The city of
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (pop. 200,000) is the industrial, scientific and cultural center of
Kamchatka,
Russia.
Founded by the explorer
Vitus Bering, who reached
Avacha Bay[?] in
1740 and laid the foundation stone for the port of Petropavlovsk, named after his two ships, the
St. Peter and the
St. Paul, built in
Okhotsk for his second expedition.