Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Russian: Нижегоро́дская о́бласть, Nizhegorodskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). The oblast has an area of 76,900 km², and a population of 3,524,028 (as of the 2002 Census). Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. With a population of 1.3 million, Nizhny Novgorod is the largest city of the oblast and the fourth largest city of the Russian Federation, after Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Novosibirsk.
The area is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas. In the town of Sarov, there is the largest and holiest convent in Russia. Makaryev Monastery opposite the town of Lyskovo used to be location of the largest fair in Eastern Europe. Other historic towns include Gorodets and Balakhna, located on the Volga to the north from Nizhny Novgorod.
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[edit] Geography
The oblast covers an area of 76,900 km², which is approximately equal to the entire area of the Benelux countries. Agricultural land occupies 41% of this area; forests, 48%, lakes and rivers, 2%; and other lands, 9%. Nizhny Novgorod Oblast borders Kostroma Oblast (N), Kirov Oblast (NE), Mari El Republic (E), Chuvash Republic (E), Republic of Mordovia (S), Ryazan Oblast (SW), Vladimir Oblast (W), and Ivanovo Oblast (NW).
[edit] Time zone
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is located in the Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD). UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD).
[edit] Natural resources
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is not rich in natural resources, which are, mostly, limited to commercial deposits of sand (including titanium-zirconium sands), clay, gypsum, peat, mineral salt, and timber.
[edit] Sights
The unique architectural construction—the 128 m steel lattice hyperboloid tower built by the Great Russian engineer and scientist Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov in 1929—is located near the town of Dzerzhinsk on the left bank of the Oka River.
[edit] Administrative divisions
[edit] Demographics
According to the 2002 Census, ethnic Russians at 3,346,398 made up 95% of the oblast's population. Other ethnic groups included Tatars (50,609, or 1.4%), Mordva (25,022, or 0.7%), Ukrainians (24,241, or 0.7%), and various smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the oblast's total population. 758 persons (0.02%) did not indicate their nationalities during the Census.
The population density is 48.5 people per square kilometer[citation needed].
- Population: 3,524,028 (2002)
- Urban: 2,754,997
- Rural: 769,031
- Male: 1,600,609 (45.4%)
- Female: 1,923,419 (54.6%)
- Females per 1000 males: 1202
- Median age: 39.8
- Urban: 39.1
- Rural: 43.3
- Male: 36.1
- Female: 42.7
- Number of households: 1,362,027 (with 3,465,935 people)
- Urban: 1,051,602 (with 2,720,077 people)
- Rural: 310,425 (with 745,858 people)
[edit] Economy
Nizhny Novgorod Region ranks seventh in Russia in industrial output, while the processing industry predominates in the local economy. More than 650 industrial companies employ nearly 700 000 people, or 62% of the workforce involved in material production. Industry generates 83% of the regional GDP and makes 89% of all material expenditures. The leading sectors are engineering and metalworking, followed by the chemical and petrochemical industries and the forestry, woodworking, and paper industries. The first three sectors account for about 75% of all industrial production.
Nizhny Novgorod Region has traditionally been attractive to investors. In 2002, Moody's rating agency confirmed a Caa1rating based on the region's long-term foreign currency liabilities [1].
The region maintains trade relations with many countries and has an export surplus. The largest volume of exports goes to Ukraine, Belarus, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Belgium, and France. Imports come mainly from Ukraine, Germany, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Austria, the Netherlands, China, and the United States.
The stock market infrastructure is quite well developed in Nizhny Novgorod, and the exchange business is expanding. Companies and organizations registered in the region include 1153 joint-stock companies, 63 investment institutions, 34 commercial banks, 35 insurance companies, 1 voucher investment fund, 1 investment fund, 17 nongovernmental pension funds, 2 associations of professional stock market dealers, and 3 exchanges (stock, currency, and agricultural). Nizhny Novgorod Region is noted for having relatively highly developed market relations. Today, the region needs serious partners interested in equitable, long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.
There are 650+ industrial companies in the region[2], most of them engaged in the following sectors:
- Machine-building and engineering
- Chemical & petrochemical
- Fuel & energy
- Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy
- Construction materials
- Glass
- Wood and paper
- Cloth-making
- Food & food processing
- Medical & pharmaceuticals
- Printing & publishing.
These key industries are supplemented by other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, trade, services, communications and transport.
