Mingachevir

Mingachevir
City
Azerbaijani: Mingəçevir
Coordinates: 40°46′12″N 47°02′56″E / 40.77000°N 47.04889°E / 40.77000; 47.04889
Country Azerbaijan
RegionCentral Aran
Founded1946
Government
  GovernorIlham Ismayilov
Area
  Total
130 km2 (50 sq mi)
Elevation
55 m (180 ft)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
106,048
  Density820/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
  Population Rank in Azerbaijan
4th
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)
Websitemingechevir-ih.gov.az

Mingachevir (Azerbaijani: Mingəçevir (listen)) is the fourth largest city in Azerbaijan with a population of about 106,000. It is often called the "city of lights" because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kura River, which divides the city down the middle.

The current city was founded in 1948, partly by German prisoners of war captured during World War II. Mingechevir is also home to Mingachevir Polytechnic Institute. The city forms an administrative division of Azerbaijan. The district is located 323 km from the capital Baku and 17 km from the Baku-Tbilisi railway. Geographically, the region is located in the center of the republic on both sides of the Kura River.