Mariupol (UK: /ˌmæriˈuːpɒl/, US: /ˌmɑːriˈuːpəl/; Ukrainian: Маріу́поль [mɐr⁽ʲ⁾iˈupolʲ]) is a city on the north coast of the Sea of Azov at the mouth of the Kalmius River, in the Pryazovia region of Ukraine. Prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and its capture by Russia, it was the tenth-largest city in Ukraine and the second-largest in Donetsk Oblast, with an estimated population of 425 681, according to a January 2022 estimate. Following its capture, the population is now, according to Ukrainian authorities, estimated to be less than 100,000. Not only was Mariupol a centre for trade and manufacturing, it also played a key role in the development of higher education and various other businesses as well as being a Black Sea coast resort area. From 1948 to 1989, the city was named Zhdanov, after the Soviet functionary Andrei Zhdanov, as part of the practice of renaming cities after Communist leaders. Mariupol was founded on the site of a former Cossack encampment known as Kalmius, and granted city rights in 1778. Mariupol played a key role in the industrialization of Ukraine, and was a centre for the grain trade, metallurgy, and heavy engineering, including the Illich Steel & Iron Works and Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. In 2022, the city was besieged by Russian and Russian proxy forces and largely destroyed, for which it received the title of Hero City of Ukraine. On 16 May 2022, the last remaining Ukrainian troops in Azovstal Steel Plant surrendered as Russia secured complete control over the city.