Which includes the Volga region. The Volga region is an economic region and its significance for the country

The Volga economic region occupies a territory that is located along the Volga coast. The advantage of its location is associated with access to the Caspian Sea. Thanks to the Volga and the Volga-Baltic route, a water route allowing access to Baltic Sea. The presence of the Volga-Don Canal creates an opportunity for access to the Azov and Black Sea. The area passes through latitudinal railway lines, which allow delivering people and goods to the regions of the Center, Ukraine, as well as to the Urals and Siberia.

Given that the Volga region occupies an advantageous geographical position, this has a positive effect on the development of its economic complex. The key role here is assigned to such industries of market specialization as oil and coal, as well as gas and chemical industry. the Volga region has great importance in providing the country with products such as synthetic rubber, synthetic resins, plastics and fibers.

The composition of the Volga economic region

The Volga economic region in its structure is represented by such subjects as Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Samara, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Penza regions. It also includes two republics - Tatarstan and Kalmykia - Khalmg Tangch.

Volga economic region: characteristics

A feature of this region is a fairly diverse natural resource potential. In the north of the Volga region is represented woodlands, but if you move in a southeast direction, you can find yourself in the semi-desert subzone. The main area of ​​the region is occupied by steppes. Most of its territory falls on the Volga valley, which in the southern part is replaced by the Caspian lowland. An important role here is given to the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, which was formed from river sediments and has good conditions for agriculture.

The territorial structure of the district's economy, as well as the peculiarities of settlement, are largely associated with the presence of the Volga, which acts as a key transport artery and the axis of settlement. The vast majority of large cities located on the territory of the region are river ports.

Population of the Volga economic region

With an average population density of 31.5 people. per 1 km 2, the Volga region has a number of areas with the highest level of population. We are talking about the regions located in the Volga valley - Samara, Ulyanovsk regions and Tatarstan. The reverse situation is observed in the Republic of Kalmykia, where the population density does not exceed 4 people. per 1 km 2.

A feature of the population of this region is a rather diverse ethnic composition. Within it, the largest share falls on Russians, in addition to whom there are quite a lot of representatives of Tatars and Kalmyks. Along with them, among the inhabitants there are Bashkirs, Chuvashs and Kazakhs. Of particular relevance to Lately the problem of the revival of the autonomy of the Volga Germans, who, against their will, had to leave the Volga region and go to the eastern regions.

Territorial organization of the economy

If we consider the territorial structure of the Volga region, then it includes three subdistricts, which are distinguished by a special development of the economy and specialization:

1. Middle Volga,
2. Privolzhsky subdistrict,
3. Lower Volga.

The Middle Volga region includes Tatarstan and Samara region. This area is the leader in the Volga region in terms of the development of such areas as the oil, oil refining industry and mechanical engineering. Within this area there are many largest cities, among which are the millionaire cities - Samara and Kazan.

The composition of the Privolzhsky subregion is represented by such regions as the Penza and Ulyanovsk region. Such areas as mechanical engineering, light industry, food industry and agriculture have reached the highest level of development here. Among the cities, Ulyanovsk and Penza are especially worth highlighting.

Among the most developed areas of the Lower Volga region, it is worth highlighting mechanical engineering, chemical and food industries. At the same time, the region is distinguished by a high level of agricultural development. First of all, this concerns grain farming, beef cattle breeding and sheep breeding. Good results are also obtained in the production of rice, vegetable and melon crops, as well as fishing. Most of the enterprises are concentrated in Volgograd, which had to be restored after the end of the Great Patriotic War.

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Astrakhan, Volgograd, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Republic of Kalmykia-Khalmg-Tangch.

Economic and geographical position

The Volga region stretches for almost 1.5 thousand km along the great Russian river Volga, from the confluence of the Kama into it to the Caspian Sea. Territory - 536 thousand km 2. The EGP of this area is exceptionally favorable. A network of transport routes connects it with the most important economic regions of the country. The axis of this network - the Volga-Kama river route - gives access to the Caspian, Azov, Black, Baltic, White and Barents Sea. The use of oil and gas pipelines also contributes to the improvement of the region's EGP.

Natural conditions and resources

The Volga region has favorable natural conditions and is rich in water (Volga and its tributaries) and land resources, located in a temperate climate. However, the area is unevenly provided with moisture. In the lower reaches of the Volga, there are droughts, accompanied by dry winds that are detrimental to crops. Most of the region has fertile soils and extensive pastures.

The relief of the Volga region is different. The western part (right bank) is elevated, hilly (the Volga Upland, turning into low mountains in the south). The eastern (left bank) is a low, slightly hilly plain, more forested and monotonous.

The relief and climatic conditions determine the diversity of soils and vegetation. Nature is varied. In the latitudinal direction, forests, forest-steppes, steppes are replaced, which are then replaced by sultry semi-deserts.

The area is rich in minerals: oil, gas, sulfur, salt, building materials (limestone, gypsum, sand).

Oil is produced in Tataria, Samara region, gas - in Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan (gas condensate field) regions. Table salt is mined on Lake Baskunchak.

Population

The population of the Volga region is multinational, it is 16.6 million people. The average population density is 30 people. per 1 km 2. It is much higher in the middle reaches of the Volga on the right bank. The minimum population density (4 people per 1 km 2) is in Kalmykia.

The Russian population prevails. The population of the Republic of Tatarstan is 3.7 million people. (among them Russians - 43%); 327 thousand people live in Kalmykia (the share of Russians is more than 30%). The urban population is concentrated mainly in large cities located on the Volga (the urbanization coefficient is 73%). Millionaire cities - Samara, Kazan, Volgograd. The Volga region is provided with labor resources.

economy

The main branches of specialization of the Volga region- oil and oil refining, gas and chemical industries, complex engineering, electric power and production building materials.

Volga region occupies 2nd place in Russia after the West Siberian economic region in oil and gas production. The amount of oil and gas produced exceeds the needs of the region, so oil and gas pipelines have been laid to the west, including abroad. It is also an area with a developed oil refining industry, not only for its own oil, but also for oil Western Siberia. There are 6 oil refineries (Syzran, Samara, Volgograd, Nizhnekamsk). Refineries and petrochemistry are closely related. Along with natural gas, associated gas is extracted and processed (used in the chemical industry).

The Volga region specializes in the production of electricity, which supplies other regions of Russia. Energy is provided by hydroelectric power plants of the Volga-Kama cascade (Volzhskaya near Samara, Saratovskaya, Nizhnekamskaya and Volzhskaya near Volgograd, etc.). Thermal stations operate on local raw materials, and the Balakovo (Saratov) and Tatar nuclear power plants have also been built (the construction of the latter caused public protests).

