Islands of eastern siberia and the far east. Russian Far East

Occupies the most eastern part Russia, including the islands of Novosibirsk, Kuril, Sakhalin. This is the largest region in Russia, with an area of ​​6.2 million km2.

Composition: 10 subjects of the federation - Amur, Kamchatka, Magadan, Sakhalin regions, Primorsky, Khabarovsk territories, the Republic of Yakutia (Sakha), the European Autonomous Region, Chukotka and Koryak Autonomous Okrugs.

EGP is peculiar. Far East it is very remote from the main economic regions of the country, communication with them is difficult due to poor transport availability. On the other hand, the region has a wide access to and, the sea border with and, the land border with and, that is, an advantageous foreign trade position, being a link between Russia and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

The population is multinational, small in number, the average density is just over 1 person / km2. As in other eastern regions, the population is concentrated in the favorable southern part along. The level is 76%, one of the highest in Russia.

The ethnic composition of the population is very variegated, but Russians prevail everywhere. Their share reaches 88%, about 7% are. Koreans also live here,. In recent years, there has been a significant influx of Chinese. Indigenous peoples are represented (380 thousand people), in the north they live, and the Evens, the northeast occupy, the Aleuts, in Kamchatka - and the Itelmens, in the Amur basin and to the east of it - the Nanais, Ulchi, Orochi, terms, Udege, Nivkh. The number of each nation does not exceed 10 thousand people. (Evenks - 24 thousand people). Difficult conditions of residence was determined by the predominance of the urban population over the rural population, on average in the district - 76%.

Branches of specialization:

Mining. There are more than 70 types of minerals in the region, including 90% of Russian tungsten, 80% of tin, 98% of diamonds, 70% of gold, as well as polymetallic ores. There are rich deposits of oil and gas. Better quality coal is mined from the South Yakutsk and Lena basins.
developed in Primorye and Khabarovsk Territory. Plants for smelting tin, lead, zinc are located in Dalnegorsk and Khrustalinsk.
The timber and pulp and paper industry is concentrated in the south of the region, there are rich resources, including valuable broad-leaved (Blagoveshchensk, Lesozavodsk, Khabarovsk).
Fishing industry. The Far Eastern seas account for more than 60% of fish products and seafood (salmon fish, crabs, shrimp, squid, etc.). Centers: Sakhalin, Primorye, Kamchatka.
The hydro potential of the rivers Lena, Zeya, Bureya, Ussuri is enormous. A large role in the economy of the region belongs to the ports of Nakhodka, Vanino and others.

A large South Yakutsk TPK (ore, apatite, coal, timber, nonferrous metallurgy, and power engineering) is being created. Currently, only the most valuable products - non-ferrous metals and seafood - are supplied to the European part from the Far East, the rest is exported to Japan and other countries.

Far Eastern Federal District - the most remote region Russian Federation... It includes ten territorial units, including Sakhalin, Yakutia, Kamchatka Territory and Amur Region. The region is bordered by Korea, Japan, the USA and the PRC.

The active settlement of the land began in the 19th century, although it is known about many nationalities that have lived in the territory of the modern region since the Stone Age. Today, an impressive industrial complex has been created on the territory of the Far Eastern District. Demographic diversity is no less widespread.

Population of the Far East

The Far East is notable for its low population density. On an area of ​​6169.3 thousand sq. km (39% of the country's area) is home to about 7.6 million people (slightly more than 5% of the population of Russia). That is, the average population density is 1.2 people per square kilometer. For comparison, the population density in Central Russia is 46 people per sq. km. However, the distribution of the population across the regions is extremely uneven. For example, Primorsky Krai and southern Sakhalin differ in density of 12 people. per sq. km, the same figure in the Kamchatka or Magadan regions fluctuates between 0.2 and 0.3.

The demographic situation in the region is characterized by negative dynamics, however, the rapid development of the agro-industrial complex provokes mechanical population growth, and with it natural growth. The bulk of the population of the Far East is made up of Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars and Jews.

But special attention worthy of a galaxy of indigenous peoples: Nanais, Aleuts, Evenks, Chukchi, Eskimos and many others. The aforementioned rapid industrial development is negatively affecting the number of indigenous peoples. The habitat and traditions are gradually crumbling under the influence of the industry and culture of the Russians.

Industry of the Far East

The lands of the Far East are a rich storehouse of natural and fossil resources. The leading positions in the agro-industrial complex of the region are occupied by three industries: mining, forestry and fishing. The mining industry is focused on the extraction, enrichment and, in part, the processing of non-ferrous metal ores. Tin, mercury, lead, zinc, tungsten are supplied from the Far East to European Russia and for export. The volumes of extraction of gold, silver and diamonds are especially remarkable. At the moment, there are 827 mineral deposits in active development throughout the region. In the Magadan Region and Yakutia, mining accounts for 60% of the entire industry.

The vast expanses of the region are a place where about a quarter of all Russian timber reserves, or 20 billion cubic meters, are stored. These materials are used by many industry enterprises that produce paper, furniture, plywood. The main export of timber falls on the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, the Amur Region, Sakhalin and Yakutia.

The Far East is the leader among other regions of the country in fishing and seafood production. Canned Far Eastern products are well known in Russia and far beyond its borders. Among the main species of commercial fish, herring, pollock, tuna, and salmon are especially actively caught. In addition, crab, scallop, mussel, squid, caviar and seaweed are being actively caught.

Far East agriculture

The climate of the Far East region is diverse, but neither the Arctic, nor the subarctic, nor the maritime climate is suitable for the full development of agriculture. However, in the south of the region, in the Primorsky Territory and the Amur Region, about 2% of Russian arable land is located. Grain crops (rice, wheat, oats), fruit and vegetable crops are actively grown here. Of particular note is the cultivation of soybeans.

