Voronezh region is a region with an interesting history and great economic and social potential. Successful and stable development of any locality - human resources. The question arises: what population of the Voronezh region ensures the economic stability of the region? Consider the features and demographic characteristics of the inhabitants of this area.
Geographical location of the Voronezh region
The Voronezh region is located in the center of the East European Plain . Its area is 52 thousand square kilometers, and it is 51st among all regions of Russia. The region has an extremely convenient location, through it passes many transport routes connecting various regions of Russia and other countries. The closest neighbors of the Voronezh region are Rostov, Tambov, Saratov, Kursk, Volgograd, Lipetsk, Belgorod regions and Ukraine. The relief of the region is determined by such objects as the Central Russian and Kalach Uplands and the Oka-Don Plain. The lands here are hilly, with a large number of ravines, most of the territory is occupied by fertile chernozem areas. The region is located in an area with a large amount of water resources. The main river of the region is the Don, and there are also more than 700 lakes and 1300 small rivers. Enough favorable living conditions contributed to the fact that people began to settle here quite early, developing land.
Climate
Voronezh region is located in the zone of temperate continental climate. The average annual temperature in the region is +5 degrees. Summer in the region is warm, sometimes arid, on average the thermometer in the summer months stays in the region of +20. Winters are quite long, with lots of snow. The average temperature at this time of year is –9 degrees. In the region, seasonal fluctuations are clearly observed. In general, the seasons in Voronezh coincide with the calendar seasons.
The population of the Voronezh region has long adapted to the weather in the region. All the main observations about it are recorded in the national experience in the form of sayings and signs. Although the climate in the region cannot be called as comfortable as possible for living and farming, it is still very sparing. Therefore, people have long been living here.
Settlement history
The first campsites of people in the territory of modern Voronezh region, according to archaeologists, date back to the time of the Paleolithic. It is believed that these are the oldest settlements of people throughout the territory of modern Russia. Anthropological studies show that 37,000 years ago, people of the Caucasian race lived here.
In the Bronze Age, representatives of the Abashev culture engaged in cattle breeding settled on these lands. In the Iron Age, these territories are in the possession of the Scythians, later they are replaced by the Sarmatians. In the 9th century, Slavic tribes came to the lands of the modern Voronezh region. From the time of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, many mounds and the remains of temple structures remained here. With a cultural and ethnic mixture of Slavic and nomadic cultures, a special sub-ethnic group - the Cossacks - develops here.
Since the 16th century, the history of the region is well documented. In 1585, Voronezh was founded as a fortress to protect the borders of the Moscow kingdom. Until the 17th century, raids of the Tatar tribes continued on these lands, therefore serious military abilities and a special character developed among the inhabitants of the region. In the time of Peter the Great, Voronezh became a provincial city, the territory is actively being developed and populated. Since the 18th century, the population of the Voronezh region has been steadily growing. The region took an active part in all Russian wars. During World War II, fierce battles were fought on these lands. In 1957, the Voronezh region gained its current borders.
Administrative division
Throughout its history, the region has repeatedly been subjected to various attempts at administrative division. Part of its land was then given to other regions, then returned back. Since 2006, the population of the Voronezh region has been living in 534 municipalities. Of these, 3 are urban districts, 29 are cities, 471 are villages and 31 are municipal districts.
Population dynamics
Regular observations of the number of residents in the region begin in 1897. The frequency of measurements was different, but they allow us to see that the population of the Voronezh region was almost always relatively stable. Only at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries there was a sharp increase in the number of inhabitants, this is due not to a change in demographic indicators, but to the redistribution of land between regions. After the Second World War, for obvious reasons, the number of inhabitants decreased by a million. In Soviet times, there were fluctuations in numbers: from 2.3 million people in 1959 to 2.5 million in 1970.
During the perestroika period, small changes in the number of residents of the region were noticed: approximately several thousand people in the positive and negative directions. In the 21st century, mainly the population of the region is declining. Only in 2010 and 2015 was a positive trend observed. Today the population of the Voronezh region is 2 million 333 thousand people.
