Murmansk Oblast
Encyclopedia
Murmansk Oblast is a federal subject
of Russia
(an oblast
), located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk
.
, and it is a part of the larger Lapland
region that spans over four countries. Murmansk Oblast borders Karelia
, Finnmark County
in Norway
and Lapland Province in Finland
. Norrbotten County
in Sweden
is also located nearby (300 km).
of Leningrad Oblast
(comprising the city of Murmansk, Kirovsky
, Kolsky
, Lovozersky
, Polyarny
, Saamsky
, Teribersky
, and Tersky Districts
) and Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR.
, are only a tiny minority today. As of the 2002 Census
, 92.2% of the oblast's population live in urban areas. The most populous city is the Oblast's administrative center, Murmansk
, with 336,137 inhabitants. Other large cities and towns include Severomorsk
, Apatity
, Kandalaksha
, Monchegorsk
, and Kirovsk
.
According to the (2002 Census
), the ethnic composition of the oblast was as follows:
The economy of the region is export-oriented. Main export items are nickel products, apatite concentrate, copper and copper products, aluminium and ferrous metals. The Murmansk Region produces almost 100 percent of Russia's apatite concentrate (3.7 million tons in 1998), 43 percent of nickel, 15 percent of copper, 12 percent of iron ore and iron ore concentrate (17.7 million and 6.4 million tons in 1998), and 40 percent of cobalt.
The largest companies of the region - constituting 90% of the oblast's production - are Pechenganickel, Olcon, the Kola Nuclear Power Plant
, Sevrybkholodflot, Murmanrybprom, Murmansk Trawl Fleet and Murmansk Shipping Company.
Large oil and gas resources have been discovered on the shelf of the Barents sea, including the massive Shtokman field
- one of the world's largest gas fields with estimated reserves of 3.8 trillion cubic meters. Prospective oil fields could potentially yield up to 40 million tons in the next 10–15 years. However, the development of the oil and gas resources will require considerable investment.
In 2006, the Murmansk Oblast's gross regional product
was 141.9 billion rubles, which amounts to about 0.4% of the Russian GDP. Unemployment in 2006 was 3,4%. GRP pro capita in 2007 was 225 044 rubles. Regional automobile code is 51.
Source:
Federal subjects of Russia
Russia is a federation which, since March 1, 2008, consists of 83 federal subjects . In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(an oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
), located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
.
Geography
Geographically it is located mainly on the Kola PeninsulaKola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
, and it is a part of the larger Lapland
Lapland (region)
Lapland is a region in northern Fennoscandia, largely within the Arctic Circle. It streches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula . On the North it is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the West by the Norwegian Sea and on the East by the White Sea...
region that spans over four countries. Murmansk Oblast borders Karelia
Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia is a federal subject of Russia .-Geography:The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas...
, Finnmark County
Finnmark
or Finnmárku is a county in the extreme northeast of Norway. By land it borders Troms county to the west, Finland to the south and Russia to the east, and by water, the Norwegian Sea to the northwest, and the Barents Sea to the north and northeast.The county was formerly known as Finmarkens...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Lapland Province in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County is the northernmost county or län of Sweden. It borders Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf of Bothnia to the southeast. It also borders the counties of Nordland and Troms in Norway to the northwest, and Lapland Province in Finland to the northeast.The name...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
is also located nearby (300 km).
History
The oblast was established on May 28, 1938 from Murmansk OkrugMurmansk Okrug
Murmansk Okrug was an administrative division of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1927–1938.-Creation:The okrug was established on August 1, 1927, when the All-Russian Central Executive Committee issued two Resolutions: "On the Establishment of Leningrad Oblast" and "On the...
of Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
(comprising the city of Murmansk, Kirovsky
Kirovsky District, Murmansk Oblast
Kirovsky District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast, and later a district of Murmansk Oblast, of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1935–1954....
, Kolsky
Kolsky District
Kolsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Kola Peninsula and borders with the Barents Sea in the north and Finland in the west. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is...
, Lovozersky
Lovozersky District
Lovozersky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the central and northeastern parts of the Kola Peninsula. Its administrative center is the rural locality of Lovozero...
