest division,

Russian Bandy Supreme League Russian Bandy Supreme League or the Vysshaya Liga () is the second tier of Russian bandy, below Russian Bandy Super League. In the 2016–17 season, 23 teams competed in three groups. In the 2022/23 season, 22 teams competed in four groups. Th ...

.Rusbandy.ru
«Никельщик» Верхний Уфалей
Their spectator numbers stand out. Whereas it's unusual in their division to reach 1 000, they usually have a couple of thousand.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Official website of Verkhny Ufaley

Official website of "Ufaleynickel"

Unofficial website of Verkhny Ufaley
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Chelyabinsk Oblast Yekaterinburgsky Uyezd Monotowns in Russia