In 1858, a Russian military settlement wasfounded and named Khabarovka in honour of Erofei Khabarov, the cossack explorer, whose statue now stands in the railway station square. Until the Trans-Siberian Railway arrived, the town was just a trading and military post. Today, Khabarovsk is one of the most vital cities in the Russian Far East with a population of 650,000.

Perched on 3 giant hills, overlooking the mighty Amur River, legend once held that the city rested on the backs of three great whales. Promoted to a rank of a city in 1880, Khabarovsk today, is the biggest economic and cultural centre of the Russian Far East .

In general, the architectural plan of the central part of Khabarovsk remains unchanged. Filled with parks and river walks, Khabarovsk is a city for strolling. The broad, tree lined main avenue, Muravyov-Amursky Street, is the most popular place for leisurely walking. Few of the old wooden houses remain in the city today, but there are some attractive stone buildings from Imperial Times, as well as, beautiful modern structures faced with marble.

30 miles to the south west of the city, there is a Nature Reserve Khekhtsir, an attraction for nature-lovers. This is a unique place where the North and the South coexist. Southern lianas, Manchurian walnuts grow side by side with evergreen conifers. Bears, foxes, wolves, elks and tigers are seen occasionally there. Nature Reserve Khekhtsir is located at the confluence of the Amur, which the Chinese call Heilongjiang "Black Dragon River" and the Ussuri rivers.

Khabarovsk is also the major transportation hub for rail, air and waterways. The Trans-Siberian Railroad, the longest in the world, goes through Khabarovsk. Khabarovsk has a large airport. There are over 40 domestic routes to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tashkent, Kiev, Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Uzhno-Sakhalinsk and also regular flights to Korea, China, Singapore. "Dalavia" Air Lines Company makes its flights to Japan.

In 1965 Khabarovsk and Niigata became sister cities. Later Khabarovsk signed agreements on sister-city relations with Portland, Oregon and Harbin, China.

• Additional information about Khabarovsk [link]