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- Alna River
- Altai Krai
- Altai Republic
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- Amur Oblast
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Altai Krai
Altai Krai (Russian: Алта́йский край, Altaysky kray) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul. Population: 2,419,755 (2010 Census).
The krai's economy depends on agriculture.
Altai Krai has rolling foothills, grasslands, lakes, rivers, and mountains.
The climate is severe with long cold dry winters and hot, usually dry summers. The region's main waterway is the Ob River. The Biya, Katun, and Chuya Rivers are also important. The biggest lakes are Lake Kulundinskoye, Lake Kuchukskoye, and Lake Mikhaylovskoye.
Altai Krai has huge reserves of raw materials, especial materials used for building, as well as significant mineral reserves. These include nonferrous metals, lead and iron ores, manganese, tungsten, molybdenum, bauxite, and gold. Forests cover about 60,000 km² of the krai's land. See also Geography of South-Central Siberia.
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Altai Republic
Altai Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Алта́й, Respublika Altay; Altay: Алтай Республика, Altay Respublika) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is 92,600 square kilometers (35,800 sq mi). Population: 206,168 (2010 Census).
The national autonomy for the Altai people was created on June 1, 1922 as Oyrot Autonomous Oblast (Ойро́тская автоно́мная о́бласть), part of Altai Krai. The original name for this region was Bazla. On January 7, 1948 it was renamed Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast (Го́рно-Алта́йская автоно́мная о́бласть). In 1991 it was reorganized into the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR). In 1992 it was renamed as the Altai Republic.
The republic is situated in the very center of Asia at the junction of Siberian taiga, steppes of Kazakhstan and semi-deserts of Mongolia. Forests cover about 25% of the republic's territory.
More than 20,000 tributaries sprawl throughout the mountainous Republic, making for a total of more than 60,000 kilometers (37,000 mi) worth of waterways. The republic's largest rivers are the Katun and the Biya, both of which originate in the mountains and flow northwards. The junction of the two rivers eventually forms the Ob River, one of the longest rivers in Siberia, which flows northward to the Arctic Ocean.
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Amur Oblast
Amur Oblast (Russian: Аму́рская о́бласть, tr. Amurskaya oblast; IPA: [ɐˈmurskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), situated on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, the Heilongjiang province of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky Krai in the west. Population: 830,103 (2010 Census).
Amur Krai (Аму́рский край) or Priamurye (Приаму́рье) were unofficial names for the Russian territories by the Amur River used in the late Russian Empire that approximately correspond to modern Amur Oblast.
The administrative center of the oblast, the city of Blagoveshchensk, is one of the oldest settlements in the Russian Far East, founded in 1856. It is a traditional center of trade and gold mining. The territory is accessed by two railroads, the Trans-Siberian railway and the Baikal Amur Mainline.
The Stanovoy Range forms the dividing line between the Sakha Republic and Amur Oblast and spreads across the oblast's entire northern border. Dwarf Siberian pine and alpine tundra grow at higher elevations on these mountains and larch forests with small stands of flat-leaved birch and pine forests grow alongside the river plains. The Zeya River begins in these mountains in the northeast. The middle reaches of this great river were dammed to create the huge Zeysky Reservoir, which sprawls over 2,500 square kilometres (970 sq mi) between the Stanovoy Range and a southern parallel range running across the center of the oblast. The low lands between these two mountain ranges make up the Upper Zeysky Plain, which is primarily marshland with larch and pine forests. South of the second ridge is the vast Amur River plain which covers up to 40% of the oblast.
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Angrapa
Coordinates: 54°29′02″N 22°00′11″E / 54.484°N 22.003°E / 54.484; 22.003
Angrapa (Polish: Węgorapa, Russian: Анграпа, German: Angerapp, Lithuanian: Angrapė) is a river in northeastern Poland and Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast). It originates in Masuria and flows into the Pregolya, of which it is a main tributary.
The Angrapa has a length of 172 km and a basin area of 3,639 km². The Russian name Angrapa is derived from the old German name Angerapp, which in turn is derived from the Old Prussian words anguris (eel) and apis (river). The river's name therefore means "Eel River". The city of Ozyorsk lies on the Angrapa.
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Arkhangelsk Oblast
Arkhangelsk Oblast (Russian: Арха́нгельская о́бласть, Arkhangelskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It includes the Arctic archipelagos of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, as well as the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea.
Arkhangelsk Oblast also has administrative jurisdiction over Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Nenetsia). Including Nenetsia, Arkhangelsk Oblast has an area of 587,400 km². Population (including Nenetsia): 1,227,626 (2010 Census).
The city of Arkhangelsk, with a population of 348,716 as of the 2010 Census, is the administrative center of the oblast. The second largest city is the nearby Severodvinsk, home to Sevmash, the main shipyard for the Russian Navy.
Among the oldest cities of the region are Kholmogory, Kargopol, and Solvychegodsk; there are a number of Russian Orthodox monasteries, including the Antoniev Siysky Monastery and the World Heritage Site of the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea.
Plesetsk Cosmodrome is one of three spaceports in Russia (the other two are Kapustin Yar in Astrakhan Oblast and Svobodny in Amur Oblast).
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Astrakhan Oblast
Astrakhan Oblast (Russian: Астраха́нская о́бласть, Astrakhanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Astrakhan. Population: 1,010,073 (2010 Census).
Astrakhan is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Population: 1,010,073 (2010 Census); 1,005,276 (2002 Census); 998,114 (1989 Census).
According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition was:
Astrakhan Governorate (guberniya) of the Russian Empire was created in 22th of the Nowember 1717 year by Peter the Great. It was on the southwestern frontier of the empire and was known as Astrakhan krai.
As of 1917, it bordered Saratov, Samara, and Stavropol Governorates, Don Cossack Voisko, Ural Cossack Host, Terek Oblast, and the Caspian Sea. It included the Kalmyk steppe and Kyrgyz steppe.
Since 1919 the geography of the guberniya/oblast has been changed many times. It assumed its present form in 1957.
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Bagrationovsk
Bagrationovsk (Russian: Багратио́новск; German: Preußisch Eylau; Lithuanian: Ylava or Prūsų Ylava; Polish: Pruska Iława or Iławka) is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located 37 kilometers (23 mi) south of Kaliningrad. Population: 6,399 (2010 Census preliminary results); 7,216 (2002 Census); 6,728 (1989 Census).
In 1325 the Teutonic Knights built a castle called "Yladia" or "Ilaw", later known as "Preussisch Eylau", in the center of the Old Prussian region Natangia. Ylow is the Old Prussian term for mud or swamp. The settlement nearby developed slowly, but in 1348 the Teutonic Order gave the privilege to establish 12 pubs at the surrounding area of the castle. Even though the village had only a few inhabitants, due to its central position it was often used as meeting place for different officials of the Order. In 1427 e.g. the Eylau County Law (Eylauer Landesordnung) was published by the Order. Throughout the Thirteen Years' War the castle was besieged on May 24, 1455 by troops of the Prussian Confederation under the command of Remschel von Krixen, but the garrison defeated these troops. Also throughout the Horsemen's War in 1520 the castle was unsuccessfully besieged by Troops of the Polish Kingdom, which caused a devastation of the village itself.
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Baltiysk
Baltiysk (Russian: Балти́йск), prior to 1945 known by its German name Pillau (Polish: Piława; Lithuanian: Piliava), is a seaport town and the administrative center of Baltiysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, located on the northern part of the Vistula Spit, on the shore of the Strait of Baltiysk separating the Vistula Bay from the Gdańsk Bay. Baltiysk is the westernmost town of Russia. Population: 32,670 (2010 Census preliminary results); 33,252 (2002 Census); 27,070 (1989 Census).
The town is a major naval base of the Baltic Fleet and a ferry port on the route to St. Petersburg.
A Prussian fishing village sprang up on the coast at some point in the 13th century, taking its name from pils, the Old Prussian word for "fort". A great tempest created the navigable lagoon in front of the village on 10 September 1510. This fostered the growth of Pillau into an important port of the Duchy of Prussia. A blockhouse was constructed in 1537, followed by a system of storehouses in 1543 and the earliest fortifications in 1550.
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Belgorod Oblast
Belgorod Oblast (Russian: Белгоро́дская о́бласть, Belgorodskaya oblast) is a federal subjects of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Belgorod. Population: 1,532,526 (2010 Census results).
At the turn of the 17th century, a solid line of military fortifications was built in the area, stretching for almost 800 kilometers (500 mi). Ukrainian Cossacks, who moved here because of the nobility and the tax burden, were in charge of the line defenses. Even more Cossacks moved to the area during the Khmelnytsky Uprising (1648–1657) and the internecine wars in the Cossack Hetmanate (1659–1679). Belgorod became the military and administrative center, after originating as an outpost on the southern borders of Russia.
Following the Battle of Poltava, Peter I granted to soldiers of Greater Belgorod the regiment flag.
From 1708 to 1727, the territory of the modern Belgorod Oblast was part of Kiev and Azov Governorates. In 1727, Belgorod Governorate was established from parts of Kiev Governorate. The governorate lasted until 1779. This territory was much greater than that of today, and the governorate incorporated territories of modern Kursk, Oryol, and parts of Bryansk and Kharkiv Oblasts. The coat of arms of the then-Governorate is still used by the modern Belgorod Oblast.
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Brandenburg
Brandenburg (
listen (help·info); Low German: Brannenborg, Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam. Brandenburg surrounds but does not include the national capital and city-state of Berlin.
Originating in the medieval Northern March, the Margraviate of Brandenburg grew to become the core of the Kingdom of Prussia, which would later become the Free State of Prussia. The eastern third of historic Brandenburg (Ostbrandenburg/Neumark) was ceded to Poland in 1945.
In late medieval and early modern times, Brandenburg was one of seven electoral states of the Holy Roman Empire, and, along with Prussia, formed the original core of the German Empire, the first unified German state. Governed by the Hohenzollern dynasty from 1415, it contained the future German capital Berlin. After 1618 the Margraviate of Brandenburg and the Duchy of Prussia were combined to form Brandenburg-Prussia, which was ruled by the same branch of the House of Hohenzollern. In 1701 the state was elevated as the Kingdom of Prussia. Franconian Nuremberg and Ansbach, Swabian Hohenzollern, the eastern European connections of Berlin, and the status of Brandenburg's ruler as prince-elector together were instrumental in the rise of that state.
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Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia (German: Brandenburg-Preußen) is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession upon the latter's extinction in the male line in 1618. Another consequence of the intermarriage was the incorporation of the lower Rhenish principalities of Cleves, Mark and Ravensberg after the Treaty of Xanten in 1614.
By the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648, Brandenburg gained Minden and Halberstadt, also the succession in Farther Pomerania (incorporated in 1653) and the Duchy of Magdeburg (incorporated in 1680). With the Treaty of Bromberg (1657), concluded during the Second Northern War, the electors were freed of Polish vassalage for the Duchy of Prussia and gained Lauenburg–Bütow and Draheim. The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1679) expanded Brandenburgian Pomerania to the lower Oder.
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Braniewo
Braniewo [braˈɲevɔ] (German: Braunsberg (help·info); former Polish: Brunsberga, Lithuanian: Prūsa) is a town in northeastern Poland, in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, with a population of 18,068 (2004). It is the capital of Braniewo County. Located on the Pasłęka River, about five km from the Vistula Lagoon, Braniewo lies about halfway between Gdańsk and the Russian city of Kaliningrad.
During the conquest and Christianization of Prussia, the Teutonic Knights conquered an Old Prussian settlement named Brusebergue[citation needed] in 1240 and built in 1242 a new castle atop it on the Passarge (Pasłęka) River. The German name of this new residence was Braunsberg (literally "Brown's Mountain"). It was probably derived from a Germanization (Brus-berg and Brunsberg) of the older Prussian name, or possibly named after Saint Bruno of Querfurt, who had been martyred on the Kievan Rus' border[citation needed]in 1009.
In 1243 the settlement, together with the surrounding region of Warmia, was given by the Order to the newly created Bishopric of Warmia, whose bishop built his cathedral in the town and made it his chief residence. Braunsberg was granted town privileges based on those of Lübeck in 1254, but was destroyed and depopulated in the second uprising of native Prussians in 1261. It was rebuilt in a new location in 1273 and settled by newcomers from Lübeck. In 1284 Braunsberg was given a new town charter, again based on the laws of Lübeck. However, the next bishop, Heinrich Fleming (1278–1300) transferred the chapter from Braunsberg to Frauenburg (Frombork) where it remained until the 20th century.
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Bryansk Oblast
Bryansk Oblast (Russian: Бря́нская о́бласть, Bryanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Bryansk. Population: 1,278,217 (2010 Census results).
The territory of what is now Bryansk Oblast has been inhabited since ancient times by Slavic tribes. In the 9th to 11th centuries they lived along the banks of the Desna and in the forests of the land between the Desna and the Oka River. The city of Bryansk was established in 985.
Bryansk remained poorly attested until the Mongol invasion of Russia. It was the northernmost of the Severian cities in the possession of the Chernigov Rurikids and the principality of Novgorod-Seversky. After Mikhail of Chernigov was murdered by the Mongols and his capital was destroyed, his son moved his seat to Bryansk. In 1310, when the Mongols sacked the town again, it belonged to the principality of Smolensk. After the demise of Chernigov by the Mongols, the Principality of Bryansk was formed. In 1356 Bryansk territory was under the authority of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
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Chelyabinsk Oblast
Chelyabinsk Oblast (Russian: Челя́бинская о́бласть, Chelyabinskaya oblast) is a federal subject Russia (an oblast) in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the city of Chelyabinsk. Population: 3,476,217 (2010 Census).
Population: 3,476,217 (2010 Census); 3,603,339 (2002 Census); 3,623,732 (1989 Census).
The oblast is highly urbanized.
The 2010 Census counted the following recognized ethnic groups in Chelyabinsk Oblast:
Source:
Chelyabinsk Oblast has considerable subsurface gold reserves, which are concentrated in ore and placer deposits. The gold deposits are associated with both basement rock and fluvial deposits. Probable reserves are estimated at 500 tons of ore gold and 40 tons of placer gold. The most important nonmetallic minerals in the region in terms of reserves are deposits of graphite, talc, kaolin, and vermiculite (rock raw materials); barite, phosphorite, and glauconite (chemical raw materials); magnesite, quartzite, fluxing limestone, and furnace dolomite (metallurgical raw materials).
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Chernyakhovsk
Chernyakhovsk (Russian: Черняхо́вск; German: Insterburg (help·info); Lithuanian: Įsrutis; Polish: Wystruć) is a town and the administrative center of Chernyakhovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Instruch and the Angrapa Rivers, forming the Pregolya. Population: 40,464 (2010 Census preliminary results); 44,323 (2002 Census); 39,622 (1989 Census).
It is home to the Chernyakhovsk naval air facility.
In 1336, after the Prussian Crusade, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights Dietrich von Altenburg founded a castle called Instierburg at the site of a former Old Prussian fortification. During their campaign against the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the place was devastated in 1376 and again by Polish troops in 1457. The castle had been rebuilt as the seat of a Procurator and a settlement grew up to serve it, also called Insterburg.
When Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1525 securalized the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights, Insterburg became part of the Duchy of Prussia and was granted town privileges on 10 October 1583 by the Prussian regent Margrave George Frederick. The town became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. Because the area had been depopulated by plague in the early 18th century, King Frederick William I of Prussia invited Protestant refugees who had been expelled from the Archbishopric of Salzburg to settle in Insterburg in 1732.
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Chuvash Republic
The Chuvash Republic (Russian: Чува́шская Респу́блика — Чува́шия; Chuvash: Чăваш Республики — Чăваш Ен), or Chuvashia (Чува́шия) for short, is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). It is the homeland of the Chuvash people. Its capital is the city of Cheboksary. Population: 1,251,619 (2010 Census).
The Chuvash Republic is located in the center of the European part of Russia, in the heart of the Volga-Vyatka region, midway between Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. The republic is not large, but is one of the most densely populated regions in the Russian Federation, with a total population of 1.35 million.
It is bordered by the Mari El Republic in the north, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in the west, the Republic of Mordovia in the southwest, Ulyanovsk Oblast in the south, and the Republic of Tatarstan in the east and southeast. Some of the Volga River valley reservoirs are in the north of the republic, and the Sura River flows towards the Volga along much of the republic's western boundary. The republic's central location gives companies located here access to some of the most industrially developed regions of the country.
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Curonian Lagoon
The Curonian Lagoon (or Bay, Gulf; Russian: Kуршский залив, Lithuanian: Kuršių marios, Polish: Zalew Kuroński, German: Kurisches Haff) is separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit. Its surface area is 1,619 square kilometers (625 sq mi). The Neman River supplies about 90% of its inflows; its watershed consists of about 100,450 square kilometers in Lithuania and the Kaliningrad Oblast.
In the 13th century, the area around the lagoon was part of the ancestral lands of the Curonians and Old Prussian people. Later it bordered the historical region of Lithuania Minor. At the northern end of the Spit, there is a passage to the Baltic Sea, and the place was chosen by the Teutonic Knights in 1252 to found Memelburg castle and the city of Memel. The town is officially called Klaipėda since 1923 when the Memel Territory was separated from the German Empire.
As the new Interwar border, the river that flows into the Curonian Lagoon near Rusnė (German: Ruß) was chosen. The river's lower 120 km in Germany were called die Memel by Germans, while the upper part located in Lithuania was known as Nemunas River. The border also separated the peninsula near the small holiday resort of Nida, Lithuania (German: Nidden); the southern part of the Spit and the Lagoon remained in Germany until 1945.
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Curonian Spit
The Curonian Spit (Lithuanian: Kuršių nerija, Russian: Куршская коса, German: Kurische Nehrung, Latvian: Kuršu kāpas) is a 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. Its southern portion lies within Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia and its northern within southwestern Lithuania. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared by the two countries.
The Curonian Spit stretches from the Sambian Peninsula on the south to its northern tip next to a narrow strait, across which is the port city of Klaipėda on the mainland of Lithuania. The northern 52 km long stretch of the Curonian Spit peninsula belongs to Lithuania, while the rest is part of the Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia (see the map). The width of the spit varies from a minimum of 400m in Russia (near the village of Lesnoy) to a maximum of 3,800 m in Lithuania (just north of Nida).
The Curonian Spit was formed about 3rd millennium BC. A glacial moraine served as its foundation; winds and sea currents later contributed enough sand to raise and keep the formation above sea level.
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Duchy of Prussia
The Duchy of Prussia or Ducal Prussia (German: Herzogtum Preußen; Latin: Ducatus Prussiae; Polish: Prusy Książęce; Lithuanian: Prūsijos kunigaikštystė; Old Prussian: Ercōgista Prūsija[citation needed]) was a duchy in the eastern part of Prussia from 1525–1701. It was the first Protestant (Lutheran) duchy with a dominant German-speaking population, as well as Polish and Lithuanian minorities. In old texts and in Latin, the term Prut(h)enia refers alike to Ducal Prussia, its western neighbor Royal Prussia, and their common predecessor, Teutonic Prussia. The adjectival form of the name was "Prut(h)enic".
