Ulyanovsk Oblast

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Ulyanovsk Oblast (Russian: Улья́новская о́бласть, Ulyanovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It is located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is Ulyanovsk, named for Vladimir Illyich Lenin's family name Ulyanov.

Area: 37,300 km²; population: 1,382,811 (as of the 2002 Census).

[edit] Geography

Ulyanovsk Oblast borders the Chuvash Republic (N), Republic of Tatarstan (NE), Samara Oblast (E), Saratov Oblast (S), Penza Oblast (W), and Republic of Mordovia (NW).

It is located on the northern edge of Central Steppes. 25% of its territory is covered with deciduous forests;the rest is covered with steppes and meadows. Ulyanovsk Oblast is divided in half by the Volga River. Hilly areas to the west of the Volga are known as Volga Upland (elevations up to 358 m). Eastern part of the oblast is mostly flat.

Ulyanovsk Oblast has moderately continental, highly volatile climate. Average temperature of June +19 °C, of January −13 °C. As weather systems move in and out of the area, average daily temperatures often change up to +20°C in the matter of days. Fixed snow cover is typically present from late October – early November to mid-April. Overnight frosts occur until late May, restricting agriculture to cold-resistant plants such as rye.

[edit] Nature

The Ulyanovsk oblast is located in the zones of wooded plain and broad-leaved scaffolding.

Soils are predominantly chernozem.

Scaffolding occupy 1/4 territories. In the northwest — large massifs of oak scaffolding with the participation of linden, maple; in the Transvolga region — meadow steppes, separate pine borons.

Were preserved moose, marten, squirrel, hare- white hare and other were numerous the planktonic and marshy- coastal birds. In Kuybyshev Reservoir — bream, pike-perch, carp and other

The protected areas are found on the territory of region: national park Sengiley mountains, the guarding zone of state preserve “Volga wooded plain”, the monuments of nature Undory mineral source, relict scaffolding etc.

[edit] Demographics

Tatars

Chuvashs

Erzya

55% of residents of Ulyanovsk Oblast live in two cities with population above 25,000—Ulyanovsk and Dimitrovgrad. Population is 72% Russian, 12% Tatar, 8% Chuvash, 4% Mordva, 4% others. For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 9.0 per 1000 [1]

[edit] Religion

Mostly Orthodox Christian with Muslim minority of about 15%.

[edit] Economics

Ulyanovsk and Dimitrovgrad are industrial cities and contain a number of large plants and factories. Rural part of Ulyanovsk Oblast is agricultural and is focused primarily on animal husbandry, to the lesser extent on crop farming.

According to Herbert E. Meyer, of the CIA National Intelligence Council, Ulyanovsk implemented a plan to increase Russia's dismal population growth which stipulated that workers would receive the second half of the workday off in order to go home and "produce more future patriots."