"My native land!" - how often we use this phrase. However, the region is not only an abstract, emotionally colored concept that does not have clear territorial boundaries, but also one of the administrative-territorial units of the country. How many lands in Russia today? Which one is the largest and which is the smallest? You will find answers to these questions in our article.
What is a land? All edges of Russia in historical context
The Territory is one of the units of the administrative-territorial structure used in some European countries (for example, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia), as well as in Russia. Also, this word is used to call any territory or locality. The word is often used in various phraseological units: “warm edges”, “native land”, etc.
Such a concept as “land” first appeared in the administrative division of Russia in the first half of the 19th century. By the end of the century before last, there were 14 lands in the empire. True, not all of these names were officially legalized. At the end of World War I and the Civil War, they were all either lost or eliminated.
The process of forming most of the modern regions of Russia began only after the end of World War II. The youngest in age are Krasnoyarsk (established in January 2007), Kamchatka (formed in July 2007) and Trans-Baikal (established in 2008) regions. Recently, a tendency toward enlargement of regions has been observed in the country, therefore, new transformations in the administrative-territorial structure are not ruled out in the future.
All regions of Russia: list
The Russian Federation today comprises 85 equal subjects of the federation. Among them are republics, regions, territories, cities of federal significance, as well as autonomous regions and districts. How many lands in Russia? There are nine in total. All regions of Russia have their own capital cities, legislative and executive bodies. They differ in size, population, economic specialization.
The following are the edges of Russia and their capital (indicated in parentheses) in order of decreasing area:
- Krasnoyarsk (Krasnoyarsk).
- Khabarovsk (Khabarovsk).
- Kamchatsky (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky).
- Transbaikal (Chita).
- Altai (Barnaul).
- Primorsky (Vladivostok).
- Perm (Perm).
- Krasnodar (Krasnodar).
- Stavropol (Stavropol).
Next, we will talk more about the smallest and largest region of the country.
Stavropol Territory - the smallest
As noted above, all the edges of Russia are significantly different from each other in area. So, the most tiny is Stavropol. Its area is 66.16 thousand square kilometers. But do not think that this is so small. On the territory of the Stavropol Territory, for example, such European states as Montenegro, Slovenia and Macedonia (all together) could be located.
Stavropol Territory is unique in terms of nature and geology. Millions of years ago, its territory was completely flooded by the waters of the ancient Middle Sarmatian Sea. Later, the sea “left”, leaving behind powerful deposits of shell rock and sand, which are being actively developed today.
Today, the Stavropol Territory is a densely populated region of Russia with developed electric power, engineering, chemical and food industries. Geographical location and climatic conditions contribute to the development of agriculture. The region is famous for its gardening, viticulture and poultry farming. Among other things, the region has one of the country's largest recreational and resort areas - the Caucasian Mineral Waters.
Krasnoyarsk Territory - the largest
The largest region in Russia is Krasnoyarsk. It occupies a vast territory of 2,876 thousand square kilometers. Its total area exceeds the area of such countries of the world as Argentina or Kazakhstan! The land was formed in 1934. Within its borders, it practically repeats the Yenisei province of the Russian Empire.
An interesting fact: in its area, the Krasnoyarsk Territory is 44 times higher than the Stavropol Territory. However, the population in both regions is approximately the same.
Krasnoyarsk Territory is a real ore treasury of Russia. In its bowels are concentrated 95% of the all-Russian reserves of nickel, about 40% of lead and 20% of gold. In addition, 25 large deposits of gas and oil have been explored within the region. Coal mining is ongoing on a massive scale. It is easy to assume which industries are most developed in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. These are non-ferrous metallurgy, oil production, energy, and also woodworking.