Overview
1. Geography
Novosibirsk Oblast is located in the southeastern part of the West Siberian Plain, with most of its land lying between the Ob and Irtysh Rivers, and is connected with the Salel Ridge in the east. The oblast borders Tomsk Oblast in the north, Kemerovo Oblast in the east, Omsk Oblast in the west, and Altai Krai and Kazakhstan in the south and southwest respectively. It is 642 kilometers long from east to west and 444 kilometers long from north to south. The capital city of Novosibirsk is located at 82°55' east longitude and 55°2' north latitude, 3,191 kilometers from Moscow.
2. Natural resources
1) Mineral and land resources
Novosibirsk Oblast has few mineral resources, and about 20 types have been discovered. Clay, which is an important raw material for the production of bricks, pottery, and other products, is found in many parts of the Oblast, with reserves estimated at 346 million tons. There are large reserves of peat in the swampy areas of the north. Some 600 peat-producing areas have been discovered, with reserves estimated at 7,289.8 million tons (several large peat-producing areas have a total reserve of about 10-30 million tons), and annual peat production is 156 million tons. The reserves of hydrocarbon resources such as petroleum, natural gas and condensate are about 209 million tons, but the distribution is relatively scattered; the proven petroleum reserves are about 30 million tons, and the maximum annual extraction can be up to 2.3 million tons: the reserves of natural gas C1+C2 are about 4.5 billion cubic meters. Many building materials such as stone, sand, limestone, and clay shale (a raw material for cement production, with reserves estimated at 346 million tons) are distributed in the eastern part of the country. In addition, there are also deposits of marble (mainly in the Maslianino and Iskitim regions), coal (mainly anthracite, located in the Salel Ridge), gold and other minerals.
2) Water Resources
The Novosibirsk Oblast is very rich in water resources. There are about 430 rivers here, and the largest one, the Ob River, is one of the world-famous big rivers. The Ob River originates from the Altai Glacier and empties into the Arctic Ocean, which is of great value for navigation. 1956 a dam and hydroelectric power station were built on the Ob River not far from the Novosibirsk Towel. In addition, there are the Inu River, on the banks of which many Novosibirsk villas are located; the picturesque Berdy River; the Tara River, the Omu River, the Karga River and the Karasuk River, which have gentle currents. The Novosibirsk Oblast, also known as the "Lake Oblast", has thousands of lakes of all sizes, mainly in the Balabin lowlands.
The Oblast's groundwater resources are highly utilizable, containing minerals that can be used for healing, and geothermal heat that can be used for heating. Saltwater lakes in the southwest contain salt and soda and silt used for healing. The nationally famous sanatoriums are located in Karachi's brackish lakes.
Agricultural land accounts for 47.7% of the total area of the Novosibirsk Oblast (22.2% of which is arable land), forests for 26.6%, scrubland for 1.6%, marshes for 17.4%, water for 4.3%, and other land resources for 2.5%. Agricultural land is more evenly distributed throughout the state, with about 113,000 hectares of improved land in the state, of which 106,600 hectares are cultivated for agriculture. The area of irrigated agricultural land is about 56,900 hectares, the area of dry land is 50,700 hectares and the area of destroyed land is about 2,600 hectares.
3) Animal resources
The animal resources of the Novosibirsk Oblast are roughly the same as those of Central and Northern Europe, with slight differences. There are about 80 kinds of mammals in the Oblast, mainly: Arctic deer, sable, fox, beaver, wolf, bear, lynx, roe deer, rabbit, dry otter and so on, and many of them have high economic value. There are not many amphibians and reptiles, including three species of frogs, two species of lizards and two species of snakes. More than 30 species of fish live in the state's rivers and lakes. The most common fish are: crucian carp, European bream and carp. The largest fish in the Ob River is the Siberian sturgeon, which can be up to 2 meters long. Currently this precious fish is decreasing. In addition, the larger fish are river cod, dogfish, perch, white northern salmon and others. Due to the large number of lakes and marshes, there is an abundance of waterfowl, which is one of the distinctive features of the fauna of the Novosibirsk Oblast. About 300 species of birds have been identified, the main waterfowl are: golden eagle, swan, mallard, sandpiper, gray heron, divebird, etc. There are 22 species of rare and protected birds, such as sea eagle, golden eagle, pelican. The vast majority of the birds here are migratory birds, and every year many migratory birds migrate regularly through the lakes in the Balabin lowlands, thus making Lake Chanet a world-famous waterfowl habitat.
