Russia is a huge, largest country in the world with a huge variety of natural conditions. It has borders with completely different states. For example, with Finland and China. The regions of the country vary greatly in the nature of the economy. Some of them are oil and gas producing centers, the other part are important agricultural production centers. There are regions with a predominance of forestry or fishing.
All this makes urgent the need to divide Russia into regions. In addition to administrative divisions, the whole country began to be divided into larger entities - economic regions or macro-regions of Russia. Their composition is quite different. They differ from each other in certain factors.
And how many macroregions are there in Russia? According to various sources, the country now has from 12 to 14 such entities. About the same division was in the Soviet Union. The division into economic regions is also valid in Ukraine.
The functioning of various public services, such as FSUE Russian Post, depends on macroregions. Macro-regions are interconnected by economic and territorial ties. Including transport.
The centers of Russia's macroregions are the largest and economically important cities within their borders.
Macroregions
Now the country has the following list of macro-regions of Russia:
- Central, which includes areas located in the Middle lane, in the central part of the European territory of Russia. There are 12 of them. This also includes Moscow. This is an important industrial and agricultural region.
- The Central Black Earth Region is an important agricultural region located in the zone of the Central Black Earth Region. It includes 5 areas.
- South and North Caucasus (according to other sources, this is one North Caucasus region). This is the country's most important center for agricultural production and tourism. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the peninsula became part of the Southern region. This made the region more significant in the military-strategic plan. Together with Crimea, the North Caucasus region includes 12 administrative regions.
- Volga region. It includes the regions of the Volga river basin (with the exception of its upper part). This is a risky farming zone, but it is an important agricultural region. The industry is also quite well developed. In total, this region includes 8 entities.
- Volga-Vyatka. This region is located upstream of the Volga River. It combines agriculture, forestry and industry. It includes 5 administrative territorial entities.
- Northwestern. Includes 3 regions and the city of St. Petersburg. The forest industry and some other types of industries are developed here.
- Northern region. Located in the north of the European territory of Russia. It has 6 administrative entities. The most important sector of the economy is the forest industry.
- Ural region. Located in the south and in the center of the Urals. Includes 7 administrative entities. The main importance for the economy is heavy industry.
- West Siberian region. It extends from north to south through all of Western Siberia. This is the most important center for oil and gas production.
- East Siberian region. Extends in a similar way, but through Eastern Siberia. All types of extractive industries are developed here: extraction of fuel raw materials, wood and other resources.
- Far Eastern region. It covers the entire territory of the Far East, as well as Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The main importance for the economy is the forest industry and the extraction of fossil raw materials. Developed fisheries, marine transport.
- Kaliningrad region. This is the most western macro-region of Russia, which includes only one administrative entity - the Kaliningrad region. It is separated from the rest of Russia by the Baltic states. It has an important military, strategic significance.
Central Economic Macroregion
This region is distinguished by the fact that in its bowels there are no large reserves of fossil resources, but geographically its position is very favorable. Large motorways, railway lines, waterways converge here. The most significant river is the Volga. The area has a long history and is well developed. There is a developed infrastructure. The region is concentrating financial flows. The center of the region is Moscow.
The relief is mostly flat. Coniferous and deciduous forests and farmland are widespread.
The area of the region is 486 thousand km 2 . The number of inhabitants - 30.5 million people. The population density is 63 people / km 2 . In cities, 83% of the population lives.
Peat, brown coal, phosphorus, and limestone are mined in the region. There are small reserves of oil and gas. Rare earth deposits have also been discovered. There are separate deposits of iron ore.
The industry is represented by mechanical engineering, the production of textiles, electronics, electrical engineering, building materials. Agriculture - growing vegetables, potatoes, milk production.
Central Black Earth Region
This economic region is located south of Central. The center of the region is Voronezh. The name comes from the word "chernozem", which is associated with the high prevalence of dark fertile soils with a large thickness.
The area of the region is 167.8 thousand km 2 . The number of inhabitants is 7 million 207 thousand 714 people. The population density is 43 people / km 2 . The level of urbanization is 68 percent.
The territory is flat with hills. Natural vegetation is a forest-steppe, but now it is replaced by farmland. There are a large number of ravines.
The basis of the economy is agriculture. All the main types of crops are grown.
North Caucasian region
It consists of the Southern macroregion of Russia and, in fact, the North Caucasus. This is the most densely populated part of the country. 22.5 million people live here, which makes up over 15% of the total population of Russia. The center of the region is the city of Rostov-on-Don.
This is the warmest region in Russia. Summer is long and very hot, and winter is warm.