In 1525 during the Protestant Reformation, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Albert, secularized the order's Prussian territory, becoming Albert, Duke of Prussia. His duchy, which had its capital in Königsberg (Polish: Królewiec), was established as fief of the Crown of Poland. It was inherited by the Hohenzollern prince-electors of Brandenburg in 1618; this personal union is referred to as Brandenburg-Prussia. Frederick William, the "Great Elector" of Brandenburg, achieved full sovereignty over the territory in the 1657 Treaty of Wehlau, which was confirmed in the 1660 Treaty of Oliva. The Duchy of Prussia was elevated to the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701.
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East Germany
The German Democratic Republic (GDR; German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik [ˈdɔʏtʃə demoˈkʀaːtɪʃə ʀepuˈbliːk] or DDR), informally known as East Germany (German: Ostdeutschland), was a socialist state established by the USSR in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city. The GDR had an area of 107,771 km2 (41,610 mi2), bordering Czechoslovakia to the south, West Germany to the south and west, Poland to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the north. East Germany was dissolved upon joining the institutions of West Germany in the German reunification, on 3 October 1990.
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East Prussia
East Prussia (German: Ostpreußen, pronounced [ˈɔstˌpʁɔʏsən] (
listen); Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Lithuanian: Rytų Prūsija or Rytprūsiai; Russian: Восточная Пруссия or Vostochnaya Prussiya; Latin: Borussia orientalis) was the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.
East Prussia enclosed the bulk of the ancestral lands of the Baltic Old Prussians. During the 13th century, the native Prussians were conquered by the crusading Teutonic Knights. The indigenous Balts who survived the conquest were gradually converted to Christianity. Because of Germanization and colonisation over the following centuries, Germans became the dominant ethnic group, while Poles and Lithuanians formed minorities. From the 13th century, East Prussia was part of the monastic state of the Teutonic Knights, which became the Duchy of Prussia in 1525. The Old Prussian language had become extinct by the 17th or early 18th century.
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Gdańsk Bay
Coordinates: 54°28′59″N 18°57′31″E / 54.48306°N 18.95861°E / 54.48306; 18.95861
Gdańsk Bay or the Bay of Gdańsk or Danzig Bay (Polish: Zatoka Gdańska; Kashubian: Gduńskô Hôwinga; Russian: Гданьская бухта, Gdan'skaja bukhta, and German: Danziger Bucht) is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland and is sometimes referred to as a gulf.
The western part of Gdańsk Bay is formed by the shallow waters of the Bay of Puck. The southeastern part is the Vistula Lagoon, separated by the Vistula Spit and connected to the open sea by the Strait of Baltiysk.
The bay is enclosed by a large curve of the shores of Gdańsk Pomerania in Poland (Cape Rozewie, Hel Peninsula) and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia (Sambian Peninsula). The coast of the bay features two very long sandspits, the Hel peninsula and the Vistula Spit. The first one defines the Bay of Puck, the latter one defines the Vistula Lagoon.
The maximum depth is 120 meters, and it has a salinity 0.7%.
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Germany
Germany (
i/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.
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Gusevsky District
Gusevsky District (Russian: Гу́севский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fifteen in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the east of the oblast. The area of the district is 642.7 square kilometers (248.1 sq mi).[citation needed] Its administrative center is the town of Gusev. Population: 37,143 (2010 Census preliminary results); 37,461 (2002 Census); 7,533 (1989 Census). Population of Gusev accounts for 76.1% of the district's population.
The district is situated in the eastern part of the oblast and is sparsely populated. The rivers in the district include the Pissa and the Angrapa. The southern parts of the district are dominated by forests; in the northern parts forests and steppe pasture prevail.
The economy is centered around agriculture. The main railway line and road from Kaliningrad to Moscow pass through the district.
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Gvardeysk
Gvardeysk (Russian: Гварде́йск (help·info); German: Tapiau (help·info); Lithuanian: Tepliava/Tepliuva; Polish: Tapiawa/Tapiewo) is a town and the administrative center of Gvardeysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pregolya River 38 kilometers (24 mi) east of Kaliningrad. Population: 13,888 (2010 Census preliminary results); 14,572 (2002 Census); 11,904 (1989 Census).
Peter of Dusburg wrote of a settlement known as Tapiow, first documented in 1254, and the neighboring fort Surgurbi built by 1265. The Old Prussian names were derived from tape, teplu, toplu, tapi, meaning "warm", and sur garbis, meaning "around the mountain". During the 13th century Prussian Crusade, the area was conquered by the Teutonic Knights. To protect Samland from the Nadrovians and Scalovians, the crusaders built a wooden fort between the Deime and Pregel rivers from 1283–90. This was replaced by Tapiau Castle, a stone Ordensburg, in 1351.
The settlement gradually became known by the German crusaders as Tapiau. Vytautas, the later Grand Duke of Lithuania, was baptized in Tapiau in 1385. After the transfer of the Grand Master's seat from Marienburg to Königsberg, Tapiau became the site of the Order's archives and library from 1469–1722.
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Gvardeysky District
Gvardeysky District (Russian: Гварде́йский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fifteen in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the center of the oblast. The area of the district is 783 square kilometers (302 sq mi).[citation needed] Its administrative center is the town of Gvardeysk. Population: 29,926 (2010 Census preliminary results); 32,101 (2002 Census); 27,299 (1989 Census). Population of Gvardeysk accounts for 46.4% of the district's population.
The district is situated in the center of the oblast, east of Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the oblast.
Main rivers in the district are the Pregolya and its branch the Deyma.
The district is among the more densely populated districts of the oblast.[citation needed]
Economy is centered around agriculture. The main railway line and road from Kaliningrad to Moscow pass through the district, parallel with the Pregolya.
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Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast (Russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of Angara River, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska Rivers. The administrative center is the city of Irkutsk. Population: 2,428,750 (2010 Census).
In the 13th century, the Lake Baikal area came under Mongol influence. Genghis Khan conquered the Merkits and Tatars who were settling in the area by 1227, before going on to expand into wider Central Asia, establishing the Mongol Empire. The Mongols were succeeded by the Northern Yuan in the 14th century.
Russian presence in the area dates to the 17th century, as the Russian Tsardom expanded eastward following the conquest of the Khanate of Sibir in 1582.
By the end of the 17th century Irkutsk was a small town, the monasteries were being built, the suburbs and agricultural settlements were being formed.
Since the 18th century in Irkutsk the trades and crafts began to develop, the gold and silver craftsmen, smiths appeared. In relation with the expansion of Russian state to the East from Irkutsk, the city became a capital of enormous territories from the Enisey to the Pacific, it played an important role in the exploration and securing vast Eastern-Siberian and Far-Eastern territories to Russia. Gradually Irkutsk gained more meaning as the main transportation and trade center of Eastern Siberia, it became a center of trade routes from Kamchatka, Chukotka to Yakutia, Mongolia, and China. The administrative meaning of the city increased: it became a center of one fifth of the provinces of Siberia; in 1764 it became a center of independent province.
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Ivanovo Oblast
Ivanovo Oblast (Russian: Ива́новская о́бласть, Ivanovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its three largest cities are Ivanovo (the administrative center), Kineshma, and Shuya. Population: 1,061,051 (2010 Census).
The principal center of tourism is Plyos. The Volga River flows through the northern part of the oblast.
Ivanovo Industrial Oblast (Ива́новская Промы́шленная о́бласть) was established on January 14, 1929. On March 11, 1936, the oblast was divided into modern Ivanovo Oblast and Yaroslavl Oblast.
Ivanovo Oblast borders with Kostroma Oblast (N), Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (E), Vladimir Oblast (S), and Yaroslavl Oblast (W).
Industry in Ivanovo Region is subdivided into several main sectors, including the light, chemical and petrochemical, food, forest, peat, engineering and metalworking, power, and building material industries. The primary and most developed sector is light industry, made up of the clothing, knitting, textile, and shoe industries. Companies in this sector employ half of the region's industrial workers. The textile industry, which began developing in the last quarter of the 17th century, is of fundamental importance. Textile companies in the region produce half of Russia's textiles. Engineering occupies an important place in the region's industry. Engineering companies manufacture mobile cranes, looms and machine tools, excavators, combing machinery, instrumentation, and car components. The woodworking and pulp and paper industries also make a significant contribution to the regional economy. Forests of the region serve as a source of raw materials for these industries. The food industry produces a variety of goods that are in demand in many Russian regions, as well as abroad, e.g., sausage, mayonnaise, flour, cereals, canned meats and milk, confectionery, pasta, and alcohol.
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Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad (Russian: Калинингра́д; Polish: Królewiec; Lithuanian: Karaliaučius; German: Königsberg; Czech: Královec) is a seaport city and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. The territory, the northern part of the former East Prussia, borders on NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania, and is geographically separated from the rest of Russia.
Originally named Königsberg in German, the town was founded in 1255 by the order of the Teutonic Knights in honour of the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II and was part of Prussia and then of Germany until 1945, but was largely destroyed during World War II. Its ruins were occupied by the Red Army in 1945 and its German population forced out. It was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946 in honor of Mikhail Kalinin.
According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, its population was 431,491—an increase from 430,003 recorded in the 2002 Census. Its ethnic composition is 77.9% Russians, 8.0% Belarusians, 7.3% Ukrainians, 1.9% Lithuanians, 0.6% Germans, and 0.5% Poles.
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Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, Kaliningradskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of 941,873 (2010 Census).
The oblast forms the westernmost part of Russia, but it has no land connection to the rest of the country. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then of the Russian Federation. The fall of the Soviet Union left it isolated from the "mainland". It is surrounded by Lithuania, Poland, and the Baltic Sea. Borderless travel to the main part of Russia is only possible by sea or air. This political isolation became more pronounced when Lithuania and Poland both became members of the European Union and NATO, and entered the Schengen Zone, which means that the oblast is surrounded by the territories of these organizations as well.
The oblast's largest city and the administrative center is Kaliningrad (formerly known as Königsberg), which has historical significance as both a major city of the historical state of Prussia and the capital of the former German province of East Prussia, partitioned after World War II between the USSR and Poland, and renamed after the Soviet Head of State Mikhail Kalinin.
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Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast (Russian: Калу́жская о́бласть, Kaluzhskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga. Population: 1,010,930 (2010 Census).
Kaluga Oblast is located in the central part of the East European Plain. The Smolensk Highland (height—279 meters) lays in the western and north-western part of the oblast, while the Central Russian Highland - in the eastern part. The territory of the oblast is covered by hills, and in some parts by flat plains interspersed by numerous river valleys, hollows, and ravines.
From the north to the south, the territory of the oblast extends for more than 220 km from 53° 30' to 55° 30' N, and from west to the east – by 220 km. The territory of the oblast is 29,900 km².
Kaluga Oblast borders with Bryansk, Smolensk, Moscow, Tula, and Oryol Oblasts.
There are 2,045 rivers with a total length of 11,853 km, of which 256 have a length of more than 10 km each, with a total length of 7,638 km (including the Oka and the Desna), and 1,763 rivers and streams with a length of less than 10 km each, with a total length of 4,215 km. There are also 17 water reservoirs with a water storage capacity of 79 mln m³ (Lyudinovskoe — 30 mln m³, Kirovskoe-Verkhnee — 7.8 mln m³, Brynskoe — 14 mln m³, Yachenskoe — 5 mln m³, Milyatinskoe — 7.6 mln m³, Slobodskoe — 3.7 mln m³). Out of 473 ponds of common use, there are 213 ponds with a water storage capacity of up to 50,000 m3 equipped with basic discharge facilities. The main rivers are: the Oka, the Ugra, the Zhizdra, and the Bolva (all those rivers' names are of Lithuanian language origin).
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Kamchatka Krai
Kamchatka Krai (Russian: Камча́тский край; IPA: [kɐmˈtɕatskʲɪj kraj]) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). It was formed on July 1, 2007, as a result of the merger of Kamchatka Oblast and Koryak Autonomous Okrug, after a referendum was held on the issue on October 23, 2005. The krai's administrative center is the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The okrug retains the status of a special administrative division of the krai under the name of Koryak Okrug. Population: 322,079 (2010 Census).
Population: 322,079 (2010 Census); 358,801 (2002 Census); 466,096 (1989 Census).
Source:
After nearly two decades, Kamchatka recorded a net natural population growth instead of decline in 2007. However in first half of 2008, the trend was reversed and population decline was observed again, partly due to an increased mortality rate among the rural population.
Ethnic composition (2010):
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Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan (i/ˌkɑːzəkˈstɑːn/ or /ˌkæzəkˈstæn/) (Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, pronounced [qɑzɑqstɑ́n]; Russian: Казахстан [kəzɐxˈstan]), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Europe. The ninth largest country in the world by land area, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of 2,727,300 square kilometres (1,053,000 sq mi) is larger than Western Europe. It is neighbored clockwise from the north by Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and also borders on a significant part of the Caspian Sea. Although Kazakhstan does not share a border with Mongolia, its most easterly point is only 38 kilometres (24 mi) from Mongolia's western tip. The terrain of Kazakhstan ranges from flatlands, steppes, taigas, rock-canyons, hills, deltas, and snow-capped mountains to deserts. With 16.6 million people (2011 estimate) Kazakhstan has the 62nd largest population in the world, though its population density is less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 per sq. mi.). The capital was moved in 1998 from Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, to Astana.
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Kemerovo Oblast
Kemerovo Oblast (Russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть, Kemerovskaya oblast), also known as Kuzbass (Кузба́сс) after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia, where the West Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains. The oblast, which covers an area of 95,500 square kilometers (36,900 sq mi), shares a border with Tomsk Oblast in the north, Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Republic of Khakassia in the east, the Altai Republic in the south, and Novosibirsk Oblast and Altai Krai in the west. Its ethnic composition is predominantly Russian, but Ukrainians, Tatars, and Chuvash also live in the oblast. Population: 2,763,135 (2010 Census).
The climate of the oblast is continental: winters are cold and long, summers are warm, but short. The average January temperature is -17...-20°C, the average in July is +17...+18 °C. Average annual precipitation ranges from 300 mm on the plains and the foothills of up to 1,000 mm or more in mountainous areas. The duration of the frost-free period lasts 100 days in the north area up to 120 days in the south of the Kuznetsk Basin.
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Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai (Russian: Хаба́ровский край, tr. Khabarovsky kray; IPA: [xɐˈbarəfskʲɪj kraj]) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Khabarovsk. Population: 1,343,869 (2010 Census).
The indigenous people of the area are the Evenks, Negidals, Ulchs, Nanai, Oroch, Udege, and Amur Nivkhs.
According to various Chinese and Korean records, the southern part of Khabarovsk Krai was originally occupied one of the five semi-nomadic Shiwei, the Bo Shiwei tribes and the Black Water Mohe tribes living respectively on the west and the east of the Bureinsky and the Malyi Khingan ranges.
In 1643, Vassili Poyarkov's boats descended the Amur, returning to Yakutsk by the Sea of Okhotsk and the Aldan River, and in 1649–1650 Yerofey Khabarov occupied the banks of the Amur. The resistance of the Chinese, however, obliged the Cossacks to quit their forts, and by the Treaty of Nerchinsk (1689) Russia abandoned her advance into the basin of the river.
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Kirov Oblast
Kirov Oblast (Russian: Ки́ровская о́бласть, Kirovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: 1,341,312 (2010 Census).
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vyatka remained a place of exile for opponents of the tsarist regime, including many prominent revolutionary figures. In 1920, a number of small southern and eastern districts (volosti) and villages were shifted from Vyatka as a result of the formation of the Tatar Autonomous Republic and the Mari and Votskaya [now the Udmurt Republic] autonomous regions.
The territory did not escape the Civil War and intervention of 1918-1921. Then in 1921-1922, it was hit by famine, followed by a typhus epidemic in late 1922. The death rate doubled during those years. The postwar period was accompanied by rebuilding of the province on the basis of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which consisted of free trade, entrepreneurship, and private sector stimulation. However, the basic principles of the NEP never really took hold in agriculture, where the only effect was to reduce all the peasants to the same level, or in industry.
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Komi Republic
The Komi Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Ко́ми, Respublika Komi; Komi: Коми Республика, Komi Respublika) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the city of Syktyvkar. Population: 901,189 (2010 Census).
The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain. Forests cover over 70% of the territory and swamps cover approximately 15%.
Major rivers include:
There are many lakes in the republic. Major lakes include:
The republic's natural resources include coal, oil, natural gas, gold, diamonds and timber. Native reindeer are in abundance, and have been intentionally bred for human usage by the indigenous population from the beginning.[citation needed]
Around 32,800 km² of mostly boreal forest (as well as some alpine tundra and meadows) in the Republic's Northern Ural Mountains have been recognized in 1995 as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Virgin Komi Forests. It is the first natural UNESCO World Heritage site in Russia and the largest expanse of virgin forests in Europe. The site includes two pre-existing protected areas: Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve (created in 1930) and Yugyd Va National Park (created in 1994).
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Kostroma Oblast
Kostroma Oblast (Russian: Костромска́я о́бласть, Kostromskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kostroma. Population: 667,562 (2010 Census).
Major historic towns include Kostroma, Sharya, Nerekhta, Galich, Soligalich, and Makaryev. Textile industries have been developed there since the early 18th century. The oblast was detached from Yaroslavl Oblast in 1944.
The Governor of the oblast was Viktor Shershunov from 1997 until his death in a car crash on September 20, 2007. As of 2011, Igor Slyunyayev is the Governor.
From c. 300 CE the whole current area of Kostroma with exception the area east of River Unzha was part of historical Finno-Ugric peoples' lands, like the Merya people and their loose tribal confederation. There were at least 109 Merya settlements located in the area of which the most important below mentioned trading centers and important hill fortresses were later recorded by the Russians as the Russians founded towns in the late 9th to 12th centuries.
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Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai (Russian: Краснода́рский край, Krasnodarsky kray) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the Southern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Krasnodar. Population: 5,226,647 (2010 Census).
Krasnodar Krai encompasses the western part of the Forecaucasus and a part of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major. Krasnodar Krai borders, clockwise from the west, Ukraine—from which it is separated by the Strait of Kerch and the Sea of Azov—Russia's Rostov Oblast, Stavropol Krai, and the Karachay–Cherkess Republic, and Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia. The krai territory encircles the Republic of Adygea. Krasnodar Krai's southern border is formed by what is left of Russia's Black Sea coast, with the most important port (Novorossiysk) and resort (Sochi) in this part of the country.
Geographically, the area is split by the Kuban River into two distinct parts. The southern, seaward third (Circassia) is the western extremity of the Caucasus range, lying within the Crimean Submediterranean forest complex ecoregion; the climate is Mediterranean or, in the south-east, subtropical. The northern two-thirds lies on the Pontic Steppe and shares continental climate patterns. The largest lake is Abrau in the wine-making region of Abrau-Dyurso.
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Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai (Russian: Красноярский край, tr. Krasnoyarsky kray; IPA: [krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj]) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). It is the second largest federal subject after the Sakha Republic, Russia's largest krai and the third largest subnational governing body by area in the world, occupying an area of 2,339,700 square kilometers (903,400 sq mi), which is 13% of the country's total territory. The administrative center of the krai is the city of Krasnoyarsk. Population: 2,828,187 (2010 Census).
The krai lies in the middle of Siberia, and belongs to the Siberian Federal District, stretching 3,000 km from the Sayan Mountains in the south along the Yenisei River to the Taymyr Peninsula in the north. It borders Tyumen, Tomsk, Irkutsk, and Kemerovo Oblasts, the Republic of Khakassia, the Tuva Republic, and the Sakha Republic, and the Kara Sea and Laptev Sea of the Arctic Ocean in the north.
