The Amur Region is one of the subjects of the Russian Federation, belongs to the Far Eastern Federal District. The administrative center is the city of Blagoveshchensk. The area of the region is 361,908 km2. The population of the Amur Region in 2018 was 798,424 people. The density is 2.21 people/km2, and the proportion of urban residents is 67.37 percent. In recent decades, the population of this region has been declining.
The Amur Region was formed on 1932-20-10 as part of the Khabarovsk Territory, and in 1948 acquired the status of a separate subject of the Russian Federation.
In the north it has a border with Yakutia, in the east - with the Khabarovsk Territory, in the southeast - with the Jewish Autonomous Region, and in the west - with the Trans-Baikal Territory. Also, the Amur Region borders on the People's Republic of China in the south.
Amur Region on the map of Russia
The region is located in the south-east of Russia, in the zone of temperate latitudes. The distance to Moscow is about 6500 km (by rail - up to 8000 km). The difference with the time zone of the Russian capital is 6 hours. Main partthis administrative region is located in the river basin. Amur. On the map of Russia, the Amur region is located in its extreme right and lower part, but in front of Primorsky Krai, which is located in the very corner.
The climate in different parts of the Amur region is not the same. The northwest is located in a zone of sharply continental climate, with severe winters and little rainfall. In the southeast and east, winters are milder and there is more precipitation throughout the year. In the north of the region, the average January temperature reaches -31 °C, and in the basins it is even lower. However, even in the south it is quite low - no higher than -22 °С.
Precipitation in the east is 900-1000 mm, and in the south - 500-600 mm. Throughout the summer, wetter than the rest of the year.
The ecological situation in the region is quite unfavorable, which is largely due to the influence of China, which is nearby. A large number of enterprises and logging sites predetermines air, soil and water pollution.
Economy
The most important industry is agriculture. They mainly grow grain crops, potatoes, buckwheat, vegetables, and soybeans. The region also developed: timber harvesting, mining of gold and brown coal, production of electricity, machinery and metallurgical products.
Population
The region is one of the sparsely populated subjects of the Russian Federation. The total number of permanent residents in 2018 was only 798,424Human. Population density - 2, 21 people / sq. km. The proportion of urban residents is 67.37%.
Dynamics of the population is characterized by its increase until 1990, and then an ongoing, up to the present moment, decline. From 1900 to 1990 the growth rate has been roughly constant, but has become somewhat faster since the 1970s. The decline in numbers since 1990 is also approximately the same in terms of speed, although there is some tendency to slow down this process.
The reasons for the decline in the number of inhabitants, obviously, are the living conditions of the population. In the Soviet Union, attention was paid to the development of the entire country, so it took place in its different regions. However, since the 90s, a large number of so-called depressed regions have appeared, especially at a distance from the Russian capital. There is a similar problem in the US, but it is gradually being solved there.
Demographic dynamics
One of the reasons for the decline in the population of the Amur Region, obviously, is the outflow of residents to other regions of the country. As for the natural population growth, it increased until 1990, although the pace of this process was moderate. In the 1990s, the situation changed, and a natural decline began, which continues to this day. Moreover, its speed almost does not change over time.
The birth rate was high (up to 20 per 1,000 inhabitants) until the mid-90s, then it was low, and since 2003 - moderate. Mortality has a steady upward trend, and after 2000 it was higher than even in90s. The maximum value (17.2 people per 1000) was noted in 2004. This is probably due to the gradual deterioration of the environmental situation.
Life expectancy was the lowest in the early 2000s, and has increased slightly since 2006. In general, it changed in different years from 60 to 68 years old.
Major nationalities
The ethnic composition of the population of the Amur Region is relatively homogeneous. Russians make up the majority of it. They account for 94.33% of the total population of the region. Further, by a wide margin, Ukrainians follow. There are 2.02 percent of them in the region. In third place are Belarusians (0.51%), and in fourth place are Armenians (0.48%). This is followed by Tatars and Azerbaijanis (0.41 and 0.34%, respectively). The least in the Roma region - only 0.03 percent.
Religious composition of the population of the Amur Region
As in most of Russia, Orthodoxy occupies a leading position in the Amur Region. This type of religion is especially typical for small villages in the northern part of the region. In the center and in the north of the region, the Russian Orthodox Church is dominant, mono-concessionalism prevails. However, when moving south, the role of this church gradually decreases, and the number of church concessions increases. Protestantism, which is represented by different types of churches, takes the lead in the south of the region.
The city of Blagoveshchensk has the highest number of concessions – over 10. This is followed by Svobodny and Belogorsk (8 and 6 organizations respectively).
Current population dynamics
The most significant trend, as forthroughout the country, is the decline in the birth rate associated with the current socio-economic crisis and the demographic echo of the 90s. However, if for Russia as a whole, in addition to a decline in the birth rate, a slight decrease in mortality is recorded, then here its level is approximately constant.
Also, in 2017, there was a decrease in the rate of migration. Residents of China are not yet in a hurry to move to the Amur Region, and they have almost no effect on the migration pattern.
Conclusion
Thus, the situation with the population of the Amur Region is not very favorable. It has worsened since the early 1990s. The region has high mortality and low life expectancy. Migration flows are rather weak, including Chinese ones. The decline in the population is largely due to the decline in the birth rate. Since the socio-economic situation in the country remains unfavorable, the decline in the number of inhabitants in this region will obviously continue.