The livestock sector of agriculture is represented by meat and dairy cattle breeding and pig breeding. Reindeer husbandry and animal husbandry are actively developing in the northern regions of the region.

The Far East is located off the coast The Pacific and consists of mainland, peninsular and insular parts. In addition to the Kuril Islands, it also includes the Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin Island, the Commander Islands and other single islands located on the eastern borders of Russia.
The length of the Far East from the northeast (from Chukotka) to the southwest (to the borders of Korea and Japan) is 4.5 thousand kilometers. Its northern part is located above the Arctic Circle, so there is practically all year round there is snow, and the seas washing the coast are not completely cleared of ice even in summer. The land in the northern part of the Far East is bound by permafrost. The tundra dominates here. In the southern part of the Far East, conditions are much milder.

In the south of the Far East, mainly low and medium-altitude mountain ranges, such as Bureinsky and Dzhugdzhur, prevail. In the north, there are highlands (Kolyma, Chukotka) and plateaus (Anadyr), which have arisen as a result of volcanic activity. Plains occupy only a quarter of the territory of the Far East. Basically, they are located in those parts of the coast where tectonic activity is low, as well as in intermontane depressions, so their area is relatively small.

The climate of Kamchatka, of course, cannot be compared with the climatic conditions of the Mediterranean resorts, there are quite cool and rainy summers here. There is another interesting feature of the peninsula, in winter an area of ​​increased pressure forms over the central part, so the winds blow from here to the outskirts, that is, not from the sea, but, on the contrary, towards it to the east and west.
But climatic "disadvantages" are more than compensated by the beauty of Kamchatka nature. Just imagine the pictures, from sea terraces giving way to alpine meadows with luxurious tall grasses of intermountains and going first into sparse forests of stone birch passing in places into lush thickets of alder and dwarf cedar, add to these beauties volcanic hills, mesmerizing snowy peaks of the mountain range and valleys on every now and then the fountains emanate in puffs of steam. From fauna abodes, here you can find brown bear, and reindeer, and bighorn sheep, and Kamchatka sable, but there is especially a great variety of ubiquitous squirrels here. It is impossible not to mention the richness of the seas washing the coast of Kamchatka: crabs, cod, Pacific herring, navaga, pink salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon and many other types of fish, which abound not only in the seas, but also in local shops.
But, perhaps, let's leave geography alone and move on to the essence of our story - geysers. Of course, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, and Iceland can boast of hot water fountains. New Guinea and California and Tibet and North America, but we'll talk about our Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka.
Periodically gushing hot springs - geysers, are common in areas where volcanic activity exists or has recently stopped.

Magadan Region
The region is located on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean.
¾ the territory is occupied by tundra and forest-tundra.
The main rivers of the region: Kolyma, Ayan-Yuryakh.

The southernmost of the Russian Far Eastern ones lies between the mainland of Asia and the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese ones, separating it from other Pacific seas and the ocean itself.
Natural boundaries prevail in the Sea of ​​Japan, but in some areas it is limited by conventional lines.
In the north, the border between the Sea of ​​Japan and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk runs along the line of Cape Sushcheva - Cape Tyk.
In the La Perouse Strait, the border is the line of Cape Crillon - Cape Soya. In the Sangar Strait, the border runs along the line of Cape Syria - Cape Esan, and in the Korea Strait along the line of Cape Nomo (Kyushu Island) - Cape Fukae (Goto Island) - Island. Jeju-do is the Korean Peninsula.

Within these boundaries, the sea is enclosed between parallels 51 ° 45 'and 34 ° 26' s. NS. and meridians 127 ° 20 'and 142 ° 15' in. etc.

Usually, highest peaks Sikhote-Alin have a sharply delineated contour and are covered with large-stone placers over vast areas. The relief forms are reminiscent of badly destroyed circuses and punishments of mountain glaciation.

They are composed of sandy-shale deposits with numerous intrusion breakthroughs, which led to the presence of deposits of gold, tin and base metals. In tectonic depressions within the Sikhote-Alin, there are deposits of hard and brown coal.

Basalt plateaus are common in the foothills, of which the largest plateau in area is to the west of Sovetskaya Gavan. Sites of the plateau are also found on the main watershed. The largest is the Zevinsky plateau, on the divide between the upper reaches of the Bikin and the rivers flowing into the Tatar Strait. In the south and east, Sikhote-Alin is a steep mid-mountain range, in the west there are numerous longitudinal valleys and hollows, at heights of more than 900 m - char. In general, Sikhote-Alin has an asymmetrical cross-section. The western macroslope is gentler than the eastern one. Accordingly, the rivers flowing to the west are longer. This feature is reflected in the very name of the ridge. Translated from the Manchu language - the ridge of the large western rivers.

Snow Mountain

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND PHOTOS:
Team nomad
Far East.

The territory of the Russian Far East is a geographic zone that includes areas in the river basins that flow into the Pacific Ocean. This also includes the Kuril, Shantar and Commander Islands, Sakhalin and Wrangel islands. Further, this part of the Russian Federation will be described in detail, as well as some cities of the Far East of Russia (a list of the largest will be given in the text).

Population

The territory of the Russian Far East is considered the most depopulating in the country. It is home to about 6.3 million people. This is approximately 5% of the total population of the Russian Federation. During 1991-2010, the number of inhabitants decreased by 1.8 million. As for the population growth rate in the Far East, it is -3.9 in the Primorsky Territory, 1.8 in the Sakha Republic, 0.7 in the Jewish Autonomous Region, 1.3 in the Khabarovsk Territory, 7.8 in Sakhalin, 17.3 in the Magadan Region, and the Amur Region. - 6, Kamchatka Territory - 6.2, Chukotka - 14.9. If the existing trends continue, Chukotka will remain without population in 66 years, and Magadan in 57.