The chemical industry of the Volga region is represented by mining and chemical (extracting sulfur and common salt), chemistry of organic synthesis, and production of polymers. The largest centers: Nizhnekamsk, Samara, Kazan, Syzran, Saratov, Volzhsky, Tolyatti. In the industrial hubs of Samara-Togliatti, Saratov-Engels, Volgograd-Volzhsky, energy and petrochemical cycles have developed. In them, the production of energy, oil products, alcohols, synthetic rubber, and plastics are geographically close.

The needs of the energy, oil and gas and chemical industries have accelerated the development of mechanical engineering. Developed transport links, the availability of qualified personnel, and proximity to the Central District necessitated the creation of instrument and machine-tool factories (Penza, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Volzhsky, Kazan). Aircraft industry is represented in Samara, Saratov.

But the automotive industry is especially distinguished in the Volga region: Ulyanovsk (UAZ cars), Tolyatti (Zhiguli), Naberezhnye Chelny (heavy trucks), Engels (trolleybuses). In Volgograd - the country's largest tractor plant.

The importance of the food industry remains in the region. The Caspian and the mouth of the Volga are the most important inland fishing basin. However, it should be noted that with the development of petrochemistry, chemistry and the construction of large machine-building plants, the ecological state of the Volga River has deteriorated sharply.

Agro-industrial complex. In the forest and semi-desert zone, the leading role in agriculture belongs to animal husbandry. In the forest-steppe and steppe zone - crop production (primarily grain farming). This part of the Volga region also has the highest plowing (up to 50%) of the territory. The grain district is located approximately from the latitude of Kazan to the latitude of Samara (rye, winter wheat), meat and dairy cattle breeding is also developed here. Industrial crops are widespread, for example, mustard crops account for 90% of crops in the Russian Federation. Sheep farms are located south of Volgograd. In the interfluve of the Volga and Akhtuba (downstream), vegetables and gourds are grown.

Fuel and energy complex,(see Electric power industry). The area is provided with fuel. The power industry of the region is of republican importance - it supplies other regions of the country (hydroelectric power stations on Yoolga and Kama, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants).

Transport. The transport network of the region is formed by the Volga and the roads crossing it. The Volga-Donskoy and other shipping channels provide access to the seas. The modern Volga is a chain of reservoirs. But the Volga way is seasonal (the river freezes in winter). Important role play railways and roads, as well as gas and oil pipelines.

We attributed the completely non-Volga Kalmykia. From the former Volga-Vyatka region, the Kirov region and all 3 republics (Mordovia, Chuvash, Mari) are included in the Volga region. Thus, the composition of the Volga region, which we characterize further, includes all regions located on the Volga (south of Nizhny Novgorod), occupying the basin of the Vyatka (a tributary of the Kama) Kirov region and not going to the Volga, but having much in common with the neighboring republics of Mordovia.

Our reasoning about what the Volga region is and what its boundaries are helps to feel the complexity of such work as zoning a territory. In this case, the area that we are studying would be easiest to identify with "unlimited" zoning, that is, one where the core of the area is clearly distinguished, and its boundaries are unclear. In the case of the Volga region, we have a clear core, the main axis of the region is the Volga River. Undoubtedly, the Volga region is those territories whose centers are strung on the Volga below Cheboksary: ​​Kazan, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Saratov, Volgograd, Astrakhan. It is these 6 regions that are the core of the Volga region, and the rest are its periphery, transitional territories to other regions.

To better understand the essence of the "Volga core", let's first consider its periphery.

Kirov region

The Kirov region is a transition zone between the Volga and the Urals. Its location in the forest zone, the development of logging and woodworking, and various crafts make it related to the North. With the Urals - the development in the past of ferrous metallurgy on local ores and charcoal, and now - rolling production and metalworking. With the Volga region - the development of the chemical industry (including the military - the production of fuel and others) and features historical development(evacuation of military factories during the Great Patriotic War). A common feature both with the Volga region and the Urals is the predominance of military industrial complex in the structure of mechanical engineering (the production of weapons in the city of Vyatskiye Polyany, in Kirov - aviation equipment and instruments).

Mordovia

According to its natural conditions, Mordovia belongs to the black earth belt and is similar to the Central Chernozem Region, but its settlement by Russians took place under different conditions: Russian villages appeared among Mordovian ones. As a result, out of 1 million population of Mordovia, Mordovians make up only 1/3, and 2/3 are Russians. Here is how the Mordovians were described at the beginning of the 20th century:

The region, in which the Mordovian tribe lived from time immemorial, compares favorably with the swampy areas along the left bank of the Volga, occupied by other Finnish tribes, by its relatively high position (Volga Upland) and rich black earth soil. Previously, they were almost completely covered with dense deciduous forests, teeming with various forest animals: wild boars, goats, elks, foxes and beavers. Now only small islands have survived from these forests. The inhabitants of this rich land differ from their fellow tribesmen, who settled in the swamps and forests north of the Volga, by their taller stature, massive, strong physique, fair skin and considerable strength, not inferior to the strength of the Russian population. Despite their sluggishness, they show self-confidence and in speech and in movements. Mordva has already become very Russified and in some places completely merged with the Russian population. In general, the Mordovians live richer than their neighbors - Russians, Tatars and Chuvashs - they are more provided with land, they are distinguished by great industriousness and thriftiness.

The industry of Mordovia developed almost exclusively in its capital - Saransk (where 1/3 of the population of the republic is concentrated - 320 thousand people) and is represented mainly by the electrical industry (electric lamps, cables, electric rectifiers, and so on), instrumentation and the production of medicines.

The area of ​​​​settlement of the Mordovians - from Ryazan region to Bashkiria: only 1/3 of all Mordovians live on the territory of the Mordovian Republic, and the rest - mainly in adjacent regions (Ulyanovsk, Samara, Penza) and in Bashkiria.

So, according to the natural prerequisites for development and the nature of agriculture, Mordovia is similar to the Central Chernobyl Region, and in terms of the nature of industry (labor-intensive engineering), the history of settlement and modern problems, it is similar to the neighboring Chuvash and Mari republics.

Chuvashia

Chuvashia is the only one of the republics of the Ural-Volga region where the indigenous population absolutely predominates (out of 1.3 million inhabitants, almost 70% are Chuvashs, 1/4 are Russians). Chuvashia is one of the densely populated regions European Russia, much less urbanized (like Mordovia) than its neighbors, with a large natural increase that has survived until recently and a high proportion of children in the population.

The specialization of agriculture is almost the same as in the CCR; the abundance of labor resources in the countryside makes it possible to grow such a labor-intensive crop as hops; sugar beet crops are expanding.

