Kharkov is the city in north-eastern part of Ukraine, an administrative centre of the Kharkov region. The area of city is about 310 km. Kharkov now is the largest scientific, cultural, industrial and transport center of Ukraine, it has been the third on size the industrial, scientific and transport center of the former USSR after Moscow and Leningrad. 60 scientific research institutes, 45 higher educational institutions (including the Kharkov University, one of the first universities of Russian empire, based in 1805), 5 museums, city picture gallery, 6 theatres, 80 libraries.

The city consists of 9 administrative districts: Octyabrskij (it has been created in 1917); Leninskij (1918); Dzerzhinskij (1932); Kievskij (1932); Chervonozavodskoj (1932); Ordzhinikdzovskij (1936); Moskovskij (1937); Kominternovskij (1938); Frunzenskij (1973).

Symbols of Kharkov The city coat of arms represents a heraldic board of the French form (quadrangular, aggravated to the bottom). On a green field of a board represented crossed cornucopia (filled with fruits and topped) and caduceus (a gold staff with silver wings), twisted with snakes of silver color. Green color symbolizes hope, joy, and well-being. The cornucopia symbolizes natural riches. Caduceus is the constant attribute of God Mercury which during antique epoch was considered as the defender of dealers, travelers, members of parliament. Snakes who twist caduceus, symbolize wisdom. Proportions of the coat of arms: height to width 8:7, the approximated parts of the arms represent 1/4 circles with radius of the circle equal of 1/8 heights of the coat of arms. Caduceus and cornucopia are placed on diagonals of a conditional rectangular of a heraldic board, crossed in its center.

The flag of Kharkov is a symbol of city self-management, displays a history and traditions of the city. The flag of Kharkov represents a rectangular panel (width to length 2:3) light green color with the picture of the city coat of arms in its central part. The height of the coat f arm is equal 1/2 width of a flag. A flag of city is bilateral. The top of a staff represents a metal cone, height of it is 1/10 width of a flag, the basis of a cone is equal to 2 diameters of a staff, is fixed on a cylindrical basis in height of 1/22 width of a flag. Color of metal of the top is yellow.



The majority of city dwellers are Russian orthodox.
Catholicism: Kharkov is also the center of Kharkov-Zaporozhe Catholic church, chair of Bishop Stanislav Padevskij and a residence of bishop – ordinarius Marjan Buchek. The cathedral temple is the – the church of Assumption of the saint Virgin Maria (the mother of Jesus)
Protestantism: In Kharkov there are Christian communities of Baptists, Lutherans, Pentecostalism, Presbyterianism, Seven-day Adventists and Charismatics.
Armenian apostolic church: Church Surb Arutjun (has been built in 2004)
Judaism: Kharkov choral synagogue is the largest in the CIS and second-largest in Europe after Budapest.
Islam: A cathedral mosque of 1905 (Parishioners: Tatars, Crimean Tatars and Turks) Shia Islam mosque An-Nur (Parishioners: Azerbaijanis and Persians) Islamic Cultural Center Al’- Minar (Parishioners: Arabs, Chechens, Russian, Ukrainians, Tajiks) Buddhism: In Kharkov communities of four directions of the Tibetan Buddhism are working: Diamond Way (Kagyu), Nyingma, Sakya and Gelug.

The population of city on was 1,461,000. Among them are Ukrainians, Russians, Jews, Poles Byelorussians, Armenians, Tatars, Germans and others

Climate Average annual temperature is +7,4 C ° Average annual speed of a wind is 4,0 km/s Average annual humidity of air is 74 % A climate of city is temperate-continental, with soft winter (the coldest months January and February), temperately warm in the spring and in the autumn, and hot in the summer. Winter unstable, strong colds (up to ?20 degrees, sometimes even more) are replaced by warming. The spring usually begins in the middle of March - the beginnings of April (when the daily average temperature raises above a zero), it is rather steady. Summer is hot, dry; however, periodically is cool. Autumn is crude, slushy, and dank; frosts begin, as a rule, in the middle of September - October, however, can happen both earlier, and later.

The largest enterprises of Kharkov are:
The factory named after Malishev – now it is the enterprise of transport and power mechanical engineering
Factory Elektrotyazhmash has been based in 1946 as the enterprise on development and producing of powerful hydro-generators, hydro-generators-engines, and turbo-generators
State enterprise Kharkov electromechanical factory produces complete electric equipment for the metallurgical and mining industry
Joint-Stock Company Factory Yuzhkabel is the largest enterprise on producing of cable-conductors production in Ukraine. Joint-stock company Kharkov bearing factory is a factory for producing of bearings.
The joint enterprise of Joint-Stock Company HEMZ-IPEC and the investment company “International petroleum company Inc” produces the equipment for repair and diagnostics and electro-motors.
Open Society Turboatom the Enterprise specializes on producing of steam turbines.
Open Society the Kharkov tractor factory - produces tractors, road-building technical equipment, and production for forge and foundry manufacture, spare parts.
The state enterprise Kharkov instrument-making factory named after T.G.Shevchenko – is a versatile, modern the instrument-making enterprise with legally independent divisions, has a high degree of integration and its many production cycles are closed.
Kharkov aviation factory.
The optical-mechanical factory named after F.E. Dzerzhinskihj
Kharkov electro-technical factory.
Kharkov car-repair factory is the factory specializing on repair of carriages and producing of spare parts.
Kharkov biscuit factory

