The Far East (hereinafter referred to as the Far East) is Russia's largest economic region, covering an area of 6,215,900 square kilometers, accounting for 36.4% of the total area of the country. The Far East consists of 10 federal subjects, they are: Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Amur Oblast, Sakhalin Oblast, Magadan Oblast, Kamchatka Oblast, Koryak Autonomous Region, Chukotka Autonomous Region, and Sakha **** and State. These 10 subjects of the Federation are not only geographically located in the same economic zone, but also have a long history of economic collaboration, and even face many of the same social problems***. Together with the neighboring Zabaikalye region of Eastern Siberia, with which they have economic and historical ties, they have formed the Association of Interregional Economic Cooperation of the Subjects of the Federated States of the Far East and Zabaikalye. The Association's board of directors and offices are located in Khabarovsk, the capital of the Khabarodassk Territory in the Far East, and its chief executive, Ishayev, serves as the Association's chairman. When Putin became president, he divided Russia into seven federal districts and assigned presidential representatives to each of them in order to strengthen relations between the federal center and the localities. Many of the economic regions were united into one federal district, while the Far Eastern Economic Region was set aside as a separate federal district. This explains to some extent the position of the Far East in the Russian Federation and the importance attached to it by the federal center.
I. Natural conditions and resources of the Far East
The Far East is located in the northeastern part of the Eurasian continent, bordering the East Siberian Economic Zone in the west and the Pacific Ocean in the east, looking across the sea to the United States of America, Alaska, and Japan, bordering the Arctic Ocean in the north, and bordering on China and North Korea in the south; the length of the north-south is 3,900 kilometers, and the length of east-west is 2,500-3,000 kilometers, and its vast The vastness of the area makes considerable differences in the natural conditions of each place.
The Far East is a mountainous region, the average height of the mountains 1000-2000 meters, individual high mountains in the northeast of Sakha and Koryak National Autonomous Region, the height of 2250-3000 meters. The Far East is the only region in Russia with volcanoes, the number of volcanoes as many as 20, the height of most of the 3300-3600 meters, of which the Kryuchev volcano (4750 meters high) had erupted in 1972-1974. The Kamchatka Peninsula, with its many volcanoes and a large number of hot springs, is extremely rich in geothermal and mineral water resources, making it a famous sanatorium and tourist mecca.
The Far Eastern plains cover nearly 1/4 of the region's area, mainly in the southern Amur River (Heilongjiang) basin and the shores of Lake Hinkai, as well as the central Sakha and the Lena River and its tributaries on the west bank of the Veluy River. The plains are the zone of the Far East with the best living and production conditions, where the main population and production potential of the Far East is concentrated.
The climate varies throughout the Far East. The northern part of the region is deep in the Arctic Circle and the climate is characterized by a frigid zone. Winters are long, cold and dry, with temperatures reaching -38-50 degrees Celsius in January, and -70 degrees Celsius recorded in Oymyakon, Sakha, which is known as the "cold pole". In such cold weather, people find it difficult to breathe, metal brittleness increases, rubber hardens, and lubricants solidify, reducing mechanical performance, so airplanes seldom risk taking off. The summer here is cool and short, with a temperature of only 11-15°C in July, annual precipitation of 140-290 millimeters, and a plant growing season of only 50-100 days, with plants snuggling up to the ground hastily blooming and fruiting. Nature presents a scene of desolation. On the other hand, the Far Southeast has a mild climate and abundant rainfall, with temperatures of -10-21°C in winter and 15-21°C in summer, precipitation of 530-1050 mm, and a plant growth period of 125-200 days, which makes it possible to cultivate rice and plants that cannot be grown in Siberia and other regions of the Far East. Rice and soybeans, which cannot be grown in Siberia and other parts of the Far East, are grown here, as well as other crops such as wheat, barley, rye, oats, and a variety of vegetables, making it a major agricultural area in the Far East.
