Chelyabinsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia in the Ural Mountains region,
on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the city of
Chelyabinsk. Population: 3,476,217. History
During the Middle Ages South Ural was populated by Bashkir tribes that were a
part of the Golden Horde, Nogai Horde and smaller Bashkir unions. Since the
late 16th century the area was incorporated into the Tsardom of Russia.
Russian colonization of Chelybinsk Oblast started only in the 18th century
with the establishment of a system of fortresses and trade posts on then
Russian border under the authority of the Orenburg Expedition. Many cities of
Chelyabinsk Oblast including the city of Chelyabinsk itself trace their history
back to those forts. In 1743 Chelyabinsk fortress became a
center of the Iset Province, a constituent part of the Orenburg
Governorate since 1744. 1750-1770s saw the emergence of industrial enterprises
in South Ural. First factory centred towns like Miass, Kyshtym and Zlatoust
were founded back then. After healing the wounds left by the Pugachev's
Rebellion in South Ural lands of the modern day Chelyabisnk Oblast started to
attract more people from the European part of Russia. By the mid-19th century
Chelyabinsk was a major trade center of Ural and after the construction of the
Trans-Siberian Railway in 1890s it elevated its status becoming an
important transport hub that connected Siberia with the rest of the Russian
Empire. In 1919 eastern parts of the Orenburg
Governorate added with Kurgan of the Tobolsk Governorate became a separate
Chelyabinsk Governorate making Chelyabinsk a regional capital for the
first time. During those years population of the new region was already
bigger than one million people. In 1923 together with Perm, Yekaterinburg and
Tyumen governorates it was merged into a single Ural Oblast that lasted less than
ten years, until 1934. In January 17, 1934 the Chelyabinsk Oblast was finally
established. It took its current shape when the Kurgan Oblast was detached from
it in 1943. = Soviet industrialization=
During the 1930s, the Chelyabinsk Oblast became one of the hot spots of first
Five-Year Plans. The core enterprises of modern Chelyabinsk economy including
Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant and
Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant were founded during those years. Since the
beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the economy of the region started to
grow even faster with the evacuation of industries from the western parts of the
Soviet Union to Ural and the Chelyabinsk Oblast in particular. During the war,
Magnitogorsk produced 1/3 of the Soviet steel, while the city of Chelyabinsk
became the main center of Soviet tank production, earning the nickname
"Tankograd". = Nuclear research=
Chelyabinsk Oblast has had a long association with top-secret nuclear
research. A number of production reactors were located in Chelyabinsk
early in the Cold War. There is no nuclear power in Chelyabinsk however. A
serious nuclear accident occurred in 1957 at the Mayak nuclear fuel
reprocessing plant, 150 km north-west of the city, which caused deaths in
Chelyabinsk Oblast but not in the city. The province was closed to all
foreigners until 1992 other than a British medical team following a
two-train rail explosion in the mid-1980s. "Chelyabinsk:The Most
Contaminated Spot on the Planet" was a documentary made by Slawomir Grunberg
about the unsafe dumping of radio active waste first in the river Techa, then in
Lake Karachay. Geography
Chelyabinsk oblast is the eastern slope of the Southern Urals. And only a small
part of the territory in the west - the so-called mountain-area factory - comes
on the western slopes of the Southern Urals.
The region is situated in the Southern Urals, near Kurgan and Sverdlovsk
oblast. Notional boundary between Europe and Asia is carried out mainly by
dividing ridges of the Ural Mountains. Near the station Urzhumka, the pass
Uraltau, there is a stone pillar. On one of its sides is written "Europe", on the
other - "Asia". Zlatoust city, Katav-Ivanovsk, Satka are in Europe.
Chelyabinsk, Troitsk, Miass - in Asia, Magnitogorsk - in both parts of the
world. Area of the Chelyabinsk oblast is 88.5
thousand square kilometers. Length from north to south - 490 km from west to
east - 400 km. Chelyabinsk oblast in the territory in 5th place from 8 regions of
the Urals and the 39th place in Russia. The total length of the border is 2750
km. = Relief=
Chelyabinsk oblast is very diverse. It was formed over millions of years.
