Penza - Some pages of Russian history.

Contents.: 1. Where are we from ?; 2. A short history of Penza.; 3. Walking about in the city.; 4. Education and culture.; 5. The New Medical Technologies in Penza.; 6. Mikhail Lermontov.; 7. Business directory.; 8. "Rural Tretyakovka" of I.M. Manuylov.; 9. Epilogue.

1. Where are we from ?

With the present borders, the Penza region was established in 1939. It belongs to the Russian Federation (or Russia). The region is situated on the East European plain, south-east of Moscow. It is in a temperate zone. There are diverse nature conditions in the region: forests cover about half of its north-east territory, while the south-west of the region is the typical Russian steppe. The average temperature of the air is +18.5 degrees Centigrade in the summer, and -11 degrees Centigrade in the winter. The annual precipitation is about 600 mm.

The entire region is 43,300 square kilometers, which is not very much on the Russian scale. However, it is bigger than the individual territories of such European countries as Belgium, Switzerland, Albania and the Netherlands.

The city of Penza is the administrative center of the region. The distance between Penza and Moscow is 710 km along the railway. The city is located at the altitude of 235 meters on the shores of the Sura river, which is the right afflux of the Volga.

The population of the region was of 1.5 million people in 1994. Of these, 546,500 people lived in Penza.