Donetsk is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius River. Administratively, it is a centre of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the larger economic and cultural Donets Basin (Donbas) region. Donetsk is a major economic, industrial and scientific centre of Ukraine with a high concentration of companies and a skilled workforce.
The city was founded in 1869 by a Welsh businessman, John Hughes, who constructed a steel plant and several coal mines in the region; the town was thus named Yuzovka (??????) in recognition of his role in its founding ("Yuz" being a Russian or Ukrainian approximation of Hughes). During Soviet times, the city's steel industry was expanded. In 1924�1931, the town was renamed in Stalino. In 1932 the city became the centre of the Donetsk region. Today, the city remains the centre for Ukraine's coal mining and notable steel industry centre.
Donetsk currently has a population of over 982,000 inhabitants (2010) and has a metropolitan area of over 1,566,000 inhabitants (2004). According to the 2001 Ukrainian Census, Donetsk is the fifth-largest city in Ukraine.
Donetsk was one of the Ukrainian host cities for the UEFA Euro 2012.
Donetsk is nicknamed "The City of a Million Roses"
