Pskov Oblast

Subject of the Russian Federation Pskov Oblast Псковская область flag coat of arms Federal district Northwest Russia surface 55,399  km² population 673,423 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010) Population density 12 inhabitants / km² Administrative center Pskov Official language Russian Ethnic composition Russians (94.3%) Ukrainians (1.6%) Belarusians (1.3%) (as of 2002) governor Andrei Turchak Founded August 23, 1944 Time zone UTC + 3 Telephone prefixes (+7) 811xx Postcodes 180000-182999 License Plate 60 OKATO 58 ISO 3166-2 RU-PSK Website www.pskov.ru

Coordinates: 57 ° 18 '  N , 29 ° 24'  E

The Pskov Oblast ( Russian Псковская область / Pskowskaja oblast ) is an oblast in northwestern Russia .

geography

The area is located in the far west of the country and borders in the west and south on Estonia , Latvia (with Lake Pitelis ; see also: Latvia-Russia border ) and Belarus . To the north and northeast to Leningrad Oblast , to the east to Novgorod Oblast and to the southeast to the Tver and Smolensk Oblasts . On the Estonian border it has a share in Lake Peipus , the most important river is the Velikaya .

Geologically, the oblast lies on the Eastern European Plain , the climate is temperate continental. The northern part of the oblast is flat and swampy. The other areas are formed by glaciers and are partly hilly. There are also numerous lakes in these areas of Pskov Oblast. Around 40% of the area is forested.

history

See also : Republic of Pskov

Russians have settled in this area since at least the 10th century , and Pleskau (Russian: Pskow ) is one of the oldest Russian cities. From 1230 to 1348 the area belonged to Novgorod . The region was repeatedly attacked by crusaders and later Poles. According to the Treaty of Bolotovo with the Novgorod Republic, it was an independent principality between 1348 and 1391. Then it came under the influence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow . From 1399 to 1510 Moscow sent viceroys to Pskov. After that, the country was officially incorporated into the Grand Duchy. The southern part of today's oblast belonged to Poland-Lithuania until the First Partition of Poland in 1772. The northern part belonged to the Saint Petersburg governorate from 1708 and to the Novgorod governorate from 1727 . From 1772 to 1776, a Pskov governorate was created, which covered almost the area of ​​today's oblast. The parts allocated to Russia in 1772 were then separated again in 1777 as the Polotsk Governorate . After the end of the tsarist empire, the governorate continued to exist for the time being. But on August 1, 1927, it became part of the newly created Leningrad Oblast. Other areas were lost to the neighboring oblasts by 1945. During the Second World War , it was occupied by the German Wehrmacht from 1941 to 1944 . The northern and southern parts of today's oblast became independent in August 1944 as parts of Velikije Luki Oblast and Pskow Oblast. Parts of Estonia and Latvia fell to the Pskov Oblast in 1945. The western parts of Velikiye Luki Oblast came to what was then Pskov Oblast on October 2, 1957 - and its borders have not changed since then.

After the Baltic States gained independence, the oblast is faced with the problem of having moved from a busy area to a peripheral location, which is also reflected in the falling population.

population

In the last Russian censuses in 2002 and 2010, there were 760,810 and 673,423 residents, respectively. The number of inhabitants thus fell by 87,387 people (−11.49%) in these eight years. In 2010 472,514 people lived in cities. This corresponds to 70.17% of the population (in Russia 73%). By January 1, 2014, the population decreased further to 656,561 people. The distribution of the different ethnic groups was as follows:

Landscape on the River Lowat

Population of the oblast by ethnic group

nationality	VZ 1989	percent	VZ 2002	percent	VZ 2010	percent
Russians	797.436	94.21	717.101	94.25	616.432	91.54
Ukrainians	15,352	1.81	12,471	1.64	8,636	1.28
Belarusians	12,496	1.48	9,664	1.27	6,772	1.01
Zigane	3,319	0.39	3,220	0.42	3.231	0.48
Armenians	552	0.07	2,270	0.30	2,379	0.35
Azerbaijanis	890	0.11	1,319	0.17	1,272	0.19
Tatars	1.010	0.12	1,499	0.20	1,233	0.18
Uzbeks	334	0.04	258	0.03	739	0.11
Moldovans	1,049	0.12	797	0.10	721	0.11
Estonians	2,259	0.27	1,122	0.15	625	0.09
German	825	0.10	685	0.09	425	0.06
Jews	1,339	0.16	637	0.08	369	0.05
Residents	845.291	100.00	760.810	100.00	673.423	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 2,590 and 2010 24,630 people)

The area's population is over 90% Russian. The Ukrainians and Belarusians were the only significant ethnic minorities in Pskov Oblast. Their number - like the number of Moldovans, Estonians, Russian Germans and Jews - is falling sharply, however. On the other hand, numerous people have immigrated from the Transcaucasus and Central Asia since the end of the Soviet Union. In addition to the nationalities listed above, there are also many Tajiks (1989: 69; 2010: 448 people). Compared to other Russian regions, however, in fewer numbers.

economy

The most important economic areas are the electrical and textile industries as well as agriculture. The sights, lakes and forests also attract tourists.

coat of arms

In blue a running, straight looking golden leopard under a naturally colored, blessing hand pointing to the base of the shield, breaking out of the white clouds on the head of the shield . The imperial crown rests on the shield , and golden oak leaves tied on the sides with the blue ribbon of St. Andrew accompany the shield.

The coat of arms was adopted in the regional assembly of deputies on February 23, 1995.

Administrative divisions and cities

→ Main article : Administrative division of Pskov Oblast

Pskov Oblast is divided into 24 Rajons and two districts. There are 14 cities and 14 urban-type settlements . The two largest cities Pskow and Velikije Luki , which also form the two urban districts, are followed by small towns such as Ostrow and Newel by a long way in terms of population .

The Pskov City Kremlin

Biggest cities

Surname	Russian	Residents (October 14, 2010)
Pskov	Псков	203.279
Velikiye Luki	Великие Луки	98,778
Ostrow	Остров	21,668
Newel	Невель	16,324
Opochka	Опочка	11,603
Pechory	Печоры	11,195
Porchow	Порхов	10,608

See also : List of cities in Pskov Oblast

Web links

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

• Official website of Pskov Oblast

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)