The city of Mogilev is the centre of Mogilev region and district. It is located 201 km to the east of Mogilev. The city is a junction of railways to Orsha, Osipovichi, Zhlobin and Krichev. Highways connect Mogilev with Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, Bobruisk, etc. There is a port on the river Dnieper and an airport in the city. The population of the city is 368.9 thousand people. According to the archaeological research of the ancient settlements of Zmeyevka and Mogila, people came to the territory of Mogilev during the early Iron Age (5th century). The city was first mentioned in "The List of Russian Cities close and distant" in the 14th century. At the end of the 14th - beginning of the 19th centuries it belonged to Yadviga, the wife of the Great Duke of Lithuania and Polish king Yagaila, in 1431 was passed to the Great Duke of Lithuania Svidrigaila, in 1503 - to the Great Duchess of Lithuania Yelena Ivanovna. The industry of the city developed quickly in the second half of the 19th century.Wood working, beer brewing, pottery making, candle and tobacco industry were developing swiftly. In 1920-1930 Mogilev developed into a large industrial and cultural centre. In the 1950-s Mogilev became the centre of machine building, metallurgy and chemical industry.