Yekaterinburg can be easily found on the geographical map of the vast Euro-Asian Continent: it is in the middle of the Ural mountains, which separate Europe and Asia. Thus, Yekaterinburg lies at the crossroads of 2 continents and it determines its political, economic and cultural peculiarities. It is surrounded by forests (taiga) and small lakes. After Ekaterina, the wife of Peter the Great, the city was given a name Yekaterinburg.
Yekaterinburg today is a beautiful city. Current population is about 1.5 million people. The city has tram, trolley, bus routes and subway. There are more than 200 schools, 50 technical schools, 14 higher education institutions, including the Ural State University, founded in 1920; the Ural State Technical University, with more than 25,000 students, Yekaterinburg medical institute. Nine local TV channels and a lot of radio stations broadcast their programs in Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk region. There are six theatres, inluding Opera theatre, the circus, four stadiums, several concert halls and museums. More than 600 monuments of history and culture are located in the city, and 43 of them are considered to be top national monuments because of their special significance.
