Gorno-Altaisk
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Gorno-Altaisk or Gorno-Altaysk (Russian: Горно-Алтайск) (pop. 53,100 in 2001) is a town in Russia, capital of the Altai Republic in Southern Siberia, 3641 km east of Moscow.
The only town of the Republic lies in a narrow Mayma valley in the foothills of the Altai mountains. Russian Orthodox missionaries arriving in the valley in 1830 stumbled upon the tiny settlement of Ulala, consisting at that time of 19 indigenous and 3 Russian families. The next year Ulala was chosen as the site of the first Orthodox mission in the Altai and Russian settlers started migrating to the village.
When the Oyrot Autonomous Oblast was created in 1922, Ulala became its capital. In 1928 the village became a town and in 1932 its name was changed to Oyrot-Tura. However, in 1948 the authorities finally realized that the indigenous tribes of the area do not actually call themselves oyrots, the name of the autonomy was changed to Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast (i.e. the autonomous oblast of the Montainous Altai), and with it the name of its capital.
Gorno-Altaisk has a scattering of industry, an airfield, a theatre, a university and a regional museum. It is 96 km from the nearest railway station at Biyskru:Горно-Алтайск