Kemerovo is the administrative centre of Kemerovo Region. It was founded on May 9, 1918 and is now the second most populated city in the region after Novokuznetsk (521,200 inhabitants). The city is located at the confluence of the Iskitim and Tom rivers, on both sides of the river Tom. Two highway and one railway bridge connect the two parts of the city.
Kemerovo is a large industrial, administrative and cultural centre. It is at the crossroads of major highways and railways. The city also has an international airport.
The city has many industries, including about 70 large and mid-size power facilities, chemical production, engineering, coal extracting, food processing and a number of other industries, which account for more than 90% of the total production volume.
Over the years, the industrial structure of the region has changed. The key industry is manufacturing, followed by power generation and distribution and finally by the mining industries.
Constant production growth, the use of new technology and the modernisation of existing facilities has resulted in the city's continued development since 2003. The natural monopoly industries, who export their products abroad, have been most successful. There has been a rise in mineral fertilizers and coke production, food production and production of railway and chemical equipment, including service parts.
Some companies have become the Russian leaders in their respective industries, for example synthetic ammonia producer, Kemerovo Azot. Azot provides mineral fertilizer throughout Siberia and Central Asia and also exports fertilizer in large quantities. Khimprom Industrial Group is a leading choline chloride producer; Tokem produces cation resin, used at power plants for water softening through deep desalination; and Kemerovo Orton is the largest producer of high-quality geosynthetic materials. Kemerovo Experimental Safety Equipment Plant is the only company in the country producing safety equipment for mine workers.