The economy is based on agriculture. In the north, in the Rostov region, industrial production is more developed, and in the south - tourism. Mineral extraction is small. Basically it is coal, oil, building materials. In the mountains developed forestry. "Russian Post" in the macroregion Yuzhny is working properly.
The industry is represented by heavy engineering, chemical production.
Separately, one can single out Crimea, where tourism is most developed.
Volga economic region
It is located in the Middle and Lower Volga. The area is 537.4 thousand km 2 . The number of inhabitants - 17 million people. The population density is 25 people / km 2 . The center of this economic region is Samara.
Natural conditions are relatively unfavorable. The main problem is the lack of rainfall, especially in the south. Nevertheless, agriculture is developed here, including grain growing and animal husbandry.
Volga-Vyatka district
This region covers an area of 265.4 thousand km 2 . The population is 8.5 million people. The population density is 31.5 people / km 2 . The territory of the region lies in the taiga and forest-steppe zones. Economically developed is rather weak.
Northwest District
This area is located in the northwest of the European territory of Russia. The population is 8.5 million people. It has borders with European states and significant ties with Europe.
The climate is moist, cool, humid. Forests and swamps prevail. Therefore, there is a well-developed forestry and woodworking industry. There are few minerals.
Other industries are: chemical and dairy industries, mechanical engineering. Agriculture is underdeveloped.
Northern Economic Region
It spreads over an area of 1466 thousand square meters. km In the north it borders with the Arctic Ocean. Natural conditions are relatively harsh, but less severe than in Siberia and the Far East. The region is sparsely populated. There are various minerals, including oil and gas. The forest and woodworking industries prevail. The fishing, pulp and paper, metallurgical and engineering industries are also developed.
Agriculture is represented by reindeer husbandry, dairy cattle breeding.
Ural economic region
This is an important industrial region of Russia. Its area is 823 km 2 . The number of inhabitants - 18.84 million people. The population density is 22.9 people / km 2 . The region has a continental climate. Cold winter.
The main resources are metal ores of the Ural Mountains, as well as table and potassium salt.
In industry, the most developed ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. This is the most important metallurgical region of the country. Engineering, timber, petrochemical, and chemical industries, as well as the extraction and processing of oil and gas, are also important for the economy.
In agriculture, the cultivation of grain and cattle predominates.
West Siberian region
This is a vast economic zone, which also includes the mountainous regions of southern Siberia: Altai and Western Sayan.
The territory is mainly occupied by taiga, tundra, swamps. In the south, it slightly captures the forest-steppe and steppe zones. The area of this region is 2427 thousand square meters. km The number of inhabitants - 16.5 million people.
The mining sector predominates in the economy: oil, gas, coal, and iron ore production. The industry is dominated by the fuel complex. As well as chemistry, forestry, non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering.
Agriculture is rather poorly developed. This is mainly the cultivation of wheat and livestock.
East Siberian Economic Region
This eastern macro-region of Russia occupies all of Eastern Siberia. Its area is 4122 thousand square meters. km The climate is continental (mild to moderate). A consistent change in natural conditions is observed, from the Arctic deserts in the far north to the steppes in the far south. This is the most forested region of the country.
There are various minerals: iron ore, brown coal, gas, oil, coal, polymetallic ores, gold, platinum, mica, graphite, etc. Hydroelectric resources are also significant.
The number of inhabitants was 8.4 million. in 2010 and 8.2 million people in 2016. The largest city is Krasnoyarsk. The southern part of this economic region is more populated.
The economy of the East Siberian region is based on various types of industries. First of all, this is energy. Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemistry and petrochemistry, mechanical engineering, metal processing, timber mining and processing, production of paper, products, building materials, etc.
Far Eastern Economic Region
This area is located in the very east of Russia and adjoins the Pacific coast. It includes the entire continental part of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and the cotton islands of the Arctic Ocean.
The area borders on such fairly developed countries as China, Japan, and the USA. The population has been gradually decreasing since the late 80s of the 20th century.
The borders of the Far Eastern Economic Region coincide completely with the borders of the Far Eastern Federal District. The territory occupies 36% of the entire country.
The economy is associated with the extraction and processing of timber, fish, and seafood. The most important industrial center is the city of Khabarovsk.
Conclusion
Macro-regions of Russia are important territorial entities that are allocated to improve geographical zoning and more rational farming in the regions of the Russian Federation. Separation based on administrative grounds alone is clearly not enough. It is also necessary to divide Russia into macro-regions. Such a division by economic regions will help optimize the functioning of the Russian economy and accelerate the economic development of the country as a single state. Another important advantage of this division is the ability to extract and process the country's natural resources more rationally and with less damage to the environment.