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Chita was founded in 1653 as a winter camp for Cossacks, and grew into a city extremely slowly: a century after its founding, the population was less than 100. The name "Chita" came from either the Uyghur word for water -- "chyt", or the Evenk word for clay -- "chata". |
Birobidzhan |
The name "Birobidzhan" comes from the Bira and Bidzhan rivers that border the region. Established in 1927 as a "homeland" for Soviet Jews, it is the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Region. |
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Khabarovsk is the largest Russian city east of Lake Baikal, and it is the capital of the Khabarovsk Krai (Territory). It is located at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri rivers. |
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Vladivostok ("Lord of the East" in Russian) is located less than 100 km east the Chinese border, and just across the Sea of Japan from the main Japanese island of Honshu. |