Novosibirsk << `naw` vo sih BEERSK >> (pop. 1,633,595) is an important center of manufacturing in Russia. The city lies on the Ob River, about 1,700 miles (2,740 kilometers) east of Moscow, in Siberia. Novosibirsk is the largest city in Siberia.
Many factories in Novosibirsk manufacture heavy equipment, including farm and mining machinery and diesel trucks. The city also produces steel. Airlines, railroads, and riverboats serve Novosibirsk.
Novosibirsk was founded in 1893 as a settlement for workers building a railroad across Siberia. The city grew as a transportation center. Manufacturing boomed during World War II (1939-1945), when the government moved many factories from combat areas in the western part of the country to the safety of Novosibirsk. In 1958, the government built Akademgorodok (Academy City), a suburb of Novosibirsk, as a center of research in science.