The industry of Chuvashia is mechanical engineering (electrical engineering, production of industrial tractors), chemical industry (including military), textile and food industries. The largest city of Cheboksary (420 thousand inhabitants), together with the city of Novocheboksarsk (120 thousand inhabitants), which arose 20 kilometers away from the construction of the Cheboksary hydroelectric power station on the Volga, concentrate more than 1/3 of all the inhabitants of the republic and most of its industry.

Unlike the peoples of the Finnish language group, which are easily assimilated (especially the Mordovians), the Chuvash, like other Turkic peoples, are ethnically much more stable (but among the Tatars and Bashkirs this could be explained by religious differences from the Russians, and the Chuvashs are Orthodox, therefore, apparently, the matter is not in the difference of religions).

Of the 1.8 million Chuvashs, about half live on the territory of Chuvashia itself, the rest are mainly in adjacent regions.

Mari Republic

The Mari Republic (Mari El), according to natural and cultural characteristics, is sharply divided into 2 parts - on the right high (mountainous) bank of the Volga and on the left lowland, forested. On the right bank live "mountain" Mari, on the left - "meadow" (in language and culture are very close to each other). In economic terms, the right bank is very similar to Chuvashia, and the left bank - to the Kirov region and the Nizhny Novgorod Trans-Volga region: it is covered with forests (about half of the territory), agricultural land makes up less than 1/3; logging, woodworking and the pulp and paper industry are developed.

The capital - Yoshkar-Ola, with a population of 250 thousand inhabitants (1/3 of the population of the republic) concentrates almost all mechanical engineering, mainly military (radio factories, instrumentation), as well as electrical engineering. Thus, labor-intensive mechanical engineering is concentrated in the capital in this republic as well.

Of the 750,000 inhabitants of the republic, Mari make up 43%, Russians - 48%. Of the total number of Maris (670 thousand people), only about half live in the Mari Republic, the rest are scattered in many other regions of the Ural-Volga region.

We see that in all 3 republics we have considered, there is much in common. In economic terms, the concentration in their capitals (concentrating 1/3 of all inhabitants) of labor-intensive engineering. From the point of view of ethnogeography - that they concentrate within their borders from 1/3 to 1/2 of their ethnic group, and its rest is scattered. All these peoples were converted to Orthodoxy by Russian missionaries, even the Turkic-speaking Chuvash. Everywhere the proportion of Russians is large - 2/3 in Mordovia, 1/3 in Mari El, 1/4 in Chuvashia. Chuvashia is distinguished by a much larger share of the indigenous population and its resistance to assimilation.

Let us now turn to the consideration of the Volga region proper - its core, stretching along the Volga from Kazan to Astrakhan.

The natural conditions of such a large region, stretching from north to south for more than a thousand kilometers, are very diverse. Tataria is located mainly in the zone mixed forests(mostly cut down; agricultural land occupies about 2/3 of the territory); The Ulyanovsk and Samara regions are in the forest-steppe zone (where there is also little left of the forests), the Saratov and Volgograd regions are in the steppe zone, and the Astrakhan region is already halfway in the semi-desert zone. (Usually Tataria, Ulyanovsk and Samara regions are called the Middle Volga region, and Saratov, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions are called the Lower Volga region.)

The right bank of the Volga along its entire length is usually high, the left bank is low. Along the right bank for a long distance (from Cheboksary to Volgograd) stretches the Volga Upland. The main mineral reserves were found in sedimentary rocks on the left bank, these are primarily oil and gas fields: the southeast of Tataria (Almetyevsk region) and the west of the Samara region. The Saratov and Volgograd regions are also promising for gas production, where geological exploration is currently being actively carried out. Among other minerals, lakes Baskunchak and Elton (“All-Russian Salt Cellar”) deserve mention.

The climate of the region is sharply continental. Average January temperatures vary from -14° in Kazan to -6° in Astrakhan, and July temperatures at the same points +20° and +25° (the last figure is the highest for European Russia). Precipitation brought by western winds falls on the western slopes of the Volga Upland (up to 500 mm per year), and on the low left bank (where they heat up, moving away from the saturation point) - much less, in Tatarstan about 400 millimeters, and in the Saratov Trans-Volga region and to the south - less than 300 millimeters. Thus, the dryness of the climate increases from the northwest to the southeast, and the specialization of agriculture changes accordingly. In the Middle Volga region, especially on the right bank, it is similar to the CCR: grain farming, meat and dairy farming and pig breeding, sugar beet and hemp crops. On the right bank in Saratov and Volgograd regions Sugar beet and pig breeding almost disappear, sunflower and mustard appear. In the Saratov Trans-Volga region - grain crops, beef cattle breeding and sheep breeding, and even to the south - sheep breeding on dry steppe and semi-desert pastures with grain crops only on irrigated lands.

The Trans-Volga region is characterized by anticyclonic weather, which causes droughts in summer. They are especially dangerous if accompanied by hot and dusty southeasterly dry winds or dust storms; in these cases, grain plants can either die completely, or the grain in them dries up.

Over the past 70 years, droughts in the Volga region were twice accompanied by a terrible famine - in 1921 and 1933-1934, and each time the damage from the elements was aggravated social factors: in the first case, the supply of food was complicated by the devastation of transport (but also by the refusal of the Bolsheviks to cooperate with other parties, even in such a matter as helping the starving), and in the second, the famine was many times increased by the fact that all the grain reserves from the peasants were taken "for state needs” (including for export, to pay for purchased industrial equipment).

In the economic development of the Volga region, the following stages can be distinguished (We single out these stages from the point of view of the Russian state; apparently, from the point of view of the history of Tatarstan or Chuvashia, the stages may be different):

1. Prior to the annexation of the Kazan (1552) and Astrakhan (1556) khanates to Russia, the Volga was used by the Russian state only as a transit transport artery for not very intensive trade - first with the Golden Horde, then with these khanates.

2. After the annexation of these khanates to Russia, Astrakhan becomes the main southern port of Russia, the "gateway to the East" - a kind of southern analogue of Arkhangelsk. At the end of the 16th century, between Kazan and Astrakhan, at approximately equal distances from each other (about 450 km), the guard cities of Samara, Saratov (its name is of Turkic origin: Sarytau is “yellow mountain”), Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd) arise. The right bank begins to be populated by landlord peasants.

3) In the 19th - early 20th centuries, the Volga region became a large area for the production of marketable grain and the flour-grinding industry. The colonization of the Trans-Volga region begins - no longer landowners, but peasants, especially after the abolition of serfdom. (True, even before that, in the 1760s, several tens of thousands of German colonists were resettled in the Trans-Volga region; the centers of their territories were Pokrovskaya Sloboda - the current Engels, opposite Saratov, and Ekaterinenstadt - the current Marx). intensifies transport value Volga (which becomes the "main street of Russia"), not only grain is transported along it, but also oil cargoes (coming from Baku), timber is rafted to the southern regions, including the mines of Donbass (and the most powerful sawmills in Russia appear in Tsaritsyn factories).

