Amur Region - one of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, belongs to the Far Eastern Federal District. The administrative center is the city of Blagoveshchensk. The area of the region is 361 908 km 2 . The population of the Amur Region in 2018 was 798,424 people. Density - 2.21 people / km 2 , and the share of urban residents - 67.37 percent. In recent decades, the population of this region has been declining.
The Amur Region was formed on October 20, 1932 as part of the Khabarovsk Territory, and in 1948 it acquired the status of a separate subject of the Russian Federation.
In the north, it has a border with Yakutia, in the east - with the Khabarovsk Territory, in the southeast - with the Jewish Autonomous Region, and in the west - with the Trans-Baikal Territory. Also, the Amur Region borders on the People's Republic of China in the south.
Amur region on the map of Russia
The region is located in the southeast of Russia, in the zone of temperate latitudes. The distance to Moscow is about 6500 km (by rail - up to 8000 km). The difference with the time zone of the Russian capital is 6 hours. The bulk of this administrative region is located in the river basin. Amur. On the map of Russia, the Amur Region is located in its extreme right and lower parts, but in front of the Primorsky Territory, which is located in the very corner.
The climate in different parts of the Amur region varies. The northwest is in a zone of sharply continental climate, with harsh winters and little rainfall. In the southeast and east, winters are milder and there is more rainfall during the year. In the north of the region, the average January temperature reaches -31 ° C, and in the basins it is even lower. However, even in the south it is quite low - not higher than -22 ° C.
The amount of precipitation in the east is 900-1000 mm, and in the south - 500-600 mm. Everywhere, summers are wetter than the rest of the seasons.
The environmental situation in the region is rather unfavorable, which is largely due to the influence of nearby China. A large number of enterprises and cutting areas determine the pollution of air, soil and water.
Economy
The most important industry is agriculture. Mostly grown crops, potatoes, buckwheat, vegetables, soy. The region also has developed: logging, gold and brown coal mining, production of electricity, machinery and metallurgical products.
Population
The region is among the sparsely populated constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The total number of permanent residents in 2018 amounted to only 798,424 people. The population density is 2.21 people / sq. km The share of urban residents is 67.37%.
The dynamics of the population is characterized by its increase until 1990, and then by the ongoing decline until the present moment. From 1900 to 1990 growth rate was approximately constant, but since the 1970s it has become slightly higher. The decline in numbers since 1990 is also approximately the same in speed, although there is some tendency to slow down this process.
The reasons for the decrease in the number of residents are obviously living conditions of the population. In the Soviet Union, attention was paid to the development of the whole country; therefore, it took place in its different regions. However, since the 90s, a large number of so-called depressed regions have appeared, especially at a distance from the Russian capital. There is a similar problem in the USA, however, it is being gradually solved there.
Demographic dynamics
One of the reasons for the decline in the population of the Amur Region, obviously, is the outflow of residents to other regions of the country. As for the natural population growth, it increased until 1990, although the pace of this process was moderate. In the 90s, the situation changed, and a natural decline began, which continues to this day. Moreover, its speed almost does not change over time.
Fertility was high (up to 20 people per 1000 inhabitants) until the mid-90s, then it was low, and since 2003 it was moderate. Mortality has a steady upward trend, and after 2000 it was higher than even in the 90s. The maximum value (17.2 people per 1000) was noted in 2004. This is probably due to the gradual deterioration of the environmental situation.
Life expectancy was the shortest in the early 2000s, and has grown slightly since 2006. In general, it changed in different years from 60 to 68 years.
Prevailing Nationalities
The national composition of the population of the Amur Region is relatively homogeneous. The predominant part is Russian. They account for 94.33% of the total number of residents of the region. Further, by a wide margin, followed by Ukrainians. There are 2.02 percent of them in the region. Belarusians are in third place (0.51%), and Armenians are in fourth (0.48%). This is followed by the Tatars and Azerbaijanis (0.41 and 0.34%, respectively). The least in the region of Roma is only 0.03 percent.
Religious composition of the population of the Amur region
As in most of Russia, Orthodoxy occupies a leading position in the Amur Region. This type of worship is especially characteristic of small villages in the northern part of the region. In the center and in the north of the region, the Russian Orthodox Church has a dominant value, monoconcessionism prevails. However, as you move south, the role of this church gradually decreases, and the number of church concessions increases. Leadership in the south of the region comes Protestantism, which is represented by different types of churches.
Most concessions in the city of Blagoveshchensk are over 10. Next are Svobodny and Belogorsk (8 and 6 organizations respectively).
Modern population dynamics
The most significant trend, as for the whole country, is the decline in the birth rate associated with the current socio-economic crisis and the demographic echo of the 90s. However, if for Russia as a whole, in addition to the decline in the birth rate, a certain decrease in mortality is also recorded, then here its level is approximately constant.
Also in 2017, a decrease in the rate of migration was noted. Residents of China are not in a hurry to move to the Amur region, and the migration pattern is almost not affected.
Conclusion
Thus, the situation with the population of the Amur region is not very favorable. It has worsened since the early 90s of the 20th century. The region has high mortality and low life expectancy. Migration flows are rather weak, including Chinese. The decline in population is largely due to a decrease in the birth rate. Since the socio-economic situation in the country remains unfavorable, the decrease in the number of residents in this region will obviously continue.