Behind the Ural Mountains, on the border of Europe and Asia, the Chelyabinsk region is located. These lands are famous for their unique nature, powerful heavy industry and people. The population of the Chelyabinsk region is proud of the talents born here, such as V. Zhukovsky, D. Mendeleev, I. Kurchatov.
Geography of the Chelyabinsk region
The region is located in the middle and southern Urals, between such large neighbors as the Sverdlovsk, Orenburg, Kurgan regions, Bashkortostan and Kazakhstan. The area of the region is 88.5 thousand square meters. km. Most of the region is located on the Trans-Ural plain and the West Siberian lowland, a small part covers the eastern slope of the Ural mountain range. The relief of local territories is very diverse: there are mountains, forests, lakes, hills and plains. The highest point of the region is Mount Nurlat (1400 m). The region is rich in water resources, the river network is organized by three large rivers: Kama, Tobol and Ural. Here are their upper reaches, sorivers do not yet have the power that they have in other regions. But their numerous sources and tributaries create a good water supply for the region.
In total, almost 500 rivers of various sizes flow here. The region is extremely rich in minerals. The region holds a monopoly in Russia in the extraction of magnesite, graphite, talc and dolomite. Oil and gas fields have also been discovered and developed here. The uniqueness of the Chelyabinsk region lies in the fact that it is located in 4 natural zones at once: forest, steppe, forest-steppe and mountain-taiga. Therefore, there is a very rich flora and fauna, and there are also favorable conditions for growing various crops. Such favorable conditions contributed to the fact that people settled here for a long time.
Climate and ecology
Chelyabinsk region is located in the continental climate zone with long cold winters and short hot summers. The Ural Mountains do not allow air masses from the Atlantic to penetrate into the region and well keep anticyclones from Asia. The average temperature in winter is minus 17 degrees, in summer - plus 16. Over the years, the population of the Chelyabinsk region has successfully adapted to the local climate and learned to grow a lot of agricultural products in the region.
The environment in the region, where a large number of manufacturing companies and factories are actively working, is alarming. Despite the fact that the sanitary services claim that everything is within the normal range, nevertheless, when approaching large citiessmog is visible to the naked eye. And residents say that there is a lot of soot in the air, which settles on all objects.
History of settlement
The first people on the territory of the modern Chelyabinsk region appeared in the Paleolithic era. In the 17th-16th centuries BC. e. a proto-urban civilization existed here, monuments of ancient times can be seen in the Arkaim reserve and in the Ipatievskaya cave. In the new era, Scythians, Saks and Sarmatians periodically lived here. They were later replaced by the Huns, Turks and Proto-Magyars. In the era of land seizures by the Mongol-Tatar army, these territories became part of their empire. A new story begins in the 18th century, when the Chelyabinsk fortress was built. In 1744, these lands became part of the Orenburg province. Later they were assigned to different administrative units. It was not until 1943 that the region took on its current shape. The population of the Chelyabinsk region actively participated in all the historical events of the country, and today the region is an important part of the Russian economy.
Administrative division and cities of the Chelyabinsk region
The Chelyabinsk region (in accordance with the decree of 2006) is divided into 16 urban districts and 27 municipal districts. There are only 27 cities and 1244 settlements of various sizes in the region. If we consider the population of the Chelyabinsk region by city, it can be noted that the largest settlements in the region in this regard are such cities as Chelyabinsk (1 million 200 thousand people) and Magnitogorsk (417 thousand people). Other settlementsmuch less in terms of population. There are only three cities with a population of 100 to 200 thousand: Zlatoust, Miass, Kopeysk. Most of all in the region of small towns with a population of less than 20 thousand. The department responsible for the social protection of the population of the Chelyabinsk region monitors the dynamics of the population and notes that there is a tendency to reduce the number of inhabitants of small settlements in the region. More and more villagers are moving to cities in search of work.
Population dynamics
Systematic monitoring of the population of the Chelyabinsk region began in 1959. Then 2 million 976 thousand people lived in the region. Over the next 30 years, the region steadily grew, and by 1991 there were 3 million 700 thousand inhabitants. Since the time of perestroika, a long period of reduction in the number of inhabitants of the region begins. For 20 years it has decreased by 300 thousand people. Since 2012, a slow growth has begun, and today the population of the Chelyabinsk region is 3 million 500 thousand people. The largest increase is shown by the large cities of the region: Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk.
Economy of the region
The region demonstrates stable economic development. The main industries in the region are metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemical industry, energy, radio electronics, nuclear industry, as well as services and processing. The pride of the region is metallurgical enterprises, 16large industrial enterprises that produce about 60% of the country's metal products. 9 large machine-building enterprises operate on the basis of their own metallurgical production. The Department of Employment of the Chelyabinsk Region has calculated that 48% of the region's residents are employed in various areas of production in the region. The region's economy is growing steadily in the segment of the food industry and in the service sector. Local agriculture is doing a good job of providing the region with essential products: vegetables, bread, meat, dairy products.
Employment of the population
Statistics show stable employment of the population of the Chelyabinsk region. In 2016, unemployment is about 2%, which is a good indicator for the national average. The diversity of manufacturing enterprises makes it possible to find work for both skilled and unskilled personnel, both men and women. The economic crisis in the country makes it a little difficult to find employment, so unemployment has added 0.5% per year. However, statistics show that in small towns and rural settlements there is less work, which leads to labor migration of the population. Residents are redistributed within the region: they move from villages to cities. Part of the population commutes daily to work in the city.
Demographic characteristics of the population of the Chelyabinsk region
The region's highest population densityshows Chelyabinsk - about 2200 people per 1 square. km, in Magnitogorsk this parameter is about 1000 people, and the average population density in the region is only 39 people per 1 sq. km. km. Gender differentiation among the inhabitants of the region fits into the all-Russian trend: 1,594 men account for 1,884 women. The relatively favorable economic situation in the region contributes to the fact that the population of the Chelyabinsk region is gradually rejuvenating. The birth rate has grown in recent years, but still cannot overtake the death rate. Therefore, there is a slight negative trend in the number of inhabitants of the region, but the situation is saved by migration.
