One of the oldest regions of Russia, the Tula region, has an ancient and interesting history, which happened primarily thanks to people. The population of the Tula region is, on the one hand, a picture typical of the country, and on the other, there are specific features that are worth talking about.
Geography of the region
Tula region is located almost in the center of the European part of Russia. About 150 km are separated from the capital of the country Tula. The region borders on Moscow, Lipetsk, Ryazan, Oryol and Kaluga regions. The area of the region is 25.6 thousand square meters. km Accommodation in the north-eastern part of the Central Russian Upland determines the plain relief of the region.
Tula region is located in the steppe and forest-steppe zones. There is a freshwater reserve in the form of a developed river network related to the basins of the Oka and Don. To provide water to settlements, several reservoirs have been created. However, in dry periods, the region experiences a small water shortage.
The Tula region has always been famous for its forests, today about 13% of the territories are deciduous. There are few minerals around Tula. These are several coal and ore deposits, including strontium, rich peat deposits are being developed, limestone has been mined near Tula since the 15th century.
The fertile soils of the region have long been actively used for farming. The population of the Tula region most intensively develops southern chernozem territories.
Climatic conditions
The region is located in a zone of temperate continental climate, which is characterized by cold but not severe winters and warm summers. Average annual temperatures are kept at a mark of plus 5 degrees. The period with positive readings on the thermometer is up to 220 days per year.
Precipitation up to 570 mm falls quite often in the region. The summer season begins in late May and lasts until the beginning of September, the average temperature in July, the hottest month, is +19 degrees.
Winter begins in November, at the end of the same month snow cover is established. The coldest month is January, the average thermometer at this time drops to minus 10 degrees.
Fairly favorable weather conditions typical of central Russia led to the fact that people always lived here. The population of the Tula region is well adapted to its climate and finds it comfortable for living. There are no severe frosts and sweltering heat, quite often the sun shines. All this positively affects the agricultural crop. crops, as well as mushrooms and berries, which are rich in local forests.
The history of the settlement of the region
The first people came to these lands 12 thousand years ago. The remains of the sites of people from the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic period have been repeatedly found here. Aliens from the banks of the Desna River, descendants of the Balts and Vyatichi lived here.
Scientists are wondering which population of the Tula region is considered indigenous? The traditional version is accepted that the bulk of the inhabitants comes from the first Slavic tribes, other peoples are only an additional ethnic composition.
Vyatichi were hardworking and craftsmanlike people, they were skilled in metallurgy, agriculture, weaving. They had to pay tribute to the Khazars, the Kiev princes, so as not to be raided. But periodically, nevertheless, attacks did occur, for defense the fortified city of Dedoslavl was built, then Belev with a powerful oak fortress, then Novosil, Tula and Aleksin appeared. All these were large and powerful settlements. Various chroniclers repeatedly mention them.
In 1380, the famous Kulikovo battle takes place in the region, after which the unification of Russian lands around Moscow begins. The Tula region is becoming an important defense region on the southern borders of the Moscow kingdom.
In the 17th century, the industrial development of Tula lands began, powerful metallurgical workshops were built here, in which high-class weapons for the Russian army were made. At the end of the 18th century, the Tula province was created, an industrial boom begins, which lasted with small interruptions until the beginning of the 20th century.
In Soviet times, the Tula region was an ordinary, but significant region. Industry, agriculture are actively developing here, mineral deposits are being developed. In post-Soviet times, the region begins to develop the tourism sector, and several enterprises appear here that ensure the relative economic stability of the region.
Population dynamics
Since 1897, the number of inhabitants in the region has been regularly monitored. Then 1.4 million people lived here. Before perestroika in the 20th century, the region grew quite steadily, albeit at an insignificant rate. And from the end of the 80s, a strong decline began. So, in 1978, there were 1,906 million people in the region, and in 2000 - 1,743 million. And the recession continues to this day.
Today, the population of the Tula region is 1.506 million people. The program “maternity capital”, which showed high efficiency, did not help out of the demographic peak of the region. But many other factors make the region empty. The situation of catastrophe is held by the annual arrival of migrants, mainly residents from the CIS countries. Almost 3 thousand people come to the region every year. How many people will be in the Tula region in the future, today experts are not ready to answer, but the administration clearly has problems that need to be addressed so that the region is not completely empty.
Administrative division and population distribution
Today, the average population density of the Tula region is 58.6 people per square. km However, there is a clear advantage in density between cities and rural areas. Over the past 50 years, the number of citizens has increased by 20%. Today 1.2 million people live in cities, that is, almost 80% of all residents are urban dwellers. Villages are empty and dying. Today, the population of the cities of the Tula region is distributed as follows: the largest settlement is Tula (485 thousand people), other cities are much smaller in number. Novomoskovsk - 126 thousand people, Donskoy - 64 thousand people, Aleksin - 58 thousand people, Shchekino - 57 thousand people, Uzlovaya - 52 thousand people. The remaining cities are even smaller. The smallest city is Chekalin (965 people).
Demographic characteristics
The population of the Tula region shows a clear tendency to aging. Fertility and mortality are falling, the population begins to live a little longer, on average, up to 69 years. This is a very low indicator for Russia, which indicates the unfavorable living conditions in the region.
The region has a high suicide rate, mortality from social defects is also significant. The environmental situation, which is not very good in the region today, has a negative effect on life expectancy. The demographic burden is 773 disabled people for every thousand workers (in neighboring regions this indicator is 711 people).
Population features
The population living in the Tula region is mainly Russian, about 95%. 1% are Ukrainians, the remaining ethnic groups are represented by groups of less than 1%. The main language of communication is also Russian. The dominant religion is Orthodoxy.