Shopokov
Encyclopedia
Shopokov is a town
in the Chuy Province
of Kyrgyzstan
. Although geographically located within Sokuluk District
of that province and being the de facto economic and cultural center of the district, Shopokov is administered separately from the district.
According to a report by the local authorities (undated, but published some time between 2003 and 2009), the town's population was 9,150. Major ethnic groups were Russians (4906), Kyrgyz (2704), Ukrainians (752), and Germans (296).
named Krasnooktyabrsky (Краснооктябрьский, i.e. "Red October"), established in 1939 along with the construction of a sugar mill.
Shopokov was incorporated as a town (город) and received its present name on February 25, 1985.
The town is named after Duyshenkul Shopokov, one of the 28 soldiers of Ivan Panfilov
's Division who were reported to die heroically on November 16, 1941 while defending Moscow
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the Chuy Province
Chuy Province
Chuy Province or Chui Province is the northernmost province of the Kyrgyz Republic. It is bounded on the north by Kazakhstan, and clockwise, Issyk Kul Province, Naryn Province, Jalal-Abad Province and Talas Province...
of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
. Although geographically located within Sokuluk District
Sokuluk District
Sokuluk District is a raion of Chuy Province in northern Kyrgyzstan. The capital lies at Sokuluk village.:-Towns, rural communities, and villages:...
of that province and being the de facto economic and cultural center of the district, Shopokov is administered separately from the district.
According to a report by the local authorities (undated, but published some time between 2003 and 2009), the town's population was 9,150. Major ethnic groups were Russians (4906), Kyrgyz (2704), Ukrainians (752), and Germans (296).
History
The predecessor of today's Shopokov City was an urban-type settlementUrban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
named Krasnooktyabrsky (Краснооктябрьский, i.e. "Red October"), established in 1939 along with the construction of a sugar mill.
Shopokov was incorporated as a town (город) and received its present name on February 25, 1985.
The town is named after Duyshenkul Shopokov, one of the 28 soldiers of Ivan Panfilov
Ivan Panfilov
Not to be confused with Major General Alexei Pavlovich Panfilov, who is known for negotiating the creation of the Anders Army.In Allen Paul's book Katyn: Stalin's Massacre and the Triumph of Truth , page 172, it is written that the name of the assistant chief of the General Staff of the Red Army...
's Division who were reported to die heroically on November 16, 1941 while defending Moscow
Battle of Moscow
The Battle of Moscow is the name given by Soviet historians to two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between October 1941 and January 1942. The Soviet defensive effort frustrated Hitler's attack on Moscow, capital of...
.
Economy
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the sugar mill has been privatized, and is still in operation. Local industries also manufacture a variety of equipment for food-processing industry.Sources
- World Gazetteer: Kyrgyzstan – World-Gazetteer.com