Arkhangelsk region is a region that is located in the north of the Russian Federation and is the largest in the state. This administrative unit is the largest in Europe. And the population of the Arkhangelsk region is one of the oldest in the country. That is why the history of the village is quite interesting and eventful.
Stone Age
As already mentioned, the population of the Arkhangelsk region began to be organized for a very long time. But today it’s even hard to imagine that the first inhabitants in these territories began to appear even when glaciers had just left the shores.
Modern archaeologists have discovered the sites of the alleged sites of ancient people. Scientists have suggested that the settlements belong to the Paleolithic period. Savages settled in the region of the Pechery River, where the Nenets Autonomous Okrug is now located. Also rare objects of that era were found in the middle reaches of the Northern Dvina. Now it is a district between the villages of Ichkovo and Stupino.
The Middle Stone Age is represented by a site called Yavronga-1. She received this name thanks to the river, near which it was located.
Also, the oldest population of the Arkhangelsk region was located on Solovki. The parking lots Solovetskaya-21, Solovetskaya-4 and Muksalma-6 are more than six thousand years old.
The new stone age was a breakthrough compared to previous eras. The development also affected the then residents of the modern Arkhangelsk region. It was found that in the southern part of the region there were pile settlements of the Modlon type. Among the cultures developing in this territory, one can note the Pechora-Dvinsk and Kargopol.
The era of the birth of civilization is characterized by the appearance of Sami tribes. They lived on the south and west coast of the White Sea.
Archaeologists have discovered an iron smelter dated around the same time. It is the oldest in Europe.
Pomeranian lands
From ancient times, the population of the Arkhangelsk region was called Pomors. These are the people who inhabited the northern lands. The location of their villages near the sea determined the type of activity. The population was mainly engaged in fishing. In addition, Pomors hunted, plowed the land and raised cattle. But still the main thing was the development of the water area. For centuries, secrets have been passed down from generation to generation. Experienced sailors made trips to the Barents Sea. They fished in the harsh conditions of the northern climate. Also, the settlements were distinguished by skilled craftsmen who were engaged in bone carving.
In ancient times, the inhabitants of Pomeranian lands were Finnish-Ugric tribes. Then, up to the tenth century, the Slavs populated the territory from Onega to Lake White.
Ancient Russia
In the period from the eleventh to fourteenth centuries, changes took place in the culture of the region. In place of severe pomors with their fishing came nomadic reindeer herders.
The population of the Arkhangelsk region increased markedly after the beginning of mass spontaneous migration of people to the northern regions of the state. This process was caused by numerous invasions of the Mongol-Tatars. The number of inhabitants of Pomeranian and Podvino lands has increased several times.
Riot wave
In the sixteenth century, a decree on the construction of stone buildings was introduced in Arkhangelsk. This was due to constant fires that spanned vast areas of wooden buildings.
At the same time, a wave of rebellion swept through the region. A large number of northerners joined the Old Believer movement. Many peasants performed the rite of self-immolation. In those years, about thirty-seven outbreaks were recorded, the victims of which were twenty thousand people. One of the most famous events was the so-called “Solovetsky seat”. The participants of this action were the “Razinians” and the Pomors themselves.
Port construction
Peter I had a great influence on the number of inhabitants and on the region as a whole. Having arrived in Arkhangelsk, the future king lived in the city for two months. During this time he studied it far and wide, got acquainted with shipbuilding. Peter I gave a great impetus to the development of shipbuilding in the north. In the following years, more than five hundred ships were launched from the shipyard he founded. These were mainly ships of the navy.
A flood of residents from other regions poured into the region. This was due to the fact that in the Arkhangelsk region there was stable economic growth due to the “royal bidding”. They were a monopoly trade. More than two hundred ships began to call at the city port. The latter led to the fact that in the early eighteenth century Arkhangelsk received the status of the center of the province.
However, over time, the attention of Peter I was switched to the new capital. Now St. Petersburg and other Baltic ports have taken over the entire holiday trade.
In the eighteenth century, Arkhangelsk receives the status of a military port. Gradually, trade relations are being revived in it. The decree of Catherine II on equal trade rights of St. Petersburg and Arkhangelsk led to a revival among the urban population.
But the situation radically changed in the mid-nineteenth century. Together with the shallowing of the Northern Dvina, the region came into decline. A small revival came to the northern lands only after the construction of the railway. But nevertheless, agriculture was poorly developed in this area, so hunger was an eternal companion of local residents.
