The southern region of Russia, the Rostov region, has specific features and features that distinguish it from other subjects of the state. This uniqueness is due to the history, geographical location, and economic development of the region. And they affect the size and composition of the population of the Rostov region.
Geographical position
In the south of Russia, on the East European Plain and the north of the Caucasus, there is a large subject of the Federation - Rostov Region. Its area is just over 1 million square meters. km, and this is the 33rd place among all regions of the country. The region borders on the Voronezh and Volgograd regions, Ukraine, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, and Kalmykia. The relief of the region as a whole is flat: from a slight elevation in the north to a decrease in the south. The region is rich in water resources. Here flows one of the largest rivers in Europe - the Don - and its two tributaries - Manych and Donets, there is a large Tsimlyansk reservoir and several lakes. The region is located within the steppe zone, in the south there is a transition to semi-deserts. Most of the territory is occupied by fertile agricultural land, there are few forests, mostly green areas located in floodplains of the rivers. The life of the population of the Rostov region for many centuries has been associated with the cultivation of crops and livestock.
Climate and ecology
The Rostov region is located in the zone of temperate continental steppe climate with mild, short winters and long sultry summers. There is a lot of sun in the region, for a year there are approximately 2100 hours of such weather. The average annual temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. Winter in the region begins in December and lasts until the end of February, the coldest month is January, when the thermometer drops to minus 5 at night. Snow cover does not last long, an average of 203 weeks for the whole season. Winter in the Rostov region is wet and windy. Spring begins in the region at the end of February and lasts 2 months, already in March plants begin to bloom, in April the thermometer rises to +15 degrees during the day, sometimes even higher.
The longest season in the region is summer. It begins in May and ends at the end of September. The hottest month is July, when the temperature is kept on average about 25-30 degrees Celsius. Autumn in the region is short and dry, in October and November the temperature drops to 10 degrees Celsius, the sky frowns more often and the winds often blow. Southeastern territories are characterized by a more pronounced sharply continental climate and here the winters are colder and the summers are much hotter than in other parts of the region. These climatic features affect the population density of the Rostov region and its distribution. The ecological situation of the region is not much different from the situation in all the southern regions of the country. Cars and people pollute nature, there are no harmful industries, but industry adversely affects water and air, especially in the Rostov region.
Population dynamics
Systematically calculate the population of the Rostov region began in 1959. Then a little more than 3 million people lived here. In Soviet times, the region showed a steady increase in the number of inhabitants, an average of several tens of thousands of people per year. In 1997, almost 4.5 million people lived here. But with the advent of change and economic difficulties, the decline in the number of residents in the region begins. In 2016, there are 4.2 million people.
Districts of the region and population distribution
Since 2005, 12 cities and 43 districts have been allocated in the region, in which there are 18 urban settlements and 390 villages. Statistics show that the population of the districts of the Rostov region is heterogeneous. The northern and southeastern parts are much less populated than the central territories. The average population density of the region is 42 people per square. km And the highest average population density in the Rostov region is observed in the capital region, here this indicator ranges from 2 to 2.5 thousand people per square meter. km Most of the inhabitants are settled in cities (2.9 million people), a gradual outflow of rural residents to the cities of the region is observed. The largest cities in the Rostov region in terms of population are the capital of the region (1.1 million people), Taganrog (250 thousand people), Mines (236 thousand people), Novocherkassk (170 thousand people), Volgodonsk (170 thousand people).
Demographic indicators of the Rostov region
As of 2016, the birth rate in the region is growing and amounts to a little more than 12 newborns for every thousand inhabitants. In this case, mortality is reduced, but very slowly and still remains quite high. This causes a negative dynamics of natural population growth. And even migration processes cannot level the problem of reducing the number of inhabitants of the region. In the region there is a decrease in the number of people of working age, this is due to the low birth rate and an increase in life expectancy (71 years). All this increases the demographic burden and negatively affects the economy of the region. By gender, the population of the Rostov region is not much different from other regions, the number of women here prevails over the number of men, especially at an older age.
Ethnic composition
If we evaluate the national composition of the population of the Rostov region, we can note a slight increase in Ukrainians in the overall structure of the region’s inhabitants. 86% of the population are Russians, about 2% are Ukrainians, 2.6% are Armenians. The remaining ethnic groups make up less than 1% of the total population. At the same time, 97% of the population speak Russian. The dominant religion is Orthodoxy.
Economics and employment of the population of the Rostov region
The region ranks 39th in Russia in terms of socio-economic development. Here, the processing, agricultural, coal, heavy and engineering industries are well developed. The bulk of the population of the Rostov region is engaged in wholesale and retail trade - about 20%, in agriculture - 16% and manufacturing - 14%. The largest employers in the region are the metallurgical and automotive plants in Taganrog, Atommash and Rostselmash, and the Electric Locomotive Plant in Novocherkassk. However, the work is not for everyone. The unemployment rate in the region is 5.1%, which is lower than in the neighboring southern regions of the Federation, but higher than the national average. In addition, there is the so-called unregistered unemployment, and its rates are quite high. Young people cannot find work after graduation, and this negatively affects the demography of the region.