Kovdor

Kowdor (Russian Ковдор ) is a town in Murmansk Oblast (Russia) with 21 297 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010 ).

Geography

The city is located beyond the Arctic Circle near the Finnish border, about 370 km southwest of the Oblasthauptstadt Murmansk on the upper reaches of the river Kowdora in the catchment area of the Imandra Lake.

Kowdor is the administrative center of the city circle Rajon Kowdor.

The town is the end point of a north at the station Pinosero Kandalakscha of the Murmansk railway branching 117 km long railway line opened in 1956.

History

1933 was discovered an iron ore deposit and carbonatites in the area of the present town. First one started in 1934 with the removal of mica.

After an interruption of mining activity because of the Second World War, the settlement Kowdor In 1953 in connection with the large-scale development of the iron ore deposit and the construction of an enrichment plant. The name is derived from the name of the lake Kowdorosero (also Kowtosero or Koftosero, presumably by sami kuwt for snake).

1956, the status of an urban-type settlement and on 20 September 1965, the city charter was granted.

Demographics

Note: Census data

Economy

Cityscape determining factor is the mining of iron ore in the open pit and its enrichment by the company Kowdorski GOK ( owned by the EuroChem Group ). To a lesser extent be mined as by-products of apatite and vermiculite. There are also timber industry.