Nyagan (Russian: Нягань) is a town in the north-western part of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, situated near the Ob River.
Nyagan was established in 1965 as a forestry centre; it is now principally a centre of the petroleum and natural gas industries, and was originally named Nyah (Нях).
Nyagan also has the best hospital centre in the Tyumen region.
Nyagan is one of the youngest towns of the Western Siberia.
Developing in the frameworks of the concept of social and economic development of the Okrug, possessing a convenient geographic position and rather developed infrastructure, Nyagan is a basic territory of natural resources mastering of the Pre-Polar Urals.
The old town of Emder in which brothers-heroes from the prince clan of the Ob Ugrian lived, was situated there in the period of last dark ages on the river Endyr, according to the excavation of archeologists.
In November 2000 in the framework of celebration of the 70-th anniversary of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, under the Governor's patronage, with the support of the JSC "TNK-Nyagan" and Administration of Nyagan, in Moscow at the theatre of Malaya Bronnaya the concert tour of the theatre was held.
In May 2001 the Nyagan theater was awarded the Diploma of the laureate of the Governor's Premium of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug "Sobytie" and the letter of thanks for organization and holding of this tour.
The Nyagan theatre has a large tour activity over the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, visiting different far-distant parts: settlement of Agirish, Alyabievsky, Malinovsky, Pionersky of the Sovetsky District, settlement of Andra, Talinka of the Oktyabrsky DIstrict, and others.
Maria Sharapova was born on the 19th of April, 1987 in the small Siberian town of Nyagan, where her parents moved from Gomel, fleeing from the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.
Nyagan is one of the youngest towns, situated on the territory of the Western Siberia, 230 km far to the North-West from the capital of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Khanty-Mansiysk.
Created as a settlement of foresters in 1967, since 1978 it has became a territory with the leading oil industry.
Meanwhile she took occasional modelling jobs, earning comparisons to Anna Kournikova for what the British paper The Guardian called her "much admired features." In 2004 Sharapova stunned the tennis world by defeating defending champion Serena Williams in the singles finals at Wimbledon to win the prestigious tournament at age 17.
Nyagan is part of Siberia, hence her nickname of "the Siberian Siren"...
She also has been called "the Queen of Screams" for her habit of grunting loudly while hitting the ball.
Her parents are originally from Gomel, Belarus, but moved to Russia in 1986 in the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
Sharapova was born in Nyagan, Siberia, the following year.
At the age of three, Sharapova moved with her family to the resort town of Sochi, beginning to play tennis at the age of four, using a racquet given to her by Yevgeny Kafelnikov's father.
Maria was born in Nyagan (in the Siberian region of Russia) on 19th April 1987.
Maria is exceptionally self-motivated, her parents fled to Nyagan to escape radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster of 26th April 1986.
Yuri Sharapova became friends with the father of Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who gave Maria her first tennis-racket at the age of four, and she started playing against the wall of her house.
Famous Femme || Featuring Maria Sharapova(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-02)
Maria Sharapova was born on April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, a town in western Siberia, where her parents, Yuri and Yelena, had fled from Belarus a year earlier to avoid radiation from Chernobyl.
Still too close to the disaster site, her family left their home as refugees again when she was two-years-old.
She went to her father, Yuri, and recommended that he take his daughter to the world-famous Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
Besides her stunning looks which have men in their middle ages quiver, her potent groundstrokes and fierce determination have allowed her to rise past her counterparts with a WTA ranking of nine this year.
From the streets of Nyagan, Russia, Maria and her father had nothing more than 12 dollars when they both migrated to the states.
After having been recognized by none other than Nick Boletteri, previous coach of the likes of Monica Seles, Andre Agassi, and yes, even Anna Kournikova, Maria took off winning three ITF events (considered the minor leagues of professional tennis).
The Trans-Siberian Railway doesn't have a stop in southwest London, but Sharapova has arrived at Centre Court, nonetheless.
With bells on -- out of Nyagan, Siberia, via Sochi on the Black Sea and Bradenton, Fla., on the Gulf of Mexico, shaking a gut-strung cudgel, and menacingly shaking up a tennis tournament called Wimbledon.
Five years ago on the same worn patch of grass, Lindsay Davenport couldn't quite believe she was ushering the splendiferous Steffi Graf out of town, beating "Fraulein Forehand" in Graf's last Wimbledon match.
Kournikova, 23 at this writing, has never lost a singles event.
Sharapova's family lived near the oil refineries of Nyagan, but when she was two years old the family moved to Sechi, a city on the shores of the Black Sea, to escape fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
At 4, the father of tennis champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov -- a beer buddy of Sharapova's father -- gave her a tennis racket, and she started bashing balls against walls.