The krai is located in the basin of the Arctic Ocean; a great number of rivers that flow through the krai all drain into it eventually. The main rivers of the krai are the Yenisei, and its tributaries (from south to north): the Kan, the Angara, the Podkamennaya Tunguska, and the Nizhnyaya Tunguska.
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Kurgan Oblast
Kurgan Oblast (Russian: Курга́нская о́бласть, Kurganskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kurgan. Population: 910,807 (2010 Census).
The oblast was formed on February 6, 1943, just when the Soviet Army decisively defeated Hitler's forces near Stalingrad. However, the history of Transuralia (Zauralye) began much earlier when the first settlers built their small stockaded towns on the banks of the banks of the Tobol and Iset Rivers. Decembrist and Polish exiles made substantial contributions to the development of culture and education in Zauralye. The cooperative movement was widespread at the beginning of the 20th century, and thanks to Trans-Ural oil manufacturers, Russia became the world's second-largest exporter of butter.
Kurgan Oblast is located in Southern Russia and is part of the Urals Federal District. It shares borders with Chelyabinsk Oblast to the west, Sverdlovsk Oblast to the north, Tyumen Oblast to the east, and Kazakhstan to the south.
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Kursk Oblast
Kursk Oblast (Russian: Ку́рская о́бласть, Kurskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Kursk. Population: 1,127,081 (2010 Census).
The oblast occupies the southern slopes of the middle-Russian plateau, and its average elevation is from 177 to 225 meters (580–738 ft). The surface is hilly, and intersected by ravines. The central part of Kursk oblast is more elevated than the Seym Valley to the west. The Timsko-Shchigrinsky ridge contains the highest point in the oblast at 288 meters (945 ft) above the sea level. The low relief, gentler slopes, and mild winter make the area suitable for farming, and much of the forest has been cleared.
The chernozem soils cover around 70% of the oblast's territory; podsol soils cover 26%.
Kursk Oblast contributes to two major drainage areas—the Dnieper River and the Don River (78% and 22% respectively). There are 902 rivers and streams in the oblast, with their total length of approximately 8,000 kilometers (5,000 mi). Major rivers are the Seym and the Psyol.
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Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945, and the easternmost large German city until it was conquered by the Soviet Union near the end of World War II. In 1946 the city was renamed Kaliningrad.
Historically, the official name was Königsberg in Preußen (abbreviated Königsberg i. Pr. (until 1936) and later Königsberg (Pr) (1936–1946)), Königsberg in Prussia, German pronunciation [ˈkʰøˑnɪçsbɛɐk], pronunciation (help·info)). Königsberg's literal meaning is 'King's Mountain'. Historically, several regional names were used for Königsberg. Its Latinised form was Regimontium Prussorum. In Modern Saxon or "Low German", a Germanic language spoken by many of its German inhabitants, the name was Königsbarg (local pronunciation: /ˈkʰeˑnɪçsbɒɐç/), mixing German König (nds. köning) with Low German barg (hill, mountain). Further names include Lithuanian: Karaliaučius; Polish: Królewiec and the modern Russian and current official name Калинингра́д, Kaliningrad).
Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement Twangste by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was named in honour of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. The city successively became the capital of their monastic state, the Duchy of Prussia, and East Prussia. The Baltic port developed into a German cultural center, being the residence of, among others, Simon Dach, Immanuel Kant, Käthe Kollwitz, E. T. A. Hoffmann, and David Hilbert, Agnes Miegel and Michael Wieck.
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Ladushkin
Ladushkin (Russian: Ла́душкин; German: Ludwigsort; Polish: Ludwinów; Lithuanian: Liudvigsortas) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located between Kaliningrad and the Polish border. Population: 3,788 (2010 Census preliminary results); 3,796 (2002 Census); 3,108 (1989 Census).
The town was founded as Ludwigsort ("Ludwig's/Louis's place") in 1314 and is situated not far from the shores of the Vistula Lagoon and the ruins of the medieval Balga Castle erected by the Teutonic Knights.
After the transfer of northern East Prussia to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic following World War II, the town was renamed Ladushkin in 1946 after the Red Army soldier Ivan Ladushkin who was killed nearby during the East Prussian Offensive in the previous year.
Administratively, along with two rural localities, it is incorporated as the town of oblast significance of Ladushkin—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.Municipally, the town of oblast significance of Ladushkin is incorporated as Ladushkinsky Urban Okrug.
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Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast (Russian: Ленингра́дская о́бласть, Leningradskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position. The oblast was named after the city of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg).
The oblast is bordered by Finland in the northwest, Estonia in the west, as well as five federal subjects of Russia: the Republic of Karelia in the northeast, Vologda Oblast in the east, Novgorod Oblast in the south, Pskov Oblast in the southwest, and the federal city of Saint Petersburg in the west.
The first governor of Leningrad Oblast was Vadim Gustov (in 1996–1998). Since 1999 he has been succeeded by Valery Serdyukov, who was replaced by Alexander Drozdenko, since 2012.
The oblast has an area of 84,500 square miles (219,000 km2) and a population of 1,716,868 (2010 Census); up from 1,669,205 recorded in the 2002 Census. The most populous town of the oblast is Gatchina, with 88,659 inhabitants (as of the 2002 Census). Leningrad Oblast is highly industrialized.
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Lipetsk Oblast
Lipetsk Oblast (Russian: Ли́пецкая о́бласть, Lipetskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) which was formed on January 6, 1954. Its administrative center is the city of Lipetsk. Population: 1,172,818 (2010 Census results).
Lipetsk Oblast borders with Ryazan Oblast (NE), Tambov Oblast (E), Voronezh Oblast (S), Kursk Oblast (SW), Oryol Oblast (W), and Tula Oblast (NW).
The world's first hyperboloid structure—the steel open-work lattice tower—is located in Polibino, Dankovsky District of Lipetsk Oblast. The hyperboloid tower was built and patented in 1896 by the famous Russian engineer and scientist Vladimir Shukhov. The hyperboloid structures were subsequently built by other architects, such as Antoni Gaudí, Le Corbusier, and Oscar Niemeyer.
The most important industrial branches are the iron processing and the mechanical engineering. The most industrialized cities are Lipetsk, the administrative center, and Yelets.
As of 2011, the Head of the Administration is Oleg Korolyov.
Population: 1,172,818 (2010 Census); 1,213,499 (2002 Census); 1,230,220 (1989 Census).
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Lithuania
Lithuania (i/ˌlɪθuːˈeɪniə/ or /ˌlɪθjuːˈeɪniə/; Lithuanian: Lietuva), officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublika) is a country in Northern Europe, the largest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark. It borders Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and a Russian exclave (Kaliningrad Oblast) to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 3.2 million as of 2011, and its capital and largest city is Vilnius. The Lithuanians are a Baltic people, and the official language, Lithuanian, is one of only two living languages (together with Latvian) in the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family.
For centuries, the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea was inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s the Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas, who was crowned as King of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the first Lithuanian state, on 6 July 1253. During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe: present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the Lublin Union of 1569, Lithuania and Poland formed a voluntary two-state union, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighboring countries systematically dismantled it from 1772 to 1795, with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania's territory.
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Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast (Russian: Магада́нская о́бласть, tr. Magadanskaya oblast; IPA: [məgɐˈdanskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in the Far Eastern Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Magadan. Population: 156,996 (2010 Census).
The oblast borders in the north with Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the east with Kamchatka Krai, in the south with Khabarovsk Krai, and in the west with the Sakha Republic.
Magadan Oblast was established in 1953 in what had popularly been known as Kolyma. As a result of considerable raw resources, especially gold, silver, tin, and tungsten deposits, mining activities and road building had been developed during the Stalin era in the 1930s and 1940s under the coordination of Dalstroy and its forced labor camps. Upon Stalin's death, Dalstroy was disbanded and the regional administration took over many of its former responsibilities.
From then on, paid labor replaced most of the convict-based manpower, attracted by the region's rapid economic expansion, especially the gold-mining interests.
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Mari El Republic
The Mari El Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Мари́й Эл, Respublika Mariy El; Mari: Марий Эл Республик, Marii El Respublic) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the city of Yoshkar-Ola. Population: 696,459 (2010 Census).
The republic is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain of Russia, along the Volga River. The swampy Mari Depression is located in the west of the republic. 57% of the republic's territory is covered by forests.
There are 476 rivers in the republic. Most of them are considered to be minor: 10–50 m wide and 0.5-1.4 m deep. They usually freeze from mid-November till mid-April. Major rivers include:
There are over two hundred lakes in the republic, most of them with an area less than 1 km² and depth of 1–3 m. Many lakes are located among swamps. Swamps cover large areas (10–70 km², up to 100 km²), and usually freeze in December. Average depth of the swamps is .5-1.5 m (up to 3 m), but they are impassable in fall and spring due to flooding.
Major lakes include:
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Moscow
Moscow (
/ˈmɒskaʊ/ or /ˈmɒskoʊ/; Russian: Москва́, tr. Moskva; IPA: [mɐˈskva] (
listen)) is the capital and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center of Russia and the continent. Moscow is the northernmost megacity on Earth, the most populous city in Europe, and the 6th largest city proper in the world. Its population, according to the results of the 2010 Census, is 11,503,501. Based on Forbes 2011, Moscow has the largest community of billionaires in the world.
Moscow is situated on the Moskva River in the Central Federal District of European Russia. In the course of its history the city has served as the capital of a progression of states, from the medieval Grand Duchy of Moscow and the subsequent Tsardom of Russia to the Soviet Union. Moscow is the site of the Moscow Kremlin, an ancient fortress that is today the residence of the Russian President and of the executive branch of the Government of Russia. The Kremlin is also one of several World Heritage Sites in the city. Both chambers of the Russian parliament (the State Duma and the Federation Council) also sit in Moscow.
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Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast (Russian: Моско́вская о́бласть, tr. Moskovskaya oblast; IPA: [mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]), or Podmoskovye (Russian: Подмоско́вье; IPA: [pədmɐˈskovʲjə]), is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its area, at 45,900 km2 (17,700 sq mi), is relatively small compared to other federal subjects, but it is one of the most densely populated regions in the country and, with the population of 7,095,120 (2010 Census), is the second most populous federal subject. There is no official administrative center of Moscow Oblast; its public authorities are located in Moscow and across other locations in the oblast.
The oblast was founded in 1929. It borders Tver Oblast in the northwest, Yaroslavl Oblast in the north, Vladimir Oblast in the northeast and east, Ryazan Oblast in the southeast, Tula Oblast in the south, Kaluga Oblast in the southwest and Smolensk Oblast in the west. In the center stands the federal city of Moscow, which is a separate federal subject in its own right. The oblast is highly industrialized, with its main industrial branches being metallurgy, oil refining, and mechanical engineering, food, energy, and chemical industries.
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Murmansk Oblast
Murmansk Oblast (Russian: Му́рманская о́бласть, Murmanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the northwestern part of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Murmansk. Population: 795,409 (2010 Census).
Geographically it is located mainly on the Kola Peninsula, and it is a part of the larger Lapland region that spans over four countries. It lies almost completely north of the Arctic Circle. Murmansk Oblast borders Karelia, Finnmark County in Norway and Lapland Province in Finland and, by water, the Barents Sea and the White Sea. Norrbotten County in Sweden is also located nearby (300 km). Most of the Murmansk Oblast is hilly, the Khibiny Mountains being the highest point of the region. The climate is mildered by the proximity of the sea and the gulf stream. The Oblast is mostly covered by tundra in the north and taiga in the south.
The Saami, even if they represent now a very small minority, are the indigenous people of the region. However, the Russian people started to explore the shores of the White Sea as early as the 12th century. Despite of these early settlements, the area remained backward and undeveloped for a very long time, with the city of Murmansk being founded only in 1916.
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NATO
Coordinates: 50°52′34.16″N 4°25′19.24″E / 50.8761556°N 4.4220111°E / 50.8761556; 4.4220111
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO ( /ˈneɪtoʊ/ NAY-toh; French: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN)), also called the (North) Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949. The organization constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. NATO's headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, one of the 28 member states across North America and Europe, the newest of which, Albania and Croatia, joined in April 2009. An additional 22 countries participate in NATO's Partnership for Peace, with 15 other countries involved in institutionalized dialogue programs. The combined military spending of all NATO members constitutes over 70% of the world's defence spending.
For its first few years, NATO was not much more than a political association. However, the Korean War galvanized the member states, and an integrated military structure was built up under the direction of two U.S. supreme commanders. The course of the Cold War led to a rivalry with nations of the Warsaw Pact, which formed in 1955. The first NATO Secretary General, Lord Ismay, stated in 1949 that the organization's goal was "to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down." Doubts over the strength of the relationship between the European states and the United States ebbed and flowed, along with doubts over the credibility of the NATO defence against a prospective Soviet invasion—doubts that led to the development of the independent French nuclear deterrent and the withdrawal of the French from NATO's military structure in 1966.
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Nazi Germany
The Third Reich, also Nazi Germany, is the common name for Germany when it was a totalitarian state ruled by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). On 30 January 1933 Hitler became chancellor of Germany, quickly eliminating all opposition to rule as sole leader. The state idolized Hitler as its Führer ("leader"), centralizing all power in his hands. Historians have emphasized the hypnotic effect of his rhetoric on large audiences, and of his eyes in small groups. Kessel writes, "Overwhelmingly...Germans speak with mystification of Hitler's 'hypnotic' appeal..." Under the "leader principle", the Führer's word was above all other laws. Top officials reported to Hitler and followed his policies, but they had considerable autonomy. The government was not a coordinated, cooperating body, but rather a collection of factions struggling to amass power and curry favor with the Führer. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Nazi government restored prosperity and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending and a mixed economy of free-market and central-planning practices. Extensive public works were undertaken, including the construction of the Autobahns. The return to prosperity gave the regime enormous popularity; the suppression of all opposition made Hitler's rule mostly unchallenged.
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Neman (town)
Neman (Russian: Неман; formerly known as German: Ragnit; Lithuanian: Ragainė; Polish: Ragneta) is a town and the administrative center of Nemansky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the historic Prussia region, 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) east of the town of Sovetsk, on the steep southern bank of the Neman River, where it currently forms the border with the Klaipėda Region in Lithuania. Population: 11,794 (2010 Census preliminary results); 12,714 (2002 Census); 13,821 (1989 Census).
Initially Ragnita (from Old Prussian: ragas, "spur") was a settlement of the Baltic (Old Prussian) tribe of Scalovians. It was contested by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since its creation in the 13th century, and on April 23, 1289, it was conquered by the Teutonic Knights, who built a Gothic castle there, which later became the seat of a Komtur. The stronghold was called Landeshut, but the name did not become popular and the name Ragnit after the local river, a tributary of the Memel (outside of Prussia called Neman), continued to be used.
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Neman, Russia
Neman (Russian: Неман; formerly known as German: Ragnit; Lithuanian: Ragainė; Polish: Ragneta) is a town and the administrative center of Nemansky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the historic Prussia region, 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) east of the town of Sovetsk, on the steep southern bank of the Neman River, where it currently forms the border with the Klaipėda Region in Lithuania. Population: 11,794 (2010 Census preliminary results); 12,714 (2002 Census); 13,821 (1989 Census).
Initially Ragnita (from Old Prussian: ragas, "spur") was a settlement of the Baltic (Old Prussian) tribe of Scalovians. It was contested by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since its creation in the 13th century, and on April 23, 1289, it was conquered by the Teutonic Knights, who built a Gothic castle there, which later became the seat of a Komtur. The stronghold was called Landeshut, but the name did not become popular and the name Ragnit after the local river, a tributary of the Memel (outside of Prussia called Neman), continued to be used.
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Nemansky District
Nemansky District (Russian: Нема́нский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fifteen in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the north of the oblast. The area of the district is 699.3 square kilometers (270.0 sq mi).[citation needed] Its administrative center is the town of Neman. Population: 20,127 (2010 Census preliminary results); 22,536 (2002 Census); 8,904 (1989 Census). Population of Neman accounts for 58.6% of the district's population.
The district borders Lithuania along the Neman River. It surrounds the town of Sovetsk, which is not a part of the district. The railway line from Chernyakhovsk to Sovetsk passes through the district, as well as a cargo line from Sovetsk to Neman, and the main road Kaliningrad–Talpaki–Sovetsk, which carries the major part of traffic to St. Petersburg via Lithuania and Latvia.
Nemansky District is sparsely populated, forests and steppe pasture-land prevail.
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Nesterov
Nesterov (Russian: Не́стеров; German: Stallupönen, 1938-46 Ebenrode; Lithuanian: Stalupėnai; Polish: Stołupiany) is a town and the administrative center of Nesterovsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: 4,584 (2010 Census preliminary results); 5,049 (2002 Census); 4,826 (1989 Census).
In the Middle Ages, the area in Old Prussia had been settled by the Nadruvian tribe of the Baltic Prussians. It was conquered by the Teutonic Knights about 1276 and incorporated into the State of the Teutonic Order. From the 15th century onwards, the Knights largely resettled the lands with Samogitian and Lithuanian colonists.
The settlement itself was first mentioned as Stallupoenen, Stallupönen, in 1539, named after a nearby river called Stalupė in Lithuanian. At that time, with the secularization of the Order's Prussian lands in 1525, Stallupönen had already become part of the Duchy of Prussia, a Polish fief which in 1618 was inherited by the Hohenzollern margraves of Brandenburg. Stallupönen then belonged to Brandenburg-Prussia and in 1701 became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701, King Frederick William I granted it town privileges in 1722. From 1773 it was administered in the Province of East Prussia beginning in 1773 and during the Prussian-led unification of Germany, Stallupönen became part of the German Empire in 1871.
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Nesterovsky District
Nesterovsky District (Russian: Не́стеровский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fifteen in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the oblast and borders with Krasnoznamensky District in the north, Lithuania in the east, Poland in the south, and with Gusevsky and Ozyorsky Districts in the west. The area of the district is 1,062 square kilometers (410 sq mi).[citation needed] Its administrative center is the town of Nesterov. Population: 16,219 (2010 Census preliminary results); 17,250 (2002 Census); 15,181 (1989 Census). Population of Nesterov accounts for 28.3% of the district's population.
In Nesterov, there is a border train station to Lithuania on the line from Kaliningrad to Moscow. In Chernyshevskoye, an important border crossing point on the principal road connecting Kaliningrad to Moscow is located.
Near the settlement of Yasnaya Polyana the former stable of the Trakehner horse breed is located, as well as a museum for the breed.
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Novgorod Oblast
Novgorod Oblast (Russian: Новгоро́дская о́бласть, Novgorodskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, including Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, are located there. The historic monuments of Veliky Novgorod and surroundings have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Population: 634,111 (2010 Census).
Novgorod Oblast borders with Leningrad Oblast in the north and in the northwest, Vologda Oblast in the east, Tver Oblast in the southeast and in the south, and Pskov Oblast in the southwest.
