Many residents of this or that locality of Russia do not even know the nearby attractions, not to mention those famous for the neighboring city or other region. Foreigners often even have only a distant idea of the country. Fortunately, the level of service is constantly growing, which gradually stimulates the development of tourism.
Geographic location
The territory of the European part of Russia from the east is limited by the Ural Mountains, the southern border passes through the North Caucasus. Its size is about 4,000,000 km2, that is, it is almost half of the whole of Europe, but only 23% of the entire great country. This is the most developed and densely populated part of the state. It is here that noisy megacities, ultramodern buildings are located, and very close - original ancient Russian cities and beautiful nature. The population of the European part of Russia is about 80 million people - this is half of all the inhabitants of the country.
United and indivisible
The European and Asian parts of Russia are one big whole, although the second is geographically related to Asia. Its area is about 13 million square kilometers, although relatively few people live on it. This is due to the small number of large cities and adverse climatic conditions. The entire vast territory is inhabited by about 70 million people.
The Asian part is divided into 4 regions: the Urals, Siberia, Eastern and Western, and the Far East. These are open spaces from the Pacific Ocean to the Ural Mountains, the birthplace of endless forests and beautiful rivers. Despite the abundance of natural resources concentrated in the eastern part of Russia, the construction here is much more expensive, the reason is the harsh climate, permafrost, mountainous terrain, forests and swamps. That is why vast territories remain virtually untouched.
Paradise for lovers of nature and hiking
The largest cities in the Asian part of Russia are Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tyumen, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk. The incredible beauty of the surroundings attracts tourists from all over the world. The famous sanatorium "Belokurikha", the magnificent Belukha mountain range and the Altai mountain reserve zone make it possible to realize dozens of tourist routes of varying difficulty.
Kamchatka provides an opportunity to get acquainted with active volcanoes and geysers. Thermal springs and healing mud offer great opportunities for improving health. The flora and fauna is unique. Luxurious fishing will give an unforgettable experience.
The already mentioned mountain Altai and Lake Baikal attract many tourists every year.
Administrative division
The following economic regions of the European part of Russia are distinguished:
- Central.
- Northwestern.
- South.
- North Caucasian.
- Volga region.
The European part of Russia is well-organized cities, already little distinguishable from European megacities - the splendor of night lights, luxurious hotels and restaurants, great shopping ... Each district is ready to offer its own program for tourists, so we will consider their sights separately. The population of the European part of Russia consists of representatives of 39 nationalities. Among them, the leaders are Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians.
Description of the European part of Russia
We have already talked about Asian territory, so it will not be considered here. The European part of Russia stretches from the western borders of the country to the Urals. Cities are located compactly, close to Europe, there is access to the Atlantic Sea.
Most of the natural and hydropower resources are concentrated in the eastern part of the country, only iron mining is in the lead here. The main emphasis in the western part is on manufacturing and agriculture. The banking sector is much more developed.
Central region of western Russia
Beauty-Moscow, the ancient Kremlin, architectural monuments and museums. Each tourist seeks to visit the Golden-domed, but, besides her, there are other cities in the European part of Russia, which are no less interesting. Any travel agency will offer you a tour of the Golden Ring, a visit to Suzdal, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo and other cities. Ancient temples and unique works of ancient architects will give a lot of impressions.
The second destination for travel can be the places of life of great people. The most famous of them, of course, is Yasnaya Polyana, although the estates of the Pushkins, Sheremetyevs, Shcherbatovs, Big Boldino are undeservedly forgotten.
Smolensk Lake District, forest Trans-Volga region - not enough for a dozen years to visit every amazing corner. The developed infrastructure and the absence of problems with transport and hotels can even successfully accept foreign tourists.
This region includes such areas of the European part of Russia as Moscow, Belgorod, Yaroslavl, Bryansk, Tula, Vladimir, Tverskaya, Voronezh, Tambov, Ivanovo, Smolensk, Kaluga, Ryazan, Kostroma, Oryol, Kursk and Lipetsk. A budget holiday on the banks of majestic forests and beautiful rivers will benefit, charge you with health and good mood.