Subjects

The Russian Far East covers an area of ​​6169.3 thousand kilometers. This is about 36% of the entire country. Transbaikalia is often referred to the Far East. This is due to its geographical location, as well as to the activity of migration. The following regions of the Far East are administratively distinguished: Amur, Magadan, Sakhalin, Jewish Autonomous regions, Kamchatka, Khabarovsk territories. The Far Eastern Federal District also includes the Primorsky Territory,

History of the Russian Far East

In the 1-2 millennium BC, the Amur region was inhabited by various tribes. The peoples of the Russian Far East today are not as diverse as they were in those days. The population then consisted of Daurs, Udege, Nivkh, Evenk, Nanai, Oroch, etc. The main occupations of the population were fishing and hunting. The most ancient settlements of Primorye, which date back to the Paleolithic era, were discovered near the Nakhodka region. In the Stone Age, Itelmens, Ainu and Koryaks settled on the territory of Kamchatka. By the middle of the 19th century, Evenks began to appear here. In the 17th century, the Russian government began to expand Siberia and the Far East. 1632 was the year of the foundation of Yakutsk. Under the leadership of the Cossack Semyon Shelkovnikov, a winter hut was organized on the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in 1647. Today the Russian port of Okhotsk stands at this place.

The development of the Russian Far East continued. So, to mid XVII centuries, the explorers Khabarov and Poyarkov went south from the Yakutsk prison. On and Zeya, they faced tribes who paid tribute to the Chinese Qing empire. As a result of the first conflict between the countries, the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed. In accordance with it, the Cossacks had to transfer the regions formed on the lands of the Albazin Voivodeship to the Ch'ing Empire. In accordance with the agreement, diplomatic and trade relations were determined. The border under the agreement passed in the north along the river. Gorbitsa and the mountain ranges of the Amur basin. Uncertainty remained in the area of ​​the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The territories between the Taikansky and Kivun ridges were undifferentiated. By the end of the 17th century, the Russian Cossacks Kozyrevsky and Atlasov began researching the Kamchatka Peninsula. In the first half of the 18th century, it was incorporated into Russia.

18th century

In 1724, Peter I sent the first expedition to the Kamchatka Peninsula. It was headed. Thanks to the work of researchers, Russian science received the most valuable information about the eastern part of Siberia. We are talking, in particular, about the modern Magadan and Kamchatka regions. New maps appeared, the coordinates of the Far Eastern coast and the strait were precisely determined, which was later named Beringov. In 1730, a second expedition was organized. It was led by Chirikov and Bering. The mission of the expedition was to reach the coast of America. Interest, in particular, was represented by Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. Chichagov, Steller, Krasheninnikov began to study Kamchatka in the 18th century.

19th century

During this period, the active development of the Russian Far East began. This was largely due to the weakening of the Qing empire. She was involved in 1 Opium War in 1840. Military operations against the combined army of France and England in the areas of Guangzhou and Macau demanded large material and human resources... In the north, China was left virtually without any cover, and Russia took advantage of this. She, along with other European powers, participated in the partition of the weakening Qing empire. In 1850, Lieutenant Nevelskoy landed at the mouth of the Amur. There he established a military post. Convinced that the Qing government did not recover from the consequences of the opium war and was bound in its actions by the flaring up and, accordingly, could not give an adequate answer to the claims of Russia, Nevelskoy decided to declare the coast of Tatar Prospect and the mouth of the Amur as domestic possessions.

In 1854, on May 14, Count Muravyov, who had information received from Nevelskoy about the absence of Chinese military units, organized a rafting down the river. The expedition included the steamship "Argun", 29 rafts, 48 ​​boats and about 800 people. During the rafting, ammunition, troops and food were delivered. Part of the military went to Kamchatka by sea to strengthen the Peter and Paul garrison. The rest remained for the implementation of the plan for the study of the Amur region on the former Chinese territory. A year later, the second rafting was organized. It was attended by about 2.5 thousand people. By the end of 1855, several settlements were organized in the lower reaches of the Amur: Sergeevskoe, Novo-Mikhailovskoe, Bogorodskoe, Irkutskoe. In 1858, the right bank was officially annexed to Russia in accordance with the Aigun Treaty. On the whole, it should be said that Russia's policy in the Far East was not aggressive. Agreements were signed with other states without the use of military force.

Physical and geographical location

The Far East of Russia in the extreme south borders on the DPRK, in the southeast with Japan. In the extreme northeast in the Bering Strait - with the United States. Another state with which the Far East (Russia) borders is China. In addition to the administrative division, there is one more division of the Far Eastern Federal District. So, the so-called regions of the Russian Far East are distinguished. These are fairly large areas. Northeastern Siberia, the first of them, approximately corresponds to the eastern part of Yakutia (mountainous regions to eastbound from Aldan and Lena). The North Pacific country is the second zone. It includes the eastern parts of the Magadan Region, the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, and the northern parts of the Khabarovsk Territory. It also includes the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. The Amur-Sakhalin country includes the Jewish Autonomous Region, the Amur Region, and the southern part of the Khabarovsk Territory. It also includes Sakhalin Island and Primorsky Krai. Yakutia is part of Central and Southern Siberia, except for its eastern part.

Climate

It should be said here that the Russian Far East has a fairly large extent. This explains the special contrast of the climate. Throughout Yakutia and in the Kolyma regions of the Magadan region, for example, sharply continental prevails. And in the southeast there is a monsoon type of climate. This difference is determined by the interaction of sea and continental air masses in temperate latitudes. The south is characterized by a sharply monsoon climate and a maritime and monsoon climate for the north. This is the result of the interaction of land and the Pacific Ocean. The Sea of ​​Okhotsk, as well as the Primorskoe cold current along the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan, have a particular effect on the climate. Of no small importance in this area is also mountainous relief... In the continental part of the Far Eastern Federal District, winters with little snow and frosty.

