Novosibirsk is the capital of Novosibirsk Oblast. It was formerly called Novonikolayevsk. It's the largest city of Siberia and the center of economy, science and culture. The urban area of Novosibirsk is 502.1 square kilometers with a population of 1.525 million. It's the 3rd most populous city of Russia. Shenyang established sister city relationship with Novosibirsk on May 29, 2013.Novosibirsk is the 15th city who established sister city relationship with Shenyang.