The Far North is a harsh land where special people live. Thus, the Komi Republic, whose population has bright distinctive features, is of interest from the point of view of demography, sociology, psychology of the population and economy. How do harsh living conditions affect demographic indicators? Let's talk about the population of the republic and its characteristics.
Geographical location of Komi
The autonomous republic of Komi, whose population we are considering, is located in the far north of the European part of Russia. The relief of the region is determined by its location: some of the territories cover the lowlands and the plain relief prevails here, and part of the region lies on the western slopes of the Ural Mountains, and here the relief is hilly, elevated. The region borders on two autonomous republics: the Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets, as well as the Arkhangelsk, Sverdlovsk and Kirov regions and the Perm Territory. The region is very rich in minerals: oil, gas, bauxite, titanium, manganese and other ores. 72% of the republic’s territory is occupied by forests, several rather large rivers flow here : Pechora, Vychegda, Mezen. In addition, there are about 78 thousand lakes of various sizes. About 7% of the Komi lands are swamps, in which there are huge deposits of peat. Komi is a land of virgin nature, there are several places that rightfully claim the title of natural wonders of Russia.
Climate and living conditions
Despite the fact that Komi is geographically related to Europe, the climate here is very different from the conditions of European countries. All regions of the Far North are characterized by rather harsh living conditions, and Komi is no exception. The population has long been fighting for survival here, overcoming many difficulties associated with nature. The temperate continental cold climate is characterized by long cold winters and short cool summers. The south and north of the republic have pronounced weather differences. So the northern parts are covered by a winter period of up to 250 days a year, in the south this period is no more than 180 days. Also, this difference is clearly visible in medium temperatures. In winter, in the south, the average thermometer shows minus 15, and in the north - minus 22. During air intrusions from the Arctic in the south, the thermometer can drop to minus 45 degrees, and in the north - to minus 55 and lower. Summer in the region is very short, in the North the land thaws no more than a meter. The average summer temperature in the south is +15, in the north - +11 degrees. The republic has a lot of rainfall, up to 700 mm per year. Due to the high, almost constant cloud cover, there are few sunny days in the region. The peculiarities of life encountered by the local population are quite strong winds, about 120 days a year the wind blows about 15 m / s. The region is also located in the polar day and night zone. Starting in December, the Sun does not rise within 44 days, and in May the polar day begins when it does not set. Such difficult living conditions make living conditions very difficult for the population. There is no opportunity to engage in agriculture, the polar night and the low solarity of the region badly affect the psyche of people.
Administrative division
The Komi Republic, whose population lives mainly in cities, is divided into 12 districts and 8 cities subordinated directly to the republican center. Each entity has its own administration, which is directly subordinate to the head of the republic.
Komi population: dynamics and current status
Systematic observations of the number of inhabitants in Komi begin in 1926, when the gradual development of the North begins. Then the population of Komi was 207 thousand people. Since 1928, the number of inhabitants has been growing steadily, by 1959 815 thousand people lived here, and by 1989 - 1.2 million people. However, with the beginning of perestroika, the outflow of population and demographic decline begin. This is due to the fact that the state has reduced the size of social and financial support for the region, to which demography has sensitively reacted. Every year, the number of inhabitants of the region is reduced by several tens of thousands of people. And today, 856 thousand people live here.
Population density and distribution
Komi is a desert land, the population density here is 2.06 people per square meter. km The Komi Employment Service, which monitors the situation in the republic, shows that 78% of residents prefer to settle in cities. The largest cities are: Syktyvkar (243 thousand people), Ukhta (98 thousand people), Vorkuta (58 thousand people), Pechora (40 thousand people), Usinsk (39 thousand people). the small town is Ust-Kul (5 thousand people). statistics show that the capital is the only settlement with a positive population dynamics. People prefer to live in a large city, and there is a spillover of residents from villages and small towns to Syktyvkar.
Population features
By nationality, the population of Komi is quite diverse. About 65% of residents consider themselves Russian, 24% - Komi, 4% - Ukrainians, Tatars - 1.2%. The remaining ethnic groups make up less than 1% of the population. The number of women in the region is significantly higher than men, for every 1000 men there are 1106 women. The average age of a Komi resident is 34.5 years. The average life expectancy is 69 years, which is slightly lower than the all-Russian indicators. Demographic indicators in the region are not bad: the birth rate is not high, but it is growing, and mortality is steadily falling. But despite the fact that a natural population growth (1.3%) was recorded in the republic, the number of inhabitants is still decreasing due to external migration. The population is slowly but leaving Komi, and this leads to economic problems in the region.
The economy of the region
The specifics of the Komi economy is that the leading industries are mining companies. The largest taxpayers and employers are companies producing and transporting gas, coal and oil. Also, the stability of the republic is ensured by such enterprises as a pulp and paper mill, and timber processing enterprises. In addition, the employment of the Komi population is provided by the enterprises of social and cultural life and service. GDP per capita is 490 thousand rubles per year, which is a fairly high level for Russia.
Employment
Since 2009, the Komi Employment Center has recorded a drop in the number of people involved in productive activities. The unemployment rate is kept at 9%, which is a lot even by Russian standards. The problem of female unemployment is acute, since the sectors of the region’s economy mainly offer employment to men of working professions. Therefore, people with higher education are more often unemployed in the region.
Particularly acute is the problem of employment for women aged 25 to 50 years, for them there are no vacancies, even for working specialties. All this leads to a migration outflow of residents. Mostly young people who have received education leave because they cannot find a job.