Petropavlovsk, city, Russia

Petropavlovsk kəmchätˈskē [key], city (1989 pop. 269,000), capital of Kamchatka Territory, Russian Far East. It is a major port and naval base on the Northern Sea Route, and there are shipyards and lumber mills. Free of ice seven months of the year, it is the base for a large fishing fleet. Bering founded the port in 1740. During the Crimean War, there were attacks on the port by French and British naval units.

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