Magnitogorsk (Russian:Магнитого́рск) is a mining and industrial city by the Ural River in Russia, with one of the largest Iron and Steel works in the country. Its geographical location Population 419,100 (2002 All-Russia Population Census)
The rapid development of Magnitogorsk was at the forefront of Joseph Stalin's Five-Year Plans in the 1930s. Its huge reserves of iron ore made it a prime location to build a steel plant capable of challenging its Western rivals. However, a large proportion of the workforce were ex-peasants, and were typically unskilled, with little experience. To solve this, several hundred foreign specialists arrived to direct the work.
It was originally designed to be a linear city, but this plan was later largely abandoned.
The substantial iron ore reserves have since been depleted, and must now be imported from elsewhere.
