Primorsky Krai

Primorsky Krai (Russian: Примо́рский край), informally known as Primorye (Примо́рье), is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok. Population: 1,956,426 (2010 Census preliminary results).^[8]

Today, Primorsky Krai is the largest economy in the Russian Far East.

Geography

• Borders length — over 3,000 kilometers (1,900 mi), including 1,350 kilometers (840 mi) of the sea borders.
• Highest peak — Anik Mountain, 1,933 meters (6,342 ft)
• Railroads length — 1,628 kilometers (1,012 mi) (of which 345 kilometers (214 mi) are electrified).
• Automobile roads length — 12,633 kilometers (7,850 mi)

Primorsky Krai, bordered by China, North Korea, and the relatively warm, although freezing in winter, waters of the Sea of Japan, is the southeasternmost region of Russia, located between the 42° and 48° north latitude and 130° and 139° east longitude. It is stretched in the meridianal direction, the distance from its extreme northern point to its most southerly point being about 900 kilometers (560 mi).

Topography

Highlands dominate the territory of the krai. Most of the territory is mountainous, and almost 80% of it is forested. The average elevation is about 500 meters (1,600 ft). Sikhote-Alin is a mountainous formation, extending for the most part of the Krai. It consists of a number of parallel ranges: the Partizansky, the Siny (Blue), the Kholodny (Cold), and others. There are many karst caves in the South of Primorye. The relatively accessible Spyashchaya Krasavitsa cave (the Sleeping Beauty) in the Ussuriysky Nature Preserve could be recommended for tourists. There are comparatively well-preserved fragments of the ancient volcanoes in the area.

The ranges are cut by the picturesque narrow and deep valleys of the rivers and by large brooks, such as the Partizanskaya, the Kiyevka, the Zerkalnaya, the Cheryomukhovaya, the Yedinka, the Samarga, the Bikin, and the Bolshaya Ussurka. Most rivers in the Krai have rocky bottoms and limpid water. The largest among them is the Ussuri, with a length of 903 kilometers (561 mi). The head of the Ussuri River originates 20 kilometers (12 mi) to the East of Oblachnaya Mountain. The vast Khanka Lowlands extends into the West and the South-West of Primorye, carpeted by coniferous-deciduous forests. A part of the Lowland surrounding the largest lake in the Russian Far East, Khanka Lake, is occupied by a forest-steppe.

Flora and fauna

The geographic location of Primorye accounts for the variety of its flora. There are mountainous tundra areas, conifers and coniferous-deciduous forests, and forest-steppe, which is sometimes called the Far Eastern Prairie, where many ancient plant species have been preserved,, including ferns, lotus, and the Chosenia willow.

The fauna of Primorye is also diverse. The following animals are found in the Krai: the Ussuri black bear (Ursus thibetanus), the Amur tiger, the Amur leopard, the lynx, the wild boar, the Manchurian deer (Cervus elaphus xanthopygos), the Siberian Roe Deer, the musk deer, Long-tailed Goral (Naemorhedus caudatus), the sika deer, the sable, the mandarinka duck (Aix galericulata), the black stork (Ciconia nigra), the scaly goosander (Mergus squamatus), the Chestnut-cheeked Starling (Sturnia philippensis), the black griffon (Aegypius monachus), the large-winged cuckoo (Cuculidae family), and others. Among 690 species of birds inhabiting the territory of the former USSR, 350 are found in Primorye. Rich fisheries of salmon, Hucho taimen, lenok and marine fisheries of crab, pollock and other species make the aquatic and maritime environment a valuable resource for the region. However, the rich diversity of wildlife in Primorye is threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund, Wild Salmon Center, and Russian NGOs including Phoenix Fund are active in the region's wildlife and habitat conservation.

Climate

• Average annual temperature — near +1 °C (34 °F) in the north of the krai; +5.5 °C (41.90 °F) on the southern coast.
• Average annual precipitation — 600–850 mm.

History

The acquisition of Siberia by the Tsardom of Russia and the subsequent Russian expansion to the Far East, brought the Russians into direct contact with the Qing Empire. The Nerchinsk Treaty of 1689 demarcating the borders of the two states gave all lands lying south of the Stanovoy Mountains, including Primorye, to the Qing Empire. However, with the weakening of the Qing Empire in the second half of the 19th century, Russia began its expansion into the area. In 1858 the towns of Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk were founded. In 1858, Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky signed the Aigun Treaty with China, followed by the Beijing Treaty two years later. As a result of the two treaties the Sino-Russian border shifted south to the Amur and Ussuri Rivers; granting Russia full control of Primorye.

Primorskaya Oblast was established as the eastermost division of the Russian Empire in 1856. It included the territory of modern Primorsky Krai as well as the territories of modern Khabarovsk Krai and Magadan Oblast, stretching from Vladivostok to the Chukchi Peninsula in the far north.

In the period from 1859 to 1882 ninety-five settlements were established in the Primorye region, including Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Razdolnoye, Vladimiro-Aleksandrovskoye, Shkotovo, Pokrovka, Tury Rog, and Kamen-Rybolov. The population was primarily engaged in hunting, fishing and cultivation. These activities involved more than two-thirds of the territory's inhabitants.

The latter part of the 19th century saw significant economic development in Primorye. Coal mining became a prominent industry as did the export of sea-kale, velvet antlers, timber, crab, dried fish, and trepangs. The rapid economic expansion of Primorye was financed in large measure by Russian and foreign capital investment.

After the Russian Revolution, Primorskaya Oblast was replaced by the Far-Eastern Republic (1920–1922). Within the Russian SFSR, this became Far-Eastern Oblast (1922–1926) and then Far-Eastern Krai (1926–1938).

