Facts About Irkutsk:
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Irkutsk was named after the Irkut River, whose name was derived from the Buryat word for “spinning”.
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Irkutsk is the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia.
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In December 2016, 74 people in Irkutsk died in a mass methanol poisoning.
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The climate is continental. The average temperature in January -15 C, in July +19 C.
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Irkutsk was founded in 1661 & is one of the largest cities in Siberia.
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In 2018, it was reported men in Irkutsk only survive on average to 63.
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Irkutsk is twinned with: Ulan Bator, Mongolia; Shenyang, China; Kanazawa, Japan; Eugene, United States; Novi Sad, Serbia; Pforzheim, Germany; Évian-les-Bains, France; Strömsund, Sweden; Pordenone, Italy; Grenoble, France; Dijon, France & Gangneung, South Korea.
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Many distinguished Russians were sent into exile in Irkutsk for their part in the Decembrist revolt of 1825, and the city became an exile-post for the rest of the century.
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The 662.4 MW Irkutsk Hydroelectric Power Station was the first cascade hydroelectric power station in the Irkutsk region. The construction of the dam started in 1950 and finished in 1958.
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Irkutsk is also home to the Okhlopkov Drama Theater, one of Russia’s oldest.