Shopokov

Shopokov (Kyrgyz: Шопоков; Russian: Шопоков) is a town in the Chuy Region of Kyrgyzstan. Its population was 8,749 in 2009.[1] Although geographically located within Sokuluk District of that region and being the de facto economic and cultural center of the district, Shopokov is administered separately from the district.

Shopokov Шопоков
Seal
Shopokov
Coordinates: 42°50′24″N 74°18′36″E
Country	Kyrgyzstan
Region	Chuy Region
District	Sokuluk District
Population  (2009)
• Total	8,749

According to a report by the local authorities (undated, but published some time between 2003 and 2009), the town's population was 9,150.[2] Major ethnic groups were Russians (4906), Kyrgyz (2704), Ukrainians (752), and Germans (296).[2]

History

The predecessor of today's Shopokov City was an urban-type settlement named Krasnooktyabrsky (Краснооктябрьский, i.e. "Red October"), established in 1939 along with the construction of a sugar mill.[3] Shopokov was incorporated as a town (город) and received its present name on February 25, 1985.[2]

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.[2]

Economy

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the sugar mill has been privatized, and is still in operation.[3] Local industries also manufacture a variety of equipment for food-processing industry.[2]

Sources

• World Gazetteer: Kyrgyzstan – World-Gazetteer.com

1. "2009 population census of the Kyrgyz Republic: Chuy Region" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
2. Добро пожаловать в город Шопоков! (Welcome to Shopokov!) (in Russian)
3. DeYoung, Alan J.; Reeves, Madeleine; Valyayeva, Galina K. (2006), Surviving the transition?: case studies of schools and schooling in the Kyrgyz Republic since independence., IAP, pp. 31–32, ISBN 1-59311-512-1