Zaporizhzhya, also Zaporozh'ye, city, southeastern Ukraine, capital of Zaporizhzhya Oblast, on the Dnieper River. An important rail junction and transshipment port for goods produced in the Donets Basin, Zaporizhzhya is a major industrial city. Products include aluminum, processed magnesium, iron and steel, motor vehicles, chemicals, and agricultural machinery. The city is the site of the large Dniprohes (Dneproges) hydroelectric station, originally completed in 1932 and rebuilt in 1947 after its destruction in World War II. It is also the seat of a state medical institute and a mechanical engineering institute. The city, founded in 1770 as a fortress, was known as Aleksandrovsk until 1921. Nearby, in the Dnieper River, is Khortitsa Island, the site of an autonomous Zaporizhzhya Cossack stronghold from the 16th to the 18th century. Population (1998 estimate) 863,000.
