The ancient Russian city of Ryazan on the Oka River with its original history and appearance is a major scientific and industrial center of central Russia. During its long history, the settlement has gone through different stages, it has embodied all the features of Russian life. The population of Ryazan, which is steadily increasing, can generally be seen as a small model of Russia. This city combines unique and typical features and this is what makes it especially interesting.
Geographic location
In the center of the East European Plain, between the great Russian rivers Oka and Volga, is the city of Ryazan, whose population we are considering in the article. The area of the city is 224 sq. km. The settlement is separated from Moscow by about 180 km. The city is located in the zone of deciduous and coniferous forests and steppes. About 36 hectares of urban areas are occupied by forests. The Ryazan region is adjacent to such regions as Moscow, Tula,Vladimir, Lipetsk, Penza, Nizhny Novgorod and Tambov regions, as well as with Mordovia. At the same time, Ryazan occupies a very convenient location at the intersection of many transport routes, which has a positive effect on the development of the city. It is located in an area rich in water resources. In addition to the Oka, several rivers of different sizes still flow here, the largest of them is the Trubezh. The relief of the city is predominantly flat, with slight elevation changes.
Climate and ecology
The location of the city in the center of the mainland creates conditions for a temperate continental climate here. This means that the city has warm summers and not very severe winters. The temperature difference between summer and winter reaches up to 30 degrees. The population of the city (Ryazan has a lot of inhabitants) has adapted well to such differences. The seasons in the region almost exactly coincide with the calendar seasons. Summer starts at the very end of May and ends at the beginning of September. The average temperature in summer is +18 degrees, but the air during the day can warm up to 25 degrees. The average annual temperature indicators are kept in the area plus 8-9 degrees. Winter starts at the end of November and ends at the end of March. On average, in January, the thermometer shows about minus 9 degrees.
There is quite a lot of precipitation (540 mm) in the region, the rainiest are July and August, the most snowfalls occur in January-February. Snow cover is established in the city at the end of November. The sun shines in Ryazan for about 1900 hours a year.
Ecology incity is a rather acute problem. Industrial enterprises, especially the chemical industry, pollute the air and water of the Oka. The abundance of transport also contributes. Therefore, in some areas, such as Khimvolokno, the Southern Industrial Center, a large amount of harmful substances is found in the air. Therefore, the population of Ryazan prefers to live closer to the forests, for example, in the Meshchersky forests area in the north of the city.
History of the city
The oldest human settlements on the territory of modern Ryazan belong to the Paleolithic era, the oldest archaeological find on these lands is a flint ax, which is at least 80 thousand years old. Fertile soils, forests with berries, mushrooms and living creatures, reservoirs full of fish - all this made these places very comfortable for living.
Today, there is a dispute between scientists about which population in Ryazan should be considered indigenous: Finno-Ugric, Mordovian, Slavic or Meshchera tribes? The role of each people in the development of this territory is still being clarified. But it is known that it was the Slavs who created several large settlements in these places in the 6th-8th centuries. In the 7th century, the city of Pereyaslavl was located here, which actively participated in trade with many other lands. The city was first located on the top of the Kremlin Hill, but population growth has led to the fact that the settlement is expanding. For defense, residents are digging a deep ditch around.
By the 12th century, the Muromo-Ryazan principality was being formed here. During the Mongol invasion, the city was destroyed almost tofoundations, and it took several centuries to restore its former power. By the 14th century, Pereyaslavl-Ryazansky became a major craft and trade center of Kievan Rus. The city lay on the way from the northeast to the south of Russia and further, up to Venice.
In 1778 the city finally became known as Ryazan and headed the province. The inhabitants of Ryazan actively took part in all the events of Russia: wars, uprisings, coups - nothing passed by. In the 50s of the 20th century, there was a rapid growth of industrial enterprises and the defense complex. Ryazan is becoming a major center for the training of military personnel. Today the city is one of the largest settlements in central Russia.
Administrative-territorial division
Officially, the population of Ryazan in 2014 lived in four urban districts: Moscow, Zheleznodorozhny, Sovetsky and Oktyabrsky. But in the view of the Ryazanians themselves, the city is divided into a much larger number of districts. So, in the west of the city, such parts as Dyagilevo and the military town, the settlements of Moscow, Mervino, Kanishchevo are distinguished. The Soviet district is located in the central part of the city, and the residents call it that - the center. In the south there is Gorroshcha, the settlements of Yuzhny and Dashki. In the west is the village of Stroitel, this is the most unfavorable place for life in Ryazan.
Population dynamics
Control over the number of inhabitants in Ryazan begins in 1811. At that time, 7,8 thousand people lived in the city. In the 19th century there were fluctuations inthe number of inhabitants, this was due to various historical events (the war of 1812, peasant riots). By the beginning of the 20th century, there were 46 thousand people here. Since that time, the steady growth of the population of the city begins. A slight decrease in the number falls on the years of the revolution, and later only an increase in the number of citizens is recorded. Even the Second World War did not lead to a decrease in the number of Ryazans. Only in the post-perestroika years was there a negative trend. But later the situation improves. The population of Ryazan as of January 1, 2014 is 530,341 people. There is an annual increase of 2 thousand inhabitants. At the moment, 534,762 people live in the city.
Demographics
Every year 5,000 more people die in the city than are born. The positive dynamics of general indicators is provided by migrants. It is because of them that the population is growing. Ryazan is in that proximity to the capital region, which allows people to travel to work. Therefore, new residents constantly come to the city. The mortality rate and life expectancy here do not generally differ from the national indicators. And like many cities in the country, Ryazan is gradually "aging", the number of elderly people is increasing.
Employment of the population
The total population (Ryazan) is highly dependent on migrants, for whom this place is a convenient transit point from Central Asia to the capital regions. The good supply of the city with its own industrial and manufacturing enterprises and its proximity to the Moscow region make it possible to keep unemployment here at a low level, an average of 3.5%. The population of Ryazan demonstrates the so-called pendulum migration. Many people work in the metropolitan area but still live here.
Economy and infrastructure
As in many cities in Russia, the population of Ryazan is experiencing economic difficulties. However, the city has a stable economy due to the work of engineering, oil refining, and food industries. A large contribution to the economy is made by several scientific and educational centers that have a positive effect on the rejuvenation of the city's population. Ryazan is actively developing tourism and service activities. The main difficulties in the city are related to the condition of roads, obsolescence of utility networks, and lack of new housing.