4) Plant Resources
There are more than 1,200 species of wild plants in Novosibirsk. The most common tree species here are birch, rowan, pine, and mountain poplar. In addition, there are fir, spruce and hawthorn. Trees common in the forests of Central Europe, such as oak, elm, linden, and ash trees are found in the Oblast, but they are planted artificially.
3. Territory and administrative divisions
The Novosibirsk Oblast is one of the administrative districts of the Western Siberian Economic Area (WSEZ), with an area of 178,200 square kilometers (1% of the area of the Russian Federation). It was founded on September 28, 1937. In 1943 and 1944, the Kemerovo and Tomsk Oblasts were divided from Novosibirsk Oblast, and the Kemerovo and Tomsk Oblasts were established, while a part of Altai was incorporated into Novosibirsk Oblast, which formed today's Novosibirsk Oblast. The Novosibirsk Oblast has 40 districts, 14 cities, 19 towns and 427 villages. In addition to the capital city of Novosibirsk, the main cities are Berdsk, Iskitim, Gubishev, Balabinsk, Karasuk, Korevan, and Maslianino. The main administrative authorities are the Novosibirsk Oblast Executive Committee, the Novosibirsk Oblast Soviet of People's Deputies, the Office of the President of the Russian Federation in the Novosibirsk Oblast, the Novosibirsk Oblast Federal Commission on State Property, the Novosibirsk Oblast State Taxation Service, the Novosibirsk Oblast State Statistical Committee, and the Plenipotentiary Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Economy of the Russian Federation in Novosibirsk Oblast. The Novosibirsk Oblast is relatively rich in hydroelectric, animal and land resources. Mineral resources are dominated by clay, clayey shale, peat, coal, marble, oil and gas. The Oblast is an important industrial and developed agricultural region of Siberia, as well as a nationally and world-renowned base for scientific research.
4. Population
In 2003 the Novosibirsk Oblast *** had 2,671,700 inhabitants.
II. Main sectors of the economy
1. Industry
The Novosibirsk Oblast is one of the most important industrial regions of Siberia, and industry has always been an important sector of its economy. In 1990, before the reforms, it accounted for 54% of the total output of the Oblast, but during the years of the reforms the scale of industrial production in the Novosibirsk Oblast was considerably reduced; in 1991-1998 it shrank by 64.5%, which is more than the rate of decline of industry in Russia as a whole. In 1998, the industrial output of the Novosibirsk Oblast amounted to 15,730 million rubles, which is 1.1% of the total output of the industry in Russia. In 1998 the industrial output of the Novosibirsk Oblast amounted to 15.73 billion roubles, or 1.1 per cent of Russia's industrial output. The ratio of industrial output to agricultural output declined from 3.9:1 in 1990 to 2.3:1, with machine-building and metalworking industries dominating the region's industrial sector. In addition, the electric power industry, the food industry, the chemical industry, ferrous metallurgy and non-ferrous metallurgy are also well developed. In 1998 the structure of the industrial sector in the oblast was dominated by machine-building and metalworking industries, which accounted for 27.1 per cent; the power industry, 22.9 per cent; the foodstuffs industry, 24.5 per cent; the construction materials industry, 7.0 per cent; the chemical and petrochemical industry, 4.3 per cent; non-ferrous metallurgy, 3.2 per cent; and the forests, timber and pulp and paper industries, 2.2 per cent. paper industry 2.2%, light industry 2.3%, ferrous metallurgy 0.4% and fuel industry 0.30%.
