Kovel (
Ukrainian and
Russian ??????,
translit. Kovel’,
Polish Kowel) is a
city located in the
Volyn Oblast (
province), in north-western
Ukraine. Serving as the
administrative center of the
Kovelsky Raion (
district), the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast. It is located around
51°13'N 24°43'E? / ?51.217, 24.717.
Kovel gives its name to one of the oldest Runic inscriptions (now lost). Unearthed near the town in 1858, the Kovel spearhead contained a text in Gothic language (illustration).
Kovel is the north-western hub of the Ukrainian rail system, with six rail lines radiating out from the city. The first of these was built in 1873, connecting the city with Brest-Litovsk and Rivne. In 1877 Kovel was linked by rail with Lublin and Warsaw in Poland. The current estimated population is around 62,900 (as of 2004).
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