The western part is a lowland around the Lake Ilmen, while the eastern part is a highland (northern spurs of the Valdai Hills). The highest point is Mount Ryzhokha in the Valdai Hills (296 metres (971 ft)). In the center of the oblast, there is Lake Ilmen, one of the largest lakes in Central Russia. The major tributaries of Lake Ilmen are the Msta, which originates in the east of the Valdai Hills and collects the rivers in the east of the oblast, the Lovat, the Pola, and the Polist, which all flow to the lake from the south, and the Shelon, flowing from the southwest. The only outflow of the lake is the Volkhov, a major tributary of Lake Ladoga. Almost all of the oblast belongs to the river basin of the Volkhov. The exceptions are the nothwest, which belongs to the river basin of the Luga, a tributary of the Baltic Sea, the north, belonging to the basin of the Syas, another tributary of Lake Ladoga, the east, which belongs to the basin of the Mologa, a tributary of the Volga, and the south, belonging to basins of various tributaries of the upper Volga River. Sorted by the discharge, the biggest rivers of the oblast are the Volkhov, the Mologa, the Msta, the Lovat, the Syas, and the Shelon.
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Novosibirsk Oblast
Novosibirsk Oblast (Russian: Новосиби́рская о́бласть, Novosibirskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk. The population was 2,665,911 as of the 2010 Census.
Novosibirsk Oblast is located in the south of West Siberian Plain, at the foothills of low Salair ridge, between the Ob and Irtysh Rivers. The oblast borders Omsk Oblast in the west, Tomsk Oblast in the north, Kemerovo Oblast in the east, and Altai Krai together with Kazakhstan (Pavlodar Province) in the south. The territory of the oblast extends for more than 600 kilometers (370 mi) from west to east, and for over 400 kilometers (250 mi) from north to south. The oblast is mainly plain; at south the steppes prevail; at north enormous tracts of woodland with great number of marshes prevail. There are many lakes, the largest ones located at the south. The majority of the rivers belong to the Ob basin, many of them falling in dead lakes. Largest lakes are Chany, Sartlan, Ubinskoye, and some others.
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Omsk Oblast
Omsk Oblast (Russian: О́мская о́бласть, Omskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of 139,700 square kilometers (53,900 sq mi). Its population is 1,977,655 (2010 Census) with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center.
The oblast borders with Tyumen Oblast in the north and west, Novosibirsk and Tomsk Oblasts in the east, and with Kazakhstan in the south.
Archeological finds have indicated that the present day territory of the oblast has been inhabited for the last 14,000 years. Neolithic societies in the area lived by fishing and hunting. About three thousand years ago, pastoralism began to take hold.
Various Turkic states dominated the area throughout the Middle Ages. The most notable of these were the Western Turkic Khaganate and the Siberian Khanate. Siberian Tatars, Mongols, Khanty and Mansi tribes, along with others, inhabited the territory.
The Russian history of Omsk can be said to begin with the 1584 arrival of a Cossack force under the command of Yermak, who defeated local rulers and established nominal Russian control of the area.
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Orenburg Oblast
Orenburg Oblast (Russian: Оренбу́ргская о́бласть, Orenburgskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name Chkalov Oblast (Чка́ловская о́бласть) in honor of Valery Chkalov. Population: 2,033,072 (2010 Census).
The most important river of the oblast is the Ural.
Orenburg is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Population: 2,033,072 (2010 Census); 2,179,551 (2002 Census); 2,174,459 (1989 Census).
According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition of the oblast was as follows:
The main religion is Orthodox Christianity, while a minority is Muslim.
Orenburg Oblast is one of the major agricultural areas of Russia. Its climate is favorable for farming: humid spring, dry summer and a large number of sunny days make perfect conditions for cultivating hard wheat and rye, sunflowers, potatoes, peas, beans, corn, and gourds.
The range of the oblast's export commodities includes: oil and oil products, gas and gas produced products, rolled ferrous and non-ferrous metals, nickel, asbestos, chromium compounds, rough copper, electric engines, radiators, products of machine-building industry.
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Oryol Oblast
Oryol Oblast (Russian: Орло́вская о́бласть, Orlovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Oryol. Population: 786,935 (2010 Census).
It is located in the southwestern part of the Central Federal District, in the Mid-Russian Highlands. Kaluga and Tula Oblasts border it in the north, Bryansk Oblast is located to the west, Kursk Oblast—to the south, and Lipetsk Oblast is to the east. From north to south, it extends for more than 150 kilometers (93 mi), and from west to east—for over 200 kilometers (120 mi). In terms of area, at 24,700 square kilometers (9,500 sq mi) it is one of the smallest federal subjects.
The climate is temperate. The average January temperature is −8 °C (18 °F) and the average July temperature is +18 °C (64 °F). Rainfall averages 490 to 590 mm, and snow cover averages 126 days.
There are 4,800 square kilometers (1,900 sq mi) of black earth soils (chernozems) in the oblast, which amounts to three-quarters of the world chernozem reserves.
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Penza Oblast
Penza Oblast (Russian: Пе́нзенская о́бласть, Penzenskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Penza. Population: 1,386,186 (2010 Census).
Penza Oblast has over 3000 rivers, the overall length is 15 458 km. The biggest rivers are:
Population: 1,386,186 (2010 Census); 1,452,941 (2002 Census); 1,504,309 (1989 Census).
Ethnic composition (2010):
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Poland
Polandi/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika; Silesian: Polsko Republika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and the sixth most populous member of the European Union, being its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships. Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Economic Area, International Energy Agency, Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, International Atomic Energy Agency, G6, Council of the Baltic Sea States, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
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Polessk
Coordinates: 54°52′N 21°06′E / 54.867°N 21.1°E / 54.867; 21.1
Polessk (Russian: Поле́сск), prior to 1945 known by its German name Labiau (Polish: Labiawa; Lithuanian: Labguva) is a town and the administrative center of Polessky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. Population: 7,580 (2010 Census preliminary results); 7,681 (2002 Census); 6,859 (1989 Census); 4,744 (1885).
Polessk lies between Kaliningrad and Sovetsk at the junction of a main road and a railroad at the Deyma River, shortly before it enters the Curonian Lagoon. The Polessk Canal begins in the town.
The town contains a castle built by the Teutonic Order, who gave it the German name Labiau. It became part of Ducal Prussia and on November 20, 1656 was the location of the Treaty of Labiau. While part of East Prussia within the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Empire, Labiau was a district seat in the administrative region of Königsberg. In 1885, Labiau had 4,744 inhabitants, almost all of whom were Lutherans.
Labiau was overrun by the Soviet Red Army in 1945 near the end of World War II. It was transferred from German to Russian control according to the Potsdam Conference and the following year renamed from Labiau to Polessk. The remaining Germans who had not fled, perished or evacuated were subsequently expelled and replaced with Soviet citizens.
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Polessky District
Polessky District (Russian: Поле́сский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fifteen in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the center of the oblast. The area of the district is 833 square kilometers (322 sq mi).[citation needed] Its administrative center is the town of Polessk. Population: 19,197 (2010 Census preliminary results); 19,018 (2002 Census); 16,911 (1989 Census). Population of Polessk accounts for 39.5% of the district's population.
The district is situated in the center of the oblast, with the Curonian Lagoon to the north. The Deyma River, a branch of the Pregolya, flows through the district. Near Polessk, the Polessk Canal connects the Pregolya and the Neman Rivers, crossing a bog.
Economy is centered around fishery and agriculture. The railway line from Kaliningrad to Sovetsk, and the road Kaliningrad–Guryevsk–Polessk–Bolshakovo lead parallel with the shore of the Curonian Lagoon.
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Pravdinsk
Pravdinsk (Russian: Правдинск (help·info); German: Friedland in Ostpreußen (help·info); Lithuanian: Romuva; Polish: Frydląd) is a town and the administrative center of Pravdinsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Lava River, approximately 30 kilometers (19 mi) east of Bagrationovsk. Population: 4,323 (2010 Census preliminary results); 4,480 (2002 Census); 4,143 (1989 Census).
After they subdued the local Natangian tribe in Prussia, the Teutonic Knights in 1312 founded the settlement at a ford across the Lava, it received city rights in 1335 under Grand Master Luther von Braunschweig. The town was devastated during the Thirteen Years' War 1454-66 between the Order and the Prussian Confederation. Known then by its German name Friedland ("peaceful land"), the town became part of the Duchy of Prussia after the secularization of the Order-State in 1525. Under the ruling Hohenzollern dynasty, Friedland became part of Brandenburg-Prussia in 1618 and was again ravaged by Swedish troops in the course of the Second Northern War 1655-60.
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Pravdinsky District
Pravdinsky District (Russian: Пра́вдинский райо́н) is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the fifteen in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast. The area of the district is 1,300 square kilometers (500 sq mi).[citation needed] Its administrative center is the town of Pravdinsk. Population: 19,070 (2010 Census preliminary results); 21,076 (2002 Census); 19,555 (1989 Census). Population of Pravdinsk accounts for 22.7% of the district's population.
The district is situated in the south of the oblast, at the border to Poland. It is populated sparsely. The Lava River flows through the district.
Economy is centered around agriculture. No major roads or railways pass through the district, bus lines carry the public transit.
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Pregolya
The Pregolya or Pregola (Russian: Прего́ля; German: Pregel; Lithuanian: Prieglius; Polish: Pregoła) is a river in the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast exclave.
It starts as a confluence of the Instruch and the Angrapa and drains into the Baltic Sea through Vistula Lagoon. Its length under the name of Pregolya is 123 km, 292 km including the Angrapa. The basin has an area of 15,500 km². The average flow is 90 m³/s.
Euler's Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem was based on the rivers' bridges in Königsberg, now Kaliningrad.
Coordinates: 54°41′N 20°23′E / 54.683°N 20.383°E / 54.683; 20.383
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Pregolya River
The Pregolya or Pregola (Russian: Прего́ля; German: Pregel; Lithuanian: Prieglius; Polish: Pregoła) is a river in the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast exclave.
It starts as a confluence of the Instruch and the Angrapa and drains into the Baltic Sea through Vistula Lagoon. Its length under the name of Pregolya is 123 km, 292 km including the Angrapa. The basin has an area of 15,500 km². The average flow is 90 m³/s.
Euler's Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem was based on the rivers' bridges in Königsberg, now Kaliningrad.
Coordinates: 54°41′N 20°23′E / 54.683°N 20.383°E / 54.683; 20.383
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Pskov Oblast
Pskov Oblast (Russian: Пско́вская о́бласть, Pskovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Pskov Oblast borders the countries of Estonia and Latvia, as well as Belarus. It is the westernmost federal subject of contiguous Russia (i.e. excluding the exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast). Its major cities are the administrative center Pskov (pop. 202,000) and Velikiye Luki (pop. 104,000). Area: 55,300 square kilometers (21,400 sq mi). Population: 673,423 (2010 Census).
Andrey Turchak is the current governor.Mikhail Kuznetsov was the governor until he was replaced by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in February 2009, due to economic policy differences.[citation needed]
One of the most important natural resources of Pskov Oblast is wood. Forest takes up to one third of the territory of the region. Overall stocks of woods as for 1 January 2005 were 331,2 Million cubic meters.
Population: 673,423 (2010 Census); 760,810 (2002 Census); 846,449 (1989 Census).
For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 9.1 per 1000 [1]
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Republic of Adygea
The Republic of Adygea (English pronunciation: /ɑːdɨˈɡeɪ.ə/;Russian: Респу́блика Адыге́я, tr. Respublika Adygeya; IPA: [ɐdɨˈɡʲejə]; Adyghe: Адыгэ Республик, Adıge Respublik) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic) enclaved within Krasnodar Krai. Its area is 7,600 square kilometers (2,900 sq mi) with a population of 439,996 (2010 Census). Its capital is the city of Maykop.
Adygea lies in southeastern Europe in the northern foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, with plains in the north and mountains in the south. Forests cover almost 40% of its territory.
The 870-kilometer (540 mi) long Kuban River is one of the major navigable rivers in the Caucasus region. It forms part of the northern border between Adygea and Krasnodar Krai. Other rivers include:
The republic has no large lakes. However, the several large reservoirs include:
The republic's major mountains range in height from 2,000 to 3,238 m and include:
The republic is rich in oil and natural gas. Other natural resources include gold, silver, tungsten, and iron.
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Republic of Buryatia
The Republic of Buryatia (Russian: Респу́блика Буря́тия, tr. Respublika Buryatiya; IPA: [rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə bʊˈrʲætʲɪjə]; Buryat: Буряад Республика, Buryaad Respublika) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the city of Ulan-Ude. Its area is 351,300 square kilometers (135,600 sq mi) with a population of 972,021 (2010 Census).
The republic is located in the south-central region of Siberia along the eastern shore of Lake Baikal.
Major rivers include:
Over 80% of the republic's territory is located in the mountainous region, including the Baikal Mountains on the northern shores of Lake Baikal.
The republic's natural resources include gold, tungsten, zinc, uranium, and more.
Population: 972,021 (2010 Census); 981,238 (2002 Census); 1,041,119 (1989 Census).
Source:
According to the 2010 Census, ethnic Russians make up two thirds of the republic's population, while the ethnic Buryats are only 30%. Other groups include Ukrainians (0.6%), Tatars (0.7%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
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Republic of Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan ( /dɑːɡɨˈstɑːn/ or /dæɡɨˈstæn/; Russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respublika Dagestan; also spelled Daghestan) is a federal subject (a republic) of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea. Population: 2,910,249 (2010 Census).
Dagestan is ethnically very diverse, with several dozen ethnic groups and subgroups inhabiting the republic, most of which speak either Caucasian, Turkic, or Iranian languages. Largest among these ethnic groups are the Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Azeri, Lezgin, and Laks. While Russians form only a small proportion (3.6%) of the population, Russian remains the primary official language and the lingua franca among the ethnic groups.
Dagestan has been a scene of low-level Islamic insurgency, occasional outbreaks of separatism, ethnic tensions and terrorism since the 1990s. According to International Crisis Group, the militant Islamist organization Shariat Jamaat is responsible for much of the violence. Much of the tension is rooted in an internal Islamic conflict between traditional Sufi groups advocating secular government and more recently introduced Salafist teachers preaching the implementation of Sharia law in Dagestan.
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Republic of Karelia
The Republic of Karelia (Russian: Респу́блика Каре́лия, Respublika Kareliya; Karelian: Karjalan Tazavalda; Finnish: Karjalan tasavalta; Veps: Karjalan Tazovaldkund) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the city of Petrozavodsk. Population: 643,548 (2010 Census).
The republic is located in the northwestern part of Russia, taking intervening position between the basins of White and Baltic seas. The White Sea shore line is 630 kilometers (390 mi).
There are about 27,000 rivers in Karelia. Major rivers include:
There are 60,000 lakes in Karelia. Republic's lakes and swamps contain about 2,000 km³ of high-quality fresh water. Lake Ladoga (Finnish: Laatokka) and Lake Onega (Ääninen) are the largest lakes in Europe. Other lakes include:
The most part of the republic's territory (148,000 km², or 85%) is composed of state forest stock. The total growing stock of timber resources in the forests of all categories and ages is 807 million m³. The mature and over mature tree stock amounts to 411.8 million m³, of which 375.2 million m³ is coniferous.
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Republic of Mordovia
The Republic of Mordovia (Russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, tr. Respublika Mordoviya; IPA: [rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə mɐrˈdovʲɪjə]; Moksha/Erzya: Мордовия Республикась,Mordoviya Respublikas), also known as Mordvinia, is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the city of Saransk. Population: 834,755 (2010 Census).
The republic is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain of Russia. The western part of the republic is situated in the Oka Don Plain; its eastern and central parts in the Volga Elevation.
There are 114 rivers in the republic. Major rivers include:
There are approximately five hundred lakes in the republic.
Natural resources include peat, mineral waters, and others.
Climate is moderately continental.
Earliest archaeological signs of human beings in the area of Mordovia are from the Neolithic era. Finno-Ugric Mordvins are mentioned in written sources in 6th century. Later, Mordvins were under the influence of both Volga Bulgaria and Kievan Rus. Mordvin princes sometimes raided Muroma and Volga Bulgaria, and often despoiled each other's holdings.
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Rostov Oblast
Rostov Oblast (Russian: Росто́вская о́бласть, tr. Rostovskaya oblast; IPA: [rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. Rostov Oblast has an area of 100,800 square kilometers (38,900 sq mi) and a population of 4,277,976 (2010 Census), making it the sixth most populous federal subject in Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Rostov-on-Don, which also became the administrative center of the Southern Federal District in 2002.
Rostov Oblast borders Ukraine and also Volgograd and Voronezh Oblasts in the north, Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais in the south, and the Republic of Kalmykia in the east.
The Don River, one of Europe's largest flows through the oblast for part of its course. Lakes cover only 0.4% of the oblast's area.
Population: 4,277,976 (2010 Census); 4,404,013 (2002 Census); 4,308,654 (1989 Census).
Ethnic groups: Residents identified themselves as belonging to 157 different ethnic groups, including twenty-seven of more than two thousand persons each. The most important ethnicities are the 3,795,607 ethnic Russians:(90.3%); the 77,802 ethnic Ukrainians:(1.9%); the 110,727 ethnic Armenians:(2.6%). Other important groups are the 35,902 Turks:(0.9%); 16,493 Belarusians:(0.4%)); 13,948 Tatars:(0.3%); 17,961 Azeris:(0.4%); 11,449 Chechens:(0.3%); 16,657 Roma:(0.4%); 11,597 Koreans:(0.3%); and 8,296 Georgians:(0.2%). There were also 76,498 people (1.8%) belonging to other ethno-cultural groupings. 76,735 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.
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Russia
Russiai/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.
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Ryazan Oblast
Ryazan Oblast (Russian: Ряза́нская о́бласть, Ryazanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Ryazan, which is the oblast's largest city. Population: 1,154,114 (2010 Census).
Ryazan Oblast borders Vladimir Oblast (N), Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (NE), the Republic of Mordovia (E), Penza Oblast (SE), Tambov Oblast (S), Lipetsk Oblast (SW), Tula Oblast (W), and Moscow Oblast (NW). Ryazan Oblastis located in the central part of the Russian Plain between the Central Russian and Volga uplands. The terrain is flat, with a highest point of no more 300 m above sea level. Soils are podzolic and boggy on the left bank of the Oka, changing southward to more fertile podzolic and leached black earths (Chernozyom).
As early as 1096, Ryazan had the status of a country, but the name of its capital appears only in the Nikonov chronicle. The first Olgovsky Uspensky Monastery, one of the oldest in Russia, was built in Ryazan land in the 12th century. A new round of history began in 1198, when the Murom-Ryazan principality left the jurisdiction of the Chernigov bishopric (eparchy) and became an independent eparchy with its seat in Ryazan.
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Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербург, tr. Sankt-Peterburg; IPA: [sankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk] ( listen)) is a city and a federal subject (a federal city) of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. In 1914 the name of the city was changed to Petrograd (Russian: Петроград; IPA: [pʲɪtrɐˈgrat]), in 1924 to Leningrad (Russian: Ленинград; IPA: [lʲɪnʲɪnˈgrat]) and in 1991 back to Saint Petersburg.
In Russian literature, informal documents, and discourse, the "Saint" (Санкт-) is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg (Петербург, Peterburg). In common parlance Russians may drop "-burg" (-бург) as well, leaving only Peter (Питер, Russian: [ˈpʲitʲɪr]).
Saint Petersburg was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on May 27 [O.S. 16] 1703. From 1713 to 1728 and from 1732 to 1918, Saint Petersburg was the Imperial capital of Russia. In 1918 the central government bodies moved from Saint Petersburg (then named Petrograd) to Moscow. It is Russia's second largest city after Moscow with almost 5 million inhabitants. Saint Petersburg is a major European cultural center, and also an important Russian port on the Baltic Sea.