4) The policy of industrialization during the years of the pre-war five-year plans (for example, the construction of a tractor plant in Volgograd) and especially the evacuation of defense enterprises in 1941-1942 dramatically changed the economic profile of the Volga region, made it from agrarian to industrial and from “flour-grinding” to machine-building. Since then, the Volga region has become a deeply militarized region. The military industry is located mainly in large cities - Kazan, Ulyanovsk Samara, Saratov, Volgograd.

5) In the post-war period, especially in the 1950s-1960s, the construction of large Volga hydroelectric power stations was completed: Volgogradskaya, Saratovskaya (with a dam near Balakovo) and Samara (with a dam near Tolyatti), as well as Nizhnekamskaya (near the city of Naberezhnye Chelny); The Volga region becomes for two decades the main region of oil production, oil refining and petrochemistry. This further complicated the structure of the region's economy, made it even more industrial, including due to the flooding of floodplain lands, where more than half of Russian hay was harvested on the famous Volga flood meadows, a lot of vegetables and fruits were collected, and much more. In the total area of ​​the Volga region, those flooded by reservoirs occupy a small share, but these lands were much more valuable than the watershed territories, and their loss sharply worsened the food supply of the Volga cities.

Partially, this loss was compensated for by irrigating the dry steppes of the Trans-Volga region (especially in the Saratov region), however, due to poor-quality reclamation work and due to non-compliance with irrigation technology, many irrigated lands became saline. This is one of the clearest examples of extreme disinterest in work, when it is done not for oneself, but for someone (“for an uncle”): none of the builders and operators was vitally interested in the fact that reclamation systems were built and operated with high quality, with observance of all the rules: the personal well-being of workers did not depend on this in any way.

At present, the main branches of specialization of the Volga region are mechanical engineering and petrochemistry. Mechanical engineering is represented mainly by military-industrial complex enterprises, but it also produces civilian products: cars (Tolyatti, Ulyanovsk, Naberezhnye Chelny), aircraft (Saratov, Ulyanovsk), tractors (Volgograd), machine tools, instruments and much more. Oil production is declining, but oil refining and petrochemistry are switching to Siberian oil; The Volga region is the largest producer of plastics, chemical fibers, synthetic rubber and tires, mineral fertilizers, and so on.

Environmental problems are very acute in the Volga region. The creation of the Volga reservoirs disrupted the processes of self-purification of river waters (in the "stagnant" reservoirs, these processes are much slower). At the same time, the development of petrochemistry on the banks of the Volga, with a chronic lack of capacity of treatment facilities (or their absence), has sharply increased the discharge of wastewater into the Volga and its tributaries. As a result, in its lower reaches, the Volga water is extremely polluted and sometimes unsuitable even for irrigation. Correcting this situation requires concerted action throughout the Volga basin - that is, in most of European Russia. Extremely polluted and the Volga cities.

National composition

The national composition of the inhabitants of the Volga region is quite diverse. In addition to Russians, who make up 3/4 of its inhabitants, many other peoples live here.

Tatars are the largest ethnic group in Russia after Russians (5.5 million people); Of these, about 1.7 million live in Tataria (constituting 48% of the population of the republic), 1.1 million live in Bashkiria, and the rest are scattered throughout almost all regions] of Russia, mainly the Volga region.

The very name "Tatars" first appeared among the Mongol tribes who roamed south of Lake Baikal as early as the 6th-9th centuries. In Russia, it became known from the 13th century, from the time of the “Mongol-Tatar invasion. Later, all the peoples living in the Golden Horde began to be called Tatars in Rus'. These peoples included: the Volga Bulgars (or Bulgarians) - a Turkic-speaking people who came to the Volga region in the 7th-8th centuries, assimilated the local Finno-Ugric tribes and created their own state in the 10th century - the Volga-Kama Bulgaria, whose inhabitants were engaged in agriculture, trade and craft (and other groups of Bulgarians went in the 7th century to Balkan Peninsula and there, mixing with the Slavic tribes and adopting their language, he formed in 680 the Bulgarian-Slavic state - the predecessor; current Bulgaria).

During their stay in the Golden Horde, the Volga Bulgars adopted a lot from the culture of the settlers (“Mongol-Tatars”), with whom they were also brought together by a religious community (Islam). In general, the population of the Golden Horde became more homogeneous After the collapse of the Golden Horde during the existence of separate khanates (Kazan, Astrakhan, Siberian), separate groups of Tatars were formed - Kazan, Astrakhan Siberian, Mishars and others. Part of the Tatars adopted Orthodoxy - these are the “Kryashens” Tatars (from the distorted word “baptism”) Having become part of the Russian state, the Tatars, together with the Russians, took part in the settlement of the territory Russian Empire, and now they can be found in any corner of Russia.

This is how ethnographers described the Tatars of the beginning of our century: By occupation, the Tatars are farmers, but the lack of land often makes them look for other ways to earn money. Thousands of Tatars work as loaders on the Volga, are hired as janitors or coachmen in the cities, or serve as laborers in the landowners' economy. With their strength, endurance, conscientiousness and the performance of the work they have undertaken, they have gained a reputation as the best workers in the Volga region. The energy and practical ingenuity of the Tatars made them excellent merchants, who seized a significant part of not only small but also large trade in the Volga region.

Although less than 1/3 of all Tatars in Russia live within the Tatar Republic, Kazan is cultural center for most Tatars, wherever they live. Recently, for example, in Kazan, the training of teachers for Tatar schools has begun, opening in areas densely populated by Tatars in other republics and regions of Russia.

Kazakhs (with a total number of more than 200 thousand people) live mainly in Astrakhan region(as well as in Volgograd and Saratov). Between the Volga and the Urals, the Kazakhs appeared at the very beginning of the 19th century (“Bukreev Horde”), when the Kalmyks migrated from here. They are mainly engaged in grazing sheep.

The Germans, who settled in the Volga region at the end of the 18th century and created a prosperous agricultural region (on the territory of which the Volga German ASSR was created after the revolution), in 1941, after the start of the war, were evicted to the eastern regions (Siberia and Kazakhstan) under the pretext that they can help the troops of fascist Germany. Unlike other peoples who were returned home in 1956-1957 after the Stalinist deportation, the Germans were forbidden to return to the Volga region, and to this day most of them live in the south of Western Siberia and in Northern Kazakhstan. In the late 1980s, the ban on return was lifted, but the local authorities of the Saratov and Volgograd regions were very disapproving of this, and German autonomy on the Volga was never recreated. The result was an increase in the emigration of Russian Germans to Germany, due to which, apparently, there will soon be practically no Germans left in Russia.