Northwest District
This is a large and underdeveloped part of the country. This includes the Arkhangelsk, Pskov, Vologda, Novgorod, Murmansk, Leningrad regions, Komi, Karelia and the creation of Peter, sung by A.S. Pushkin, - St. Petersburg. What is interesting for a tourist here? The north of the European part of Russia is a fabulous virgin taiga. In summer, a fresh breeze rustles in the treetops, birds sing. If the vacation fell on a sultry July, it is better not to find a place: the lakes are already warming up for a comfortable swim, and on the shore the sun does not burn the skin. In the fall, taiga pleases with colors, everywhere crimson and gold. Leaves are falling, nature is silent in anticipation of winter ...
Karelia provides great scope for water adventures. Local lakes are interconnected by stormy rapids, so rafting lovers will like it here. The Khibiny Mountains are famous among beginners of alpine skiing, but it is better to conduct classes before the onset of severe winter frosts.
In the North there are many architectural monuments, ancient monasteries (Solovetsky, Valaam), the Kizhi church in Lake Onega and much more.
South Region
The river, the forest and the sun ... A dream here can come true. The specified district includes Krasnodar Territory, Adygea, Astrakhan, Volgograd Region. The presence of large and very beautiful rivers, such as the Volga and Don, opens up endless possibilities for spending a vacation. However, you can’t even plan a trip to the Black Sea, Sochi or Anapa.
If we talk about visiting tourists, they most often prefer comfortable hotels on the Black Sea coast with a visit to the local arboretum and other interesting places to wild vacations in tents. But for the local population with an average income, holidays in a tent city on the Volga, a ferry trip to the museum city of Myshkin and any other budget option may be suitable.
North Caucasus District
This district includes the Stavropol Territory, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, and Dagestan. Today, these places are world famous as the only subtropical climatic zone in the country, which will give us the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Here every year thousands of tourists rest and improve their health. One cannot but mention the local mineral waters. Kislovodsk is a former all-Union health resort, which is still very popular today.
Climbers have long chosen these places, since Elbrus is located here - the highest peak in Europe. Routes of varying severity allow you to learn the basics of a difficult sport.
The life and customs of the Caucasian peoples attract tourists to these beautiful lands. Cultural and ethnographic sights and museums are frequently visited sites. Local cuisine is a separate conversation, none of the tourists will leave home without tasting the fragrant lamb skewers.
Volga region
These are territories located near the Urals. Republic of Chuvash, Udmurtia, Tatarstan, Mordovia, Mari El. In addition to them, the Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Samara and Saratov regions are also part of the district. A lot of people live here, in terms of tourism, the area is very promising. Stunning mountainous areas, inexhaustible water resources, magnificent fishing and just relaxation in the lap of nature - such prospects attract tourists and provide numerous tourism organizations with opportunities to work.
The proximity of the Ural Mountains allows you to engage in mountaineering, as well as lead groups of sports and adventure tourism. The area allows everyone to find an occupation, including climbers of the highest category (they will be especially interested in the Subpolar Urals).
The unique Komi forests have the status of a world natural heritage. While tourist routes are undeveloped, although they have a great perspective.
Bashkortostan is a place of amazing beauty. It’s hard to imagine that forty percent of the entire republic’s territory is occupied by forests, and besides them, more than 10,000 rivers flow here, there are about 2500 lakes, ponds and reservoirs. Three reserves, two nature parks, more than one hundred natural monuments, many reserves for the protection of medicinal plants - all this makes it impossible during the holidays to get acquainted even with one republic. The European part of Russia is truly vast.
To summarize
We only briefly touched upon the description of those riches that conceal these vast territories. The European part of Russia includes five regions, each of which includes from six to eighteen regions. The region may include several dozen cities, large and small.
Tourists can find everything they want here. Big cities and ancient archaeological sites, the untouched forests of Siberia and the highest mountains ... Russia has always been famous for its water resources, and here are truly inexhaustible reserves of mother nature! Rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, small and fragile, powerful and majestic, fast mountain streams for extreme lovers or the Volga, slowly carrying its waves - nowhere in the world can such a diversity be found. Not only the cities themselves, but also the surroundings are radically different from each other.