The Far East is full of rivers, including the Amur and the Lena, which rank first and second in length in Russia. The Amur River is the border river between Russia and China, known as the Heilongjiang River in China, and is 4,440 kilometers long, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. There are 99 species of fish in the river, 20 of which are endemic
species with great economic value. The Amur River and its tributaries contain huge hydropower resources, which can be used to build step power stations with a total power of 20 million kilowatts. At present, the Jieya hydroelectric power station with a power of 1,290 megawatts has been built on the Jieya River, a tributary of the left bank of the river, and the Bureya hydroelectric power station is being built on the Bureya River, another tributary. The Lena River, which injects into the Arctic Ocean, is 4,400 kilometers long and rich in water, with a flow rate twice that of the Volga River, and the upper reaches of the river are rich in hydroelectric resources, but they have not yet been exploited. A hydroelectric power plant with an annual capacity of 2 billion kWh has been built on its tributary, the Veluy River. Other longer rivers include the Kolyma (2,600 kilometers), the Anadyr (1,145 kilometers), and the Oryokma (1,436 kilometers). In the absence of roads and railroads in the Far East, the role of these rivers in transportation is particularly prominent. However, the volume of transportation is not large because of the long freezing period and the navigable period of only 6-7 months. In the southern region, the rainy season is concentrated under the influence of the Pacific monsoon, which often causes the rivers to flood, so dykes and other flood control facilities must be built to protect farmland, villages and towns.
The coastline of the Far East is 1.77 million kilometers long (including the coastline of the islands), accounting for 29% of the total length of the Russian coastline. The sea occupies a special place in the economy of the Far East. In the 200-nautical-mile waters of the Russian Pacific Ocean there are an estimated 26 million tons of fish, including 16 million tons of cod and 3 million tons of herring. In addition, there are 2.5 million tons of non-fish seafood crystals, including shrimps, crabs, conch, sea cucumbers and others. The annual allowable catch of seafood can reach 4.5 million tons. The coasts and islands of the Far Northeast are also inhabited by a variety of marine furbearers such as fur seals and fur seals.
The Far East's forest cover is 45%, with a total forest area of 280.6 million hectares, accounting for 31.1% of Russia's forested area, which tops the list of all economic zones. The volume of timber reserves is 20.4 billion cubic meters, which is the second largest after the East Siberian Economic Region and accounts for 26% of the total volume of timber reserves in Russia. The proportion of mature and over-mature forests is 45.9%, with a volume of nearly 10 billion cubic meters, providing conditions for large-scale logging. The tree species in the Far East are dominated by larch, with an area of 166.7 million hectares, accounting for 60.9% of the total forest area; followed by birch, with an area of 20.7 million hectares, accounting for 6.7% of the total area; followed by spruce and fir, with an area of 15.0 million hectares, accounting for 5.5% of the total area; other tree species include quercus (3.1 million hectares), linden (0.8 million hectares), and water hyacinth (0.4 million hectares); and precious and ornamental trees (3 million hectares), including those that have been grown since the beginning of the 20th century, and the most valuable species in Russia. Three million hectares, including 400,000 hectares of red pine forests, where harvesting has been banned since 1991. There are also 47.8 million hectares of shrub forests.
The forests of the Far East also contain a large number of non-timber resources, including more than 1,000 medicinal plants, more than 350 types of mountain vegetables, more than 400 types of edible mushrooms, and more than 400 types of nectar plants that provide pollen and nourish peaks. Each year, 48.53 million tons of pine nuts and hazelnuts, 1.2 million tons of berries, 500,000 tons of mushrooms and 250,000 tons of medicinal herbs can be harvested. In addition, there are more than 40 kinds of precious fur animals and other beasts living in the area, which provides good conditions for the development of forest product collection, beekeeping and wildlife breeding industry.
In recent years, forest fires have occurred frequently in the Far Southeast, covering millions of hectares. Many forests are not harvested in time within three to five years after the fires, resulting in timber losses and the spread of forest pests and diseases.
The Far East is also extremely rich in underground resources, and more than 70 kinds of minerals have been discovered and proven reserves. In the western part of Sakha there is the world's largest diamond mine, where 84.1% of Russia's diamond resources are concentrated. Primary mine ore in the diamond content of 0.4 grams per ton
La, while the content of sand deposits for each cubic meter 1.8 carat. The Far East is an important gold producer in Russia. Gold mines are mainly located in Sakha (44% of the Far East), Magadan region (17%), Kamchatka region (16%), Khabarovsk border region (14%) and Amur region (8%). The grade of the gold ore is 4.5-5.5 g/t for primary ore and 0.7-10 g/m3 for alluvial gold.
