Central Russia. Cities of Central Russia

Central Russia is a huge inter-district complex. Traditionally, this term was used to refer to territories that gravitate toward Moscow, on which Moscow, and subsequently the Russian state, was formed.

General information

The history of Central Russia, which is the core of our state, began with the formation of Muscovy in the XIII-XV centuries, due to the unification of separate principalities. In the cities of this region there are many architectural, historical and literary monuments and museums. All over the country and even abroad, the Golden Ring is known - the ancient cities of Central Russia: Sergiev Posad, Rostov the Great and Pereslavl-Zalessky, Kostroma, Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Bogolyubovo, Gus-Khrustalny, Gorokhovets, Kalyazin, Kideksha, Murom, Palekh, etc. The golden ring covers such areas as Moscow, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Kostroma. The ancient cities of Central Russia are known for their extraordinary art crafts. For example, Fedoskino, Kholui and Palekh are famous for their lacquer miniatures, Gzhel - ceramics, Zhostovo - painted trays, Abramtsevo - wood carvings, Khotkovo - carvings on the bone, pos. Mstera - lacquer miniatures and wicker laces, pos. Red-on-the-Volga - jewelry made of copper, brass, silver, Rostov the Great - enamel (miniature painting on the enamel).

Stages of development

The formation of this region was influenced by the features of historical development and the economic and geographical situation. The central part of Russia is located in the valleys and on the watersheds of the Dnieper, the Oka, the Volga and the Western Dvina, it had a very advantageous position at the time of the formation of the state. Thanks to the river routes, communication was conducted with the outlying areas, as well as with neighboring countries. The central region of Russia is the main focus of national culture, hence the resettlement of the Russian people in other territories.

In the early stages of development, the population made extensive use of local natural resources, such as iron ore, coal, timber, limestone, sands, salt, clay, peat and others. Here, ferrous metallurgy and metalworking, woodworking, salt making, ceramics and glass, textile and leather and footwear industries were born. During the Soviet era, three hydroelectric power stations on the Volga were built in the region, and a pumped storage power plant was built in Sergiev Posad. In addition, in the fifties of the last century, the first nuclear power plant in the world began operating in the Kaluga region , and 20-30 years later the central part of Russia received two more nuclear power plants - in the Tver and Smolensk regions.

Population of the region

The central district of Russia is the territory where the nucleus of the Russian people was formed. And nowadays the Russian population prevails here. And only in the eastern part, in the Volga-Vyatka region, live Chuvashes, Mordvins, Mari. According to the population census conducted in 2002, there were just over 38 million people living in the region. Of these: Russians - 34 million (91%), Ukrainians - 756 thousand (1.99%), Tatars - 288 thousand (0.77%), Armenians - 249 thousand (0.66%), Belarusians - 186 thousand 0.49%), Azerbaijanis - 161 thousand (0.43%), and Jews - 103 thousand (0.27%). The remaining nationalities are less than 0.2%.

Center for Political and Economic Life in Russia

The main features of the modern economy of the region were formed under the influence of the following factors: the role of its constituent parts as the main design, educational and research bases of the country; Availability of highly qualified staff; Favorable economic and geographical position; Highly developed transport links; Energy produced at power plants of various types; Use of imported raw materials; Formation of metallurgical base and others. Today, Central Russia specializes in the production of complex products that require scientific development and skilled work. The main branches of specialization are engineering, metallurgy, light and chemical industries. Not the last place is occupied by scientific and technical services and science, as well as higher education, art and culture. In recent years - tourist and excursion activities.

Characteristics of economic regions

The central region of Russia includes the following economic regions: Volga-Vyatka, Central Black Earth and Central. Consider the economic and geographical characteristics of each of them. This will help to understand their role in the scale not only of this region, but of the whole country.

Volgo-Vyatsky District

This district includes the following regions of Central Russia: Nizhny Novgorod and Kirov, as well as republics: Chuvash, Mordovia and Mari El. Its territory is 263 thousand square kilometers. The Volga-Vyatka region is located in the European part of our country, in the basins of the Vyatka and Volga rivers. The geographical location at the intersection of railways and major waterways connecting the Center with the Volga region, the Urals, and the Northwest creates excellent conditions for the development of the economy. The climate here is moderately continental. The whole territory is covered with forests. The main specialization of the district is engineering. In addition, the forest and chemical industries are well developed. Until now, artisan crafts, for example the Khokhloma painting, have been preserved and are developing.

Central Black Earth Region

This district includes Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Tambov and Kursk regions. It is characterized by a convenient transport and geographical location. Its territory is 107 thousand square kilometers. The presence of fairly large deposits of iron ore and cement raw materials, as well as a substantial reserve of labor, contribute to the development of a variety of industries, both in industry and in agriculture. The climate here is moderately continental, the natural zones are steppe and forest-steppe, the relief is mostly flat. In this area huge massifs of chernozems are concentrated, however the most part of territories suffers a shortage of water resources.

The main specialization is defined by the metallurgical, chemical, machine-building and food industries, as well as developed agriculture.

central District

The structure of this area includes: Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kostroma, Ivanovo, Moscow, Orel, Smolensk, Tver, Ryazan, Yaroslavl and Tula regions. The economic and geographical position is central, therefore it is advantageous both in transport and in other respects. The area is the main focus of culture. He is not rich in natural resources. As a result, the industry mainly works on imported raw materials. There are reserves of phosphorites, peat, brown coal, limestone, sand. The main specialization is the production of complex, non-material products that require scientific development and skilled work. The main branches are chemical, light, printing industry and multi-branch engineering.

Nature of the region

The nature of this region is very diverse - from dense forests to steppes. In the north-eastern part of the region there are large amounts of sediments from boulders and loam. They appeared when the glacier moved. After its retreat, the territories from the left bank of the Oka to the Moscow River were heavily waterlogged. This landscape is called Meshcherskaya lowland. Here pine forests are rampant. There are several lakes on the territory of Central Russia: Chukhlomskoye, Nero, Pleshcheevo and Galichskoe. Along these reservoirs were formed fertile lands, generously fertilized with silt. In addition to wetlands, the area has unsinkable elevations: Suzdal, Yuryevskaya and Murom. In the north-west of this region the river Volga originates, which is characterized by extensive spills, as a result, a tenth part of the Tver region is covered by swamps. The waters gathering in these lowlands can not find a way out for a long time. Bryansk region has long been famous for its dense forests. The southern part of the region is mainly represented by steppe open spaces.

Conclusion

To summarize, it can be noted that Central Russia is a huge inter-district complex that has the conditions for the creation and development of the national economy. This region is distinguished by a favorable economic and geographical position in the center of the European part of the Russian Federation. However, Central Russia also has serious shortcomings: lack of access to the sea and a low number of natural resources. But they are compensated by the neighborhood with the largest industrial area - Privolzhsky federal district, and also with a rich resource area - the European north. In addition, Central Russia is adjacent to foreign economic partners - Belarus and Ukraine.

This region is the most populated and developed in the Russian Federation. The central district of Russia is the most highly urbanized in the country. Although the share of urban residents (80%), he is inferior to the North-West, but in terms of concentration of citizens in the largest cities and urban agglomerations, he is the first in the whole country.