Within the Chelyabinsk oblast there are various areas - from the lowlands and
hilly plains to mountain ranges, peaks exceeding 1,000 m highest point of the
area - Nurgush mountain. In the mountainous area has several ski
resorts. West Siberian Plain is bounded on the
west horizontal, which passes through the village Bagaryak, Kunashak continue
through Chelyabinsk - south. Lowland slightly tilted to the northeast,
dropping to 130 m at the eastern border region. Dissected lowland broad river
valleys. = Hydrology=
Within the region originate numerous rivers belong to the basins of the Kama,
Tobol and Ural. Since here, mainly their upper, so they are shallow. Rivers
longer than 10 km there in 348, their total length of 10 235 km.
Length of over 100 km are only 17 rivers. And only seven rivers Miass, Uy,
Ural, Ay, Ufa, Uvelka, Gumbeyka - are within the scope of a length greater
than 200 km. Chelyabinsk oblast believe - lake edge.
The region has more than 3748 lakes, the total floor area of 2125 square meters.
km. Most of the lakes located in the north and east of the region.
In the mountain forest zone one of the most notable is the lakes Zyuratkul
lying at an altitude of 724 m in the eastern foothills - a group of
remarkable beauty of lakes that make up the pride of the South Urals -
B.Kisegach, Uvildy, Turgoyak, spruce and others, on the banks which built
numerous resorts. The main group of lakes located on Zauralskaya hilly plain
and within the West Siberian Plain. Origin of different lakes. Eastern
foothills of the lake have their origin in the tectonics. Water accumulated in
tectonic failures. These lakes are distinguished not only for its size,
extremely complex outlines the coast, but also its depth, often reaching 30–40
m. Other origin lake-steppe and steppe zones. Most of the largest member of the
erosion-tectonic type. Beautiful scenery of mountain lakes
contribute to the development of tourism in the region.
Politics During the Soviet period, the high
authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first
secretary of the Chelyabinsk CPSU Committee, the chairman of the oblast
Soviet, and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee. Since 1991, CPSU
lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually
the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.
The Charter of Chelyabinsk Oblast is the fundamental law of the region. The
regional parliament, Legislative Assembly of Chelyabinsk Oblast is the
province's standing legislative body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its
authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising
the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it.
The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial
executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and
commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the
province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor
who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the
oblast Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.
Administrative divisions Demographics
Population: 3,476,217 (2010 Census); 3,603,339 (2002 Census); 3,623,732 (1989
Census). The oblast is highly urbanized.
The 2010 Census counted the following recognized ethnic groups in Chelyabinsk
Oblast: 2,829,899 Russians;
180,913 Tatars; 162,513 Bashkirs;
50,081 Ukrainians; 35,297 Kazakhs;
18,687 Germans; 13,035 Belarusians;
12,147 Mordvins; 9,311 Armenians;
65,190 others; 99,144 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. Births: 47,300
Deaths: 49,469 Source:
Vital statistics for 2012 Births: 49 885
Deaths: 49 367 Total fertility rate:
2009 - 1.63 2010 - 1.65
2011 - 1.70 2012 - 1.81
2013 - 1.80 2014 - 1.85(e)
= Religion= According to a 2012 official survey
30.9% of the population of Chelyabinsk Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox
Church, 8% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 5% adheres to other Orthodox
Churches; 8% of the population is Muslim, 1% adheres to Slavic Rodnovery,
and 0.4% to forms of Hinduism. In addition, 29% of the population deems
itself to be "spiritual but not religious", 14% is atheist, and 4.7%
follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.
Economy 2013 meteor
On 15 February 2013, a 10,000 ton meteoroid entered the Earth's atmosphere
over Russia at about 09:20 YEKT. It passed over the southern Ural region and
exploded in an air burst over Chelyabinsk Oblast. About 1,500 people
were reported injured, including 311 children. Health officials said 112
people had been hospitalized, mainly by glass from windows shattered by a shock
wave; two were reported to be in serious condition. As many as 3,000 buildings in
six cities across the region were damaged by the explosion and impacts.
The meteor created a dazzling light as it air burst, bright enough to cast
shadows during broad daylight in Chelyabinsk.
Vital statistics for 2008 Source:
See also List of Chairmen of the Legislative
Assembly of Chelyabinsk Oblast References
Sources Законодательное Собрание Челябинской
области. Закон №22-ЗО от 25 мая 2006 г. «Устав Челябинской области», в ред.
Закона №427-ЗО от 30 апреля 2009 г. of Chelyabinsk Oblast, as amended by the
Law #427-ZO of April 30, 2009. ). External links
Reddatabook of Chelyabinsk Oblast Regional Development Agency of
Chelyabinsk region