city, Bashkortostan, western Russia, on the right bank of the Ik River. Founded as a settlement in 1937, when extraction of oil began nearby in the Volga-Ural oil and natural-gas region, it was incorporated in 1946. A decline in petroleum production since the 1950s resulted in a switch in the local economy to the manufacture of consumer goods, including low-voltage electrical equipment, clothing, footwear, and ceramic tiles and pottery. There are several petroleum-related scientific institutes in the city, as well as a music school. Pop. (2006 est.) 107,801.