Weather features

Summers are hot enough here, but relatively short. As for the coastal regions, winters here are snowy and mild, spring is cold and long, warm and long autumn and relatively cool summer. Cyclones, fogs, typhoons and heavy heavy rains are frequent on the coast. The height of snowfall in Kamchatka can reach six meters. The closer to the southern regions, the higher the air humidity becomes. So, in the south of Primorye, it is quite often set at around 90%. Prolonged rains take place almost throughout the entire territory of the Far East in summer. This, in turn, causes systematic flooding of rivers, flooding of agricultural land and residential buildings. In the Far East, there are long periods of sunny and clear weather. At the same time, continuous rains for several days are considered quite common. The Far East of Russia differs in this kind of diversity from the "gray" European part of the Russian Federation. Dust storms also occur in the central part of the Far Eastern Federal District. They come from the deserts of North China and Mongolia. A significant part of the Far East is equated with or is the Far North (except for the Jewish Autonomous Region, the south of the Amur Region, the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories).

Natural resources

In the Far East, the reserves of raw materials are quite large. This allows him to be in the leading places in the Russian economy in a number of positions. So, the Far East in the all-Russian production accounts for 98% of diamonds, 80% of tin, 90% of boric raw materials, 14% of tungsten, 50% of gold, more than 40% of seafood and fish, 80% of soybeans, 7% of cellulose, 13% of wood. Among the main industries of the Far Eastern Federal District, it should be noted the extraction and processing of non-ferrous metal, pulp and paper, fishing, timber industry, ship repair and shipbuilding.

Industries

In the Far East, the main income comes from the forestry, fishing industry, mining, and non-ferrous metals. These industries account for more than half of all marketable products. Manufacturing spheres of activity are considered to be underdeveloped. When exporting raw materials, the region incurs losses in the form of added value. The remoteness of the Far Eastern Federal District leads to significant transport margins. They are reflected in the cost indicators of many economic sectors.

Mineral resources

In terms of their reserves, the Far East occupies a leading position in the Russian Federation. In terms of volume, tin, boron, and antimony available here make up about 95% of the total amount of these resources in the country. Fluorspar and mercury account for about 60%, tungsten - 24%, iron ore, apatite, native sulfur and lead - 10%. In the Sakha Republic, in its northwestern part, there is a diamond province, the largest in the world. The Aikhal, Mir, and Udachnoye deposits account for over 80% of the total diamond reserves in Russia. The confirmed reserves of iron ore in the south of Yakutia amount to more than 4 billion tons. This is about 80% of the regional volume. These reserves are also significant in the Jewish Autonomous Region. In the South Yakutsk and Lena basins there are large deposits coal. Its deposits are also present in the Khabarovsk, Primorsky Territories, and the Amur Region. Placer and ore deposits of gold have been discovered and are being developed in the Sakha Republic, Magadan Region. Similar deposits were found in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky regions. Tungsten and tin ore deposits are being developed in the same territories. Lead and zinc reserves are concentrated mostly in the Primorsky Territory. A titanium ore province has been identified in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Amur Region. In addition to the above, there are also deposits of nonmetallic raw materials. These are, in particular, reserves of limestone, refractory clays, graphite, sulfur, quartz sands.

Geostrategic position

The Far Eastern Federal District is of major geopolitical importance for the Russian Federation. There is access to two oceans here: the Arctic and the Pacific. Given the high rates of development of the Asia-Pacific Region, integration into the Far Eastern Federal District is very promising for the fatherland. With a reasonable conduct of its activities, the Far East can become a "bridge" in the APR.

Russian Far East cities: list

These cities of the Russian Far East are of great economic and geostrategic importance for the Russian Federation. Blagoveshchensk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Nakhodka, Ussuriisk are considered very promising. Yakutsk is of particular importance for the entire region. It should be noted that there are also endangered settlements. Most of them are located in Chukotka. This is mainly due to the inaccessibility of areas and severe weather conditions.

From ancient times to the beginning of development

17th century

In the 17th century. Russian colonization of Siberia and the Far East began. Yakutsk was founded.

Physical and geographical location

physical geography

The Far East is located in 3 time zones, from +10 to +12 UTC.

Climate

The climate of the Far East is distinguished by a special contrast - from sharply continental (all of Yakutia, Kolyma regions of the Magadan region) to monsoon (southeast), which is due to the huge length of the territory from north to south (almost 4500 km.) And from west to east (by 2500-3000 km.). This is determined by the interaction of continental and sea air masses of temperate latitudes. The most significant differences between the Far East and Siberia are associated with the prevalence of a monsoon climate in the south and a monsoon and marine climate in the north, which is the result of the interaction between the Pacific Ocean and the land of North Asia. The impact and marginal seas The Pacific Ocean, especially the cold Sea of ​​Okhotsk. The complex, predominantly mountainous relief has a great influence on the climate.

Natural resources

The Far East is one of the richest raw materials regions of Russia and the world. This gives it the opportunity to occupy an important place in the country's economy in a number of raw materials positions. So, in the all-Russian production of certain resources, the Far East accounts for (%): diamonds - 98, tin - 80, boric raw materials - 90, gold - 50, tungsten - 14, fish and seafood - more than 40, soybeans - 80, wood - 13, cellulose - 7. The main branches of the Far East specialization: mining and processing of non-ferrous metals, diamond mining, fishing, timber, pulp and paper industries, shipbuilding, ship repair. These factors, when focusing on the domestic market, determined the role of the Far East within Russia.

The predominantly extractive industries developed here - fishing, forestry, non-ferrous metal mining, which account for more than half of the marketable output. Manufacturing industries are extremely poorly developed. By exporting raw materials, the region loses potential income in the form of added value. Its remoteness leads to significant transport allowances, which are reflected in the cost indicators of most sectors of the economy. The entire economy of the region is developing, as it were, with an increased coefficient of friction.