The area became a battle ground for allied and Bolshevik troops in the Siberian Intervention. In 1922, shortly before the end on the Civil War Primorye came under Bolshevik control and the economic, scientific, and cultural development of the territory were dictated by the new government. The Soviet Government spent the following ten years combating "bourgeois ideology" in many areas of life and culture. As a result the music, theater, literature, and the fine arts of Primorye were censored.

The period also saw the beginnings of centralized planning. As in the rest of the Soviet Union, priority was given to heavy industry, with a special emphasis on mining and commercial fishing. Rail and sea transit was greatly expanded and new port facilities were constructed.

Primorsky Krai was formed by further subdivision of Far-Eastern Krai in 1938, as part of the Stalin era policy of "unbundling". Primorsky Krai, as defined in 1938, corresponds to the northeastern part of the historical region of Outer Manchuria.

On 1942 April 18, Primorsky Krai became unwillingly involved in World War II as Primorsky Krai became the location of the landing of one of the 16 United States Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell medium bombers which had been launched from USS Hornet to accomplish the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan. The landing occurred 40 miles (65 km) west of Vladivostok, the bomber's crew deciding to abort their mission while still en route to Tokyo due to excessive fuel consumption.^[12]

The 1970s witnessed an expansion of scientific institutions in Primorye, especially in the city of Vladivostok. As a result the city possess several large research institutions such as the Institute of Biology and Agriculture, The Pacific Institute of Bio-organic Chemistry, The Institute of Marine Biology, The Pacific Institute of Geography, The Pacific Oceanological Institute, as well as several Institutes affiliated with the Far Eastern Division of the Russian Academy of Science

By the early 1990s the once small enterprises had developed into large companies. Some of the most prominent include the DVMP shipping company, the Dalmoreprodukt seafood concern, Progress Arsenyev Aircraft Works, and Vostok Mining. Commercial fishing plays an important part in the economy of the Primorye and includes firms like Vladivostok Trawling and Refrigerating Fleet (VBTRF), the Active Marine Fisheries Base of Nakhodka, and the Fishing and Marine Transport Fleet of Primorye. Numerous enterprises of the Russian Military Industrial Complex were also established in Primorye.

Administrative divisions

Economy

Primorsky Krai's economy, the most balanced in the Russian Far East, is also the largest in absolute terms. Food production is the most important sector, represented mainly by fish processing. Annual catch exceeds two million tonnes, or one half of the Russian Far East total. Second is machine building, where half of the output is geared toward the fishing industry and shipyards. Defense is another important sector, producing naval vessels and military aircraft. The construction materials industry here provides for the whole Russian Far East. Lead smelting is conducted in Rudnaya Pristan on the coast.

The timber industry, though in recession, is still second only to Khabarovsk Krai's with an annual yield of about 3 million cubic meters of timber. Primorsky Krai is the largest coal producer in the Russian Far East and generates more electricity than any other Russian Far East administrative division, but power shortages are common. Agriculture is also important; the krai produces rice, milk, eggs, and vegetables.

Primorsky Krai is the Russian Far East's banking and finance center. It has more than 100 banks and affiliates and well-developed futures and stock exchanges.

The krai's proximity to Pacific Rim markets gives it an edge over most other Russian Far East administrative divisions in developing foreign trade. Major trade items are seafood products, timber products, and ferrous metals. Major trading partners are Japan, China, and South Korea.

Primorsky Krai's compact territory is well endowed with infrastructure. Its railway density is twice the Russian average. Railroads connect it with China and North Korea. Vladivostok, the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian railway, was surpassed as a port by the nearby Nakhodka-Vostochny Port container, coal and timber terminals. Primorsky Krai-based shipping companies provide 80% of marine shipping services in the Russian Far East. All the krai's significant ports are now open to international shipping.

Production of grain, soybeans, potatoes, and vegetables is the leading agricultural sector. The breeding of livestock, especially sheep, is well developed in Primorye; a fur farming industry is also being developed through the establishment of fur farms and animal nurseries.

Natural resources

Demographics

Population: According to the 2010 Census preliminary results, the population of the krai is 1,956,426,^[8] down from 2,071,210 recorded in the 2002 Census,^[9] and further down from 2,258,391 recorded in the 1989 Census.^[13] Due to its geographical location, the krai boasts a mixture of not only ethnic Russians, but also Korean, Volga German, Udege, Buriat, Nanai, Oroch, and Taz minorities.

Ethnic groups: In the 2010 Census, the following ethnic groups were listed^[14]:

• 144,927 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.^[15]

• Births (2008): 22,749
• Deaths (2008): 29,123 [1]

Average life expectancy in 1994 — 62.5 years (male — 56.8, female — 69.4).

Miscellaneous

The krai is the location of the massive Sikhote-Alin Meteorite, which fell February 12, 1947, in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains, near the village of Paseka (approximately 440 km northeast of Vladivostok).

Sister districts

• Gangwon, South Korea^[16]
• Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
• Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea]
• Osaka Prefecture, Japan
• Toyama Prefecture, Japan

See also

• Outer Manchuria
• East Asian snowstorms of 2009-2010
• East Asian snowstorms of late 2009

References

Sources

• №14-КЗ 6 октября 1995 г. «Устав Приморского края», в ред. Закона №359-КЗ от 18 декабря 2008 г. (#14-KZ October 6, 1995 Charter of Primorsky Krai, as amended by the Law #359-KZ of December 18, 2008. ).
• А. Р.  Артёмьев и др. "История Российского Приморья". Дальнаука, 1998. (A. R. Artyomyev et al. History of Russian Primorye. Dalnauka, 1998)