After the collapse of the USSR, the situation in the Volga region in some ways begins to resemble a picture of the 17th century: Astrakhan again becomes the southern gate of Russia (and the Caspian military flotilla has already been relocated there from Baku). However, now the role of the Volga region in the economy is immeasurably higher - but the “burdenedness” of the region with the most acute problems, primarily the state of the environment (the transformation of the Volga into a sewage sewer) and the conversion of defense enterprises, is much higher.

This term has other meanings, see Volga region (meanings).

Volga region- in a broad sense - the entire territory adjacent to the Volga, although it is more correct to define this territory as Volga region(cm.

Volga Federal District). The Volga region is more often understood as a more or less definite strip along the own course of the Volga, without major tributaries(for example, the inhabitants of the Kama region never considered themselves Volzhans). More often, the term is used in a narrow sense - the territory adjacent to the middle and lower reaches of the Volga and economically gravitating towards it, which corresponds to the above view. Within the Volga region (Volga region), a relatively elevated right bank with the Volga Upland and a left bank - Zavolzhye stand out. IN nature the Volga region (Volga region) sometimes also includes areas located in the upper reaches of the Volga.

Once the Volga region was part of the Volga Bulgaria, the Polovtsian Steppe, the Golden Horde and Rus'.

Regions

In the TSB, during the economic zoning of the European part of the USSR, the Volga economic region is singled out, including the Ulyanovsk, Penza, Kuibyshev, Saratov, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, the Tatar, Bashkir and Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics; at the same time, the first 3 named regions and the Tatar ASSR are usually attributed to the Middle Volga region, the remaining regions and the Kalmyk ASSR - to the Lower Volga region. Taking into account the modern administrative-territorial division:

Volga ethnonym: Volzhans.

There is also a division of the Volga river basin into three parts (not equivalent to the division of the Volga region into parts): Upper Volga, Middle Volga, Lower Volga.

Nature

The relief is flat, dominated by lowlands and hilly plains. The climate is temperate continental. Summer is warm, with average monthly air temperature in July +22° - +25°С; the winter is quite cold, average monthly temperature air in January and February −10° - −15°С. The average annual rainfall in the north is 500-600 mm, in the south 200-300 mm. Natural areas: mixed forest(Tatarstan), forest-steppe (Tatarstan (partially), Samara, Penza, Ulyanovsk, Saratov regions), steppe (Saratovskaya (partially.)

Volga Federal District

Includes regions of the Middle Volga region, a number of regions Central Russia(Mordovia, Penza region), the Urals (Perm Territory, Bashkortostan), the Southern Urals (Orenburg region). Center-Nizhny Novgorod. The territory of the district is 6.08% of the territory of the Russian Federation. Population as of January 1, 2008 - 30,241,583 (21.4% of the Russian Federation); citizens are the core. For example, in the Samara region> 80%, the Russian Federation (about 73%).

Volga-Vyatka economic region

Located on the middle Volga. The territory of the district is stretched from the southwest to the northeast for 1000 km and is located in various natural areas: the northern part is in the forest taiga and the southern part is in the forest-steppe. The area is located in Central Russia, in the basins of the navigable rivers Volga, Oka, Vyatka, borders and is in close economic connection with the Central, Volga, Ural and Northern regions. Population - 7.5 million people. (2010).

Volga Economic Region

Located on the lower Volga. The territory of the Volga region is 537.4 thousand km², the population is 17 million people, the population density is 25 people / km². The share of the population living in cities is 74%. The Volga economic region includes 94 cities, 3 million-plus cities (Samara, Kazan, Volgograd), 12 subjects of the federation. It borders in the north with the Volga-Vyatka region, in the south with the Caspian Sea, in the east with the Ural region and Kazakhstan, in the west - with the Central Black Earth region and the North Caucasus. The economic axis is the Volga River. The center of the Volga economic region is located in Samara.

Association of cities of the Volga region

On October 27, 1998, the first General Meeting of the leaders of the seven largest cities of the Volga region - Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Cheboksary, took place in the city of Samara, at which an agreement was signed on the establishment of the Association of cities of the Volga region. This event gave a start to the life of a qualitatively new structure of interaction municipalities- Association of cities of the Volga region (AGP). In February 2000, Yoshkar-Ola joined the Association, on November 1, 2002 Astrakhan and Saransk joined its ranks, in 2005 - the hero city of Volgograd, in 2009 - Kirov. Currently, the AGP includes 25 cities, the largest of them:

In 2015, the Association included: Izhevsk, Perm, Ufa, Orenburg, Tolyatti, Arzamas, Balakovo, Dimitrovgrad, Novokuibyshevsk, Novocheboksarsk, Sarapul, Sterlitamak and Syzran. More than thirteen million people live in the cities of the Association.

Notes

Lower Volga

The Lower Volga region is the northern part of the Southern federal district, covering the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions.

The region has access to the Caspian Sea. The main branches of specialization are the oil and gas industry, and the oil and gas industry. In addition, the Volga region is the main area for catching valuable sturgeon fish, one of the most important areas for growing grain crops, sunflower, mustard, vegetable and gourd crops, a major supplier of wool, meat, fish.

Natural resource potential

The natural resource potential is diverse. A significant area is occupied by the Volga valley, which passes in the south into the Caspian lowland. A special place is occupied by the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, composed of river sediments, favorable for agriculture.

The creation in the Volga basin of a large industry that pollutes its waters, the intensive development of river transport, agriculture, which uses large volumes of mineral fertilizers, a significant part of which is washed into the Volga, the construction of hydroelectric power plants has a negative impact on the river and creates an ecological disaster zone in this area. The region's water resources are significant, but unevenly distributed. In this regard, there is a shortage of water resources in inland areas, especially in Kalmykia.

On the territory of the region there are oil and gas resources in the Volgograd region - Zhirnovskoye, Korobkovskoye, the largest gas condensate field is located in the Astrakhan region, on the basis of which a gas-industrial complex is being formed.

In the Caspian lowland, in the lakes Baskunchak and Elton, there are resources of table salt; these lakes are also rich in bromine, iodine, and magnesium salts.

Population and workforce

The population of the Volga region is distinguished by the diversity of the national composition. A significant share in the structure of the population in the Republic of Kalmykia is occupied by Kalmyks - 45.4%. In the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, with the predominance of the Russian population, Kazakhs, Tatars, and Ukrainians live. The population of the Volga region is characterized by its high concentration in the regional centers and the capital of the republic. The population of Volgograd is 987.2 thousand people. The lowest population density is typical for Kalmykia, here the smallest proportion of people living in cities.

