Dear Brothers and Sisters!

                     I wish you Love! Happiness! Well-Being! Joy! Salvation!

Khanty-Mansiysk, the capital city of Khanty-Mansi autonomous okrug. 

     Dear visitors of our site! We are cincerely glad to welcome you in our beautiful land of crystally clean lakes and emerald forests, which for most part of the year are covered with snow, glistening on the bright winter sun! Here, in the "Photogallery" section, you will see the capital of one of the richest regions in Russia, virtually visit one of the best biathlon centres in the world, where some of the most prestigious biathlon competitions are being annually held, and you will see a building, which got into the Top Ten of the most beautiful buildings in the world by the contest, held in Switzerland in 2003.

     If you take a look at the map of our country, you will see that our okrug is in the central part of Russia and occupies almost all part of the West-Siberian plain behind the Ural mountains. According to the territory – 524 000 square kilometers - our okrug can be compared with the whole states: the territory of KhMAO is 16 000 sq. km less than the territory of France – the largest European country, and 30 000 sq. km more than the territory of Spain – the 2^nd largest country in Europe. As far as the territories of other regions of Russia are concerned, our okrug holds only the 12^th place among them. However, if the population of Spain is approximately 40 million people, the population of our okrug is only 1,5 million people, or 1% of the population of Russia. The climat of our okrug is sharply continental. Our okrug is equalled to the regions of Far North, because in winter the temperature can go down as low as 62 degrees below zero – such low temperature was registered once in Nizhnevartovsk region. As far as summer is concerned, mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov told a joke once: “In Khanty-Mansiysk summer is hot and there is very little snow; and it’s often as hot as 8 degrees above zero!”

    Our okrug is the energetic heart of Russia. More than half of all of the oil, extracted in Russia, is extracted from the wells located on the territory of our okrug. In 2012 the Yugran oilmen extracted 260 million tons of oil. And since the 2^nd part of hydro – electric power station of Nizhnevartovsk has been put in operation, our okrug has taken 1^st position among all regions in Russia by production of electric power.

     Yugra is the lungs of our country. The total area of forestry of our okrug is 48.4 million hectares. Annually the forests of our okrug produce 33 million tons of oxygen and absorb 43 million tons of carbon dioxide.

     Yugra is the main suppier of “soft gold” – fur. In XV – XVI centuries nearly 1/3 of the total income of the treasury of tsarist Russia was the income from sale of Siberian fur. Nowadays the fur farms of Yugra annually sell approximately 20 000 skins of fur animals.

     Okrug is the “delicacy fish shop” of the country. Last year Yugran fishermen cought nearly 10 000 tons of fish, including 150 tons of valuable species of fish, such as sterlet, whitefish, Siberian white salmon. 

     Everybody, who likes to travel by train, knows our okrug, because 2 comfortable fast firm trains “Yugra” go from Nizhnevartovsk to Moscow and back. And of course, any the Black Sea sailor knows our okrug and its capital: two military ships “Yugra” and “Khanty-Mansiysk” are on military duty on the Black Sea.

     The two greatest rivers of the world the Ob and the Irtysh cross the territory of our okrug. And the capital of our okrug – the beautiful and wonderful city of Khanty-Mansiysk - is located approximately 18 kilometers away from their confluence in a very picturesque place upon seven hills covered with century-old cedars. The name of the city is built from the names of two indigenios peoples the Hunt and the Mansi, who have lived on the territory of our okrug since prehistoric times. The city area is 250 sq. km, and parks, forests, and green plantings occupy 160 sq. Km., thanks to which the air in the city is clean in spite of large amount of motor vehicles. 30 thousand motor vehicles are registered in the city, 25 000 of which belong to individual drivers. The population of the city is about 54 000 people. The city demographic situation is the best among other towns of our okrug: 959 babies were born last year. In general, our okrug takes 3^rd place among other regions of Russia by the number of newborn babies per capita, and this fact speaks for itself about the robust health of Siberians and good social conditions.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is the spiritual, historical, administrative, sports, cultural, educational and medical centre of the okrug.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is the spiritual centre of our okrug. Since 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk is the patron sity of Khanty-Mansiysk and Surgut Eparchy of Russian Orthodox Church.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is the administrative centre of our okrug. There are governmental bodies of the city, the region, and the okrug administration in the city. Nearly 17% of the population of the city work in the sphere of management.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is the historical centre of the okrug. In as early as XVI-XVIII centuries our city, being at that time the village of Samarovo, due to its unique geographic position was the centre, where the roads from Tobolsk, Berezovo, Surgut, and Tomsk converged.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is the worldwide known centre of Russian biathlon. The international biathlon competitions with the participation of the strongest biathletes of the world are annually held at the Nordic Ski Centre built not far from the city. Besides, 2 mountain-skiing and a tubing track are built for the guests and visitors of the city, where one can very nicely spend his/her vacations.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is the cultural centre of the okrug. The following festivals are annually held in the city: the festival of sculptures made of ice, the international cinema debuts festival (Pierre Rishar and Miray Mersye visited the festival in 2003), the international musical festival “Yugra” (where such superstars performed as Vanessa May, London Beat, and C.C. Catch), the theatrical festival “Sea-gull”. The final of the Russian contest of young musicians “New Names” was held in Khanty-Mansiysk in January 2004.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is one of three centres of education in the okrug. There are two science research institutes, a medical institute, an institute for improving teaching skills, and Yugran State University. Nowadays nearly every 9^th inhabitant of the city is getting a higher education.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is the health resort of the okrug. Each year nearly 370 000 people, which is 7 times more than the population of the city itself,  get a medical treatment at the regional clinical hospital located in the centre of the city.

     Khanty-Mansiysk is a unique city. Situated in the centre of the West-Siberian Plain, the city has a unique architectural shape created by the best domestic and foreign architects. And the city inhabitants, working to their best, constantly make the city more and more beautiful, turning it into a pearl of Russia.