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Sakha Republic
The Sakha (Yakutia) Republic (Russian: Республика Саха (Якутия), tr. Respublika Sakha (Yakutiya); IPA: [rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə sɐˈxa jɪˈkutʲɪə]; Sakha: Саха Республиката, Sakha Respublikata) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Population: 958,528 (2010 Census), consisting mainly of ethnic Yakuts and Russians.
Comprising half of the Far Eastern Federal District, it is the largest subnational governing body by area in the world at 3,103,200 km2 (1,198,200 sq mi)[citation needed] and the eighth largest territory in the world, if the federal subjects of Russia were compared with other countries. It is larger than Argentina and just smaller than India which covers an area of 3,287,240 km2. It has a population of fewer than one million inhabitants. Its capital is the city of Yakutsk.
The Sakha Republic is one of the ten autonomous Turkic Republics within the Russian Federation. Yakutia also fosters close cultural, political, economic and industrial relations with the independent Turkic states through membership in organisations such as the Turkic Council and the Joint Administration of Turkic Arts and Culture.
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Sakhalin Oblast
Sakhalin Oblast (Russian: Сахали́нская о́бласть, tr. Sakhalinskaya oblast; IPA: [səxɐˈlʲinskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) comprising the island of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The oblast has an area of 87,100 square kilometers (33,600 sq mi). Its administrative center and the largest city is Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Population: 497,973 (2010 Census).
Besides people from other parts of the former Soviet Union, the oblast is home to Nivkhs and Ainu, with the latter having lost their language in Sakhalin recently.
Some territories of Sakhalin Oblast (four islands, the southern ones of the Kuril archipelago) are claimed by Japan.
Population: 497,973 (2010 Census); 546,695 (2002 Census); 709,629 (1989 Census).
Ethnic groups: 409,786 ethnic Russians are the largest group, followed by 24,993 Koreans, 12,136 Ukrainians and a whole host of smaller groups, including 219 Japanese (0.05%). The ethnic composition of the oblast in 2010 was as follows:
The indigenous people of Sakhalin are the Nivkhs, Oroki, and Ainu minorities.
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Samara Oblast
Samara Oblast (Russian: Сама́рская о́бласть, Samarskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Samara. Population: 3,215,532 (2010 Census).
In 1936–1990, it was known as Kuybyshev Oblast (Ку́йбышевская о́бласть), after the Soviet name of Samara (Kuybyshev).
Population: 3,215,532 (2010 Census); 3,239,737 (2002 Census); 3,265,586 (1989 Census).
Ethnic groups: According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic makeup of the region was:
In 1997, Samara Oblast became one of the few regions to receive the approval of the President of Russia to implement external bonded loans (Presidential decree № 1212, dated 12.10.1997 “On Creating Conditions to Conduct Loans Operations on the Internal and External Capital Markets”).
Governors:
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Saratov Oblast
Saratov Oblast (Russian: Сара́товская о́бласть, Saratovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Saratov. Population: 2,521,892 (2010 Census).
The name "Saratov" is encountered in the name of a people on the Lower Volga (Ptolemy, 2nd century) and in the titles of Russian epic poems (bylinas) of the Saratov Mountains, the Saratovka River, and the Saratov Steppe. It also survives in the names of the city of Saratov and Saratov Region. Legends and scientific evidence both say that two great turning points in human history-the revelation of monotheism and domestication of the horse-are associated with the Saratov Volga region. This territory was poetically called the "Land of Apple Trees" and the "Land of Licorice." The Volga, the steppe, and oak forests were the main elements of nature in the region.[citation needed]
The Saratov Volga appears to be the location of one of the centers of the Old Russian state system (Volga Rus). From the 13th to the 15th centuries, these lands belonged to the Golden Horde and then to the Great Horde. The history of the Golden Horde city of Ukek (Uvek) is closely tied to the history of the new Russian city of Saratov, whose name is said to come from the Tatar words sary tau (Yellow Mountain). Thus, in a way, Saratov can be considered one of Russia's oldest cities.
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Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast (Russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, Smolenskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its area is 49,800 square kilometers (19,200 sq mi). Its administrative center is the city of Smolensk. Population: 985,537 (2010 Census).
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Smolensk was one of the most important economic and military centers of the Grand Princedom of Moscow. It was also a major commercial center, and home industry production reached high levels. Construction of the Smolensk fortress wall was an important event in the history of Russia. Smolensk Oblast was formed in September 1937 from the central and western districts of Western Oblast as the result of a reorganization of the latter oblast. The new oblast exceeded present-day Smolensk Oblast in both population and area.
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 Oblasts in the south, and Mogilev and Oblasts of Belarus, in the west and northwest.
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Soviet Union
The Soviet Union (Russian: Советский Союз, tr. Sovetsky Soyuz), officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR; Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик, tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik; IPA: [sɐˈjus sɐˈvʲetskʲɪx sətsɨəlʲɪˈstʲitɕɪskʲɪx rʲɪsˈpublʲɪk] ( listen); abbreviated СССР, SSSR), was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991.
The Soviet Union was a single-party state ruled by the Communist Party from its foundation until 1990. A union of 15 subnational Soviet republics, the Soviet state was structured under a highly centralized government and economy.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 caused the downfall of the Russian Empire. Following the Russian Revolution, there was a struggle for power between the Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin, and the anti-communist White movement. In December 1922, the Bolsheviks won the civil war, and the Soviet Union was formed with the merger of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic.
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Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai (Russian: Ставропо́льский край, Stavropolsky kray) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). Its administrative center is the city of Stavropol. Population: 2,786,281 (2010 Census).
Stavropol Krai encompasses the central part of the Fore-Caucasus and most of the northern slopes of Caucasus Major. It borders on Rostov Oblast, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Kalmykia, the Republic of Dagestan, the Chechen Republic, the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, and the Karachay–Cherkess Republic.
Stavropol is traversed by the northeasterly lines of equal latitude and longitude.
According to the 2010 Census, the population of the krai is 2,786,281; up from 2,735,139 recorded in the 2002 Census and further up from 2,410,379 recorded in the 1989 Census. The population of the krai is concentrated in the Kuban River and the Kuma River drainage basin, which used to be traditional Cossack land (see History of Cossacks). The Kuban Cossacks are now generally considered to be ethnic Russians, even though they are still an important minority in their own right in this area. Other notable ethnic groups include the Armenians (mostly Christian Hamsheni) and Greeks who have been settling here since at least the 18th century.
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Sverdlovsk Oblast
Sverdlovsk Oblast (Russian: Свердло́вская о́бласть, Sverdlovskaya oblast) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Urals Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg formerly known as Sverdlovsk. Population: 4,297,747 (2010 Census).
Most of the oblast lies on the eastern slopes of the Middle and North Urals and the Western Siberian Plain. Only in the southwest does the oblast stretch onto the western slopes of the Ural Mountains.
The highest mountains all rise in the North Urals (Konzhakovsky Kamen at 1,569 m and Denezhkin Kamen at 1,492 m). 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 with, clockwise from the west, Perm Krai, the Komi Republic, Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Oblast, Kurgan, and Chelyabinsk Oblasts, and the Republic of Bashkortostan.
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Tambov Oblast
Tambov Oblast (Russian: Тамбо́вская о́бласть, Tambovskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tambov. Population: 1,091,994 (2010 Census).
Tambov Oblast is situated in forest steppe.
Population: 1,091,994 (2010 Census); 1,178,443 (2002 Census); 1,320,763 (1989 Census).
For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 8.5 per 1000.
Ethnic composition (2010):
Southeastern Railway passes through Michurinsk and connects the central regions with the southern regions. Breeding cattle, sheep, pig, and chicken is a product of animal husbandry.
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Tomsk Oblast
Tomsk Oblast (Russian: То́мская о́бласть, Tomskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It lies in the southeastern West Siberian Plain, in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Tomsk. Population: 1,047,394 (2010 Census).
The development of the territory which now constitutes the oblast began in the early 17th century. Tomsk itself was founded in 1604. Most of the oblast's 316,900 square kilometers (122,400 sq mi) territory is inaccessible because it is covered with taiga woods and swamps. The oblast borders with Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, and Kemerovo Oblasts.
Tomsk Oblast is rich in natural resources, particularly oil, natural gas, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, peat, and underground waters. Forests are also among the most significant assets of the oblast: about 20% of the West Siberian forest resources are located in Tomsk Oblast. Industry makes up about half of the regional GDP, while agriculture contributes 19% and construction 13%. Chemical and oil industries are the most developed in the region, followed by machine construction. The oblast's major export items are: oil (62.1%), methanol (30.2%), and machines and equipment (4.8%). Oil extraction and lumbering are the major business of the region's joint ventures.
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Tula Oblast
Tula Oblast (Russian: Ту́льская о́бласть, Tulskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) with its present borders formed on September 26, 1937. Its administrative center is the city of Tula. The oblast has an area of 25,700 square kilometers (9,900 sq mi)[citation needed] and a population of 1,553,925 (2010 Census preliminary results). The current governor of the oblast is Vladimir Gruzdev.
People have inhabited Tula area since ancient times, as shown by discoveries of burial mounds (kurgans) and old settlements. These lands were occupied by the Slavic Vyatichi, who cultivated the land, traded, and worked at crafts. This is confirmed by records in property registers, which mention an "ancient settlement" located at the place where the small Tulitsa River flows into the Upa River. In those long-ago times, its inhabitants may also have defended their settlements against raids by Tatars and nomadic tribes, but history is silent on this matter. The first mention of Tula is found in Nikon's chronicle in reference to the campaign of Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich of Chernigov. The chronicle notes that in 1146, the prince, who was heading for Ryazan, passed through a number of other settlements, including Tula, which at the time belonged to the Ryzan principality.
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Tuva Republic
The Tyva Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, tr. Respublika Tyva; IPA: [rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva]; Tuvan: Тыва Республика, Tyva Respublika), or Tuva (Russian: Тува́), is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the south. Its capital is the city of Kyzyl. Population: 307,930 (2010 Census).
Forests, mountains, and steppe make up a large part of the geography.
A majority of the people are Tuvans who speak the Tuvan language, but Russian is also spoken extensively. Tuva is governed by the Great Khural which elects a chairman for a four-year term. The current chairman is Sholban Kara-ool.
The republic is situated in the far south of Siberia. Its capital city of Kyzyl is located near the geographic "center of Asia". The eastern part of the republic is forested and elevated, and the west is a drier lowland.
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Tver Oblast
Tver Oblast (Russian: Тверска́я о́бласть, Tverskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tver. From 1935 to 1990, it was named Kalinin Oblast (Кали́нинская о́бласть) after Mikhail Kalinin. Population: 1,353,392 (2010 Census).
Tver Oblast is an area of lakes, such as Seliger and Brosno. Much of its area is occupied by the Valdai Hills, where the Volga, the Western Dvina, and the Dnieper have their source.
Tver Oblast is one of the tourist regions of Russia with modernized tourist infrastructure. There are also many historic towns: Torzhok, Toropets, Zubtsov, Kashin, Vyshny Volochyok, and Kalyazin. The oldest of these is Rzhev, primarily known for the Battles of Rzhev of the World War II. Staritsa was a seat of the last appanage principality in Russia. Ostashkov is a major tourist center.
Tver Oblast has a very strong economy due to its machinery industry in the automobile and aeronautics sectors.
A branch of Karelians, known as Tver Karelians used to live in the oblast. They numbered 140,567 in 1926. Due to the heavy casualties suffered during the World War II, they vanished as a separate ethnic group from most parts of the oblast. The Tver Karelians numbered 14,633 according to the 2002 Census.
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Tyumen Oblast
Tyumen Oblast (Russian: Тюме́нская о́бласть, Tyumenskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Tyumen. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous okrugs—Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Tyumen is the largest city, with over half a million inhabitants. As of 2006[update], it is by far the richest federal subject of Russia, with an average GDP per capita several times the national average. Population: 3,395,755 (2010 Census).
There are a variety of fauna and flora in this region. In the northern part can be found ptarmigan, walrus and Arctic fox.Polar bears also occur in the extreme north; the genetic make-up of this Polar bear sub-population is genetically distinct from other circumpolar regions.
Population: 3,395,755 (2010 Census); 3,264,841 (2002 Census); 3,080,621 (1989 Census).
There were thirty-six recognized ethnic groups of more than two thousand persons each in Tyumen Oblast, making this one of the most multicultural oblasts in Russia. The national composition at the time of the 2010 Census was:
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Udmurt Republic
Udmurtia (Russian: Удму́ртия, Udmurtiya; Udmurt: Удмуртия), or The Udmurt Republic (Russian: Удму́ртская Pеспу́блика, Udmurtskaya Respublika ; Udmurt: Удмурт Элькун) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the city of Izhevsk. Population: 1,521,420 (2010 Census).
The Uralic language community was founded in the late Stone Age in the Ural region. Later, a Permic community split off from the Uralic community. At the end of the first millennium CE, Proto-Udmurts were differentiated from the Permic generality.[clarification needed] Originally, the Proto-Udmurts lived in the middle Kama River region, then began to settle around the mouth of the Vyatka River.
Udmurts are mentioned by Arab historians Ibn Fadlan (921) and Abu-Said al-Balchi (950) as neighbors of the Idel River Bolgars.[citation needed] Thus, the southern Udmurts were under the influence of Volga Bulgaria.
By the middle of the second millennium, Udmurts had settled adjacent to the middle reaches of the Vyatka, where they began to settle in the valley of the Cheptsa River — from the mouth to the source of the river. At the Vyatka River, Udmurts first met the Old Rus people, who had been settling there since the 12th century. In addition, Udmurts were in contact with Russian and Arab merchants. The Russian state exerted political and cultural influence on the northern Udmurt. By the 16th century, the northern Udmurt almost became part of the Russian state.
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Ulyanovsk Oblast
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 the city of Ulyanovsk. Population: 1,292,799 (2010 Census).
Ulyanovsk Oblast borders with the Chuvash Republic (N), the Republic of Tatarstan (NE), Samara Oblast (E), Saratov Oblast (S), Penza Oblast (W), and the Republic of Mordovia (NW).
It is located on the northern edge of Central Steppes. A quarter of its territory is covered with deciduous forests; the rest is covered with steppes and meadows. The 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. The water table occupies about 6% of territory.
Ulyanovsk Oblast has moderately continental, highly volatile climate. Average temperature of July +19°C, of January −11°C. As weather systems move in and out of the area, average daily temperatures often change more than +25°C in the matter of days. Fixed snow cover is typically present from November to the beginning of April. Overnight frosts occur until late May, restricting agriculture to cold-resistant plants such as rye and winter wheat. Annual precipitation drops out 400 mm a year. About time in three years in area there is a strong drought which causes a damage to region agriculture.
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Vistula Lagoon
The Vistula Lagoon (Polish: Zalew Wiślany; Russian: Калининградский залив or Kaliningradskiy Zaliv; German: Frisches Haff; Lithuanian: Aistmarės) is a fresh water lagoon on the Baltic Sea separated from Gdańsk Bay by the Vistula Spit. It is sometimes known as the Vistula Bay or Vistula Gulf. The modern German name, Frisches Haff, is derived from an earlier form, Friesisches Haff. Both this term and the earlier Polish name Zatoka Fryska translate "Frisian Bay". In historical contexts, Frisches Haff can also refer to the Szczecin Lagoon.
The lagoon is a mouth of a few branches of the Vistula River, notably the Nogat, and the Pregolya River. It is connected to Gdańsk Bay by the Strait of Baltiysk.
Localities on the lagoon include Kaliningrad, Baltiysk, and Primorsk in Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast and Elbląg, Tolkmicko, Frombork, Krynica Morska in Poland. The Polish port of Elbląg used to see a substantial amount of trading traffic on the lagoon, but that has declined owing to the current border situation. Kaliningrad and Baltiysk are currently major seaports on the lagoon.
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Vladimir Oblast
Vladimir Oblast (Russian: Влади́мирская о́бласть, Vladimirskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located 190 kilometers (120 mi) east of Moscow. Population: 1,443,693 (2010 Census data).
The 12th-century cathedrals of Vladimir, Suzdal, Bogolyubovo, and Kideksha are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Vladimir Oblast borders Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Ryazan, and Nizhny Novgorod Oblasts. The oblast is situated in the center of the East European Plain. The Klyazma and the Oka are the most important rivers of oblast. There are approximately 300 lakes. The oblast is situated in a zone of mixed forests.
Population: 1,443,693 (2010 Census); 1,523,990 (2002 Census); 1,653,938 (1989 Census).
Ethnic composition (2010):
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Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast (Russian: Волгогра́дская о́бласть, Volgogradskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Volgograd. Population: 2,610,161 (2010 Census).
The oblast borders with Saratov, Rostov, Astrakhan, and Voronezh Oblasts, the Republic of Kalmykia, and with Kazakhstan.
(more than 200 rivers overall)
Population: 2,610,161 (2010 Census); 2,699,223 (2002 Census); 2,593,944 (1989 Census).
(shown are the ethnic groups with a population of more than 7,500 people)
Governor of Volgograd Oblast is Nikolay Kirillovich Maksyuta (Russian: Николай Кириллович Максюта) (since 1996, reelected in 2004) New governor is Anatoliy Brovko (since 2010)
Both the flag and the coat of arms of Volgograd Oblast include an image of The Motherland Calls, an 85 meter tall statue located in Volgograd.
Primary branches of economics are agriculture, food production, heavy industry, gas and petroleum refining.
Volga Hydroelectric Station operates on the Volga River.
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Vologda Oblast
Vologda Oblast (Russian: Вологодская область, tr. Vologodskaya oblast; IPA: [vəlɐˈɡotskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is Vologda. Population: 1,202,444 (2010 Census). The largest city is Cherepovets, the home of the Severstal metallurgical plant, the largest industrial enterprise of the oblast.
Vologda Oblast is rich in historic monuments, such as the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, Ferapontov Monastery (a World Heritage Site) with the frescoes of Dionisius, medieval towns of Velikiy Ustyug and Belozersk, and baroque churches of Totma and Ustyuzhna.
Large reserves of wood and fresh water are the main natural resources.
The area of Vologda Oblast was settled by Finno-Ugric peoples since prehistory, and most of the toponyms in the region are in fact Finno-Ugric. Vepsians still living in the west of the Oblast are the descendants of that population. Subsequently, the area was colonized. Belozersk has been mentioned in chronicles in 862 as one of the oldest towns in Russia. Much of the area was controlled by the Novgorod Republic, in particular, Totma was founded in 1152. Veliky Ustyug and the west of the current territory of the Oblast, with Belozersk and Ustyuzhna, belonged to the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality and were constantly threatened by Novgorod. Not later than in the 13th century the Novgorod merchants already reached the White Sea. They penetrated the area using the waterways. The main waterway to the White Sea was the Northern Dvina, and Novgorod merchants used the Volga and its tributary, the Sheksna, along the Slavyanka River into Lake Nikolskoye, then the boats were taken by land to Lake Blagoveshchenskoye, from there downstream along the Porozovitsa River into Lake Kubenskoye and further to the Sukhona and the Northern Dvina.
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Voronezh Oblast
Voronezh Oblast (Russian: Воро́нежская о́бласть, Voronezhskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on June 13, 1934. Its administrative center is the city of Voronezh. Population: 2,335,380 (2010 Census);.
Voronezh Oblast has large reserves of chalk. The oblast is an industrial and agricultural region. Excavators, bridge structures, and electronic equipment are produced in regional industry.