Placement and development of the main sectors of the economy

Oil and gas production is carried out in the region. The largest is the Astrakhan gas condensate field, where natural gas is extracted and processed.

Oil refineries and petrochemical plants are located in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions. The largest enterprise is the Volgograd oil refinery. Significant prospects for the development of the petrochemical industry has the Astrakhan region based on the use of hydrocarbon fractions of the Astrakhan field.

The electric power industry of the region is represented by the Volgograd hydroelectric power station and thermal power plants.

The region has a developed machine-building complex: shipbuilding centers - Astrakhan, Volgograd; agricultural engineering is represented by a large tractor plant in Volgograd; chemical and oil engineering is developed in the Astrakhan region.

Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy is developed in Volgograd, the largest enterprises are OJSC Volzhsky Pipe Plant, OJSC Volgograd Aluminum Plant.

The vast resources of the salt lakes have led to the development of the salt industry, which provides 25% of the country's salt needs. food grade and other valuable chemical products.

The fishing industry is developed in the Lower Volga region, the main enterprise of the industry is the Kaspryba fishery concern, which includes a caviar and balyk association, a number of large fish processing plants, a marine fleet base, a fishing fleet (Kasprybholodflot), leading expeditionary fishing in the Caspian Sea. The concern also includes a fish breeding plant for the production of sturgeon fry and a net knitting factory.

In agricultural production, the branches of specialization are the cultivation of vegetable and gourd crops, sunflower, sheep breeding.

Transport and economic relations

The Volga region exports crude oil and oil products, gas, tractors, fish, grain, vegetable and melon crops, etc. It imports timber, mineral fertilizers, machinery and equipment, light industry products. The Volga region has a developed transport network, which provides high-capacity cargo flows.

River, railway and pipeline transport is developed in the region.

Intra-district differences

Lower Volga includes Astrakhan, Volgograd, regions and Kalmykia. The Lower Volga region is a sub-region of developed industry - mechanical engineering, chemical, food. At the same time, this is the most important agricultural region with a developed grain economy, beef cattle breeding and sheep breeding, as well as the production of rice, vegetables, melons and fisheries.

The main centers of the Lower Volga region are Volgograd (engineering, chemical industry are developed), Astrakhan (shipbuilding, the fishing industry, the production of packaging, a diverse food industry), Elista (building materials industry, mechanical engineering and metalworking).

The most industrially developed region is the Volgograd region, where machine building, ferrous metallurgy, chemical and petrochemical, food and light industries have the largest share in the diversified complex.

Main problems and development prospects

The degradation of natural fodder lands, especially in Kalmykia with its transhumant pasture system, is one of the main environmental problems in the region. Environmental damage is caused by industrial emissions and transport to the water and fish resources of the region. The solution to the problem is carried out with the help of the targeted federal program "Caspian", the main task of which is to clean up the Volga-Caspian water basin and increase the number of livestock valuable breeds fish.

One of the main tasks is to equalize the levels of socio-economic development of the most backward regions of the Volga region and, first of all, Kalmykia, which has been granted a number of benefits in taxation and financing. The prospects for the development of this republic are connected with the expansion of oil and gas production, in particular, on the shelf of the Caspian Sea.

On the territory of the Astrakhan region, since 2002, the federal target program "South of Russia" has been implemented, which includes 33 projects in areas covering the most important areas of economic activity in the region: transport, agro-industrial, tourist-recreational and sanatorium-resort complexes; infrastructure, development of the social sphere.

Geological exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, as well as the Republic of Kalmykia, is carried out by OOO LUKOIL-Volgogradneftegaz. The prospects for economic development include exploration and development of oil fields in a number of promising areas of the sea shelf.

5.4. Volga Federal District

Administrative-territorial structure:

Republics - Bashkortostan, Mari El, Mordovia, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Chuvash.

Perm region. Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions.

Territory - 1037.0 thousand km 2. Population - 30.2 million people.

Administrative center - Nizhny Novgorod

The Volga Federal District is located on the territory belonging to three economic regions. The district unites the Volga-Vyatka economic region, the Middle Volga region and part of the Ural economic region (Fig.

What cities are included in the Volga region?

Rice. 5.5. Administrative-territorial composition

The main integration factor that unites all regions of the Volga region is the Volga River, the largest in Europe. The settlement of the region, its development, and the development of the economy were directly related to the use of this waterway (which already in Soviet times, along with the former access to the Caspian Sea, received access to the Azov, Black, Baltic and White Seas).

The Volga Federal District is distinguished in the country by the production of products of the chemical and petrochemical industries, mechanical engineering (including automotive), electric power and other industries.

About 23% of the manufacturing industries of the Russian economy are concentrated in the Volga Federal District (Table 1).

Table 5.7

Share of economic indicators

of the Volga Federal District in the all-Russian

Specialization industrial production determined based on the localization factor in Table 5.8.

The Volga Federal District specializes in manufacturing industries, including chemical production; production of rubber and plastic products; production of electrical equipment, electronic and optical equipment; production of vehicles and equipment.

Table 5.8

Specialization of industrial production

Volga Federal District

According to the peculiarities of the distribution of productive forces, the district is divided into three components: the Volga-Vyatka economic region, the Middle Volga region, and the regions of the Urals.

In 2003, the process of unification of the Komi-Permyatsky autonomous region and the Perm Region into a new federal subject, the Perm Territory.

The Perm Territory received official status in 2005 after the election of legislative and executive bodies authorities and unification of budgets. In the periodical press, this process was repeatedly called the beginning of the all-Russian process of unification and enlargement of the subjects of the federation.

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Introduction 1

Composition of the Volga region 2

EGP district 2

Natural conditions 3

Population 3

Household 5

Environmental problems of the region and ways to solve them 16

Big Volga problem 17

Prospects for the development of the district 19

Annex 21

Literature 22

INTRODUCTION

Russia is the largest region in all of Eurasia and the only federation within the CIS, so a regional analysis of its economic regions is of particular importance. Moreover, Russia differs in a number of features even in comparison with the republics of the near abroad.

The country has huge resources and a capacious domestic market. The development of the territory was asymmetrical, there is a significant gap between the resource base in the east and the main production base in the European part, a variety of natural and cultural landscapes are presented, and contrasts between the center and the periphery are great at all levels.

Economic zoning is the allocation of territories that differ in their specialization of the economy in the territorial division of labor. The economic regions of the Russian Federation were formed under the influence of various combinations of natural, economic and social conditions.

All economic regions have their own characteristics and their place in the inter-regional division of labor. However, it is important that these features are closely linked with the tasks of economically justified location of industrial and agricultural sectors throughout the country.

