DnipropetrovskorDnepropetrovsk, originallyEkaterinoslav,isUkraine's third largestcity, with about one million inhabitants.It is 391 kilometres (243mi)southeast of the capitalKievon theDnieper River, in the south-central part of Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk is theadministrative centreof theDnipropetrovsk Oblast. Administratively, it is incorporated as acity of oblast significance, the centre ofDnipropetrovsk municipalityand extraterritorial administrative centre ofDnipropetrovsk Raion.
The city is home to theYuzhmash, a major space andballistic missiledesign bureau and manufacturer.Dnipropetrovsk is a powerhouse of Ukraine's business and politics as the native city for many of the country's most important figures. Ukraine's politics are still defined by the legacies ofLeonid Kuchma,Pavlo LazarenkoandYuliya Tymoshenkowhose intermingled careers started in Dnipropetrovsk.
