Simferopol is the administrative, economic, scientific and cultural centre of Crimea with a population of 400 thousand. The city is located on the banks of the Salgir river. It was founded in 1784, but people lived in this area many times ago. It is a manufacturing, commercial, and transportation center located in a productive agricultural region. Products include canned fruit, flour, machine tools, and electric equipment. The site of Simferopol was occupied by the Scythian settlement of Neapol from about the 3rd century BC to the 4th century AD. The modern city of Simferopol was founded in 1784, when Russia was in control of the Crimean Peninsula. It was built near the Tatar town of Ak-Mechet. There are over two hundred historical, natural, architectural and cultural memorials in Simferopol and its vicinity. The oldest building in the city - the Kebir-Jami Mosque, built in 1508, and the Vorontsov House, built in 1827, are the most attractive memorials in Simferopol. There are several cultural establishments in the city. The Crimean Academic Russian Drama Theatre, the Crimean Ukranian Music Theatre, the Pupet Theatre, the Crimean Philharmonic Hall, the Museum of Local Lore, the Arts Museum, the Svyato-Troitsky Cathedral and the St.Peter and Paul`s Cathedral are among them.