COMPOSITION OF THE POVOLZHSK DISTRICT

It is very difficult to precisely outline the territories belonging to the Volga region. The Volga region can be called only the territories adjacent directly to the Volga. But most often, the Volga region is understood as regions and republics of Russia located in the middle and lower reaches: Astrakhan, Volgograd, Penza, Samara, Saratov, Ulyanovsk regions, the republics of Tatarstan and Kalmykia.

ECONOMIC AND GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION

The Volga region stretches for almost 1.5 thousand km along the Volga from the confluence of the left tributary of the Kama to the Caspian Sea. The total territory is about 536 thousand km².

The EGP of this area is exceptionally profitable. In the west, the Volga region borders on the highly developed Volga-Vyatka, Central Black Earth and North Caucasian economic regions, in the east - on the Urals and Kazakhstan. A dense network of transport routes (railway and road) contributes to the establishment of broad inter-district production links in the Volga region. The Volga region is more open to the west and east; towards the main direction of economic relations of the country, so the vast majority of cargo transportation goes through this territory.

The Volga-Kama river route gives access to the Caspian, Azov, Black, Baltic, White seas. The presence of rich oil and gas deposits, the use of pipelines passing through this region (and starting in it, for example, the Druzhba oil pipeline), also confirms the profitability of the region's EGP.

NATURAL CONDITIONS AND RESOURCES

The Volga region has favorable natural conditions for living and farming. The region is rich in land (arable land makes up about 1/5 of Russia) and water resources. However, in the lower Volga region there are droughts, accompanied by dry winds that are detrimental to crops.

The area is rich in minerals. Oil, gas, sulfur, table salt, raw materials for the production of building materials are extracted here. Until the discovery of oil fields in Siberia, the Volga region occupied the first place in terms of oil reserves and production in the country. Although at present the region ranks second in the extraction of this type of raw material after the West Siberian, oil reserves in the Volga region are severely depleted. Therefore, its share in Russia's oil production is only 11% and is constantly decreasing. The main oil resources are located in Tatarstan and the Samara region, and gas - in the Saratov and Volgograd regions. Prospects for the development of the gas industry are associated with the large Astrakhan gas condensate field (6% of world reserves).

POPULATION

Now the Volga region is one of the most populated and developed regions of Russia. The population is 16.9 million people, i.e. The district has significant labor resources. The population of the Volga region is growing quite rapidly, but mainly not due to a high natural increase (1.2 people), but due to significant migration of the population. The average population density is 30 people per 1 km², but it is unevenly distributed. More than half of the population is in the Samara, Saratov regions and Tatarstan. In the Samara region, the population density is the highest - 61 people per 1 km², and in Kalmykia - the minimum (4 people per 1 km²).

Although the Volga region is a multinational region, Russians dominate sharply in the structure of the population (70%).

The share of Tatars (16%), Chuvashs and Maris is also significant.

Middle Volga

The population of the Republic of Tatarstan is 3.7 million people (among them Russians about 40%), about 320 thousand people live in Kalmykia (the share of Russians is more than 30%).

Before the revolution, the Volga region was a purely agricultural region. Only 14% of the population lived in cities. Now it is one of the most urbanized regions of Russia. 73% of all residents live in cities and urban-type settlements. The vast majority of the urban population is concentrated in regional centers, capitals of national republics and large industrial cities. There are 90 cities in the Volga region, among them three millionaire cities - Samara, Kazan, Volgograd. At the same time, almost all major cities (with the exception of Penza) are located on the banks of the Volga. The largest city The Volga region - Samara - is located in Samarskaya Luka. Together with nearby cities and towns, it forms a large industrial hub.

ECONOMY

The most important condition for the sustainable and integrated development of the Volga region is the significant economic, scientific and technical potential created recently.

According to the total gross output of industry and agriculture in 1995, the region ranked fourth in Russia (after the Central, Ural and West Siberian regions). It accounted for 13.1% of the total gross output of industry and agriculture in Russia. In the future, the Volga region will retain its leading role in the national economic complex of the Russian Federation and restore its lost positions, taking its former stable position after the Central and Ural regions.

At the present stage of economic development, the economic complex of the Volga region has a complex structure. Despite the fact that it is dominated by industry, agriculture is also one of the main industries. National economy district. In the total gross output, industry accounts for 70-73%, agriculture - 20-22% and other sectors of the national economy - 5-10%.

The material basis for their development is primarily mineral and raw material and fuel and energy resources, agricultural raw materials, fish resources of the Caspian and Volga. At the same time, in the raw material balance of the region belongs to imported metals and materials of the forestry and woodworking industries.

A characteristic feature of the industrial production of the region is the close connection, cooperation and combination of its individual links, especially in the automotive industry and petrochemistry.

The basis of the territorial organization of the Volga region is a number of intersectoral complexes - fuel and energy, machine-building, chemical and petrochemical, agro-industrial, transport, construction, etc.

The main industries of the district are machine building, chemical and petrochemical, fuel industry, electric power industry, food industry, as well as building materials industries (glass, cement, etc.). However, the sectoral structure of the industry of the republics and regions of the Volga region has significant differences from the average Russian and average district.

Machine building complex- one of the largest and most complex industries in the structure of the Volga region. It accounts for at least 1/3 of the entire industrial output of the region. The industry as a whole is characterized by low metal consumption. Mechanical engineering works mainly on the rolled metal products of the neighboring Urals; a very small part of the demand is covered by our own metallurgy. The machine-building complex unites various machine-building productions. The Volga Engineering produces a wide range of machinery and equipment: cars, machine tools, tractors, equipment for various industries and agricultural enterprises.

A special place in the complex is occupied by transport engineering, represented by the production of aircraft and helicopters, trucks and cars, trolleybuses, etc. The aircraft industry is represented in Samara (production of turbojet aircraft) and Saratov (YAK-40 aircraft).

But the automotive industry stands out especially in the Volga region. The Volga region has long been rightfully called the “automotive workshop” of the country. There are all the necessary prerequisites for the development of this industry: the region is located in the zone of concentration of the main consumers of products, it is well provided with a transport network, the level of development of the industrial complex allows organizing broad cooperation ties.

In the Volga region, 71% of passenger cars and 17% of trucks in Russia are manufactured. Among the machine-building centers, the largest are:

Samara (machine tool building, production of bearings, aircraft building, production of autotractor equipment, mill and elevator equipment, etc.);

Saratov (machine tool building, production of oil and gas chemical equipment, diesel engines, bearings, etc.);

Volgograd (tractor building, shipbuilding, production of equipment for the petrochemical industry, etc.);

Togliatti (a complex of VAZ enterprises is the leader in the country's automotive industry).

