Smolensk Oblast
Encyclopedia
Smolensk Oblast is a federal subject
of Russia
(an oblast
). Its area is 49800 square kilometres (19,227.9 sq mi). Population:
. Other ancient towns include Vyazma
and Dorogobuzh
.
The oblast was founded on September 27, 1937. It borders Pskov Oblast
in the north, Tver Oblast
in the northeast, Moscow Oblast
in the east, Kaluga
and Bryansk Oblast
s in the south, and Mogilev and Oblasts of Belarus
, in the west and northwest.
Smolensk Oblast is divided into 25 districts (raion
s and 2 cities
, which are further divided into 15 towns, 12 urban-type settlement
s, and 302 rural okrugs
.
), the national composition of the oblast was as follows:
and many other groups, none more than 0.2% of the population. (1.1% of the population did not state their nationality in the census.)
Nearly 40% of the industrial production potential is concentrated in the city of Smolensk. Diamond cutting companies have the largest share of GDP. The largest of these companies is the Kristall State Unitary enterprise
(GUP Kristall) in Smolensk. Smolensk is also a major center of the engineering and metalworking industries, with the instrument-making, electronics, electrical, and auto industries having the largest share of GDP among engineering companies.
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"...
). Its area is 49800 square kilometres (19,227.9 sq mi). Population:
Geography
The administrative center of Smolensk Oblast is the city of SmolenskSmolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
. Other ancient towns include Vyazma
Vyazma
Vyazma is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk and Mozhaysk. Throughout its turbulent history, the city defended western approaches to the city of Moscow...
and Dorogobuzh
Dorogobuzh
Dorogobuzh is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River to the east of Smolensk and west of Vyazma. Population:...
.
The oblast was founded on September 27, 1937. It borders Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Pskov Oblast borders the countries of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Belarus. It is the westernmost federal subject of contiguous Russia . Its major cities are the administrative center Pskov and Velikiye Luki . Area: 55,300 km²...
in the north, Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was named Kalinin Oblast after Mikhail Kalinin. Population: Tver Oblast is an area of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno...
in the northeast, Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast , or Podmoskovye , is a federal subject of Russia . Its area, at , is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the 2010 population of 7,092,941, is the second most populous federal subject...
in the east, Kaluga
Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga.-Geography:Kaluga Oblast is located in the central part of the East European Plain. The Smolensk Highland lays in the western and north-western part of the oblast, while the Central Russian Highland -...
and Bryansk Oblast
Bryansk Oblast
Bryansk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. Population: 1,278,087 .-History:...
s in the south, and Mogilev and Oblasts of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, in the west and northwest.
Administrative divisions
Raion
A raion is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet countries. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is commonly translated in English as "district"...
s and 2 cities
City of federal subject significance
City of federal subject significance is an umbrella term used to refer to a type of an administrative division of a federal subject of Russia which is equal in status to a district but is organized around a large city; occasionally with surrounding rural territories.According to the 1993...
, which are further divided into 15 towns, 12 urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
s, and 302 rural okrugs
Selsoviet
Selsoviet is a shortened name for a rural council. The full names for the term are, in , , . Selsoviets were the lowest level of administrative division in rural areas in the Soviet Union...
.
Demographics
According to the (2002 CensusRussian 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 national 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....
: 93.4% - 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...
: 1.7% - 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...
: 1.6% - 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....
: 0.4% - Roma: 0.3%
- 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,...
: 0.2% - 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...
: 0.2%,
and many other groups, none more than 0.2% of the population. (1.1% of the population did not state their nationality in the census.)
Economy
Smolensk Oblast is part of Russia's Central economic district. Industry in this district includes sectors such as engineering and metalworking (production of measuring and hydrometeorological devices, computer equipment, electrical appliances, refrigerators, automobiles, power-generating and store equipment, and aircraft manufacture), the chemical industry (production of ammonia, saltpeter, fertilizers, and plastics), light industry (production of clothing, and cotton and linen fabrics), the food industry, and brown coal and peat production.Nearly 40% of the industrial production potential is concentrated in the city of Smolensk. Diamond cutting companies have the largest share of GDP. The largest of these companies is the Kristall State Unitary enterprise
Unitary enterprise
A unitary enterprise is a government-owned corporation in Russia and some other post-Soviet states. Unitary enterprises are business entities that have no ownership rights to the assets they use in their operations....
(GUP Kristall) in Smolensk. Smolensk is also a major center of the engineering and metalworking industries, with the instrument-making, electronics, electrical, and auto industries having the largest share of GDP among engineering companies.
Notable people
- Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, born in PetrovichiPetrovichiPetrovichi is a village in Shumyachsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located about 400 kilometers southwest of Moscow and 16 km east of the border between Belarus and Russia.It is the birthplace of Isaac Asimov... - Yuri GagarinYuri GagarinYuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, born in KlushinoKlushinoKlushino is a village in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, situated on the old road between Vyazma and Mozhaysk, not far from Gzhatsk.It was the site of a major battle during the Russo-Polish War . The village is best known as the birthplace of Yuri Gagarin, the first Soviet cosmonaut and the first man in... - Shmuel SchneersohnShmuel SchneersohnShmuel Schneersohn was an Orthodox rabbi and the fourth Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement.-Biography:...
, born in Lyubavichi
See also
- Katyn massacreKatyn massacreThe Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre , was a mass execution of Polish nationals carried out by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs , the Soviet secret police, in April and May 1940. The massacre was prompted by Lavrentiy Beria's proposal to execute all members of...
- 2010 Polish presidential airplane rash2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crashThe 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...