The West of Russia is often referred to as its entire European part, located west of the Ural Mountains and located mainly on the East European Plain. This plain occupies more than a third of the area of all of Europe.
West of Russia
Different regions of Russia differ from each other in economic and geographical position in the most radical way. If we proceed from the point of view that the west of Russia and its European part are identical, then it turns out that the Southern, Caucasian, Ural, Volga, North-Western and Central federal districts are also the western part of the country.
However, historically, it is customary to refer to the west of Russia those regions that are located in close proximity to the state border with European countries.
Traditionally, the border regions of Russia are the Murmansk region, the Republic of Karelia, the Leningrad, Pskov, Smolensk, Bryansk, Kursk regions and the Krasnodar Territory, which belongs to the Southern Federal District.
Northwest Russia
You should start your acquaintance with the western part of the country from the North-West region, which includes the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Murmansk, Leningrad,Kaliningrad, Novgorod, Pskov regions, as well as St. Petersburg, which is a city of federal significance according to the constitution, the Republic of Karelia, the Republic of Komi and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, which belongs to the Arkhangelsk region.
The peculiarities of the North-West of Russia include a temperate and subarctic climate, because this region is located in the far north of Europe, which has access to the Arctic Ocean. In addition, several regions of Russia have access to the B altic Sea, which is a long-standing transport corridor linking many European countries.
The economic and geographical position of the regions of the North-West is characterized by long-standing and rather strong ties with the countries of Northern Europe, such as Norway, Finland and Sweden, although Russia does not have a land border with this state.
The depth of ties is best illustrated by the fact that every year the Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg issues several hundred thousand tourist visas to residents of the North-West of Russia. Most often, Petersburgers go to Finland on short one-day tours to visit shops, museums or performances by Western musicians.
Climate and nature
Description of the North-West of Russia is impossible without mentioning the unique natural resources that this region of the country has. For example, more than half of the forest reserves of the European part of Russia are located in the northwest: in the Vologda, Novgorod and Leningrad regions, as well as in the Republic of Karelia.
The landscape of the region is morepartly flat, covered with forest, taiga, tundra. In the north, in the Murmansk region, hills are a characteristic feature of the landscape - gently sloping low hills covered with short grasses that can survive the short northern summer.
In addition, there are full-flowing rivers in the region, such as the Northern Dvina and Pechora. Of great importance for the economy of the district is the Neva, which flows from Lake Ladoga and flows into the Gulf of Finland.
Cities of the Northwest
In the north-west of Russia there are several large cities that are of great importance for the economy not only of the region, but of the whole country. First of all, it is worth mentioning St. Petersburg, whose economic and geographical position makes it a dynamically developing transport and industrial center of Russia.
Another major city in the northwest is Murmansk, the only seaport in the north whose waters do not freeze. Founded in 1917, Murmansk has turned over the hundred years of its existence into the largest city located beyond the Arctic Circle and one of the strategically important ports of Russia. Coal is supplied to Europe through it, and many fishing boats set sail from Murmansk.
