When someone mentions the name Zaporojie one immediately recollects the history of Ukrainian Cossacks who lived on the Khortytsia island. The city was founded in 1770 as Alexandrivska fortress to protect the Southern borders of Russian Empire from the Turks and the Tartars. Zaporojie started its intensive growing after the Dniproges (Dnieper Hydroelectric station) had been commissioned in 1932 on the place of the river rapids. Today Zaporojie is a very important industrial centre of Ukraine. The population is about 1 million. The main branches of industry - steel and cast-iron production, machine building, electrical engineering and production of electricity. Being a large industrial city it nevertheless has its own charm of cultural and historical centre. Zaporojie is located on two picturesque banks of the mighty Dnipro river in the middle of which a big island of Khortytsia is dividing it into two curling arms. The area round Zaporizhia is very rich in history. It was the land of ancient Scythians and the whole-day trip to Kamiana Mogyla ("Stone Grave"- 120 km from the city) will acquaint the visitors with this unique archaeological monument . It also represents the remnants of the Russian-Turkish war fortifications system (18th c.).