, Polyarny
Polyarny District
Polyarny District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1960....
, Saamsky
Saamsky District
Saamsky District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast, and later of Murmansk Oblast, of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, which existed in 1927–1963....
, Teribersky
Teribersky District
Teribersky District , also known as Severomorsky District was an administrative division of Murmansk Okrug of Leningrad Oblast of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and later of Murmansk Oblast, which existed in 1927–1963....
, and Tersky Districts
Tersky District, Murmansk Oblast
Tersky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the five in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southern part of the Kola Peninsula and borders the White Sea in the south. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the urban locality of Umba...
) and Kandalakshsky District of the Karelian ASSR.
Demographics
The indigenous people of the area, the SaamiSami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
, are only a tiny minority today. As of the 2002 Census
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
, 92.2% of the oblast's population live in urban areas. The most populous city is the Oblast's administrative center, Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
, with 336,137 inhabitants. Other large cities and towns include Severomorsk
Severomorsk
Severomorsk is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located about north of Murmansk along the Kola Bay. Population: This is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. Severomorsk has the largest drydock on the Kola Peninsula....
, Apatity
Apatity
Apatity is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located along the Murmansk Railway between Lake Imandra and Khibiny Massif, west of Kirovsk and south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast...
, Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha
Kandalaksha is a town in Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the head of Kandalaksha Gulf on the White Sea, beyond the Arctic Circle. Population: 40,564 ; -History:The settlement has existed since the 11th century...
, Monchegorsk
Monchegorsk
Monchegorsk is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located on the Kola Peninsula, south of Murmansk, the administrative center of the oblast. Administratively, it is incorporated as Monchegorsk Town with Jurisdictional Territory—a unit of administrative division equal in status to that of a district...
, and Kirovsk
Kirovsk, Murmansk Oblast
Kirovsk , known as Khibinogorsk until 1934, is a town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located at the spurs of the Khibiny Massif on the shores of the Lake Bolshoy Vudyavr, south of Murmansk...
.
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
), the ethnic composition of the oblast was as follows:
- RussiansRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
: 85.2% - UkrainiansUkrainiansUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
: 6.4% - BelarusiansBelarusiansBelarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
: 2.3% - TatarsTatarsTatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
: 0.9% - AzerisAzeris in RussiaAside from the large Azeri community native to Russia's Dagestan Republic, the majority of Azeris in Russia are fairly recent immigrants. Azeris started settling in Russia around the late 19th century, but their migration became intensive after World War II. It rapidly increased with the collapse...
: 0.5% - ChuvashChuvash peopleThe Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although Chuvash communities may be found throughout all Russia.- Etymology :...
: 0.3% - Mordvins: 0.3%
- KareliansKareliansThe Karelians are a Baltic-Finnic ethnic group living mostly in the Republic of Karelia and in other north-western parts of the Russian Federation. The historic homeland of Karelians includes also parts of present-day Eastern Finland and the formerly Finnish territory of Ladoga Karelia...
: 0.3% - KomiKomi peoplesThe Komi people is an ethnic group whose homeland is in the north-east of European Russia around the basins of the Vychegda, Pechora and Kama rivers. They mostly live in the Komi Republic, Perm Krai, Murmansk Oblast, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug in the Russian...
: 0.2% - MoldaviansMoldovansMoldovans or Moldavians are the largest population group of Moldova...