Twentieth Century
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the entire Arkhangelsk region - cities, population - underwent significant changes. During the civil war, the northern territories of Russia were controlled by the Entente and the White Army. The Northern Region was formed. Arkhangelsk became its administrative center.
In 1919, forced labor camps were established in the region.
Two years later, the Komi Autonomous Region arose. The new region includes the Arkhangelsk and North Dvina provinces.
Seven years later, such provinces of the USSR as Arkhangelsk, Vologda, and Severo-Dvinsk were merged. Their totality amounted to the Northern Territory. But its territory was divided into five districts:
- Arkhangelsk;
- Vologda;
- Nenets Administrative Center - Telvisochnoye Village;
- Nyandomsky;
- Severodvinsk administrative center - Veliky Ustyug.
In the same year, the Nenets National District was founded. It consisted of three regions - Kaninsko-Timan, Bolshezemelsky and Pustozersky.
Formation of the Northern Region
Ten years later, the Autonomous Republic of Komi received the status of the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and the Northern Territory became the Northern Region, which a year later was divided into Arkhangelsk and Vologda. The northern region consisted of twenty-seven districts:
- Bereznikovsky;
- Velsky;
- Verkhnetoemsky;
- Vilegodsky;
- Yemetsky;
- Kargopolsky;
- Karpogorsky;
- Konoshsky;
- Kotlas;
- Krasnoborsky;
- Lalsky;
- Lensky;
- Leshukonsky;
- Mezensky;
- Nyandomsky;
- Onega;
- Oparinsky;
- Pinezhsky;
- Plesetskiy;
- Podosinovsky;
- Seaside;
- Priozerny;
- Rovdinsky;
- Ustyansky;
- Kholmogorsky;
- Cherevkovsky;
- Shenkursky.
During the Great Patriotic War, Arkhangelsk was one of the regions where the Nazis did not enter. But at the same time, many northerners participated in major battles. The Northern Fleet was especially active.
Post-war period
In the postwar years, the region began to gradually develop. Industrialization and industrial development made production in the Arkhangelsk region more mechanized, machine labor finally replaced manual labor.
Starting from the sixties, an energy complex was created in the region, exploration work began, agriculture began to have an industrial basis. The number of inhabitants grew, for example, the population of the Arkhangelsk region in 1964 amounted to more than 1.3 million people. In 1987, the population was already 1.5 million.
National composition
The population of the Arkhangelsk region for 2016 is distinguished by its multinationality. History has left its mark on the inhabitants of the northern lands. But even though there are representatives of completely different nationalities, most of the locals are Russians. The percentage of Russians in the total population is 96%.
All other 108 nationalities, whose representatives live in the Arkhangelsk region, were included in four percent. Among them, the most numerous are Ukrainians. The second position is shared by the Nenets and Belarusians. Komi, Tatars and Azerbaijanis are also beaten out as leaders.
The census of the Arkhangelsk region also showed that in the region you can meet representatives of rare, even unique peoples. These are Abazins, Vepsians, Mingrelians, Gagauzians, Izhors, Assyrians, Uighurs and Tabasarans.
In recent years, the number of people who consider themselves to be Pomors has significantly decreased. Since 2000 to this day, their number has been reduced by a factor of three. But this is only connected with self-determination. Most of the residents simply decided to attribute themselves to the Russians.
Population density
The population density of the Arkhangelsk region, despite its vast territory, is very low. This is due to adverse climatic conditions and, as a consequence, the outflow of people. Residents are distributed extremely unevenly throughout the territory. The greatest concentration of the Arkhangelsk is observed in the southern railroad strip. The least populated are Leshukonsky and Mezensky districts, in which 0.3 people per square kilometer live. This indicates a low availability of medical care. The average population density of the Arkhangelsk region is 2.1 people per square kilometer.
Demographic situation
The main concentration of people are the cities of the Arkhangelsk region. In terms of population, the largest are Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk, Kotlas and Naryan-Mar.
However, the same picture is observed throughout the region, characterized by depopulation of the population. The number of deaths prevails over the number of newborns. Although in recent years the situation has leveled off a bit due to the fact that the number of women of childbearing age has increased.
Mostly able-bodied people are involved in migration processes. But the number of arrivals is lower than the number of departures.
The urban population makes up two thirds of the total number of residents of the Arkhangelsk region.
By gender, the ratio is almost fifty to fifty.
The unemployment rate in the Arkhangelsk region is the same as the average for Russia. This is due to the fact that the level of salaries, as for such a severe climatic region, is too low.
The total number of residents of the Arkhangelsk region at the moment is 1,129,908.