1) Machine building and metal processing industry
In the Novosibirsk Oblast machine building industry, radio-electronics industry, and instrumentation industry occupy a special place, and together with enterprises of the cosmonautics and atomic energy industries they are an important part of the Oblast's military-industrial complex (which accounts for the largest share of the entire Siberian military-industrial complex in the Novosibirsk Oblast), with 60% of the industrial production concentrated in the military-industrial complex. of industrial production is concentrated in the military-industrial complex: at the beginning of the 1990s the complex consisted of about 30 industrial enterprises, more than 10 scientific research and design institutes, and more than 100 enterprises producing civilian goods, which fulfilled State orders and supplied technology to many branches of industry, particularly electrotechnology, machine tool construction, agricultural technology, and transportation equipment. In addition, some enterprises are engaged in various specialized maintenance work, such as the maintenance of complex program control equipment, electric power equipment, ships, aviation engines, railroad locomotives, etc. There are several famous large enterprises in the Oblast, such as the Siberian Electro-thermal Combined Company, which is responsible for the production of cuttings-type electric furnaces, large and complex electro-thermal units, and the Heavy Hydraulic Machine Tool Combined Company, which produces the largest planer and boring machine in the country, and with which it is possible not only to drill large-caliber holes, but also to process heavy-weight and heavy-weight machines, as well as to produce a wide range of products. With these machines it is possible not only to drill large-diameter holes, but also to machine parts weighing up to 150 tons; the Siberian Electric Power Heavy Machine Plant produces hydroelectric and turbine generator sets and high-power motors, which are used in the CIS and other countries. After the reforms the military-industrial complex faced difficulties due to a sharp decline in state orders, and production slipped. In order to make full use of the military-industrial complex's human and technological advantages, the Novosibirsk Oblast is actively preparing for the implementation of a number of new projects in certain enterprises of the machine-building industry, with a view to reversing the difficult situation in the military-industrial complex. For example: the production of new automatic cranes at the plant named after Komintel; the manufacture of multi-purpose An-38 light aircraft at the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Joint Second Division, which is being developed at the Novosibirsk Man-Made Fibers Plant; the use of oil-storage process equipment; the construction of a small hydroelectric power plant by the JSC "Siberian Electric Power Company"; the development and production of modern instruments for medical treatment at the Novosibirsk Instrument Factory; and so on. sets of modern instruments, etc.
2) Power industry
The power industry takes second place in the industrial structure of the Novosibirsk Oblast. The power industry meets only local needs. The Novosibirsk Oblast relies on the Novosibirsk hydroelectric power plant (with a capacity of 455 megawatts) and five centralized thermal power stations (one in Gubishev and the remaining four in the city of Novosibirsk) for the supply of electricity. Owing to a large shortfall in the supply of its own energy sources (coal, oil, gas, heavy oil), boiler fuel for power generation is transported mainly from the Kemerovo and Krasnoyarsk krai (coal), Tyumen and Tomsk oblasts (gas, heavy oil). The insufficient part of the electricity is supplied by the Krasnoyarsk Krai and the United Siberian Power Grid of the Khakass*** and State. In order to ensure adequate power supply, a 6th central thermal power plant and new transmission lines are currently being prepared in the Oblast.
3) Food industry
The food industry is also well developed in Novosibirsk, and in 1998 it accounted for 24.5% of total industrial output. The food industry utilizes local raw materials for the production of meat, dairy products, flour, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, etc., and its products are also sold to other regions of Siberia: the main food industry enterprises are: Venap JSC, Berd Bakery, Novosibirsk Oriental Bakery, Karasuk Meat Processing Plant, Novosibirsk Bakery, Novosibirsk Meat Canning Plant, Gubishev Meat Processing Plant, Novosibirsk Confectionary Plant, Novosibirsk Meat and Candy Plant, Novosibirsk Meat Processing Plant, and Novosibirsk Meat and Candy Plant. Confectionary and Confectionary Plant, Novosibirsk Chocolate Plant, Novosibirsk Flour Mill.
