Sverdlovsk Oblast
Sverdlovsk Oblast is a
federal subject of
Russia located in
Urals Federal District. At 194,800 km, it is Russia's 20th largest subdivision and the nation's 5th largest in terms of population . Given that the bulk of the oblast lies on the Asian side of the
Urals it should be recognized as the most populous
oblast outside of European Russia.
Its administrative center is the city of
Yekaterinburg , former Sverdlovsk.
Encyclopedia
Sverdlovsk Oblast is a
federal subject of
Russia located in
Urals Federal District. At 194,800 km², it is Russia's 20th largest subdivision and the nation's 5th largest in terms of population . Given that the bulk of the oblast lies on the Asian side of the
Urals it should be recognized as the most populous
oblast outside of European Russia.
Its administrative center is the city of
Yekaterinburg , former Sverdlovsk. Other large cities and towns include
Nizhny Tagil ,
Kamensk-Uralsky ,
Pervouralsk , and Serov .
Russian president
Boris Yeltsin was born on February 1, 1931, in the village Butka of Sverdlovsk Oblast.
Geography
Most of the oblast lies on the Eastern slopes of the Middle and North Urals and the
Western Siberian Plain. Only in the S-W does the Sverdlovsk oblast stretch onto the Western slopes of the Ural mountains.
The highest mountains all rise in the North Urals . The Middle Urals is mostly hilly country with no discernible peaks; the mean elevation is closer to 300-500 m above the sea level. Principal rivers include the Tavda, the
Tura, the
Chusovaya, and the Ufa, the latter two being tributaries of the
Kama.
Sverdlovsk Oblast borders on, clockwise from the West, Russia's
Perm Krai,
Komi Republic,
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug,
Tyumen Oblast,
Kurgan, and
Chelyabinsk Oblasts, and the
Republic of Bashkortostan.
Time zone
Sverdlovsk Oblast is located in the
Yekaterinburg Time Zone .
Natural resources
The oblast is rich in natural resources, particularly in metals , minerals ,
marble and
coal. It is mostly here that the bulk of Russian industry was concentrated in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Climate
The area enjoys continental climate patterns, with long cold winters and short warm summers. Only in the SE of the
oblast do temperatures reach 19 degrees in July.
Administrative divisions
Demographics
Population : 4,486,214
Ethnic groups:
Of the 4,486,214 residents 28,957 chose not to specify their ethnic background. Of the rest, residents identified themselves as belonging to 148 ethnic groups, including 4,002,974 ethnic
Russians , 168,143
Tatars , 55,478
Ukrainians , 37,296 Bashkirs , 27,863 Maris , 22,540
Volga Germans and so on.
Languages:
to be written once the 2002 census data is releasedHistory
Russian conquest of the
Khanate of Kazan in the 1550s paved the way further east which was now free from
Tatar depredations . The first surviving Russian settlements in the area date back to the late 16th - early 17th centuries . In the 18th and 19th centuries the area became the industrial heartland of Russia due to its rich deposits of iron and coal . Local industry received another impetus during the
World War II when important producing facilities were relocated here from the European part of Russia to safeguard them from the advancing Germans . In the postwar period much of the region was off-limits to foreigners and it was over Sverdlovsk that the American pilot
Gary Powers was shot down on May 1, 1960, while on a reconnaissance mission. Another historic event that took place in
Yekaterinburg was the execution of
Nicholas II of Russia and the Imperial family in July 1918.
In 1993, governor Eduard Rossel responded to perceived economic inequality by attempting to create a "Urals Republic." Sverdlovsk led the "Urals Five" in a call for greater regional power. They argued that the
oblasts deserved as much power as the ethnic homeland
republics. The Urals Republic Constitution went into effect on October 27, 1993. Russian President
Boris Yeltsin dissolved the Urals Republic and Sverdlovsk Parliament 10 days later .
Politics
The oblast's current Governor is Eduard Rossel, one of the most prominent regional politicians in Russia.
The oblast's Charter, or Constitution , adopted on December 17, 1994, with subsequent amendments, establishes the oblast government. The Governor is the chief executive, who appoints the Government, consisting of ministries and departments. The Chairman/President of the Government , commonly referred to as the Prime Minister, is appointed with the consent of the lower house of the
legislature, a process similar to the appointment of the federal Prime Minister; but the Governor cannot nominate the same candidate more than twice, yet he/she can dismiss the house after three failed attempts to appoint the Premier. The Legislative Assembly consists of the Oblast Duma , the lower house, and the House of Representatives , the upper house. Members of the legislature serve four-year terms; however, half of the Duma is re-elected every two years. The Duma is elected by party lists; the 21 members of the House of Representatives are elected in single-seat districts in a first-past-the-post system. Compliance with the Charter is enforced by the Charter/Constitutional Court . The existence of such regional courts in Russia, formed and functioning outside the federal judiciary, although challenged, has been upheld and persisted successfully in most constituent members of the Federation where they were established.
Until President
Putin's reforms of 2004, the Governor was elected by direct vote for four-year terms. Eduard Rossel has been the only elected governor since 1995 , re-elected in 1999 and 2003.
Economy and transportation
The oblast's industry is diverse although could be more modern. 12% of Russia's iron and steel industry is still concentrated in Sverdlovsk oblast. Iron and copper are mined and processed here and the logging industry and wood-processing are important, too.
Yekaterinburg is a prominent road, rail and air hub in the Urals region. As the economic slump subsides, several European airlines started or resumed flights to the city. These include
Lufthansa,
British Airways,
CSA,
Turkish Airlines,
Austrian Airlines and
Finnair.
Malév Hungarian Airlines used to be among those carriers but they had to drop their flights to SVX after a few months.
External link