Science and education:
Institute of problems of mechanical engineering of the Academy of sciences.
National scientific centre “the Kharkov physic-technical institute”, the first splitting of a nuclear nucleus in the USSR has been made there.
Physic-technical Institute of low temperatures named after B.I.Verkin of the Academy of sciences of Ukraine.
An observatory of the Kharkov University.
Hyprosteel - research institute. Institute of radio-physics and electronics named after Usikov of the Academy of sciences.
Radio-astronomical institute named after academician S.J. Braude of the Academy of sciences. It has the largest in the world (the effective area is 150000 square meters) a radio-telescope of decameter range of the UTR - 2.
Institute of problems of cryobiology and cryomedicine of Academies of sciences
Ukrainian scientific research institute of natural gases. For the first time in Soviet Union the nucleus of atom (lithium) has been split in Kharkov in 1932. It has been in the city centre between present streets Gudanova and Chajkovskogo.
Universities:
Kharkov national university named after Karazina, Originally Kharkov Imperial university, then the Kharkov institute of national education, then the Kharkov state university names after Gorkogij.
National technical university “Kharkov polytechnic institute”, Originally Kharkov practical chemistry- technological institute, then the Kharkov technological institute.
National aero-space University in the name of Zhukovskij, Originally Kharkov aviation institute.
Kharkov national Automobile - Road University.
Kharkov state technical university of building and architecture. 
Kharkov national university of radio electronics.
Kharkov national economic university, Originally Kharkov engineering - economic institute.
Kharkov state medical university.
Kharkov national pedagogical university in the name of Skovorodi.
Kharkov state agrarian university in the name of Dokuchayeva.
Kharkov national technical university of an agriculture in the name of Peter Vasilenko.
National pharmaceutical university.
Kharkov national university of internal affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Originally Kharkov School of militia.
Academies:
National Juridical academy in the name of Jaroslav Mudrogo.
Kharkov state academy of railway transportation. The Kharkov national academy of municipal economy. 
Kharkov state academy of culture. 
Kharkov state academy of a feeding and trade.
Ukrainian engineering - pedagogical academy The Kharkov academy of design and arts.
Ukrainian academy of the government at the president of Ukraine (the Kharkov branch).
Institutes: 
Kharkov state institute of arts in the name of I.P. Kotlyarevsky.
Kharkov state institute of physical training.
Kharkov veterinary institute
Institute of tank armies in the name of the Verhovnoj Radi of Ukraine
Kharkov institute of fire safety. The Kharkov trade and economic institute.
Kharkov institute of banking of the national Ukrainian bank.
Seminaries:
Kharkov theological seminary.
Kharkov humanitarian university " National Ukrainian academy "
Institute of oriental studies and the international relations “Kharkov кcollegiums”
International Slavic university
International Solomon university (the east - Ukrainian branch).

Kharkov is a large transport junction (railways and highways, the international airport). In Kharkov the branchy network of street public transport works: a fixed-route taxi, buses, trolley buses, trams. Since 1975 the Metro consisting of 3 lines works too.
Theatres:
Kharkov Ukrainian drama theatre in the name of Shevchenko
Kharkov Russian drama theatre in the name of Pushkin
academic opera and ballet theatre in the name of Lisenko
Kharkov puppet-show in the name of Afans’eva
Kharkov theatre of a musical comedy
Kharkov young people's theatre
Theatre P.S.
Theatre “Novaya stsena” (New stage)
The house of organ and chamber music (The Uspenskij cathedral)
Kharkov regional philharmonic society
“Theatre 19”

Museums:
Kharkov art museum 
Kharkov historical museum 
Kharkov literary museum 
City art gallery
The Kharkov museum of the nature
Gallery “AVEK”
Showroom "Maestro"
Gallery “Dabo”
Roerich cultural center
Museum of sexual cultures of the world
Kharkov museum of Klavdiya Shulzhenko

The largest libraries:
Kharkov state scientific library in the name of Korolenko.
Library Korolenko is included into the three of the largest book-depositories of Ukraine and the biggest to library on the Left bank of Dnieper.
Central scientific library in the name of Karazin
Medical library
Musical library
Library for blind