Lugansk is the regional center of the Lugansk region of Ukraine. Lugansk is located in spurs of the Donetsk range on junction of the rivers Lugan and Olhovaya, nearby to confluence of Lugan and Severski Donets. The city is located in rather droughty zone of a temperate-continental climate.

Lugansk is shared on four administrativ areas: Lenin, Zhovtnevii, Artemovskij and Kamennobrodskii. The general area of city is about 28,6 thousand hectares.

The population of Lugansk in 1998 made 528,4 thousand peopepl, of them Russian - 52,5 %, Ukrainians - 41 %, Byelorussians - 1 %, Jews - 1 %. The native language for 89 % of inhabitants of Lugansk is Russian, Ukrainian - 11 %. Within the territory of Lugansk there are sizeable sources of coal, marl, clay, sand, and also a source of mineral water, including medical chlorine- sulphate -natrium.

The modern city arms of Lugansk consist of the board located on crossing of two picks painted in light grey color, and framed by a red tape. Above a board - the image of the crown - fortress combined from a grey brick. The field of a coat of arms has yellow painting. In the left top corner of the arms on a square of dark blue color the personal monogram of empress Ekaterina II, surrounded with nine golden stars settles down. On a field of the arms are represented the big factory pipe of dark gray color and the small pipe entered in it. At the left and to the right of the big pipe two black hammers are located.

The flag of Lugansk is a dark blue color panel, in the center of a flag the arms of city of Lugansk is represented.

Modern Lugansk is one of the largest cities of Ukraine, important political, cultural and scientific centre. The city has the big scientific, technical and industrial potential which provides its economic development. Base of industrial and economic power of city are 130 large and average industrial enterprises. In totally in territory of Lugansk are located more than 10000 enterprises of different forms of property.

The transport infrastructure of city is presented by tram and trolleybus lines and buses with numerous routes of movement.

In city the creative unions - writers, artists, architects, and journalists work. The college of culture and arts, musical and art schools, Russian and Ukrainian drama theatres, a philharmonic society, a puppet theater, palaces of culture, library, museums, circus, and cinemas work in the city too.

The Lugansk youth is more than hundred thousand young men and girls in the age of from 14 till 28 years is more than 35 thousand students of higher educational institutions and technical colleges. In Lugansk 15 higher educational institutions are located. Among them - the East - Ukrainian national university named after V.Dal, the Lugansk state medical university, Lugansk national agrarian university, Lugansk academy of internal affairs named after the 10-anniversaries of Independence of Ukraine, Lugansk state pedagogical university named after T.G. Shevchenko. In city 17 establishments of culture work: 9 municipal out-of-school educational institutions of esthetic education, municipal central library for adults, including 17 libraries, municipal central library for children, including 8 libraries, a city museum of a history and culture of Lugansk and its branches (V.I.Dal's literary house - museum, V.A.Titov's apartment - museum), a municipal orchestra of wind and pop music.