The Far East leads Russia in silver reserves. Although no pure silver ore has yet been discovered, silver has been found in more than 50 other ore sources. 57% of proven silver reserves are in the Magadan region, 24% in the Khabarovsk border region, 9% in the Sakha*** and the country, 9% in the Primorsky border region, 8% in Kamchatka oblast, and the smallest amount in the Amur region, only 2%.
The Far East is Russia's largest tin ore producer, 95% of the country's tin resources are concentrated here, 183 mines have been identified for industrial exploitation. 85% of the tin resources are in primary mines and 15% in alluvial deposits. Sakha*** and the country's tin ore resources are the richest, accounting for 44% of the reserves of the Far East; followed by the Khabarovsk border region and Magadan region, each accounting for 21%; again, the coastal border region, accounting for 14%. Tungsten ore resources in the Far East account for 24% of all Russian reserves. Fifty-five tungsten mines and tungsten-bearing mines have been identified for industrial exploitation, of which 26 are primary mines and 29 are alluvial mines. Tungsten ores are mainly found in the Primorsky region (40% of the Far East's reserves), Sakha (37%), Magadan
Oblast (14%) and the Khabarovsk region. There are 30 lead and zinc mines in the Far East. 81% of the lead ore and 79% of the zinc ore are concentrated in the Primorsky district. Other reserves are found in polymetallic mines in the Khabarovsk Territory and the Magadan Oblast.
Titanium ore reserves in the Far East are huge, but, like aluminum reserves, are currently unproven. What has been proven is that the titanium ore here is of good quality, in no way inferior to the best titanium ore in the United States and Canada. Titanium ore resources are found mainly in the Amur Region and the Khabarovsk Border Region. The reserves of alumina, the raw material for aluminum refining, are located mainly in the lower Amur River in the Khabarovsk border region.
The proven reserves of iron ore in the Far East amount to 4.4 billion tons, or about 8-10% of all Russian reserves, 79% of which are located in Sakha*** and the southern part of the country, 16% in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, and 5% in the Amur Oblast. It is worth mentioning that the Sakha*** and Khabarovsk regions also have huge reserves of 6.4 million tons of manganese, which is needed for steelmaking; other auxiliary raw materials are also available, which provides excellent conditions for the establishment of a strong ferrous metallurgical base.
All the administrative regions of the Far East have coal resources. There are nearly 100 proven coal fields with 29.8 billion tons of coal reserves, accounting for 40% of all Russian reserves. Sakha is the largest coal-producing region in the Far East, where 47 percent of proven reserves are concentrated. The South Yakutia coalfield is the most
important coking coal field in eastern Russia, and the coking coal mined is an important export material for the Far East.
The Far East's oil and gas resources are mainly located in the two major oil and gas basins of Sakha and Sakhalin. Exploration of the Sakha oil and gas field has been initially completed, but large-scale industrial exploitation has not yet taken place. Sakhalin oil and gas fields are rich in reserves, the oil fields on Sakhalin Island have long been industrial exploitation, crude oil through the cross-sea pipeline to Amur **** Qingcheng for refining and processing; island around the continental shelf of oil and natural gas resources are used in the form of concessions to attract foreign investors to invest in the exploitation of the current part of the oil wells have begun to industrial production of oil.
The Far East is also rich in other metal deposits. Antimony accounts for 88% of Russia's reserves and mercury for 63%. Non-metallic mineral deposits are also available in a wide variety. Boron accounts for 90% of Russia's reserves, fluorite for 41%, natural sulfur and apatite for 8-10%. In addition, there are rich reserves of mother-of-pearl
, raw materials for the production of cement and a variety of building stone. The Far East is rightly called a treasure trove of natural resources.
Second, population and ethnicity
The Far East is a vast area, but sparsely populated, currently only more than 7.2 million people, accounting for 5.4% of the population of the whole of Russia, is Russia's least populated economic region. The population density of the Far East is only 1.1 people per square kilometer. Population distribution is extremely uneven, with an average of 12.1 people per square kilometer in the most densely populated Primorsky Krai, and an average of 0.3 to 0.8 people per square kilometer in Sakha, Magadan and Kamchatka, where the natural conditions are harsh. The population of the Far East is highly urbanized. Seventy-eight per cent of the population live in towns and cities. According to the statistics of January 1, 1996, there are 68 cities in the Far East, of which 49 are small towns with a population of less than 50,000, 9 are medium-sized cities with a population of 50,000-100,000, 8 are large cities with a population of 100,000-500,000, and 2 are mega-cities with a population of 500,000 or more.
