From an administrative point of view, the north-west of Russia coincides with the North-West Federal District. Some of its regions have long-standing historical and cultural ties. But the main argument in uniting the regions into an economic subregion was their territorial location.
Economic map of the north-west of Russia
In the economic sense, all the regions that make up the okrug have different degrees of development and integration into the global and Russian markets. All eleven regions of the federal district should be mentioned here:
- Arhangelsk region;
- Vologda Region;
- Kaliningrad;
- Republic of Karelia;
- Komi Republic;
- Leningrad region;
- Murmansk region;
- Nenets Autonomous Okrug;
- Novgorod region;
- Pskov region;
- St. Petersburg.
For example, among the regions that have access to the Arctic Ocean, the Murmansk region with its mining, fishing and the largest city in the world beyond the Arctic Circle is considered the most developed. Most residents of Murmansk are more or less connected with the activities of the port.
Murmansk is the only ice-free port of the so-called Northern Route, which makes it extremely important not only for the Russian economy, but also for international trade. In conditions of global warming, the ice of the Arctic Ocean receded, and this increased the possibility of transporting goods from Asia to Europe.
As mentioned above, the European northwest of Russia has a very heterogeneous level of economic development. The Arkhangelsk region and Komi, despite their incredible natural wealth, are significantly behind their neighbors in development and living standards.
It is widely believed among economists that the backwardness of these regions is associated with an insufficiently expanded transport infrastructure, the development of which will allow establishing more strong ties between the regions. It is assumed that the expansion of the railway network in Komi will provide an opportunity to develop rich deposits of titanium and aluminum ores, precious metals and diamonds.
The White Sea - the heart of the Russian North
Ever since the first Russian settlers developed these lands, the north-west of Russia was formed around the White Sea, which served as the main transport route to the far north for the inhabitants of Veliky Novgorod. In Soviet times, important ferry routes passed by sea, which provided communication between the Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions, as well as Karelia. Today, these connections are broken, the ferry service not only does not develop, but is irreversibly destroyed every day.
In Karelia, there is one of the important transport centers of the White Sea - the city of Belomorsk, created by the merger of several fishing villages in 1933. The city stands at the entrance to the White Sea-Baltic Canal, with the construction of which the history of the city is connected. From Belomorsk on a boat you can get to the Solovetsky Islands, where, after the liquidation of the Gulag, monasteries began to revive.
Kaliningrad - a city overseas
Enumerating the cities of the north-west of Russia, one cannot fail to mention Kaliningrad, which has a very special status associated with its geographical location. The Kaliningrad region is separated from the European part of Russia by the Baltic countries and borders on Poland in the west. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the economy of the region was firmly connected with the export of essential goods and clothing from neighboring countries. However, this situation, along with obvious economic bonuses, created problems associated with trips through the territory of the EU countries.
The capital of the northwest
A map of the north-west of Russia is unthinkable without the largest city and important cultural, economic and transport hub of the region. St. Petersburg has a special status of a city of federal significance and at the same time serves as the administrative center of the federal district. It is in Petersburg that the residence of the plenipotentiary of the president is located.
Northwest Russia is considered one of the most developed economic and geographical areas of the country. The high standard of living, the quality of education and cultural opportunities make it attractive for moving from other regions.