Volgograd formerly called Tsaritsyn (1589–1925) and Stalingrad (1925–1961) is an industrial city of great importance and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is 80 km long, north to south, on the western bank of the Volga River and has a population of over 1.011 millon people. The city was made famous for its heroic resistance and bloody siege during the Battle of Stalingrad taking place during World War II.