Beyond the Ural Mountains, on the border of Europe and Asia, the Chelyabinsk region is located. These lands are famous for their unique nature, powerful heavy industry and people. The population of the Chelyabinsk region is proud of the talents born here once, such as V. Zhukovsky, D. Mendeleev, I. Kurchatov.
Geography of the Chelyabinsk region
The region is located in the middle and southern Urals, between such large neighbors as the Sverdlovsk, Orenburg, Kurgan regions, Bashkortostan and Kazakhstan. The area of the region is 88.5 thousand square meters. km Most of the region is located on the Trans-Ural Plain and the West Siberian Lowland, a small part covers the eastern slope of the Ural Mountain Range. The relief of the local territories is very diverse: there are mountains, forests, lakes, hills and plains. The highest point of the region is Mount Nurlat (1400 m). The region is rich in water resources, the river network is organized by three large rivers: Kama, Tobol and the Urals. Their upper reaches are located here, so the rivers do not yet have the power that is characteristic of them in other regions. But their numerous sources and tributaries create a good water supply in the region.
In total, almost 500 rivers of various sizes flow here. The area is extremely rich in minerals. In the extraction of magnesite, graphite, talc and dolomite, the region is a monopolist in Russia. Also, oil and gas fields have been discovered and developed here. The uniqueness of the Chelyabinsk region lies in the fact that it is located immediately in 4 natural zones: forest, steppe, forest-steppe and mountain taiga. Therefore, there is a very rich flora and fauna, and also there are favorable conditions for the cultivation of various crops. Such favorable conditions contributed to the fact that people have settled here since ancient times.
Climate and ecology
Chelyabinsk region is located in the continental climate zone with long cold winters and short hot summers. The Ural Mountains do not allow air masses from the Atlantic to penetrate into the region and hold anticyclones from Asia well. The average temperature in winter is minus 17 degrees, in summer - plus 16. The population of the Chelyabinsk region for many years successfully adapted to the local climate and learned to grow a lot of agricultural products in the region.
Ecology in the area in which a large number of manufacturing companies and factories are actively working is alarming. Despite the fact that the sanitary services claim that everything is within the normal range, nevertheless, smog was visible with the naked eye when approaching large cities. And residents say that there is a lot of soot in the air that settles on all objects.
Settlement history
The first people in the territory of modern Chelyabinsk region appeared in the Paleolithic era. In the 17-16 centuries BC e. proto-urban civilization existed here, ancient monuments can be seen in the reserve "Arkaim" and in the Ipatiev cave. In the new era, Scythians, Saks and Sarmatians lived here periodically. They were later replaced by the Huns, Turks and Proto-Magyars. In the era of land seizures by the Mongol-Tatar army, these territories became part of their empire. A new story begins in the 18th century, when the Chelyabinsk fortress was built. In 1744, these lands became part of the Orenburg province. Later they were assigned to different administrative units. Only in 1943 the region gained its current shape. The population of the Chelyabinsk region actively participated in all the historical events of the country, and today the region is an important part of the Russian economy.
Administrative division and cities of the Chelyabinsk region
Chelyabinsk region (in accordance with the decree of 2006) is divided into 16 urban districts and 27 municipal districts. There are 27 cities and 1244 settlements of various sizes in the region. If we consider the population of the Chelyabinsk region by city, it can be noted that the largest cities in this regard are such cities as Chelyabinsk (1 million 200 thousand people) and Magnitogorsk (417 thousand people). The remaining settlements are much smaller in terms of the number of inhabitants. There are only three cities with a population of 100 to 200 thousand: Zlatoust, Miass, Kopeisk. Most in the region are small towns with less than 20 thousand inhabitants. The department, which is responsible for social protection of the population of the Chelyabinsk region, monitors the dynamics of the number of inhabitants and notes that there is a tendency to reduce the number of inhabitants of small settlements in the region. Residents from villages are increasingly moving to cities in search of work.
Population dynamics
A systematic monitoring of the population of the Chelyabinsk region began in 1959. Then in the region lived 2 million 976 thousand people. Over the next 30 years, the region steadily grew, and by 1991 there were 3 million 700 thousand inhabitants. Since the time of perestroika, a long period of reduction in the number of inhabitants of the region begins. Over 20 years, it has decreased by 300 thousand people. Since 2012, a slow growth began, and today the population of the Chelyabinsk region is 3 million 500 thousand people. At the same time, the largest cities in the region show the largest increase: Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk.
Economy of the region
The region is demonstrating stable economic development. The main industries in the region are metallurgy, mechanical engineering, chemical industry, energy, radio electronics, nuclear industry, as well as services and processing. The pride of the region is metallurgical enterprises; 16 large industrial enterprises also operate in the region, which produce about 60% of the country's total metal products. On the basis of its own metallurgical production, 9 large machine-building enterprises operate. The Department of Employment of the Chelyabinsk Region estimates that 48% of the region’s inhabitants are employed in various areas of production. The region’s economy is growing steadily in the food and service sector. Local agriculture does a good job of providing the region with basic necessities: vegetables, bread, meat, dairy products.
Employment
Statistics show stable employment in the Chelyabinsk region. In 2016, unemployment is about 2%, which is a good indicator on average for the country. A variety of manufacturing enterprises allows you to find work for both qualified and unskilled personnel, both men and women. The economic crisis in the country makes employment a bit difficult, so unemployment added 0.5% per year. However, statistics show that in small towns and rural settlements, work is getting smaller, which leads to labor migration. Residents are redistributed within the region: they move from villages to cities. Part of the population travels daily to a place of work in the city.
Demographic characteristics of the population of the Chelyabinsk region
Chelyabinsk shows the highest population density in the region - about 2200 people per 1 sq. Km. km, in Magnitogorsk this parameter is about 1000 people, and the average population density in the region is only 39 people per 1 sq. km. km Sexual differentiation among the inhabitants of the region fits into the all-Russian trend: 1884 women fall to 1594 men. The relatively favorable economic situation in the region contributes to the fact that the population of the Chelyabinsk region is gradually rejuvenating. Fertility in recent years has grown, but still can not overtake mortality. Therefore, there is a slight negative dynamics in the number of residents of the region, but the migration saves the situation.