city, northwestern Ukraine, on the small Ustya (Ustye) River. First mentioned in 1282, Rivne was long a minor Polish settlement. In 1795 it passed to Russia and in 1797 was made a town. Growth began at the end of the 19th century when the town became an important rail junction. It reverted to Poland between 1920 and 1939. Its population expanded greatly in the 1960s with the growth of the chemical and machine-building industries. The city has a branch of Kiev University and has training institutes. Pop. (2001) 248,813; (2005 est.) 247,870.