The 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum opened in Vladivostok, Russia, on Sunday. It is the first time for Russia to host the 21-economy gathering.

The following are key facts about Russky Island, where the 2012 APEC forum is being held.

Located in the Peter the Great Gulf, Russky Island is part of Russia's far-eastern city of Vladivostok. It has a total area of 97.6 square km and measures about 18 km long and 13 km wide. Now some 5,200 Russian residents live on the island.

Russky Island used to be a closed area for lots of military units including the renowned Vladivostok Fortress.

Nowadays, the island has become a popular holiday destination for Vladivostok residents with no industrial construction or other facilities on it.

In 2007, Russky Island was chosen as the venue for the 2012 APEC forum. From then on, large-scale construction was launched on the island.

The Russian government allocated about 600 billion rubles (about 18.8 billion U.S. dollars) to prepare for the APEC forum, including the construction of a new campus for the Far Eastern Federal University on Russky Island, which would provide facilities for the 2012 APEC meetings.

A four-lane 3,100-m cable bridge connecting Russky Island with mainland Vladivostok is also a major infrastructure project. With the central span measuring 1,104 m, it broke the bridge-construction record.

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