Population: 2,335,380 (2010 Census); 2,378,803 (2002 Census); 2,469,766 (1989 Census).
For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 8.4 per 1,000
Ethnic composition (2010):
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Yantarny
Yantarny (Russian: Янта́рный (help·info); German: Palmnicken (help·info); Lithuanian: Palvininkai; Polish: Palmniki)) is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located about 40 kilometers (25 mi) from Kaliningrad on the Sambian Peninsula. Population: 6,431 (2010 Census preliminary results); 5,455 (2002 Census); 4,948 (1989 Census).
For centuries a provincial estate, Palmnicken was founded in 1234 atop an older Old Prussian settlement by the crusading Teutonic Knights, who named the new settlement Palmnicken. After the secularization of the Order's Prussian lands in 1525, Palmnicken became part of the Duchy of Prussia. In the Thirty Years' War Palmnicken was occupied by Sweden for six years.
Palmnicken became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701 and the Prussian Province of East Prussia in 1773. Imperial Russian troops occupied the town from between 1758 and 1762 during the Seven Years' War. Resulting from the Prussian administrative reform of 1818, Palmnicken became part of Landkreis Fischhausen in East Prussia. Industrial development of the local amber trade started in 1827. The town became part of the German Empire in 1871 during the Prussian-led unification of Germany.
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Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast (Russian: Яросла́вская о́бласть, Yaroslavskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Additionally, the administrative center of the oblast—the city of Yaroslavl—is an intersection of major highways, railroads, and waterways. Population: 1,272,468 (2010 Census).
Yaroslavl Oblast was established on March 11, 1936.
The climate is moderate continental, with snowy winters and a short but rather hot summer. Formerly almost all territory was covered with thick conifer forest (fir, pine), but now a large portion of it has been replaced with birch-and-aspen secondary forests and crop fields. Swamps also take considerable areas.
Large animals have been much reduced in numbers, but there are still some bears, wolves, foxes, moose, and wild boars.
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Zabaykalsky Krai
Zabaykalsky Krai (Russian: Забайка́льский край; IPA: [zəbɐjˈkalʲskʲɪj kraj], lit. Transbaikal krai) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai) that was created on March 1, 2008 as a result of a merger of Chita Oblast and Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug, after a referendum held on the issue on March 11, 2007. Population: 1,106,611 (2010 Census).
Ravil Geniatulin, the Governor of Chita Oblast, was elected Governor of Zabaykalsky Krai on February 5, 2008 by the majority of the deputies of both Chita Oblast Duma and Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug Duma. He assumed the post on March 1, 2008.
The krai is located within the historical region of Transbaikalia.
The krai has extensive international borders with China (998 km) and Mongolia (868 km) and internal borders with Irkutsk and Amur Oblasts, as well as with the Republic of Buryatia and the Sakha Republic.
Population: 1,107,107 (2010 Census); 1,155,346 (2002 Census); 1,377,975 (1989 Census).
The population was mostly Russians and Buryats, along with some Ukrainians and a few Evenks. There were 1,000 Jews in the regional capital. According to the 2010 Census, Russians made up 89.9% of the population while Buryats were 6.8%. Other significant groups were Ukrainian (0.6%), Tatars (0.5%), Belorussian (0.2%), Azeri (0.18%), Evenks (0.1%). 19,981 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.
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Zelenogradsk
Coordinates: 54°58′N 20°29′E / 54.967°N 20.483°E / 54.967; 20.483
Zelenogradsk, (Russian: Зеленогра́дск (help·info); German: Cranz (help·info); Lithuanian: Krantas) is a town and the administrative center of Zelenogradsky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, Located on the Sambian coastline near the Curonian Spit on the Baltic Sea. Population: 13,015 (2010 Census preliminary results); 12,509 (2002 Census); 10,786 (1989 Census).
The town is a popular weekend resort for vacationers from Kaliningrad, located 30 km to the south.
The site of today's Zelenogradsk was originally an Old Prussian fishing village, in the proximity of Kaup, a Prussian town on the coast of the Baltic Sea in the Viking era. The area became controlled by the Teutonic Knights and settled with Germans. The German name Cranz, originally Cranzkuhren, derives from the Old Prussian word krantas, meaning "the coast". For most of its history it remained a small village in East Prussia.
During the 19th century, the village became the primary seaside resort for the Kingdom of Prussia on the East Prussian coastline, especially after the construction of a railway line connecting the village with Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) in 1885. From 1816–1895 it was known as das königliche Bad, or "the royal bath/resort". Despite the increase of tourists, the fishing industry remained strong; smoked flounder was a regional delicacy. Although it had over 6,000 inhabitants before the beginning of World War II, it did not have town privileges.
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Altai Republic
Altai Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Алта́й, Respublika Altay; Altay: Алтай Республика, Altay Respublika) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is 92,600 square kilometers (35,800 sq mi). Population: 206,168 (2010 Census).
The national autonomy for the Altai people was created on June 1, 1922 as Oyrot Autonomous Oblast (Ойро́тская автоно́мная о́бласть), part of Altai Krai. The original name for this region was Bazla. On January 7, 1948 it was renamed Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast (Го́рно-Алта́йская автоно́мная о́бласть). In 1991 it was reorganized into the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR). In 1992 it was renamed as the Altai Republic.
The republic is situated in the very center of Asia at the junction of Siberian taiga, steppes of Kazakhstan and semi-deserts of Mongolia. Forests cover about 25% of the republic's territory.
More than 20,000 tributaries sprawl throughout the mountainous Republic, making for a total of more than 60,000 kilometers (37,000 mi) worth of waterways. The republic's largest rivers are the Katun and the Biya, both of which originate in the mountains and flow northwards. The junction of the two rivers eventually forms the Ob River, one of the longest rivers in Siberia, which flows northward to the Arctic Ocean.
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Antanas Sniečkus
Antanas Sniečkus (7 January 1903 [O.S. 25 December 1902] – January 22, 1974) was First Secretary of the Lithuanian Communist Party from August 1940 to January 22, 1974.
Antanas Sniečkus was born in 1903, in the village of Būbleliai, near Šakiai. During the First World War, his family fled to Russia where he observed the Russian revolution of 1917. In 1919, his family returned to Lithuania; by 1920 he was already a member of the Bolshevik Party. In the same year, he was arrested for anti-governmental activities. He was released from prison on bail, but fled to Moscow, and became an agent of the Comintern. In Moscow, he earned the trust of Zigmas Angarietis, and Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas, and became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lithuania. In 1926, the Comintern sent Sniečkus to Lithuania to replace the recently-executed Karolis Požėla as head of the banned and underground Communist Party of Lithuania.
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Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians (Armenian: հայեր, Armenian pronunciation: [hɑˈjɛɾ]) 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. Because of wide-ranging and long-lasting diaspora, an estimated total of 3 million people of full or partial Armenian ancestry live outside of Armenia. As a result of the Armenian Genocide, a large number of survivors fled to many countries throughout the world, most notably the Russian Empire, the Near East, the United States, France, Iran, Georgia and other parts of Europe (see Armenian diaspora).
Christianity began to spread in Armenia soon after Jesus's death, due to the efforts of two of his apostles, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew In the early 4th century, the Kingdom of Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Most Armenians adhere to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a non-Chalcedonian church, which is also the world's oldest national church.
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Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (
i/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. In January 2005, Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in the state of Illinois. He would hold this office until November 2008, when he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the president of the Harvard Law Review. He was a community organizer in Chicago before earning his law degree. He worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. He served three terms representing the 13th District in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.
Following an unsuccessful bid against the Democratic incumbent for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2000, Obama ran for the United States Senate in 2004. Several events brought him to national attention during the campaign, including his victory in the March 2004 Illinois Democratic primary for the Senate election and his keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. He won election to the U.S. Senate in Illinois in November 2004. His presidential campaign began in February 2007, and after a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he won his party's nomination. In the 2008 presidential election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain, and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009. Nine months later, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In April 2011, he announced that he would be running for re-election in 2012.
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Belarusians
Belarusians (Belarusian: беларусы, biełarusy, Russian: белорусы, byelorusy) are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. There are over 8 million people who associate themselves with the Belarusian nationality today.
Belarusians also form minorities in neighboring Poland (especially in the Podlaskie Voivodeship), Russia and Lithuania. At the beginning of 20th century Belarusians constituted a majority in the regions around Smolensk.[citation needed]
Noticeable numbers have emigrated to the United States, Brazil and Canada in the early 20th century. During Soviet times, many Belarusians were deported or migrated to various regions of the USSR, including Siberia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
Since the breakup of the USSR several hundred thousand have emigrated to the European Union, United States, Canada and Russia.
The most spoken language in Belarus is Russian, principally spoken by 72% of the population, while the other official language, Belarusian, is only used by 11.9% in every day life. Statistical data shows that Belarusian is fluently communicated, read and written by 29.4%, while 52.5% of the population can communicate and read in Belarusian. Belarusian is a language of the Eastern Slavic group.
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Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was also the first person to hold the office of Deputy Prime Minister, under Winston Churchill in the wartime coalition government, before leading the Labour Party to a landslide election victory over Churchill's Conservative Party in 1945. He was the first Labour Prime Minister to serve a full Parliamentary term, and the first to command a Labour majority in Parliament.
The government he led put in place the post-war settlement, based upon the assumption that full employment would be maintained by Keynesian policies, and that a greatly enlarged system of social services would be created – aspirations that had been outlined in the wartime Beveridge Report. Within this context, his government undertook the nationalisation of major industries and public utilities as well as the creation of the National Health Service. After initial Conservative opposition to Keynesian fiscal policy, this settlement was broadly accepted by all parties until Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979.
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Dimitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (Russian: Дми́трий Анато́льевич Медве́дев, tr. Dmitriy Anatolyevich Medvedev; IPA: [ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪˈdvʲedʲɪf] ( listen); born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been Prime Minister of Russia since 2012. He previously served as President of Russia from 2008 to 2012.
Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint Petersburg State University, where he taught civil and Roman law until 1999. Medvedev's political career began as the election campaign manager and later an adviser of St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. During this time, Medvedev befriended Vladimir Putin. In November 1999, Medvedev was hired in the Russian presidential administration, where he worked as deputy chief of staff. In the 2000 Presidential elections, Medvedev was Putin's campaign manager. On 14 November 2005, Medvedev was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister and was tasked with overseeing National Priority Projects. He also worked as the Chairman of Gazprom's board of directors, a post which he held until 2008.
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E. T. A. Hoffmann
Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822), better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann), was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach's famous but fictitious opera The Tales of Hoffmann, and the author of the novelette The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppélia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote. Also Schumann's Kreisleriana is based on one of Hoffmann's characters.
Hoffmann's stories were very influential during the 19th century, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement.
Hoffmann's ancestors, both maternal and paternal, were jurists. His father, Christoph Ludwig Hoffmann (1736–97) was a barrister in Königsberg, Prussia, and also a poet and amateur musician who played the viola da gamba. During 1767 he married his cousin Lovisa Albertina Doerffer (1748–96). Ernst Theodor Wilhelm, born on 24 January 1776, was the youngest of three children, of whom the second died in infancy.
wn.com/E._T._A._Hoffmann -
Germans
The Germans (Deutsche) are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages. Legally, Germans are citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Of approximately 100 million native speakers of German in the world, about 66–75 million consider themselves Germans. There are an additional 80 million people of German ancestry mainly in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, France, Russia, Chile, Poland, Australia and Romania who most likely are not native speakers of German. Thus, the total number of Germans worldwide lies between 66 and 160 million, depending on the criteria applied (native speakers, single-ancestry ethnic Germans, partial German ancestry, etc.).
Today, peoples from countries with a German-speaking majority or significant German-speaking population groups other than Germany, such as Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, have developed their own national identity and usually do not refer to themselves as "Germans" in a modern context.
wn.com/Germans -
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884 – December 26, 1972) was the 33rd President of the United States (1945–1953). As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States (1945), he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his unprecedented fourth term.
During World War I, Truman served in combat in France as an artillery officer in his National Guard unit. After the war, he joined the Democratic Party political machine of Tom Pendergast in Kansas City, Missouri. He was elected a county official and in 1934 United States senator. After he had gained national prominence as head of the wartime Truman Committee, Truman replaced vice president Henry A. Wallace as Roosevelt's running mate in 1944.
Truman faced many challenges in domestic affairs. The disorderly postwar reconversion of the economy of the United States was marked by severe shortages, numerous strikes, and the passage of the Taft–Hartley Act over his veto. He confounded all predictions to win election in 1948, helped by his famous Whistle Stop Tour of rural America. After his election, he passed only one of the proposals in his liberal Fair Deal program. He used executive orders to end racial discrimination in the armed forces and created loyalty checks that dismissed thousands of communist supporters from office.
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Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛlmuːt ˈkoːl]; born 3 April 1930) is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 (of West Germany between 1982 and 1990 and of the reunited Germany between 1990 and 1998) and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to 1998. His 16-year tenure was the longest of any German chancellor since Otto von Bismarck and oversaw the end of the Cold War and the German reunification. Kohl is widely regarded as one of the main architects of the German reunification and, together with French President François Mitterrand, the Maastricht Treaty, which contributed to the creation of the European Union.
Kohl and Mitterrand were the joint recipients of the Karlspreis in 1988. In 1998, Kohl was named Honorary Citizen of Europe by the European heads of state or government for his extraordinary work for European integration and cooperation, an honour previously only bestowed on Jean Monnet. In 1996, he won the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award in International Cooperation.
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Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant (German pronunciation: [ɪˈmaːnu̯eːl ˈkant]; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher from Königsberg (today Kaliningrad of Russia), who researched, lectured, and wrote on philosophy and anthropology during the Enlightenment at the end of the 18th century. At the time, there were major successes and advances in the sciences (for example, Isaac Newton, Carl Friedrich Gauss, and Robert Boyle) applying reason and logic.
Kant’s major work, the Critique of Pure Reason (Kritik der reinen Vernunft, 1781), aimed to unite reason with experience to move beyond what he took to be failures of traditional philosophy and metaphysics. He hoped to end an age of speculation where objects outside experience were used to support what he saw as futile theories, while opposing the skepticism of thinkers such as Descartes, Berkeley and Hume.
He stated:
Kant proposed a ‘Copernican Revolution’ in reverse, saying that:
Kant published other important works on ethics, religion, law, aesthetics, astronomy, and history. These included the Critique of Practical Reason (Kritik der praktischen Vernunft, 1788) and the Metaphysics of Morals (Die Metaphysik der Sitten, 1797), which dealt with ethics. And the Critique of Judgment (Kritik der Urteilskraft, 1790), which looks at aesthetics and teleology. He aimed to resolve disputes between empirical and rationalist approaches. The former asserted that all knowledge comes through experience; the latter maintained that reason and innate ideas were prior. Kant argued that experience is purely subjective without first being processed by pure reason. He also said that using reason without applying it to experience only leads to theoretical illusions. The free and proper exercise of reason by the individual was both a theme of the Enlightenment, and of Kant's approaches to the various problems of philosophy.
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Jack Matlock
Jack Foust Matlock, Jr. (born October 1, 1929) is a former American ambassador, career Foreign Service Officer, a teacher, an historian, and a linguist. He was a specialist in Soviet affairs during some of the most tumultuous years of the Cold War, and served as U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991.
Matlock became interested in Russia as a Duke University undergraduate, and after studies at Columbia University and a stint as a professor of Russian at Dartmouth College, entered the Foreign Service in 1956. His 35 year career encompassed much of the Cold War period between the Soviet Union and the United States. His first assignment to Moscow was in 1961, and it was from the embassy there that he experienced the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, helping to translate diplomatic messages between the leaders. The next year he was posted to West Africa, and he later served in East Africa, during the post-colonial period of superpower rivalry.
wn.com/Jack_Matlock -
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин; born Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Джугашвили; 18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 and later held the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953. While the office of the General Secretary was officially elective and not initially regarded as the top position in the Soviet state, Stalin managed to use it to consolidate more and more power in his hands after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924 and gradually put down all opposition groups within the Communist Party. This included Leon Trotsky, a socialist theorist and the principal critic of Stalin among the early Soviet leaders, who was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. Whereas Trotsky was an exponent of permanent revolution, it was Stalin's concept of socialism in one country that became the primary focus of Soviet politics.
wn.com/Joseph_Stalin -
Lithuanians
Lithuanians (Lithuanian: lietuviai, singular lietuvis/lietuvė) are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language is Lithuanian, one of only two surviving members of the Baltic language family. According to the census conducted in 2001, 83.45% of the population of Lithuania proper identified themselves as Lithuanians, 6.74% as Poles, 6.31% as Russians, 1.23% as Belarusians, and 2.27% as members of other ethnic groups. Most Lithuanians belong to the Roman Catholic Church, while the Lietuvininkai who lived in the northern part of East Prussia prior to World War II, were mostly Evangelical Lutherans.
The territory of the Balts, including modern Lithuania, was once inhabited by several Baltic tribal entities (Aukštaitians, Sudovians, Old Lithuanians, Curonians, Semigallians, Selonians, Samogitians, Skalvians, Old Prussians (Nadruvians)), as attested by ancient sources and dating from prehistoric times. Over the centuries, and especially under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, some of these tribes consolidated into the Lithuanian nation, mainly as a defence against the marauding Teutonic Order and Eastern Slavs. One of the last Pagan peoples in Europe, they were eventually converted to Christianity in 1387.
wn.com/Lithuanians -
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (Russian: Михаи́л Серге́евич Горбачёв, tr. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachyov; IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil sʲɪrˈɡʲejəvʲɪtɕ ɡərbɐˈtɕof] ( listen); born 2 March 1931) is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the Soviet Union, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991. He was the only general secretary in the history of the Soviet Union to have been born during the Communist rule.
Gorbachev was born in Stavropol Krai into a peasant Ukrainian–Russian family, and in his teens operated combine harvesters on collective farms. He graduated from Moscow State University in 1955 with a degree in law. While he was at the university, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, and soon became very active within it. In 1970, he was appointed the First Party Secretary of the Stavropol Kraikom, First Secretary to the Supreme Soviet in 1974, and appointed a member of the Politburo in 1979. Within three years of the deaths of Soviet Leaders Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, and Konstantin Chernenko, Gorbachev was elected General Secretary by the Politburo in 1985. Before he reached the post, he had occasionally been mentioned in western newspapers as a likely next leader and a man of the younger generation at the top level.
wn.com/Mikhail_Gorbachev -
Mikhail Kalinin
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin (Russian: Михаи́л Ива́нович Кали́нин; 19 November [O.S. 7 November] 1875 – June 3, 1946), known familiarly by Soviet citizens as "Kalinych," was a Bolshevik revolutionary and the nominal head of state of Russia and later of the Soviet Union, from 1919 to 1946. From 1926 he was a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, where he was one of the inner circle of party leaders around Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin was born 19 November [O.S. 7 November] 1875 to a peasant family of ethnic Russian origin in the village of Verkhnyaya Troitsa (Верхняя Троица), Tverskaya Gubernia, Russia.[citation needed] He was the elder brother of Fedor Kalinin
Kalinin finished his education at a local school in 1889 and worked for a time on a farm following the completion of his formal education. He later moved to Saint Petersburg, where he gained employment as a metal worker in 1895. He also worked as a butler, then a railway worker in Tbilisi depot where he met Sergei Alliluyev, father of Stalin's second wife.
wn.com/Mikhail_Kalinin -
Nikolay Tsukanov
Nikolay Nikolayevich Tsukanov (born 22 March 1965) is a Russian politician, psychologist, businessman, electrical welder and, since September 2010, governor of Kaliningrad Oblast.