Ethnic composition and language
The main nationality of the inhabitants of the region is Russian. According to the 2010 census, 90% of people who consider themselves Russian are living in the region. The number of other ethnic groups is distributed as follows: Ukrainians - about 2%, Armenians - 0.4%, Uzbeks and Tajiks in the amount of about 0.15%, other nationalities - less than 1% each. Despite the fact that most of the inhabitants of the region call themselves Russian, in the language, the nature of buildings, customs, there is a great influence of the Ukrainian nation. The region is the site of the formation of a special southern branch of the Russian people. A significant role in this is played by the culture of the Cossacks, which assimilates Russian and Ukrainian cultures. Some time ago, an increase in the flow of migrants from Central Asia was observed in the region, but today these processes do not significantly affect the ethnic composition of the population. However, the migration growth in the region is quite high, it is 13 thousand people annually.
Population distribution
Most of the region’s inhabitants live in cities, and the trend towards urban growth continues. Today, 67% of the people in this subject of the federation live in cities. If we evaluate the cities of the Voronezh region in terms of population, the capital will be the largest - it has a little more than 1 million people. The remaining cities are much smaller in terms of population. In the region there are only 3 settlements in which more than 50 thousand people live: Rossosh, Liski and Borisoglebsk. From 20 to 35 thousand inhabitants are recorded in 7 cities. These settlements are gradually growing, pulling residents from nearby villages. So, the population of Pavlovsk, Voronezh region with a total number of 25 thousand people a year grows by more than 500 people. The region is experiencing a slow decline in rural settlements.
Population density
The Voronezh region, with an average population density of 44.7 people per square kilometer, occupies 21th place in Russia on this basis. This is a fairly high indicator, especially when you consider that people mainly live in small towns up to 20 thousand people. The high population density of the Voronezh region is explained by the large number of settlements and favorable living conditions.
Gender characteristics of the population
The distribution of the population by sex in the Voronezh region is as follows: the number of women on average is more than men by 200 thousand. Moreover, at birth, the ratio of male babies to newborn girls is 1.2. And by the retirement age, this figure is changing in the opposite direction to 1.5. The imbalance in favor of women, characteristic of the whole country, is slowly growing in the region, by about 0.1% per year.
Age characteristics of the population
The age differentiation of the population of the region is as follows:
- the number of residents under the age of 15 years is 330 thousand people;
- able-bodied population - 1 million 375 thousand people;
- Population older than working age - 626 thousand people.
Such age differentiation suggests that each able-bodied resident of the region should provide another 0.8 people, except for himself, which is a very high indicator of the demographic burden.
Demographic characteristics
Fertility is the most important criterion for assessing the socio-economic development of a region. In the Voronezh region, it is 11 people for every thousand inhabitants. In recent years, this figure has been growing slightly, at 0.2 people per year. But the necessary and noticeable increase in the birth rate is not observed. Mortality, on the contrary, shows growth dynamics; in recent years, approximately 15.7 people have died. for every thousand inhabitants. Although the mortality rate when considering a longer period, the situation improves. The number of deaths has decreased over 10 years by 3 people per thousand inhabitants. But while mortality overtakes fertility. At the same time, the population of the cities of the Voronezh region is characterized by a low birth rate and increasing mortality, and the growth of cities occurs solely due to migration.
Life expectancy, another indicator of the socio-economic well-being of the region, is growing in the Voronezh region. It averages 70.1 years, for men - 64.7, for women - 77.1. According to this indicator, the Voronezh region takes 25th place in Russia, which is very good.
Employment
The well-being of the population is ensured by an efficiently developing and functioning economy. In the Voronezh region, there is a decrease in unemployment and an increase in employment. On average, the unemployment rate is 4.4%, which is slightly higher than in neighboring regions.
In the region, there is a high employment of residents in agriculture, manufacturing and in the service industry.