Important centers of mechanical engineering are Kazan and Penza (precision engineering), Syzran (equipment for the energy and petrochemical industries), Engels (90% of the production of trolleybuses in the Russian Federation).

The Volga region is one of the main regions of Russia for the production of aerospace equipment.

LITERATURE

"Geography. Population and economy of Russia”, V.Ya. Rom, V.P. Dronov. Bustard, 1998

“Preparing for the exam in geography”, I.I. Barinova, V.Ya. Rom, V.P. Dronov. Iris, 1998

"Economic Geography of Russia", I.A.

Rodionov. Moscow Lyceum, 1998

"Economic geography of Russia", uch. ed. IN AND. Vidyapina. Infra-M, 1999

population population the Volga region - 16.9 million people; The district has significant labor resources. The average population density is 32 people per 1 km2, but it is unevenly distributed. More than half of the population is in the Samara, Saratov regions and Tatarstan.

IN national structure The population is dominated by Russians. Tatars and Kalmyks live compactly. The proportion of Chuvash and Mari among the inhabitants of the region is noticeable.

The Volga region is an urbanized area. In cities and urban settlements, 73% of all residents come to life. The vast majority of the urban population is concentrated in regional centers, capitals of national republics, and large industrial cities. Among them are the cities of millionaires - Samara, Kazan, Volgograd.

Economy. In terms of the level of development of a number of industries, the region is not much inferior to highly industrial regions, such as Central and Ural, and in some cases even surpasses them. It is one of the leading oil producing, oil refining and petrochemical industries. The Volga region is the largest region of diversified agriculture.

The district accounts for 20% of the gross grain harvest. The Volga economic region is distinguished by great activity in Russia's foreign economic relations.

The main branches of specialization of the industry of the Volga region are oil, oil refining, gas and chemical, as well as electric power, complex engineering and the production of building materials.

The Volga region ranks second in Russia after the West Siberian economic region in terms of oil and gas production. The amount of extracted fuel resources exceeds the needs of the region.

The refineries of the region (Syzran, Samara, Nizhnekamsk, Novokuibyshevsk, etc.) process not only their own oil, but also oil from Western Siberia. Along with oil, associated gas is extracted and processed, which is used in the chemical industry.

The chemical industry of the Volga region is represented by mining chemistry (extraction of sulfur and table salt), chemistry of organic synthesis, and production of polymers. Major centers; Nizhnekamsk, Samara, Kazan, Syzran, Saratov, Volzhsky, Tolyatti. In the industrial hubs of Samara-Togliatti, Engels, Volgograd-Volzhsky, energy and petrochemical production cycles have developed.

The automotive industry stands out especially in the Volga region. The most famous factories are in the cities of Ulyanovsk (UAZ cars), Togliatti (Zhiguli), Naberezhnye Chelny (KAMAZ trucks), Engels (trolleybuses).

The importance of the food industry remains, the needs of which are satisfied by developed agriculture. In addition, the Caspian and the mouth of the Volga are the most important inland fishing basin of Russia.

On the territory of the district, located in the forest and semi-desert natural zones, the leading role in agriculture belongs to animal husbandry, the forest-steppe and steppe zone - to crop production (primarily grain farming). Rye and winter wheat are grown. Industrial crops are widespread, for example, mustard crops make up 90% of the crops of this crop in Russia.

Animal husbandry of the meat and dairy direction is also developed here.

Sheep farms are located south of Volgograd. In the interfluve of the Volga and Akhtuba (in the lower reaches of the rivers), vegetables and gourds are grown, as well as rice.

The region is fully provided with its own fuel resources (oil and gas). The power industry of the region is of republican importance. The Volga region specializes in the production of electricity (more than 1.0% of the total Russian production), which it also supplies to other regions of Russia.

The power plants of the Volga-Kama cascade (Volzhskaya near Samara, Saratov, Nizhnekamskaya, Volzhskaya near Volgograd, etc.) form the basis of the energy economy.

The Balakovo Nuclear Power Plant (Saratov Region) also operates.

Transport. The transport network of the region is formed by the Volga and crossing it by automobile and railways, as well as a network of pipelines and power lines. The Volga-Don Canal connects the waters largest rivers the European part of Russia - the Volga and the Don (exit to the Sea of ​​Azov).

7. North Caucasian economic region

Compound: Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, Rostov region, republics: Adygea, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia (Alania) and Chechen (Ichkeria).

Economic and geographical position. The North Caucasus is a large economic region of the Russian Federation. The area is 355.1 thousand km2. The region occupies the south of the European Plain, Ciscaucasia and the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.

EGP - profitable. There is access to three seas. Through this region, it maintains links with the states of Transcaucasia.

Natural conditions are favorable for the population and agriculture. There are various minerals.

Natural conditions and Natural resources . The natural landscapes of the Caucasus are diverse. There are mountain ranges and steppe plains, mountain rivers and drying rivers and lakes, oases.

The region has fertile lands (on the plains) and pastures (in the foothills). Mountain rivers have a large hydropower potential, and the waters of lowland rivers are used for irrigation. Water is distributed unevenly. The western part is better provided with moisture, especially the Black Sea coast and mountain slopes. The northeast and east are waterless, arid.

The role of the region as the main recreational zone of Russia (the resorts of the Black Sea coast and the Caucasian mineral camp sites in the Caucasus Mountains) is great.

The foothills of the Greater Caucasus are a pantry of chemical, metallurgical and building raw materials, energy resources (including fuel and gas).

Natural gas is available in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, the Chechen Republic and Adygea. Ores of non-ferrous and rare metals (zinc, tungsten, molybdenum) are mined in the mountainous republics (North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria), coal - in the Rostov region (the Russian part of the eastern wing of Donbass).

Population North Caucasus is 17.7 million people. Population growth rates are noticeably higher than the average Russian ones (high natural increase). The region has a surplus of labor resources. The population is extremely unevenly distributed. The average population density is 50 people per 1 km2. Krasnodar Territory and Rostov Region concentrate almost 3/5 of the region's population within their borders.

The ethnic composition of the population is exceptionally diverse. Among them, groups of Ossetians, Kabardians, Chechens, and others, living mainly within their republics, stand out in terms of numbers.

The North Caucasus does not belong to highly urbanized regions. The share of the urban population here is lower than the Russian average (55%).

Economy. The North Caucasus is distinguished by a highly developed and diversified economy, from industries - mechanical engineering, fuel and food industry. Among other industries, the role of non-ferrous metallurgy and the production of non-ferrous materials is noticeable.

Economic engineering is especially developed (Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Millerovo, Novocherkassk, Kropotkinsk, Krasnodar), as it has its own metallurgical base (Rostov region), agriculture is developed and there are convenient transport routes.