Nikolay Tsukanov was born in 1965 in the village of Lipovo, in the Gusev area of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Upon graduating from school in 1980 he entered a local special professional technical college (SPTU)) and obtained a specialist degree as an electrical welder. He served in the Soviet army from 1983 to 1985, in a space communications guard battalion stationed in Czechoslovakia.
At age 14 Tsukanov began working as a combiner's assistant, later becoming an electrical welder at the Micromotor factory in Gusev. After 1985 he began to gain prominence as a local Komsomol leader. In the early 1990s he became a relatively successful businessman, graduating in 1999 from the Higher School of Privatization and Entrepreneurship with a specialism in law. In 2002 he became a degree candidate in psychology.
wn.com/Nikolay_Tsukanov -
Poles
The Polish people, or Poles (Polish: Polacy [pɔˈlat͡sɨ]; singular: Polak), are a nation indigenous to Poland. They speak the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe. The Polish word for a Polish person is "Polak" (masculine) and "Polka" (feminine).
The preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland defines the Polish nation as comprising all the citizens of Poland. Poland's inhabitants live in the following historic regions of the country: Wielkopolska, Małopolska, Mazovia, Pomerania, Warmia, Mazury, Podlasie, Kujawy and Silesia. A wide-ranging Polish diaspora exists throughout Europe (Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine), the Americas (the United States, Brazil and Argentina) and Australia. Chicago, in the United States, has the world's largest urban Polish population after Warsaw.
Over a thousand years ago, the Polans of Giecz, Gniezno and Poznań — an influential tribe in Wielkopolska — succeeded in uniting Lechitic tribes under what became the Piast dynasty, thus giving rise to the Polish state.
wn.com/Poles -
Prussian Lithuanians
The term Prussian Lithuanians or Lietuvininkai (singular: Lietuvininkas, also Lietuvininkai) refers to a Western Lithuanian ethnic group, which did not form a nation and inhabited a territory in East Prussia called Prussian Lithuania or Lithuania Minor (Lithuanian: Prūsų Lietuva, Mažoji Lietuva, German: Preußisch-Litauen, Kleinlitauen) in contrast to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuania Major).
Unlike most Lithuanians, who remained Roman Catholic after the Protestant Reformation, most Lietuvininkai became Lutheran-Protestants (Evangelical-Lutheran).
There were 121,345 speakers of Lithuanian in the Prussian census of 1890. Almost all fled or were expelled after World War II, when East Prussia was divided between Poland and the Soviet Union. The northern part became the Kaliningrad Oblast, while the southern part was attached to Poland. Only the small Klaipėda Region (German: Memelland) was attached to Lithuania.
wn.com/Prussian_Lithuanians -
Tatars
Tatars (Tatar: Tatarlar / Татарлар, sometimes spelled Tartars) are a Turkic people, numbering around 7 million. The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of 5.5 million, 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan, 1 million in the republic of Bashkortostan and other 2.5 million in different regions of Russia. Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine.
The Tatars originated with the Tatar confederation in the north-eastern Gobi desert in the 5th century. After subjugation in the 9th century by the Khitans, they migrated southward. In the 13th century Mongol Empire, they were subjugated under Genghis Khan and reassigned once again particularly by his son Jochi. Under the leadership of his grandson Batu Khan, they moved westwards, forming part of the Golden Horde which dominated the Eurasian steppe during the 14th and 15th centuries. In Europe, they were assimilated by the local populations or their name spread to the conquered peoples: Kipchaks, Kimaks and others; and elsewhere with Uralic-speaking peoples, as well as with remnants of the ancient Greek colonies in the Crimea and Caucasians in the Caucasus.
wn.com/Tatars -
Ukrainians
Ukrainians (Ukrainian: Українці, Ukrayintsi, [ukrɑˈjinʲtsʲi]) 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. According to some dictionary definitions, a descriptive name for the "inhabitants of Ukraine" is Ukrainian or Ukrainian people.Russians and Belarusians are considered the closest relatives of Ukrainians, while Rusyns are either considered another closely related group, or an ethnic subgroup of Ukrainians.
Ethnonym Ukrainians became widely accepted only in the 20th century, so modern Ukrainians identify their ancestry with differently named historical Slavic groups, who are often called Ukrainians too, in retrospect. The oldest recorded ethnonyms used for Ukrainian ancestors are Rusy, Rusyny, and Rusychi (from term Rus'). From the 9th to 12th centuries those names applied to the population of Kievan Rus', as the united state of Rusy is restrospectively called. Similar names were adopted by the proto-Russian and proto-Belarusian inhabitants of the northern principalities of Rus', reflecting the common origin of all those East Slavic peoples.
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Uzbeks
The Uzbeks (Oʻzbek, pl. Oʻzbeklar) are a major Turkic-speaking ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Smaller diaspora populations of Uzbeks from Central Asia, mainly from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, are also found in Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, North America, and Western Europe.
The origin of the name Uzbek remains disputed. One view holds that it is eponymously named after Uzbeg Khan. Another states that the name means independent or the lord itself, from Oʻz (self) and Bek/Bey/Beg (from the Turkic root meaning a noble title). However there is another theory that the pronunciation of Uz comes from one of the Oghuz Turks variously known as Uz or Uguz united with the word Bey or Bek to form uguz-bey, meaning "leader of an oguz".
Although Turko-Mongol infiltration into Central Asia had started early, as late as the 13th century AD when Turkic and Mongol armies finally conquered the entire region, the majority of Central Asia's peoples were Iranic peoples such as Sogdians, Bactrians and, more ancient, the Saka–Massagetae tribes. It is generally believed that these ancient Indo-European-speaking peoples were linguistically assimilated by smaller but dominant Turkic-speaking groups while the sedentary population finally adopted the Persian language, the traditional lingua franca of the eastern Islamic lands. The language-shift from Middle Iranian to Turkic and New Persian was predominantly the result of an elite dominance process. This process was dramatically boosted during the Mongol conquest when millions were either killed or pushed further south to the Pamir region.
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Volga Germans
The Volga Germans (German: Wolgadeutsche or Russlanddeutsche, Russian: Поволжские немцы, Povolzhskie nemtsy) were ethnic Germans living along the River Volga in the region of southeastrn European Russia around Saratov and to the south. Recruited as immigrants to Russia in the 18th century, they were allowed to maintain German culture, language, traditions and churches: Lutherans, Reformed, Roman Catholics, and Mennonites (Russian Mennonites). In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Volga Germans emigrated to the Midwestern United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and other countries.
Nazi Germany rose in part on a pan-German appeal, claiming interests in lands where ethnic Germans had been long settled. After the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 during World War II, the Soviet government considered the Volga Germans potential collaborators and transported them wholesale to labour camps, where many died. After the war, it expelled some ethnic Germans to the West. In the late 1980s, many of the remaining ethnic Germans moved from the Soviet Union to Germany.
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World War I
World War I (WWI), which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939 (World War II), and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; but, as Austria–Hungary had taken the offensive against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war). These alliances both reorganised (Italy fought for the Allies), and expanded as more nations entered the war. Ultimately more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of enormous increases in lethality of weapons, thanks to new technology, without corresponding improvements in protection or mobility. It was the sixth-deadliest conflict in world history, subsequently paving the way for various political changes such as revolutions in the nations involved.
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euronews Life - Russian Life: Kaliningrad, the Amber City
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:11
- Updated: 23 Oct 2012
www.euronews.com For this edition of Russian Life, euronews travels to the Kaliningrad exclave. Isolated from the rest of the country, it is the smallest, youngest and greenest of Russia's territories. Its convenient location and nice weather make the bicycle a popular way to get around the city. Gennady Mikhailov, Executive Director, Kaliningrad region Cycling Federation: "We're 30 minutes from the sea, the place is environmentally friendly, with clean air, lots of green trees and interesting terrain. And everything in Kalingrad is close by - you can cross the whole city on foot in around an hour and a half." Not much is left of the original German enclave of Koenigsberg, as this region was known before it was passed to the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War. Allied air raids ruined the historic centre before the city was taken by the Soviet army. One of the few surviving buildings is the medieval cathedral. Daily concerts on its recently restored pipe organ bring in visitors from all over Russia and the rest of the world.
http://wn.com/euronews_Life_Russian_Life_Kaliningrad,_the_Amber_City
way from Sovietsk to Slavsk Kaliningrad region
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:01
- Updated: 02 Jan 2011
http://wn.com/way_from_Sovietsk_to_Slavsk_Kaliningrad_region
A day in Kaliningrad, 2009
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:52
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Shot with a Nikon D90 with Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 and Nikon 50mm F1.8. October 2009. Kaliningrad (Russian: Калининград, German: Königsberg, Polish: Królewiec, Prussian:Twānksta) is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. The territory, the northern part of the former East Prussia, borders on NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania, and is geographically separated from the rest of Russia. Originally named Königsberg, the Prussian and German town had been founded in 1255, and was then largely destroyed during World War II. Its ruins were occupied by the Soviet Army in 1945 and it was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946 in honour of Mikhail Kalinin. The former Russian name was Kyonisberg (Кёнисберг).
http://wn.com/A_day_in_Kaliningrad,_2009
Visit to Kaliningrad and its surrounding areas
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 64:34
- Updated: 27 Sep 2012
Kaliningrad is a seaport city and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. The territory borders on NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania, and is geographically separated from the rest of Russia.
http://wn.com/Visit_to_Kaliningrad_and_its_surrounding_areas
Anthem of the Kaliningrad Oblast
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:23
- Updated: 12 Aug 2012
Kaliningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) situated on the Baltic coast.
http://wn.com/Anthem_of_the_Kaliningrad_Oblast
Kaliningrad fights Baltic Gold smuggling
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:58
- Updated: 24 Oct 2012
Russia's westernmost area, the Kaliningrad region, is dubbed 'The Land of Amber'. It is a unique deposit of Baltic Gold - a natural treasure ascribed magical qualities. The region boasts 90 per cent of the world's amber reserves.
http://wn.com/Kaliningrad_fights_Baltic_Gold_smuggling
way from Sovietsk to Slavsk Kaliningrad region edit
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:01
- Updated: 04 May 2012
http://wn.com/way_from_Sovietsk_to_Slavsk_Kaliningrad_region_edit
Kaliningrad Oblast
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:21
- Updated: 16 Jun 2012
Kaliningrad Oblast Anthem Name: Anthem of the Kaliningrad Oblast Date Adopted: Not Available Lyrics: Not Available Flag Date Adopted: 2006 Description: The flag of the Kaliningrad Oblast is a rectangular panel, divided into three horizontal stripes. Top - red, medium - yellow, bottom - blue, On the red field in the upper left corner shows a silver castle with a monogram of the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.
http://wn.com/Kaliningrad_Oblast
Kaliningrad oblast lives in Ghost Towns
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:12
- Updated: 04 Aug 2012
I guess this could be my send-off or something, because starting Sunday I'm going to be gone for three weeks. I've recently realized I've collected a bunch of pictures, so I decided to share them with you guys instead of hoard them for myself. After I return, and throughout the school year, I plan on continuing to share the pictures I've accumilated. And now Kali will tell you a little about herself. ^_^ Привет! I'm Kaliningrad oblast, but you cun cull me Kali (pronounced "ka-LEE"). Prussia is my biological father, und Russia adopted me after Vorld Var II. I uhm said to look anyvhere betvween 14 und 18, but I like to say I look 15ish. Hm.... Somezhing else... Oh! Vhen I vas little, everyvone (including myself) zhought I vas a boy (remind you of anyvone?). Took a vhile to adjust to being a girl. I still don't vear dresses. Alzhough I only haf European Prussian bruders (all younger zhan me), Papa does haf triplits vho are American states, two of vhich are girls. Zhey are Fem!Canada's kids. I also haf only Russian bruders, eccept for Siberia, but she's a lot older zhan me, und vee don't tulk very much. I'm actually not very close to my siblings. I spend more time vizh my Fazhers. Alzhough, I uhm friends vizh vone of America's kids: Tejas! ^_^ She lets me ride zha horses she has on her ranch. Und Latvia. ^_^ Latvia revealed zhat he liked me during zha Cold Var. After zha Soviet Union broke up, vee secretly dated (I guess zhat's vhat it's called), until vee decided to tell Dad ...
http://wn.com/Kaliningrad_oblast_lives_in_Ghost_Towns
Boy in a Bubble-Kaliningrad Region (Oblast), Russia-June 2011
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:52
- Updated: 16 Jun 2012
http://wn.com/Boy_in_a_Bubble-Kaliningrad_Region_Oblast,_Russia-June_2011
Pionersky,Kaliningrad Oblast
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:33
- Updated: 09 Jul 2012
A day trip to Pionersky,Kaliningrad Oblast - 12 June 2012
http://wn.com/Pionersky,Kaliningrad_Oblast
Kaliningrad region in OSM
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:02
- Updated: 02 Oct 2011
2007.11.07 - 2011.09.11 Based on OpenStreetMap data and released under CC-BY-SA
http://wn.com/Kaliningrad_region_in_OSM
Water Taxi at the Baltiysk - Kaliningrad Oblast
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:19
- Updated: 06 Aug 2012
Taking a water taxi to the other side of the Baltiysk.
http://wn.com/Water_Taxi_at_the_Baltiysk_Kaliningrad_Oblast
Having fun with my BMW E34 at Vistula Spit (Kaliningrad region, Russia)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:03
- Updated: 09 Oct 2012
Acceleration and quick stop due to limited distance of acceptable surface of the road. Old German airport of seaplanes.
http://wn.com/Having_fun_with_my_BMW_E34_at_Vistula_Spit_Kaliningrad_region,_Russia
Made in Germany | Kaliningrad -- Tax haven for investors
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:47
- Updated: 01 Apr 2012
For just under two years, Kaliningrad has been a special free economic zone.. An improved investment climate was meant to attract foreign companies to the Russian exclave. Companies that invest at least 4 million euros in the Kaliningrad region enjoy customs and tax breaks. Several foreign investors have taken the bait and gone into Kaliningrad. One of them is the German HIPP group, which receives advice from the German trade representative in Kaliningrad. He says many investors are dissatisfied at present, because both legal protection and infrastructure are inadequate. The central question is whether the Russian Federation will keep its word and significantly improve the investment climate and legal guarantees.
http://wn.com/Made_in_Germany_|_Kaliningrad_-_Tax_haven_for_investors
04.06.2010 WWII Nazi arms ship in Baltic
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:45
- Updated: 18 Sep 2012
A sunken German World War II barge loaded with over 10000 explosive weapons has been found off the coast of Kaliningrad. The ship, that sank just two kilometers off the coast, is so crammed with bombs that officials say they will need at least three years to make the wreck and its cargo safe. Baltiysk is in Russia's Kaliningrad region - a scene of intense fighting in World War II.
http://wn.com/04062010_WWII_Nazi_arms_ship_in_Baltic
Kaliningrad Oblast / Óblast de Kaliningrado (Federal Subject of Russia/Sujeto Federal de Rusia )
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:20
- Updated: 25 Sep 2012
Kaliningrad Oblast Regional Anthem "Гимн Калининградская область " Himno Regional del Óblast de Kaliningrado
http://wn.com/Kaliningrad_Oblast_Óblast_de_Kaliningrado_Federal_Subject_of_Russia_Sujeto_Federal_de_Rusia_
NATO Exercise Kaliningrad 2004 Terrorist Attack Drill
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:33
- Updated: 25 May 2012
The Field Exercise took place on June 23,2004. The exercise scenario focused on a terrorist attack on an oil platform off the coast of Kaliningrad Oblast. The drill assumed a high number of casualties and a major oil spill threatening coastal areas, and triggered a request for international assistance. It tested the regional response to a particular disaster scenario at operational and tactical level. During this part of the exercise, the stricken nation would submit a request for assistance to the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). The participants in the Field Exercise would be rescued and consequence management units from Poland, Lithuania and Russia would be dispatched.
http://wn.com/NATO_Exercise_Kaliningrad_2004_Terrorist_Attack_Drill
Opening of the Memorial of Beatles in Kaliningrad (region of Russia)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:16
- Updated: 19 Oct 2010
On October, 9th, 2010 70 years to one of the largest poets, composers and musicians of XX century, the person who has defined moral reference points of the whole generation — to John Lennon are executed. His name inseparably linked with three other musicians — Paul McCartney, George Harrisonom and Ringo Starr and an outstanding rock group - Beatles. In honour of it in park of culture "Youth" it decided to establish a memorial devoted to immortal creativity of the Liverpool collective. fab.moy.su Our sponsors: Magazine "Choose" To recreation park the Youth Media group "the Cascade" КТК — the Kaliningrad technical college SAD — Svetlana and Anna Davydovy — landscape design
http://wn.com/Opening_of_the_Memorial_of_Beatles_in_Kaliningrad_region_of_Russia
Alexandra Kosteniuk Chess Cup 2012 in Svetlogorsk (Russian)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:14
- Updated: 27 Oct 2012
3-minute Russian language clip from the Kaliningrad Region Sports TV channel, about the 6th Alexandra Kosteniuk Chess Cup for kids U-6, U-8, and U-10. Full results can be found at: www.azbukachess.com and Alexandra's personal impressions at chessqueen.livejournal.com .
http://wn.com/Alexandra_Kosteniuk_Chess_Cup_2012_in_Svetlogorsk_Russian
Historische Fahne von Ostpreußen
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:33
- Updated: 07 Nov 2012
This is the historical flag of Ostpreußen. One in my collection of rare and Historic flags. Known as East Prussia in english. East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945.[1] From 1772--1829 and 1878--1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg. In 1945, war-torn East Prussia was divided at Stalin's insistence between the Soviet Union (the Kaliningrad Oblast), the People's Republic of Poland (the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship), and the Lithuanian SSR (the constituent counties of the Klaipėda Region).[4] The capital city Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946. The German population of the province was largely evacuated during the war or expelled shortly thereafter in the expulsion of Germans after World War II. An estimated 300000 (around one fifth of the population) died either in war time bombings raids or the battles to defend the province. Some of my friends of German decent still wish it to be part of Germany today. So for them, may she return to the Fatherland someday. The music is Preußens Gloria. I thought the music would fit the video.
http://wn.com/Historische_Fahne_von_Ostpreußen
ICT technology
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:47
- Updated: 26 Aug 2010
INTERREG IIIA/TACIS Lithuania, Poland and Kaliningrad Region of Russian Federation Neighbourhood Programme ICT projects part-financed by the European Union
http://wn.com/ICT_technology
BL41
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:03
- Updated: 06 Oct 2012
October 5, 2012. TV Zvezda. Russia, Kaliningrad region. Tactical maneuvers units of the Baltic Fleet.
http://wn.com/BL41
Photo: AP / Hatem Moussa
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| Kaliningrad Oblast | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Калининградская область (Russian) | |||
| — Oblast — | |||
|
|||
| Anthem: Anthem of Kaliningrad Oblast | |||
 |
|||
| Coordinates: 54°48′N 21°25′E / 54.8°N 21.417°E / 54.8; 21.417Coordinates: 54°48′N 21°25′E / 54.8°N 21.417°E / 54.8; 21.417 | |||
| Political status | |||
| Country | Russia | ||
| Federal district | Northwestern[1] | ||
| Economic region | Kaliningrad[2] | ||
| Established | April 7, 1946[3] | ||
| Administrative center | Kaliningrad[4] | ||
| Government (as of August 2010) | |||
| - Governor[5] | Nikolay Tsukanov[6] | ||
| - Legislature | Oblast Duma[5] | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Area (as of the 2002 Census)[7] | |||
| - Total | 15,100 km2 (5,830.1 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 76th | ||
| Population (2010 Census)[8] | |||
| - Total | 941,873 | ||
| - Rank | 56th | ||
| - Density[9] | 62.38 /km2 (161.6 /sq mi) | ||
| - Urban | 77.6% | ||
| - Rural | 22.4% | ||
| Time zone(s) | USZ1 (UTC+03:00)[10] | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | RU-KGD | ||
| License plates | 39 | ||
| Official languages | Russian[11] | ||
| http://gov39.ru | |||
Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, Kaliningradskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) situated on the Baltic coast. It has a population of 941,873 (2010 Census).[8]
The oblast forms the westernmost part of Russia, but it has no land connection to the rest of the country. Since its creation it has been an exclave of the Russian SFSR and then of the Russian Federation. The fall of the Soviet Union left it isolated from the "mainland". It is surrounded by Lithuania, Poland, and the Baltic Sea. Borderless travel to the main part of Russia is only possible by sea or air. This political isolation became more pronounced when Lithuania and Poland both became members of the European Union and NATO, and entered the Schengen Zone, which means that the oblast is surrounded by the territories of these organizations as well.