4) Building materials industry
The share of the building materials industry in the industrial structure of the Novosibirsk Oblast has been increasing in recent years. The building materials industry utilizes local clay, limestone and other raw materials for the production of cement, asbestos-cement tiles, bricks and reinforced concrete elements.
5) Chemical Industry
The chemical industry in the Novosibirsk Oblast, especially the defense chemical industry, is developing rapidly. The chemical industry supplies the machine-building industry with plastics, insulating materials, and produces household chemicals, chemical-pharmaceutical products, microbiological chemical products, and herbal products. In order to strengthen the development of the medicinal and chemical industry, the Novosibirsk Oblast is developing and producing medicines for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and respiratory systems, as well as oncological diseases, and is using the products of the apiculture industry and plant raw materials for the production of various medicines.
6) Light industry
The light industry of the Novosibirsk Oblast is based on sewing, textiles, felt-making, shoe-making (mainly felt shoes, shoes for children and youth), and furniture.
2. Agriculture
Agriculture is the traditional sector of the Novosibirsk Oblast's economy, and in the 1940s the agro-industrial complex accounted for about 80% of the Oblast's total output. In recent years, as a result of the development of industry and other sectors of the economy, the share of agriculture in the total output of the Oblast has declined (21.7 per cent in 1990). Dairy farming, poultry farming, beekeeping, pig farming, sheep farming are relatively well developed in the oblast, and in some areas people are also engaged in horse breeding, animal husbandry and fish farming. In addition, the production of flax and oil from the vinegar willow (sea buckthorn) occupies a certain place in the Oblast, and in 1998 agricultural output amounted to 6,397.1 million roubles (2.3 per cent of the total value of agricultural output in the Russian Federation), of which 2,761.1 million roubles were produced by plantations, and 3,636 million by animal husbandry. The decline in agricultural output in recent years has been smaller than the all-Russian average, and the decline in livestock output has been greater compared with that in the plantation sector.
1) Cultivation
In 1998 the area sown to crops in the Oblast amounted to 2,691,300 hectares, with grain crops accounting for the bulk of the sown area. grain crops accounted for 63.3% of the sown area in 1998, with the main grain crops being spring wheat and autumn wheat. Oats, rye, buckwheat, peas and millet are also grown here. Fodder crops accounted for 33.6% of the sown area; potatoes, vegetables and melon crops accounted for about 2.4% of the sown area; cash crops were sown on 0,7% of the sown area mainly flax, mustard and sunflower. The orchards are planted with spiked currants, sea buckthorn berries, marionberries, apples, etc., and watermelons are also grown in the southern region.
From 1985 to 1998 more than 10 years of plantation products in the food crop production rate declined. 1985 food crop production of 2.945 million tons, in 1998 fell to 1.6154 million tons. Vegetable production increased significantly, in 1985 for 174,500 tons, in 1998 for 232,400 tons.
2) Livestock husbandry
In recent years, due to the reduction in the area of fodder crop cultivation, the number of livestock stock has greatly decreased, with the number of cattle stock in 1985 being 1,731,600 heads, and decreasing to 862,000 in 1998, of which the number of dairy cows declined from 617,100 heads to 385,100 heads. During the same period, the number of pigs fell from 605,000 to 406,600 head. The output of meat products dropped from 204,400 tons in 1985 to 134,800 tons in 1998, and the output of milk dropped from 1,385,500 tons to 873,800 tons. Compared with the decline in the output of grain, meat and milk products, the decline in per capita consumption of the above products was somewhat smaller; for example, per capita consumption of meat and meat products was 68 kilograms in 1985 and 52 kilograms in 1998; milk and milk products were 338 kilograms and 268 kilograms correspondingly. Annual per capita consumption of potatoes, vegetables and melon crops did not change much during this period: per capita consumption of potatoes was 141 kilograms in 1985 and 155 kilograms in 1998, and 100 kilograms and 86 kilograms of vegetables and melon crops, respectively.