Dnipropetrovs'k is Ukraine's third largest city with the population about 1,04 million. By locals this city is called simply "Dnepr". It is located south of Ukraine's capital Kiev (Kyiv) on the Dnipro River (distance to Kyiv is 479 km), in the south-central region of the country.

Dnipropetrovs'k is the administrative center of the Dnipropetrovs'k Oblast (province). It is the largest industrial city of the country and known for its high-technology industries, education institutions, machine-building, metallurgy and trade.

Dnipropetrovs'k also boasts Soviet era metallurgical (mostly iron and steel), chemical and oil-refining complexes. In addition, Dnipropetrovs'k, with its black soil outside the city represents one of the richest farm land in the country. The city is a big railway junction.

The oblast is rich in mineral resources. Its share in Ukraine's volume of the extraction of manganese ore is 100%, iron ore about 80%, coal - 13.5%. The deposits of uranium, titanium, nickel, zirconium and rutile ilmenite ores, fire clays, limes, granite, building stone, sand are under exploitation. The city is not only famous for its commercial industry, but for its deep history and green parks.

The old fortress settlement has existed since probably the middle of the 16th century.

Dnipropetrovs'k City was founded in 1776 by Russian Prince Potemkin on the order of Yekaterina the Second, Empress of the Russian Empire and was named Yekaterinoslav after her (from 1776 to 1926). Though the city was not founded in the current location, but at the confluence of the River Samara with the River Kil'chen' at Loshakivka, north of the Dnipro River.

After the Russian February revolution in 1917 Yekaterinoslav became a city within autonomy of Ukrainian People's Republic under Tsentralna Rada government.

During the World War II the city was occupied by Nazis in August 25, 1941 and freed by Ukrainian army in October 25, 1943.

Dnipropetrovsk was an important center of Jewish life. The history of the local Jewish community starts practically from the moment of the city foundation in 1776 with a decree of the Empress Yekaterina II "On granting citizenship to Jews in Yekaterinoslav region and Tavrichesky province". But the development of Jewish life was stopped by the Revolution and Civil War, then by anti-Jewish and anti-religious policy of the Soviet authorities and later by the horrors of the Holocaust.

First attempts to revive Jewish life in the city were undertaken in the late 1980s due to political changes in the Soviet Union. However real beginning of Jewish revival in Dnipropetrovsk began in 1990.

A vital industrial center of Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk was one of the key centers of the nuclear, arms, and space industries of the former Soviet Union. In particular, it is home to Yuzhmash, a major space and ballistic missile designer and manufacturer. Because of its military industry, the city was a closed city until the 1990s.

Dnipropetrovsk has a highly-developed public transportation system, including the Dnipropetrovsk Metro, which consists of one metro line with a total of 6 stations. Dnipropetrovsk was closed for foreigners in the Soviet era until 1987, due to its rocket plant. For visitors now the rocket museum is one of the highlights. Rockets are laid out in sections in the car park. Other sights include the history museum, the musical fountain. Dnipropetrovsk has been the major center of the steel industry from the beginning of the 20th century until the present. It has also dominated in the machinebuilding and aero-spacebuilding industry since the 1950s.