The Far East has the largest reserves of mineral resources, in terms of the volume of reserves of which the region occupies a leading place in Russia. Far Eastern reserves of antimony, boron, tin make up about 95% of all reserves of these resources in Russia, fluorspar and - up to 60%, tungsten - 24% and about 10% of all-Russian reserves of iron ore, lead, native sulfur, apatite. The world's largest diamond province is located in the northwest of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia): the Mir, Aikhal, and Udachnoye diamond deposits account for over 80% of Russia's diamond reserves. Confirmed reserves of iron ores in the south of Yakutia amounted to more than 4 billion tons (about 80% of the regional), significant reserves of these ores in the Jewish Autonomous Region.

Large coal reserves are located in the Lensk and South Yakutsk Basins (Yakutia), in the Amur Region, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. The Far East region is one of the most important gold-bearing regions of Russia. Ore and alluvial gold deposits are concentrated in the Republic of Sakha, Magadan, Amur regions, Khabarovsk Territory and Kamchatka. Tin and tungsten ores have been discovered and developed in the Republic of Sakha, Magadan Region, Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. The main industrial reserves of lead and zinc (up to 80% of the total regional) are concentrated in the Primorsky Territory.

A large titanium ore province (Kalarsko-Dzhugdzhurskaya) has been identified on the territory of the Amur Region and the Khabarovsk Territory. The main deposits of mercury are located in the Magadan Region, Chukotka, Yakutia and the Khabarovsk Territory. In addition to the above, there are reserves of non-metallic raw materials: limestone, marl, refractory clays, quartz sands, sulfur, graphite. In Tommot, on the upper Aldan, unique deposits of mica have been explored. Forest resources.

Timber, woodworking and pulp and paper industries. The reserves of the forest resources of the Far East are large and varied (about 11 billion cubic meters). Forests here account for over 35% of the total Russian resources.

Geopolitical position

The Far Eastern region, of course, is of great geopolitical and geostrategic importance for Russia.

Firstly, the region has access to two oceans: the Pacific and the Arctic, borders on five states (China, Japan, USA, Mongolia, North Korea).

Secondly, the region possesses enormous natural resources, for example, about 1/3 of all the country's coal reserves and hydrotechnical resources. Woodlands occupy about 30% of the total forest area in Russia. The region has reserves of iron ores, gold, silver, platinum, copper ores, polymetallic ores, and platinum.

Third, given the high rates of development of the APR both in the economic and military fields, integration into the region is very promising for Russia. The RDC can serve as that "bridge" in the APR with a reasonably pursued policy.

For comparison, the closest neighbor of the Russian Far East, Japan, has a small territory of 377 thousand km² (61st place in the world in terms of territory), and the population of Japan is 127.5 million people. (10th place in the world in terms of population, immediately behind Russia). The population density of Japan is 337.4 people / km² (18th in the world in terms of population density).

More than one hundred million people live in the three provinces of Northeast China, while on the other side of the border, in an area of ​​6.2 million square kilometers of the Far Eastern Federal District, the population has decreased from about 9 million in 1991 to 6 million. in 2011, and by 2015 the federal district may lose another 500 thousand population.

One of the reasons for the active development of partnership between Russia and the European Union, the result of which should be, proposed by Vladimir Putin, the creation of an economic alliance located on the territory from Vladivostok to Lisbon, is the economic development of the Far Eastern territories. Russia, still highly dependent on the commodity market, and de-industrialized Europe can help each other and use the advantages of both economies

Also one of economic partners Russia could become Japan - with huge financial, economic and technological resources (Japan ranks second in the world, after the United States, in terms of nominal GDP, which is more than $ 5 trillion), and is in dire need of natural resources and new markets sales for the development of their economy.

Population

The population of the Far Eastern Federal District as of January 1, 2012 was estimated at 6,265,833 people; this is 0.3% less than in 2011. Demographic losses, in contrast to the rest of the federal districts of the Russian Federation, are mainly due to the migration outflow of the population.

At present, the birth rate in the Okrug exceeds the death rate (that is, there is a natural increase in the population). In January-October 2012, the birth rate in the Far Eastern Federal District was 13.9 per 1000 people, the death rate - 13.1, the natural growth rate - 0.8. At the same time, the birth rate in the Far Eastern Federal District is higher than the national average, and the mortality rate is lower. Compared to the previous year, there is an increase in the birth rate, a drop in mortality and an increase in the rate of natural increase. At the same time, at present, the migration outflow of the population remains, which exceeds the natural increase, therefore, the population is decreasing.

The average life expectancy of the Okrug population in 2009 was 66 years, including 60 years for men, 72 years for women, 67 years for the urban population, and 64 years for the rural population. The life expectancy of the Okrug's population has been constantly growing in recent years; in 2004-2009 it has grown by 3.6 years.

One of the main features of the historical Far East in terms of demography is the small population in comparison with the total area of ​​the territory. This situation is explained by the harsh natural and climatic conditions and the position in relation to the transport arteries. Therefore, for a long time, in order to retain the population and attract labor, special benefits and wage increases were in effect. However, due to the termination of state support after the collapse of the USSR, the population began to decline rapidly: from 8 million people. in 1991 to 6,284 thousand people at the beginning of 2011. The average population density in the Primorsky Territory is about 13.5 people per sq. km, in the Khabarovsk Territory - 2.0, in the Jewish Autonomous Region - 5.7, in the Amur Region - 2.8, in Yakutia - 0.3, in Chukotka - 0.1. Depopulation, which previously occurred in the country as a whole, hit the Far East (and Siberia) most strongly, as did the system-wide economic and social crisis. An alternative opinion of K. Gaddy and F. Hill, authors of the book "The Siberian Curse", is that the Far East overpopulated in comparison with similar regions of Canada and Alaska, given the climate and distance from the main centers of the population; Such an opinion, however, has been repeatedly criticized both for anti-Russian sentiments and for the inherently incorrect conclusions expressing "sincere delusions of the authors, and not their bias."

