Metsamor

For the village near Echmiadzin, see Metsamor (village); for the river, see Akhurian River; for the archaeological site, see Metsamor site.

Coordinates: 40°08′34″N 44°06′59″E / 40.14278°N 44.11639°E / 40.14278; 44.11639

Metsamor
Մեծամոր

Metsamor
Metsamor
Coordinates: 40°08′34″N 44°06′59″E / 40.14278°N 44.11639°E / 40.14278; 44.11639
Country Armenia
Marz (Province) Armavir
Founded 1969
Area
  Total 4 km2 (2 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
  Total 9,191
  Density 2,300/km2 (6,000/sq mi)
Time zone   (UTC+4)
Sources: Population[1]

Metsamor (Armenian: Մեծամոր, Armenian pronunciation: [mɛt͡sɑˈmoɾ]), is a town in the Armavir Province of Armenia. It is famous for being home to Armenia's Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant.

As of the 2011 census, the population of the town is 9,191.

History

The modern town of Metsamor was built in 1969 to house the employees of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The chief planner of the town is the Armenian architect Martin Mikayelyan. He was assisted by architects G. Hovsepyan and K. Tiraturyan. The name was derived from the nearby river.

The power plant has been operating since 1969. However, it was temporarily closed in 1989 after the 1988 Spitak earthquake for safety reasons. Later, economic and transportation blockades imposed by Azerbaijan and its ally Turkey over the Republic of Armenia, created energy shortages in the country, forcing the Armenian government to reopen the plant in 1993. The unit 2 reactor was brought back into operation on October 26, 1995. Nowadays, the Metsamor plant generates 40% of Armenia's energy needs.[2]

Sport

The town is also home to a large sports complex opened in 1980, including 2 swimming pools and indoor sports halls.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metsamor.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.