Megion () is a town in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous OkrugâÂÂYugra, Russia, located at the altitude of above sea level, on the right bank of the Ob River, east of Khanty-Mansiysk and northeast of Tyumen. The area of the town is and the nearest airport is in Nizhnevartovsk ( away). Population: 46,566 (2002 Census);
Foundation and subsequent town development became possible with the discovery of oil in the Middle Ob Region. It was the Megion oil workers who drilled the first well in the Samotlor field, the largest oil field in the country, and initiated its industrial development. This laid the groundwork for the construction of Megion and Nizhnevartovsk, which together constitute one of the most significant centers of the Russian oil industry today.
It was first mentioned in 1810. In 1961, the first oil in Western Siberia was struck there. On September 29, 1964, Megion was granted urban-type settlement status. On July 23, 1980, it was elevated in status to that of a town. Now the town is a center of the oil and natural gas industries.
Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with one urban-type settlement, incorporated as the town of okrug significance of MegionâÂÂan administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts. As a municipal division, the town of okrug significance of Megion is incorporated as Megion Urban Okrug.