In 2012, population growth is observed in the cities of Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Chukotka, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Although the entire Far East is depopulating in 2012, the depopulation is decreasing. ...

In 2007, the opinion was expressed that if extraordinary measures are not taken, in the period 2015-2025 the region may fall into a “demographic hole”.

Table 1. Demographic development of the Far East for 1985-2003.

Index	1985 year	1991 year	1993 year	2003 r.
Population, thousand people (as of 01.01)	7462,1	8056,6	7899,6	6634,1
Born, thousand people	138,6	110,0	82,1	77,0
Fertility rate	18,3	13,7	10,5	11,6
Total fertility rate	2.08 (1989-1990)	1,843	1,44	1.29 (2001)
Died, thousand people	63,3	67,9	92,3	98,9
Mortality rate	8,3	8,6	11,8	14,9
Infant mortality rate	23,0	18,7	21,2	15,9
Natural population growth, thousand people	75,3	41,2	-10,2	-22,0
Natural growth rate	10,0	5,1	-1,3	-3,3
Migration balance, thousand people	43,5	-65,4	-101	-23,6
General increase (decrease) of the population, thousand people)	118,8	-24,2	-111,2	-45,6

A significant problem is the migration loss in the Far East, although in general, there is a migration growth of the population in Russia. In 2008, the overall coefficient of migration growth was -30.5 per 1000 people, in 2009 - -27.8, in 2011 - -2.8. Thus, the scale of the migration loss of the population is decreasing. According to the director of the Far Eastern Research Institute of the Market, Professor Vadim Zausaev, this is because the “most ambitious” have already left. According to a poll among residents of the district, which was reported in 2011, 19.3% of respondents expressed a desire to live in another city; 17.2 would like to live in another country.

In 2007, it was argued that the attractiveness of the region is not facilitated by the low growth of GRP and population incomes compared to the national average, especially since demographic problems are also felt in other regions of Russia, although not in such a catastrophic manner. At the same time, since 2009, the district has overtaken Russia in terms of GRP growth. According to Viktor Ishaev, Minister for the Development of the Far East, Far Easterners work 30% more and more intensively than other Russians; and although wage is often higher in the Far East, taking into account purchasing power parity and high cost life, in general, the standard of living in the Far Eastern Federal District is lower than the average in Russia. Small [ clarify] provision with a mass of commodities, the higher the number of the poor.

The ratio of men and women (as of 2002) differed from the situation in the country as a whole: if in Russia there were 113 women for every 100 males (in 1996), then in the Primorsky Territory the ratio was 100: 102, in the Amur Region - 100: 101, in the Khabarovsk Territory - 100: 103

Table 2. Life expectancy (1999 data)

Territory	1989-1990	1995 year	2000 year	2010 r.
Russian Federation	69,4	64,6	65,3	66,5
Russian Far East	67,6	62,3	63,9	65
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)	66,9	62,7	64,6	65,6
Jewish Autonomous Region	…	61,1	62,5	63,6
Chukotka Autonomous District	…	62,6	66,9	68,1
Primorsky Krai	67,9	63,4	64	65,2
Khabarovsk region	67,3	63,1	63,4	64,6
Amurskaya Oblast	68,2	63,7	63,1	64,3
Kamchatka Krai	66,1	61,6	64,2	65,4
Magadan Region	67	61	65	66,7
Sakhalin Region	67,3	55,3	63,9	65,6

According to data for the mid-1990s [ clarify] the labor force of the region is estimated at only 3 million people. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the nature of the resource economy and resource production as an extreme, uncomfortable work, it requires a specific work force having a short life cycle and which needs to be constantly replaced. ... As a result, there is a shortage of workers.

Against this background, the educational potential seems to be clearly excessive: today 100% of schoolchildren can enter a university, however, upon graduation, they cannot find a job in their specialty and leave.

The area of ​​housing per capita in the Okrug in 2010 was 21.8 m² per person (the national average is 22.6 m²), which is higher than in the Siberian and North Caucasian Federal Districts, but less than in other districts. At the same time, the provision with housing is growing at an outstripping pace, for 1990-2010 the area of ​​housing per capita in the Far Eastern Federal District increased by 7.5 m² (on average in Russia - by 6.2 m²). ...

According to the data for 2005, only Chukotka and Yakutia budgets included expenses to reduce depopulation; housing construction and preferential lending are underdeveloped in the okrug.

The issue of Chinese migration to the Russian Far East

Main article: The issue of Chinese migration to the Russian Far East

Mass migration to Russia began after the signing of an agreement on visa-free travel to border cities in 1992. The newcomers are mainly from the border counties of Heilongjiang Province. The majority of migrants are men aged 20 to 50 (data for 2002) with low incomes. The main areas of employment are construction, industry, agriculture and general commercial activity... According to a number of experts, the proximity of overpopulated China could lead to serious geopolitical problems for Russia in the Far East.

Ways to solve problems

As a solution to a whole range of demographic problems, experts suggest pursuing a protectionist policy:

• revitalization of economic and social life region
• establishing control over prices (for electricity, for travel)
• consolidation of the old-time population and other measures.

Economy

In 2009, the district's gross regional product (GRP) per capita was 268 thousand rubles, which is 19% higher than the same indicator for Russia as a whole. In 2010, 80% of the region's GRP was produced on the territory of four subjects: Primorsky Territory (21.7%), Sakhalin Region (20.6%), Yakutia (19.4%) and Khabarovsk Territory (18.2%). According to the List of Russian regions by GRP for 2009, these subjects are above the average Russian level.

