Nizhny Novgorod Oblast | |||
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Нижегородская область (Russian) | |||
— Oblast — | |||
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Coordinates: | |||
Political status | |||
Country | Russia | ||
Federal district | Volga[1] | ||
Economic region | Volga-Vyatka[2] | ||
Established | December 5, 1936 | ||
Administrative center | Nizhny Novgorod | ||
Government (as of March 2011) | |||
- Governor | Valery Shantsev[3] | ||
- Legislature | Legislative Assembly | ||
Statistics | |||
Area (as of the 2002 Census)[4] | |||
- Total | 76,900 km2 (29,691.3 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 40th | ||
Population (2010 Census)[5] | |||
- Total | 3,310,562 | ||
- Rank | 10th | ||
- Density | 43.05 /km2 (111.5 /sq mi) | ||
- Urban | 78.9% | ||
- Rural | 21.1% | ||
Population (2002 Census)[6] | |||
- Total | 3,524,028 | ||
- Rank | 10th | ||
- Density | 45.83 /km2 (118.7 /sq mi) | ||
- Urban | 78.8% | ||
- Rural | 21.8% | ||
Time zone(s) | MSD (UTC+04:00)[7] | ||
ISO 3166-2 | RU-NIZ | ||
License plates | 52, 152 | ||
Official languages | Russian[8] | ||
http://www.government-nnov.ru/ |
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (Russian: Нижегоро́дская о́бласть, Nizhegorodskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: 3,310,562 (2010 Census preliminary results).[5]
The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas. Near the town of Sarov there is the largest and the most famous convent in Russia, established by Saint Seraphim of Sarov - Diveevo convent. Makaryev Monastery opposite the town of Lyskovo used to be location of the largest fair in Eastern Europe. Other historic towns include Gorodets and Balakhna, located on the Volga to the north from Nizhny Novgorod.
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The oblast covers an area of 76,900 square kilometers (29,700 sq mi), which is approximately equal to the entire area of the Benelux countries. Agricultural land occupies 41% of this area; forests, 48%, lakes and rivers, 2%; and other lands, 9%. Nizhny Novgorod Oblast borders Kostroma Oblast (N), Kirov Oblast (NE), the Mari El Republic (E), the Chuvash Republic (E), the Republic of Mordovia (S), Ryazan Oblast (SW), Vladimir Oblast (W), and Ivanovo Oblast (NW).
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is not rich in natural resources, which are, mostly, limited to commercial deposits of sand (including titanium-zirconium sands), clay, gypsum, peat, mineral salt, and timber.
The unique architectural construction—the 128-meter (420 ft) steel lattice hyperboloid tower built by the Great Russian engineer and scientist Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov in 1929—is located near the town of Dzerzhinsk on the left bank of the Oka River.
According to the 2010 Census,[9] ethnic Russians at 3,109,661 made up 95.1% of the oblast's population. Other ethnic groups included Tatars (44,103, or 1.4%), Mordva (19,138, or 0.6%), Ukrainians (17,657, or 0.5%), and various smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the oblast's total population.
The population density is 48.5 people per square kilometer.
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is one of the most multi-religious regions of Russia.
Births increased by 7.7% and deaths decreased by 1% in 2008 compared to 2007.[11]
According to the Federal Migration Service, 20,450 foreign citizens were registered in the oblast in 2006. The actual number of foreigners residing in the oblast as of June 1, 2006 was estimated to be over 22,000.[12]
The oblast ranks seventh in Russia in industrial output, while the processing industry predominates in the local economy. More than 650 industrial companies employ nearly 700 000 people, or 62% of the workforce involved in material production. Industry generates 83% of the regional GDP and makes 89% of all material expenditures. The leading sectors are engineering and metalworking, followed by the chemical and petrochemical industries and the forestry, woodworking, and paper industries. The first three sectors account for about 75% of all industrial production.
The oblast has traditionally been attractive to investors. In 2002, Moody's rating agency confirmed a Caa1rating based on the region's long-term foreign currency liabilities.[13]
The region maintains trade relations with many countries and has an export surplus. The largest volume of exports goes to Ukraine, Belarus, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Belgium, and France. Imports come mainly from Ukraine, Germany, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Austria, the Netherlands, China, and the United States.
The stock market infrastructure is quite well developed in Nizhny Novgorod, and the exchange business is expanding. Companies and organizations registered in the region include 1153 joint-stock companies, 63 investment institutions, 34 commercial banks, 35 insurance companies, 1 voucher investment fund, 1 investment fund, 17 nongovernmental pension funds, 2 associations of professional stock market dealers, and 3 exchanges (stock, currency, and agricultural). The oblast is noted for having relatively highly developed market relations. Today, the region needs serious partners interested in equitable, long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships.
There are 650+ industrial companies in the region [1], most of them engaged in the following sectors:
These key industries are supplemented by other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, trade, services, communications and transport.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Nizhny_Novgorod_Oblast Nizhny Novgorod Oblast] at Wikimedia Commons
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