Khabarovsk, the industrial, transport, administrative and cultural centre of Khabarovsk Territory, was founded in the spring of 1858 on a spot where the mighty waters of the Amur River break against a high cliff. The city's foundation was laid by workers of Nerchinsk and Cassacks from the Upper Amur and Trans-Baikal regions, all of them descendants of the pioneers who explored and settled Siberia.

The city is named not without reason in honour of a Vologda peasant and later a Siberian dealer Jerofei Khabarov - one of the first in the exploration and settlement of Siberia of the 17th century. Khabarovsk has developed into a well-built modern city with a population of nearly 700,000. The city's 5 large districts stretching for 45 km along the bank of the Amur River are linked by bus, tram and passenger motor vessel routes.

The city is famous for its Regional Lore Museum and Art Museum rare exhibits, i.e. a Steller cow (sea cow) skeleton in the Regional Lore Museum and the collection of old Russian icons in the Art Museum. There are many theatres, cinemas, sport clubs, stadiums, playgrounds and other recreation centres in Khabarovsk. The pride of the city is the Central Stadium, the largest in the Far East, which was opened in 1957. It was built on a reclaimed land plot.