: 0.2% - ArmeniansArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
: 0.2% - SaamiSami peopleThe Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
: 0.2% - other groups, none of which accounts for more than 0.2% of the population
- did not state ethnicity: 1.2%
Vital statistics in 2007
- Birth rate: 10.18 per 1000 (average for Russia is 11.30)
- Death rate: 11.68 per 1000
- Net migration: -5.6 per 1000
- NGR: -0.15% per annum
- PGR: -0.71% per annum
Vital statistics for 2009
In 2009, the urban areas were marked by natural population decline (-0.16% per year) and the rural ares were marked by natural population growth (+0.35% per year).Economy
The Murmansk Oblast is very rich in natural resources and has deposits of over 700 minerals. The main industries of the region are in the sphere of raw material extraction and basic processing. The largest industries are metallurgy (36,6%), electric power-production (22,9%) and food-industry, including fishing (13,7%). The icefree port of Murmansk plays an important role in marine transportation in Russia, and the oblast has a 41% share of the total Russian marine transport market. The fishing industry is among the most profitable in the region, supplying 16% of Russia's total fish production. Murmansk is a key base for three fishing fleets, including Russia's largest, the Murmansk Trawl Fleet.The largest companies of the region - constituting 90% of the oblast's production - are Pechenganickel, Olcon, the Kola Nuclear Power Plant
Kola Nuclear Power Plant
The Kola Nuclear Power Plant also known as Kolsk NPP or Kolskaya NPP, is a nuclear power plant in northern Russia.- History :The Phase 1 at the Kola NPP went online in 1973 and 1974, respectively, and are part of Russia’s first generation of PWR reactors . The Phase 2 The Kola Nuclear Power Plant...
, Sevrybkholodflot, Murmanrybprom, Murmansk Trawl Fleet and Murmansk Shipping Company.
Large oil and gas resources have been discovered on the shelf of the Barents sea, including the massive Shtokman field
Shtokman field
The Shtokman field , one of the world's largest natural gas fields, lies in the central part of Russian sector of the Barents Sea, north of Kola Peninsula. Its reserves are estimated at of natural gas and more than 37 million tons of gas condensate.-History:The Shtokman field was discovered...
- one of the world's largest gas fields with estimated reserves of 3.8 trillion cubic meters. Prospective oil fields could potentially yield up to 40 million tons in the next 10–15 years. However, the development of the oil and gas resources will require considerable investment.
In 2006, the Murmansk Oblast's gross regional product
Gross Regional Product
A metropolitan area's gross regional product, i.e. GMP or GRP, is one of several measures of the size of its economy. Similar to GDP, GRP is defined as the market value of all final goods and services produced within a metropolitan area in a given period of time.-See also:*List of European...
was 141.9 billion rubles, which amounts to about 0.4% of the Russian GDP. Unemployment in 2006 was 3,4%. GRP pro capita in 2007 was 225 044 rubles. Regional automobile code is 51.
Transport
- Airports in Murmansk (international), Kirovsk, Kandalaksha, Severomorsk (military), Lovozero, Ponoy, and Krasnoshchelye (small planes and choppers)
- Strategic Oktyabrskaya Railway which connects Murmansk with central RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Main stations are Murmansk, Olenegorsk, Kandalaksha. There is also important shoulder to Nikel. - Local one-way railways
- Sea routes to small military towns and naval bases on Murman CoastMurman CoastThe Murman Coast is a coastal area in Murmansk Oblast in northwest Russia. It is located on the southern side of the Barents Sea, between the Norway–Russia border and Cape Svyatoy Nos...
(Ostrovnoy, Svyatoy Nos). - Automobile roads
Governors of Murmansk Oblast
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| Yury Yevdokimov Yury Yevdokimov Yury Alexeyevich Yevdokimov was the Governor of Murmansk Oblast. He became the governor in 1996 and was reelected with a large overall majority on March 14, 2004... |
Decemnber 1997 – March 21, 2009 |
| Dmitry Dmitriyenko Dmitry Dmitriyenko Dmitry Vladimirovich Dmitriyenko is the current Governor of Murmansk. He worked in the army during the 1980s and in various Murmanskian government agencies, including water management, prior to his appointment to the governorship in March 2009.-Education:In 1985, Dmitriyenko graduated from navy... |
March 21, 2009 – Incumbent |
Chairmen of the Murmansk Oblast Duma
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| Pavel Sazhinov | December 19, 1994 – 2007 |
| Yevgeny Nikora | March 26, 2007 – Incumbent |
Source:
See also
- Barents RegionBarents RegionThe Barents Region is a name given, by political ambition to establish international cooperation after the fall of the Soviet Union, to the land along the coast of the Barents Sea, from Nordland in Norway to the Kola Peninsula in Russia and beyond all the way to the Ural Mountains and Novaya...