In the 2000s, the economy of the Far Eastern Federal District is experiencing steady growth, which has not been interrupted even during the period of the global economic crisis 2008-2009. From 1999 to 2010, the gross regional product of the Far Eastern Federal District grew by 73%. At the same time, since 2009, the growth of the district's GRP has outpaced the national average. So, in 2009, the GRP of the Far Eastern Federal District grew by 1.5% (Russian - decreased by 7.6%), in 2010 - by 6.8% (Russian - by 4.6%). In 2011, the volume of GRP increased by 5.4% compared to 2010 and amounted to 2.3 trillion rubles. Industrial production from the 1990 level on average in Russia is 80.7%, and in the Far East - 103%.

Sectoral structure of the district GRP (according to data for 2010):

• Agriculture and forestry, fishing - 6.5%
• Mineral extraction - 24.7%
• Manufacturing industry - 5.6%
• Production and distribution of electricity, gas and water - 4.2%
• Construction - 12.2%
• Trade - 10.2%
• Hotels and restaurants - 0.8%
• Transport and communications - 13.4%
• Education and healthcare - 7.7%
• Finance and Services - 7.3%
• Public administration and military security - 7.4%

The economy of the Far East is developing from a focal state, infrastructurally and economically isolated from the main part of Russia, to large investment projects based on public-private partnerships. The investment portfolio until 2025 is planned in the amount of RUB 9 trillion. The main tasks of the development of the Far East are the formation of a permanent population in the region, leveling the conditions for functioning, changing the structure of the economy and integration into the APR. Today, all regions of the Far East are subsidized.

Mining

There are 827 fields in operation on the territory. A significant share is represented by diamonds, gold, silver, non-ferrous metals: tin, lead, mining chemical and mining raw materials: boron, fluorspar.

Timber industry

The Far East has a resource base of about 20 billion cubic meters of commercial timber, which is a quarter of Russian reserves. The recycling rate is around 30%. 12 large projects are being implemented to create new enterprises in the field of wood processing, which will create more than 5 thousand jobs.

Investments

The volume of investments in fixed assets in the Okrug in 2010 amounted to 726 billion rubles or 115 thousand rubles per capita. The volume of investments per capita in the Far Eastern Federal District is almost two times higher than the average Russian level.

In the first half of 2011, the economy of the Far East received $ 5.7 billion of foreign investment, with an increase of 1.8 times over the corresponding period of 2010. However, this is only 6.5% of all foreign investments attracted to Russia. The main investors in the Far East in the period from 2002 to 2009 are the Netherlands - 49.2% of accumulated foreign investments, Japan - 12.1%, Great Britain - 8.8%, India - 3.7%, Bahamas - 6% and Cyprus - 3.2%. Mining remains the most attractive industry for foreign investors, where almost 90% of their investments are directed. Despite the capital inflow, according to academician Pavel Minakir, “the economy of the Far East is extremely ineffective ... the return on these investments is minimal. Over the past 40 years, the return on each ruble invested has been 18 kopecks. "

According to V.I. Ishaev, the volume of investments in the Far East in 2011 amounted to at least 1 trillion rubles, including public funds and investments of companies.

Population income

The average salary, pension and income of the population of the Okrug are ahead of the average Russian indicators. In 2010, the average salary in the Far Eastern Federal District was 25.8 thousand rubles per month (23% higher than the average in Russia), the average income was 20.8 thousand rubles per month (10% higher than the average in Russia), the average pension was 8.9 thousand rubles. From 2000 to 2010, the average nominal salary and average income in the district increased 8 times, and the pension - 9 times.

The cost of the minimum set of food products in the Far Eastern Federal District is 35% higher than the average in Russia (as of mid-2011), the cost of a fixed set of consumer goods and services for interregional comparisons of the purchasing power of the population - by 28% (at the end of 2010).

Modernization

Conditions for economic modernization are:

• attracting private investment to the region using the principle of public-private partnership
• special economic zones regimes
• tax preferences for investors
• stimulating domestic demand and increasing the purchasing power of the population

The existing problems for investment in the region are:

• remoteness of the territories of the Far East
• harsh climatic conditions
• lack or limited road infrastructure
• lack or complete lack of power supply
• clumsy bureaucratic mechanism (solving almost all issues through Moscow)
• legislative gaps and inconsistencies

Administrative division

Largest cities

Small administrative centers

1. Magadan is the administrative center of the Magadan Region. Population ▼ 95,925 (2010).
2. Birobidzhan is the administrative center of the Jewish autonomous region... Population ▼ 75 419 people (2010).
3. Anadyr is the administrative center of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Population ▲ 13,053 people. (2010).

Far East radio stations

• Radio East of Russia - (Khabarovsk)
• Vladivostok FM - (Vladivostok)
• Radio VBC (Vladivostok)
• Radio Lemma - (Vladivostok)
• Radio Ussuri - (Ussuriysk)
• Radio 105.5 - (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk)
• Fresh FM - (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk)
• Radio SV - (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky)
• Radio Blizzard - (Anadyr)
• Radio Victoria - (Yakutsk)
• Kiin Radio - (Yakutsk)
• Sakhaly Victoria Radio - (Yakutsk)
• STV-Radio - (Yakutsk)
• FM Birobidzhan - (Birobidzhan)
• Radio Dacha - (Khabarovsk)

Internet

The coverage of the population of the Far East with the Internet is almost 50% (2012).

Transport

The general level of development of the transport network in the region is extremely low, in fact, only in the south of the region in the Amur Region, Primorye and Sakhalin there is a network of railways and highways. The northern regions have practically no infrastructure. The level of development of transport infrastructure in the Far East is the lowest in Russia, which hinders supply and greatly increases transport costs and production costs.

The network of paved roads in the Far East is 5.3 km per 1000 km², on average in Russia - 31.7 km per 1000 km².

Rail transport is the main type of mainline transport. It accounts for over 80% of cargo turnover and about 40% of the internal passenger turnover in the territory. The total length of the road network is 41.5 thousand km. The number of civil aviation aerodromes is 107. There are 28 seaports in operation. The main ports are Vostochny, Nakhodka, Vladivostok, Vanino and De-Kastri. There is a ferry service Vanino-Kholmsk.

