A favorable geographical position, a diverse natural resource potential and a high level of urbanization of the territory are the main features that the Central Economic Region possesses. The characteristics and detailed description of the economic specialization of this region are presented in this article.
History and features of economic zoning of Russia
The vastness of Russia is conditionally divided by geographers and economists into 12 territorial units. One of them is precisely the Central Economic Region. A description and full description of this area is presented below.
It should be noted that the first serious attempts to regionalize the territory of Russia according to economic parameters were made back in the 19th century. Various scientists have joined this important matter. Among them - K.I. Arseniev, P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, D.I. Richter and even Dmitry Mendeleev. The main criteria for early attempts at economic regionalization were the zonal features of agriculture, as well as the population density of the territories.
Central Economic Region: Brief Description and General Figures
The Central Economic Region (abbreviated as CER) is one of the key regions for the development of the national economy of the Russian state.
The general characteristic of the Central Economic Region involves the coverage of a number of points according to the following plan:
- General information about the area.
- Characteristics of his surroundings.
- Economic and geographical position.
- Natural conditions and resources.
- Population and level of urbanization
- The economy of the district and the features of its placement.
- The main problems and development prospects.
The characteristic of the Central Economic Region, obviously, should begin with general statistics about it. So, the CED covers an area of 514 thousand square kilometers, which can be compared with a country such as Spain. Within this economic region, more than 30 million people live.
The district itself included 13 constituent entities of the Russian Federation: these are 12 different regions, as well as the capital, the city of Moscow.
Central Economic Region: environmental characteristics
The CED directly borders with four other economic regions: in the north - with the North-West, in the northeast - with the North, in the southeast - with the Volga-Vyatka. On the south side, it adjoins the Central Black Earth Economic Region, the characterization and formation of which was closely related to the main natural wealth of this territory - fertile chernozems (hence the name).
In the west, the CEC goes to the state border with such European countries as Belarus and Ukraine, which is a good advantage for the development of foreign economic relations of the region.
The characteristic of the Central Economic Region of Russia is, first of all, a description of its economic, geographical and transport location.
The geographic location of the region has great benefits, which largely compensates for the scarcity of energy reserves in this territory. Important land roads have crossed here since ancient times, which contributed to the economic development of these lands. The Volga River, the largest waterway of Eastern Europe, also plays an important role in the development of the region.
Perhaps the Central Black Earth economic region boasts the closest ties with this region. The characteristic of these relationships, it is important to note, is not limited to the exchange of certain goods. So, between the cities of the two economic regions there are close ties in the field of science, education, culture and tourism.
Natural resource potential
In terms of reserves of natural resources, the region, alas, is not a leader in the country. Rather, they have a purely intra-regional significance.
The climate and terrain are very favorable for the development of a full-fledged agricultural complex. Here you can grow potatoes, grain, develop vegetable growing and gardening. This is also facilitated by the potentially large domestic market for agricultural consumers, consisting of a number of large cities.
If we consider mineral resources, then the CER is rich in brown coal, peat, phosphorites, rare earth metals. It is known that within the region there are deposits of oil and gas, as well as diamonds. However, the development of these deposits has not yet been carried out.
Unfortunately, the region’s coal industry is in a crisis state. Brown coal mined in the suburbs is low-quality and expensive. In this regard, the Mosbassugol enterprise, which is engaged in the extraction of this raw material, is unprofitable. Almost all profits go only to maintain the mines in working condition. After all, 70% of them are city-forming enterprises for their cities and towns. Therefore, the brown coal industry of the Moscow Region needs urgent and comprehensive reform.
Population and level of urbanization
62 people per square meter - this is the indicator of the density of the population that differentiates the Central Economic Region. The characteristics of the population of this region have several key features, namely:
- record population density for Russia;
- population growth due to the influx of migrants from neighboring economic regions, as well as countries (mainly to Moscow);
- a very high percentage of the urban population.
More densely all the rest is populated by the Moscow, Tula and Ivanovo regions of the region. The urbanization rate in the CER is today about 83%. Within the economic region, there are 248 cities, among which is the largest urban metropolitan area in Europe - Moscow, with a population of about 20 million people.
The key demographic problem in the CED is the problem of employment and unemployment. The authorities are trying to actively solve this problem. This is especially effective in the metropolitan area.
Economics and features of its territorial distribution
Characterization of the Central Economic Region of the Russian Federation is impossible without a description of its industry. The leading and most highly developed branch of the region’s economy is mechanical engineering. In particular - transport, electrical, machine tool and shipbuilding.
Cars and trucks are produced in Moscow, buses - in Likino-Dulyovo, diesel locomotives - in Kolomna. The cities of Moscow, Rybinsk and Kostroma are centers of shipbuilding and ship repair. The production of machine tools and various devices (including watches) is concentrated in the capital, as well as in Ryazan, Smolensk and Vladimir.
Very developed in the CER and the chemical complex. It produces nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, plastics and synthetic rubber. Of course, in an area with such a large population, there are textile and printing plants, as well as food industry enterprises, which mostly gravitate towards the capital.
The main problems and prospects for the development of the district
Among the most acute problems of the CED are the following:
- insufficient development of social infrastructure ;
- coal industry crisis;
- the need for a complete reconstruction of old enterprises;
- the need for comprehensive agrarian reforms.
It is worth noting that the CED is characterized by a very high investment efficiency.
Finally...
The central economic region is one of the key regions for the country's national economy. This is due to a number of advantageous advantages of this territory. The characteristic of the Central Economic Region is characterized by an extremely advantageous transport location, as well as close ties with other economic regions of Russia, and not only.