4.4 million people live in these cities, including 1,237,200 in the megacities of Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. There are also 269 towns of urban type in the Far East with a population of 1.3 million people.
There are about 3,000 villages in the Far East with a population of about 1.8 million (1997), with an average of 600 people per village. However, 30% of the inhabitants of the villages are not agricultural, they are employees of nearby industrial and mining enterprises, stations, road maintenance, postal and telegraphic systems, and their homes are located in the countryside.
It is obvious that such a small agricultural population limits the development of agriculture in the Far East. The history of the Far East's demographic development is relatively unique compared to other regions. The Far East was the most recently developed region in Russia, with a population of 36.7 million at the time of the 1897 census. After the October Revolution, the Soviet government accelerated the development of the Far East, accelerated migration there, and at the same time, during Stalin's purges had put thousands of purged people into labor camps there. Jews, Tatars and other minorities were forcibly moved to the Far East, and the present Jewish Autonomous Oblast was the designated settlement for Jews expelled to the Far East in those years. Under these circumstances, the population of the Far East grew rapidly; during the two censuses of 1926-1939, it increased by 89.3%, while the population of Russia as a whole grew by only 16.9%, and from 1940 to 1958 it grew by 62.4%, while the population of Russia as a whole grew by only 8.4% during the same period. mid-1960's After the mid-1960s, the Soviet Union accelerated the development of the Far East, especially the construction of the Beja Railway in the 1970s, the Soviet government sent a large number of young people there, and built many new stations and settlements along the railroad, so that the quality of the population of the Far East is in the best period.
The population of the Far East before the collapse of the Soviet Union was about 8.06 million people, and in 1991 there was a negative population growth for the first time in the history of the Far East, with a decline of 0.3 percent, while the whole of Russia fell by 0.1 percent. Since then, the population of the Far East has been declining steadily, and the rate of decline has exceeded that of Russia as a whole by about 1 percentage point. At the beginning of 1998, the population of the Far East amounted to 7,336,000 people, a decrease of nearly 730,000 people in seven years. The reason for this decline is the severe economic crisis of the transition period.
Before the reforms, the Far East was a priority area for state financial support. Although the conditions in the Far East were harsh, wages were high, there were regional allowances and preferential policies on housing, health care and vacations, and prices were basically on a par with those in Europe and Russia because of state subsidies. Under these circumstances, the standard of living of the Far East residents was even higher than that of some regions in the western part of the country, thus creating a great attraction for the labor force, and every year a large number of people moved to the Far East from other regions. After the reforms, most of the preferences for the Far East under the planned economy were abolished, and the Far East, which had been drawn into the market economy, became the region with the highest prices and the largest decline in the standard of living after the loss of the state's financial support. The continuing decline in production and the under- or even closure of a large number of enterprises, mainly in the defense industry, resulted in a large number of unemployed people, forcing many of them to seek a living elsewhere; in 1992-1995, when the economic crisis deepened, the net outflow of people exceeded 100,000 people per year, and in 1992 and 1994 it was almost 150,000 people. The decline in the population's standard of living and health care led to a decline in the birth rate and an increase in the death rate. Since 1993, the number of deaths in the Far East has exceeded the number of births by 17,600 in 1993, 20,800 in 1994, and by about 15,000 per year since then. The average life expectancy of the population of the Far East has been shortened and its physical condition has declined. This critical demographic situation has caused great concern to the Far Eastern authorities and the federal government, as population decline will not only be detrimental to the future recovery and development of the Far Eastern economy, but will also have an adverse impact on national security.
In this context, on July 15, 1995, the Russian government issued a decree ordering the authorities to prepare a development program for stabilizing the Far East's population, carrying out structural reforms, and entering the world economy through the Asia-Pacific region. The program was introduced in 1996 as the Special Federal Program for the Economic Development of the Far East and Zabaikalye for 1996-2005, or Presidential or Federal Program, which was approved and implemented by President Boris Yeltsin.