Zima ( rus, Зима, p=zʲɪˈma; , ''Zeme'') 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 ...

Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (; ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara River, Angara, Lena River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is ...

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 at the point where the

Trans-Siberian Railway The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...

crosses the

Oka River The Oka (, ; ) is a river in central Russia, the largest right tributary of the Volga. It flows through the regions of Oryol, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod and is navigable over a large part of its total length, ...

. Population:

Geography

The town is situated on a low-lying plain, heavily water-logged. The Zima River joins the Oka in the town's vicinity.

Climate

The local climate is extremely continental; air temperature varies between in winter to in summer.

History

The village of ''Staraya Zima'' () on the present site of the town was established in 1743. In 1772, its population began to grow more quickly due to the construction of a horse-tract from

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

which crossed the Oka River. Until the 1900s, Zima remained a roadside, mainly agricultural village. In 1898, the Trans-Siberian railway was built through the village and a railroad station was opened. Town status was granted to Zima in 1925. Zima's population remained at around 40,000 from the 1960s until 1990; however, after the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

and the associated economic crisis, the population decreased by around 15% during the 1990s. The town is the birthplace of

Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (; 18 July 1933 – 1 April 2017) was a Soviet and Russian poet, novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, publisher, actor, editor, university professor, and director of several films. Biography Early lif ...

, a Russian poet, the author of the biographical poem "Zima Station".

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, Zima serves as 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 Ziminsky District,Law #49-OZ even though it is not a part of it. As an administrative division, it is incorporated separately 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 ZimaCharter of Irkutsk Oblast—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 ...

. As a municipal division, the Town of Zima is incorporated as Ziminskoye Urban Okrug.Law #85-oz

Economy

Zima's economy relies mainly on timber production and railway-related services.

Transportation

The town has a station on the Trans-Siberian Railway, with commuter trains to

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

and Tulun. The M53 Federal highway (

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yenisey, Yenisey River, and is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a p ...

–

) passes through Zima.

Notable people

* Alexander Zaïd - one of the founders of the

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

defense organizations

Bar Giora Bar Giora () is a moshav in the Judean Mountains in Israel. Located between Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The village was initially founded by t ...

and Hashomer.

References

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

Official website of Zima

Zima Business Directory
* Mojgorod.ru

Zima Station. Yevgeny Yevtyshenko's poem about his home town
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Irkutsk Oblast Populated places established in 1743 1743 establishments in the Russian Empire Irkutsk Governorate