The Far East has the highest indicator among the districts of Russia in terms of the provision of cars and is ahead of the average Russian indicator: there are 329 passenger cars per thousand inhabitants.

• The Trans-Siberian Railway, the greatest and longest railway in Russia, runs through the Far East.
• The Baikal-Amur Mainline, the mainline of Eastern Siberia, was built on the territory of the Far East.
• The construction of a new Amuro-Yakutsk railway line from Skovorodino to Yakutsk is nearing completion.
• The federal highway Amur passes through the Far East along the route Chita - Skovorodino - Svobodny - Birobidzhan - Khabarovsk.
• The Kolyma federal highway passes along the Yakutsk - Magadan route.
• The Ussuri federal highway passes along the Khabarovsk - Vladivostok route.
• It was planned to build a federal highway Vostok along the Khabarovsk - Nakhodka route in the second half of the 20th century.
• A tunnel through the Bering Strait, the Sakhalin tunnel and the Sakhalin-Hokkaido tunnel are under discussion.
• The construction of the Sakhalin - Khabarovsk - Vladivostok gas pipeline and the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean oil pipeline is underway.

Far East Airlines

• Khabarovsk Airlines based in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.
• Vostok Airlines based in Khabarovsk, small airport.

Interesting facts about the Far East

Mobile operators of the Far East

see also

• Ministry for the Development of the Far East of the Russian Federation

Notes (edit)

1. Russian Far East in the encyclopedia Around the World
2. Ekaterina Motrich: We are getting smaller and smaller.
3. Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation - Program "Economic and social development of the Far East and Transbaikalia for the period up to 2013"
4. Server of the Government of the Khabarovsk Territory - Socio-economic development strategy of the Khabarovsk Territory and Transbaikalia
5. Atlas of Asian Russia. - St. Petersburg: Edition of the Resettlement Administration, 1914. - P. 14.
6. TSB: USSR. Physico-geographical (natural) countries
7. N. A. Gvozdetsky, I. I. Mikhailov. physical geography THE USSR. Asian part. Publishing house 3. M .: "Mysl", 1978, pp. 387, 410.
8. Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin Provinces.
9. Lintner, Bertil (2006-05-27), "" The Chinese are coming ... to Russia "", Asia Times Online, ... Retrieved January 18, 2009.
10. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" - Economy of the Far East No. 5623. 03.11.2011. Packing suitcases. The authorities are still powerless to stop the migration of the population from the district
11. Chinese language tutor.
12. Center for Political Technologies.
13. Stephen J. Blank Toward a New Chinese Order in Asia: Russia’s Failure NBR Reports (Mar 2011)
14. Russian experts deny that there is a threat of Chinese immigrants to the Russian Far East. 03/06/2009 // People's Daily
15. Chinese sword
16. Zbigniew Brzezinski: Russia risks turning into empty space
17. News article on "Lenta. Ru ":" Putin offered Europe an economic alliance from Vladivostok to Lisbon "- 25.11.2010
18. CIA - The World Factbook - Field Listing :: GDP (official exchange rate)
19. Estimation of the resident population as of January 1, 2011, as of January 1, 2012 and on average for 2011. Goskomstat
20. http://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=15586340
21. Demographic Perspectives of the Russian Far East (copy)
22. Population of the Russian Far East
23. Interregional Association for Economic Cooperation Far East and Transbaikalia - Types of economic activities
24. Information on the number of registered births, deaths, marriages and divorces for January - October 2012. Goskomstat
25. Life expectancy at birth (value of the indicator per year, year)
26. Economic organization of Chinese migration to the Russian Far East after the collapse of the USSR
27. Migration situation in the Far East and Russian policy. Scientific Papers / Carnegie Center, Issue 7, February 1996.
28. The authorities are still powerless to stop the outflow of population from the Far East - Tatyana Aleksandrova, Inna Glebova, Irina Drobysheva - “Packing suitcases” - Russian Ha ...
29. China and the Russian Far East: on the issue of demographic imbalance
30. Russia: the danger of losing Siberia and the Far East in the light of demography and geopolitics
31. Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy. The Siberian Curse. How Communist Planners Left Russia out in the Cold. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, 2003.
32. Soboleva S.V., Doctor of Economics, Institute of Economics and Organization of Industrial Production SB RAS. So that Siberia does not become depopulated // [[ECO (magazine) |]]. - 2004. - No. 8
33. Siberia: Pearl or Ballast of Russia? // Russian newspaper, August 26, 2005
34. Lunev S. Siberia is worth the mass // Nezavisimaya gazeta, March 4, 2004
35. Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East. Viktor Ishaev's interview to the Vesti channel
36. Russian demographic barometer
37. Newspapers write about the problems of the Far East
38. Motrich E. Population of the Far East and NEA countries: state of the art and development prospects // Perspectives of the Far East region: population, migration, labor markets. M., 1999.S. 108.
39. Estimation of the resident population for 2008. Goskomstat
40. Estimated resident population for 2009. Goskomstat
41. Estimation of the resident population for 2011. Goskomstat
42. Volume indices of gross regional product in 1998-2010
43. Living standards in the regions of the Far East
44. Problems of socio-economic development of the Far East (Abstracts)
45. Russian Far East: Economic Potential. Vladivostok, 1999.S. 430
46. Motrich E. Population of the Far East and NEA countries: current state and development prospects // Perspectives of the Far East region: population, migration, labor markets. M., 1999.S. 68.
47. Larin V. L. Russia in East Asia on the eve of the XXI century: ethno-demographic and civilizational incentives and barriers // Population processes in the regional structure of Russia in the 18th-20th centuries. Novosibirsk, 1996.S. 23-32