Kursk Oblast

Subject of the Russian Federation Kursk Oblast Курская область flag coat of arms Federal district Central Russia surface 29,997  km² population 1,127,081 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010) Population density 38 inhabitants / km² Administrative center Kursk Official language Russian Ethnic composition Russians (95.9%) Ukrainians (1.7%) (as of 2002) governor Alexander Mikhailov Founded June 13, 1934 Time zone UTC + 3 Telephone prefixes (+7) 471xx Postcodes 305000-307999 License Plate 46 OKATO 38 ISO 3166-2 RU-KRS Website rkursk.ru

Coordinates: 51 ° 39 '  N , 36 ° 22'  E

The Kursk ( Russian Курская область / Kurskaya oblast ) is an oblast in the southwestern Russia . It borders on Ukraine ( Sumy Oblast ) and is conveniently located on the connection between Moscow and the densely populated, industrial areas of eastern Ukraine.

Geography and economy

The area lies on the western edge of the Central Russian Plate with heights of 150 to about 300 m and an area of ​​250 × 150 km. Most of it is drained from the Seim and Swapa to the west to the Dnepr , and from the Psel and Oskol rivers to the south and east . The capital Kursk is roughly in the center of the oblast.

Iron ore mining is economically important . The Kursk Basin contains the largest known iron ore deposit and, with the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly, causes the world's strongest anomaly of the Earth's magnetic field. Other important mineral resources are gold , uranium and platinum . In addition to iron processing, important industries are the chemical and food industries. The soil consists of fertile black earth and is heavily used for agriculture.

The Kursk nuclear power plant is located near Kurchatov . Four graphite-moderated reactors of the type RBMK-1000 are operated there. The same type of reactor was used in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant . The reactors went into operation between 1977 and 1986.

Administrative division and largest cities

→ Main article : Administrative division of Kursk Oblast

Kursk Oblast is divided into 28 Rajons and 5 urban districts. The largest cities besides the administrative center of Kursk are the mining town of Schelesnogorsk as well as Kurchatow and Lgow . There are a total of 10 cities and 22 urban-type settlements in the oblast .

Biggest cities

Surname	Russian name	Residents (October 14, 2010)
Kursk	Курск	415.159
Zheleznogorsk	Железногорск	95,049
Kurchatov	Курчатов	42,706
Lgow	Льгов	21,453
Shchigry	Щигры	17,040
Rylsk	Рыльск	15,671

See also : List of cities in Kursk Oblast

population

Although the number of residents is constantly falling, the proportion of the urban population increases from census to census. The following table illustrates this:

Urban population and total population in Kursk Oblast

Note: the urban population in green, the total population in red

The last Russian censuses in 2002 and 2010 showed a population of 1,235,091 and 1,127,081 residents, respectively. The number of inhabitants thus fell by 108,010 people (−8.75%) in these eight years. 734,649 people lived in cities in 2010. This corresponds to 65.18% of the population (in Russia 73%). By January 1, 2014, the population decreased further to 1,118,915 people. The distribution of the different ethnic groups was as follows:

Lenin statue in front of the headquarters of the regional administration in Kursk

Population of the oblast by ethnic group

nationality	VZ 1989	percent	VZ 2002	percent	VZ 2010	percent
Russians	1,293,663	96.87	1,184,049	95.87	1,036,561	91.97
Ukrainians	22,728	1.70	20,920	1.69	13,643	1.21
Armenians	1,149	0.09	5,899	0.48	5,726	0.51
Zigane	2,052	0.15	2,291	0.19	2,181	0.19
Belarusians	3,382	0.25	2,878	0.23	1,747	0.16
Azerbaijanis	1,020	0.08	1.933	0.16	1,736	0.15
Tatars	1,063	0.08	1,576	0.13	1,279	0.11
Turks	3	0.00	1,174	0.10	1,247	0.11
Moldovans	743	0.06	1,251	0.10	1,120	0.10
Jews	2,969	0.22	877	0.07	461	0.04
Residents	1,335,428	100.00	1,235,091	100.00	1,127,081	100.00

Note: the proportions refer to the total number of inhabitants. Including the group of people who did not provide any information about their ethnic affiliation (2002 2,615 and 2010 52,722 people)

The area's population is more than 90% Russian. The Ukrainians are the only significant ethnic minority in Kursk Oblast. Their number - like the number of Belarusians and Jews - is falling sharply, however. In contrast, numerous people have immigrated from the Transcaucasus, Anatolia and Central Asia since the end of the Soviet Union.

Web links

Commons : Kursk Oblast  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Wikivoyage: Kursk (Oblast)  - tourist guide

• Official website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Administrativno-territorialʹnoe delenie po subʺektam Rossijskoj Federacii na 1 janvarja 2010 goda (administrative-territorial division according to subjects of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2010). ( Download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Itogi Vserossijskoj perepisi naselenija 2010 goda. Tom 1. Čislennostʹ i razmeščenie naselenija (Results of the All-Russian Census 2010. Volume 1. Number and distribution of the population). Tables 5 , pp. 12-209; 11 , pp. 312–979 (download from the website of the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation)