Dnipropetrovsk (dənyĭpˌrōpĕtrôfskˈ) [key], Rus. Dnepropetrovsk,
city (1990 est. pop. 1,186,000), capital of Dnipropetrovsk
region, central Ukraine, on the Dnieper River. A hub of rail and
water transportation, it is a major industrial center with a
huge iron and steel industry based on iron ore from the nearby
Kryviy Rih mines and coal from the Donets Basin. The city also
has plants producing heavy machinery, chemicals, rolling stock,
and food products. Founded in 1787 by Potemkin on the site of a
Zaporozhian Cossack village, it was named Katerynoslav (Rus.
Yekaterinoslav ) for Catherine II. It was called Novorossiysk
from 1791 to 1802 and Katerynoslav until 1926, when it was
renamed Dnipropetrovsk. The population greatly increased after
the completion (1932) of the Dniprohes dam and power station.
The city was occupied (1941–43) by German forces during World
War II. It has art, historical, and zoological museums. The
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