The oblast's largest city and the administrative center is Kaliningrad (formerly known as Königsberg), which has historical significance as both a major city of the historical state of Prussia and the capital of the former German province of East Prussia, partitioned after World War II between the USSR and Poland, and renamed after the Soviet Head of State Mikhail Kalinin.
The territory of the Kaliningrad Oblast coincides with that of the northern part of historical East Prussia (German: Nord-Ostpreussen), which was an exclave of Germany from World War I until 1945. In that year, it was occupied by the Soviet Union and annexed according to the Potsdam Agreement. It was attached to the Russian SFSR. Most of its German population had fled to the "mainland" of Germany during the war; the rest were expelled from 1945 to 1950. Russian settlers moved in, and the population has been Russian ever since.
Currently it is one of Russia's best performing regional economies, bolstered by a low manufacturing tax rate, as set by its "Special Economic Zone" [SEZ] status, given by Moscow. As of 2006, one in three televisions in Russia are made in Kaliningrad, and its population is one of the few in Russia which are expected to show strong growth.[12]
Contents |
Geography[link]
Kaliningrad Oblast is an exclave of Russia surrounded by Lithuania, Poland, and the Baltic Sea. The biggest river is the Pregolya (Russian: Преголя; German: Pregel; Lithuanian: Prieglius). It starts as a confluence of the Instruch and the Angrapa and drains into the Baltic Sea through Vistula Lagoon. Its length under the name of Pregolya is 123 km (76 mi), 292 km (181 mi), including the Angrapa.
Notable geographical features include:
- Curonian Lagoon (shared with Lithuania)
- Vistula Lagoon (shared with Poland)
- Kaliningrad, the administrative center and major city of the oblast.
Politics[link]
Main article: Politics of Kaliningrad Oblast
The current governor (since 2010) of Kaliningrad Oblast is Nikolay Tsukanov, who succeeded Georgy Boos. The election for the fifth term of the Kaliningrad Oblast Duma was held on 13 March 2011.
History[link]
East Prussia[link]
Main article: East Prussia
 .svg) History of Brandenburg and Prussia |
|||
| Northern March pre-12th century |
Old Prussians pre-13th century |
||
| Margraviate of Brandenburg 1157–1618 (1806) |
Ordensstaat 1224–1525 |
||
| Duchy of Prussia 1525–1618 |
Royal (Polish) Prussia 1466–1772 |
||
| Brandenburg-Prussia 1618–1701 |
|||
| Kingdom in Prussia 1701–1772 |
|||
| Kingdom of Prussia 1772–1918 |
|||
| Free State of Prussia 1918–1947 |
Klaipėda Region (Lithuania) 1920-39 / 1945-present |
||
| Brandenburg (Germany) 1947–1952 / 1990–present |
Recovered Territories (Poland) 1918/45-present |
Kaliningrad Oblast (Russia) 1945-present |
|
The region of what is now Kaliningrad Oblast was inhabited during the Middle Ages by tribes of Old Prussians in the western part and Lithuanians in the eastern part by the Pregolya and Alna Rivers. The Teutonic Knights conquered the region and established a monastic state. On the foundations of a destroyed Prussian settlement known as Tvanksta, the Order founded the major city of Königsberg (modern Kaliningrad). Germans and Poles resettled the territory and assimilated the indigenous Old Prussians. The Lithuanian-inhabited areas became known as Lithuania Minor. In 1525, Grand Master Albert of Brandenburg secularized the Prussian branch of the Teutonic Order and established himself as the sovereign of the Duchy of Prussia, the Polish fief, later inherited by the Margravate of Brandenburg. The region was reorganized into the Province of East Prussia within the Kingdom of Prussia in 1773.
East Prussia was an important center of German culture. Many important figures, such as Immanuel Kant and E. T. A. Hoffmann, have their origins in this region. The cities of Kaliningrad Oblast, despite being heavily damaged during World War II and thereafter, still contain some typical German architecture, such as the Jugendstil, showcasing the rich German history and cultural importance of the area. The Lithuanian-speaking community in East Prussia was diminished due to organic Germanization and cultural assimilation; in the early 20th century Lithuanian still made up a majority only in rural parts of the far northeast corner of East Prussia (Memelland and Minor Lithuania), the rest of the area (with exception of the Slavic Masurians in southern East Prussia), being overwhelmingly German-speaking. However, in 1918 Prussians who spoke German joined Lithuanian speaking Prussians and claimed that whole Prussia should join with Lithuania because the majority of inhabitants of this land were of Lithuanian-Prussian ethnic descent. In November 1918 they signed the declaration of independence from Germany and unification with motherland Lithuania.
The Memel Territory (Klaipėda region), formerly part of northeastern East Prussia, was annexed by Lithuania in 1923 after World War I. In 1938, Nazi Germany radically altered about a third of the place names of this area by replacing names of Old Prussian or Lithuanian origin with newly invented German names.
Kaliningrad Oblast[link]
During World War II, Soviet troops reached the border of East Prussia on August 29, 1944. In January 1945, Soviet forces overran all of East Prussia except the area around Königsberg. Many Germans fled west at this time. During the last days of the war, over two million Germans were evacuated by sea. The remaining German population was deported after the war, and the area was repopulated primarily by Russians and, to a lesser extent, Ukrainians and Belarusians.
The Potsdam Agreement among the Allied powers assigned northern East Prussia to the Soviet Union, pending the final determination of territorial questions at the peace settlement:
VI. CITY OF KOENIGSBERG AND THE ADJACENT AREA
The Conference examined a proposal by the Soviet Government that pending the final determination of territorial questions at the peace settlement the section of the western frontier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which is adjacent to the Baltic Sea should pass from a point on the eastern shore of the Bay of Gdansk to the east, north of Braunsberg and Goldap, to the meeting point of the frontiers of Lithuania, the Polish Republic and East Prussia. The Conference has agreed in principle to the proposal of the Soviet Government concerning the ultimate transfer to the Soviet Union of the city of Koenigsberg and the area adjacent to it as described above, subject to expert examination of the actual frontier. The President of the United States and the British Prime Minister have declared that they will support the proposal of the Conference at the forthcoming peace settlement.[13]
In 1957, an agreement was signed and later came into force which delimited the boundary between Poland and the Soviet Union,[14][15]
According to some accounts from the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet government had planned to make the rest of the area a part of the Lithuanian SSR immediately after World War II.[citation needed] The area was administered by the planning committee of the LSSR, although the area had its own Communist Party committee. However, the leadership of the Lithuanian SSR (especially Antanas Sniečkus) refused to take the territory, mainly because of its devastation during the war.[citation needed] Some modern nationalistic Lithuanian authors say that the reason for the refusal was the Lithuanians' concern to find themselves on equal demographic terms with the Russian population within the Lithuanian SSR. Instead the region was added as an exclave to the Russian SFSR, and since 1946 it has been known as Kaliningrad Oblast. According to some historians, Joseph Stalin created it as an oblast separate from the LSSR because it further enclosed the Baltic states from the West.[16] Names of the cities, towns, rivers, and other geographical objects were changed into newly-created Russian ones.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the independence of the Baltic states caused Kaliningrad Oblast to be separated from the rest of Russia by other countries instead of other Soviet republics. Some ethnic Germans began to return to the area, such as Volga Germans from other parts of Russia and Kazakhstan, especially after Germany stopped granting free right of return to ethnic Germans from the former Soviet Union.[citation needed] The economic situation has been badly affected by the geographic isolation (and the significant reduction in the size of the Russian military garrison which had previously been one of the major employers), especially when neighboring nations imposed strict border controls when they joined the European Union. Russian proposals for visa-free travel between the EU and Kaliningrad have so far been rejected by the EU. Travel arrangements based on the Facilitated Transit Document (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Document (FRTD) have been made.[17][18]
In recent times, the situation has begun to change, if slowly. Germany and Lithuania have renewed contact with Kaliningrad Oblast through town twinning and other projects. This has helped to promote interest in the history and the culture of the East Prussian and Lietuvininkai communities.
Military[link]
For some years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Kaliningrad Oblast was one of the most militarized areas of the Russian Federation, and the density of military installations was the highest in Europe, as much of the Soviet equipment pulled out of Eastern Europe was left there. As of 2009, there are 11,600 Russian ground troops based in the oblast, plus additional naval and air force personnel.[19] Thus military troops amount to less than 2% of the oblast's population. Kaliningrad is a headquarters of Russian Baltic Fleet circled by Chernyakhovsk (air base), Donskoye (air base), and Kaliningrad Chkalovsk (naval air base).
The Washington Times claimed on January 3, 2001, citing anonymous intelligence reports, that Russia had transferred tactical nuclear weapons into a military base in Kaliningrad for the first time since the Cold War ended. Russian top-level military leaders denied those claims.[20] A Pentagon spokesperson stated that deployment would violate Russian pledge that Russia was removing nuclear weapons from the Baltics. Russia and the United States announced in 1991 and 1992 a non-binding agreement to reduce arsenals of tactical nuclear weapons. On the eve of the reunification of Germany, Helmut Kohl promised Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO's military infrastructures would not move eastward into the territory of East Germany, a fact since confirmed by the former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Jack Matlock. Later Russia was privately assured that Eastern European states would not seek membership in NATO.[21] Today, while NATO has not established any military infrastructure in Eastern Germany yet, both Central European and Baltic countries are NATO members.
On November 5, 2008, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev said that Russia would deploy Iskander missiles in the oblast as a response to U.S. plans for basing missile defense missiles in Poland.[22] Equipment to electronically hamper the operation of future U.S. missile facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic also would be deployed, he said.
However, on January 28, 2009, a Russian defense official stated that the deployment of short-range missiles into Kaliningrad Oblast would cease due to perceived changes in the attitude of the United States government towards the Russian Federation following the election of United States President Barack Obama.[23] In September 2009, Russia fully scrapped plans of sending short-range missiles into the Kaliningrad Oblast in response to President Obama's decision to cancel the missile defense system. In November 2011, Dmitry Medvedev issued another stern warning that Russia will deploy new missiles aimed at U.S. missile defense sites in Europe if Washington goes ahead with the planned shield.[24]
And in 2012, Russia went ahead and chose Kaliningrad as the second region (after Moscow) to deploy the S-400 (SAM) missile system.[25][26]
Administrative divisions[link]
Main articles: Administrative divisions of Kaliningrad Oblast and List of inhabited localities in Kaliningrad Oblast
Demographics[link]
Population[link]
According to the 2010 Census, the oblast population is 941,873;[8] down from 955,281 recorded in the 2002 Census.[27] The 1989 Census recorded 871,283 inhabitants.[28]
Kaliningrad Oblast is the fourth most densely populated federal subject in Russia, with 62.5 persons/km2 (162 persons/sq mi).[citation needed]
Almost none of the pre–World War II Lithuanian population (Lietuvininks) or German population remain in Kaliningrad Oblast.
Ethnic groups[link]
According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition of the oblast was as follows:[8]
- 772,534 Russians (86.4%)
- 32,771 Ukrainians (3.7%)
- 32,497 Belarusians (3.6%)
- 9,769 Lithuanians (1.1%)
- 9,226 Armenians (1%)
- 7,349 Germans (0.8%)
- 4,534 Tatars (0.5%)
- 3,282 Azeris (0.4%)
- 2,788 Poles (0.3%)
- 2,245 Uzbeks (0.3%)
- 16,857 others (1.9%)
- 48,021 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.[29]
| census[30] | 1959 | 1970 | 1979 | 1989 | 2002 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russians | 473 861 (77,6 %) | 564 469 (77,1 %) | 632 717 (78,3 %) | 683 563 (78,5 %) | 786 885 (82,4 %) | 772 534 (86,4 %) |
| Ukrainians | 35 717 (5,8 %) | 48 044 (6,6 %) | 54 656 (6,8 %) | 62 750 (7,2 %) | 47 229 (4,9 %) | 32 771 (3,7 %) |
| Belarusians | 57 178 (9,4 %) | 68 808 (9,4 %) | 72 465 (9,0 %) | 73 926 (8,5 %) | 50 748 (5,3 %) | 32 497 (3,6 %) |
| Lithuanians | 21 262 (3,5 %) | 23 376 (3,2 %) | 19 647 (2,4 %) | 18 116 (2,1 %) | 13 937 (1,5 %) | 9 769 (1,1 %) |
Economy[link]
Kaliningrad Oblast's economy is positively influenced by several factors, such as ice-free ports, the world's largest amber deposits and proximity to European countries. The region also has a developed tourist infrastructure, unique museums and monuments, and tourist attractions such as the famous Curonian Spit.[31]
In order to combat the oblast's economic problems such as high unemployment, in 1996 the Russian authorities granted Kaliningrad special economic status and tax advantages intended to attract investors. The oblast's economy has since benefited substantially, and in recent years[when?] experienced a boom. A US$45 million airport terminal has been opened, and the European Commission provides funds for business projects under its special program for the region. The oblast has begun to see increasing trade with the countries of the EU as well as increasing economic growth and rising industrial output.[32]
According to official statistics, the Gross Regional Product in 2006 was 115 billion roubles.[33] GRP per capita in 2007 was 155,668.9 rubles.[34]
Industry[link]
The oblast has transport (railcars) and heavy equipment (crane) plants. Car and truck assembly (GM, BMW, Kia, Yuejin), and production of auto parts are growing industries. There are shipbuilding facilities in Kaliningrad and Sovetsk. Food processing is a mature industry in the region. OKB Fakel, a world leader in the field of Hall thruster development and a leading Russian developer and manufacturer of electric propulsion systems, is based in Neman. The company employs 960 people.[35][36]
Natural resources[link]
Kaliningrad Oblast possesses more than 90% of the world's amber deposits.[37] Most of the mined amber is processed outside of the region, in Russia and in other countries.
There are small oil reservoirs beneath the Baltic Sea not far from Kaliningrad's shore. Small-scale offshore exploration started in 2004 and some Baltic countries (Poland and Lithuania), as well as local NGOs voiced concerns regarding possible environmental impact.
Fishing[link]
Fishing is one of the important regional industries, with big fishing ports in Kaliningrad and Pionersky (formerly Neukuhren) and lesser ones in Svetly and Rybachy.
Power generation[link]
Average yearly power consumption in the Kaliningrad Oblast was 3.5Bn kWh in 2004 with local power generation providing just 235M kWh. The balance of energy needs required was imported from neighbouring countries. A new Kaliningrad power station was built in 2005, covering 50% of the oblast's energy needs. A second power station was scheduled to enter service in 2010, making the oblast independent from electricity imports. There are plans to build two nuclear power reactors in the eastern part of the region.
References[link]
- ^ Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №849 от 13 мая 2000 г. «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в федеральном округе». Вступил в силу 13 мая 2000 г. Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", №20, ст. 2112, 15 мая 2000 г. (President of the Russian Federation. Decree #849 of May 13, 2000 On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in a Federal District. Effective as of May 13, 2000.).
- ^ Госстандарт Российской Федерации. №ОК 024-95 27 декабря 1995 г. «Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов. 2. Экономические районы», в ред. Изменения №5/2001 ОКЭР. (Gosstandart of the Russian Federation. #OK 024-95 December 27, 1995 Russian Classification of Economic Regions. 2. Economic Regions, as amended by the Amendment #5/2001 OKER. ).
- ^ Из истории создания Калининградской области, её административно-территориального устройства
- ^ http://www.russia-channel.com/kaliningrad-oblast/
- ^ a b Charter, Article 3
- ^ Official website of the Government of Kaliningrad Oblast. Biography of Nikolay Nikolayevich Tsukanov (Russian)
- ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Территория, число районов, населённых пунктов и сельских администраций по субъектам Российской Федерации (Territory, Number of Districts, Inhabited Localities, and Rural Administration by Federal Subjects of the Russian Federation)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://perepis2002.ru/ct/html/TOM_01_03.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
- ^ a b c d Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2011). "Информационные материалы об окончательных итогах Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года (Information on the final results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/perepis_itogi1612.htm. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ The density value was calculated by dividing the population reported by the 2010 Census by the area shown in the "Area" field. Please note that this value may not be accurate as the area specified in the infobox is not necessarily reported for the same year as the population.
- ^ Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №725 от 31 августа 2011 г. «О составе территорий, образующих каждую часовую зону, и порядке исчисления времени в часовых зонах, а также о признании утратившими силу отдельных Постановлений Правительства Российской Федерации». Вступил в силу по истечении 7 дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №197, 6 сентября 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #725 of August 31, 2011 On the Composition of the Territories Included into Each Time Zone and on the Procedures of Timekeeping in the Time Zones, as Well as on Abrogation of Several Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation. Effective as of after 7 days following the day of the official publication.).
- ^ Official the whole territory of Russia according to Article 68.1 of the Constitution of Russia.
- ^ Sheeter, Laura (2006-10-16). "Kaliningrad erases stains of past". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/6048708.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1945/450802a.html
- ^ http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TREATIES/RUS-POL1957SF.PDF
- ^ http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/STATEFILES/POL.htm
- ^ Weinberg, Gerhard L. (2005). Visions of Victory: The hopes of eight World War II leaders. Cambridge University Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-521-85254-8. http://books.google.com/?id=0eYhHoIPEm4C&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&q=.
- ^ Transit from/to Kaliningrad Region, www.euro.lt
- ^ Council Regulation (EC) No 693/2003, eur-lex.europa.eu
- ^ Military Balance 2009
- ^ Bill Gertz, "Russia Transfers Nuclear Arms to Baltics," Washington Times, 3 January 2001, p. 1.
- ^ Don't isolate us: a Russian view of NATO expansion
- ^ "Russia to move missiles to Baltic". bbc.co.uk (BBC). 2008-11-05. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7710362.stm. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
- ^ "Russia 'halts missile deployment'". bbc.co.uk (BBC). 2009-01-28. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7855216.stm. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ^ "Dmitry Medvedev, Russia President, Says Missiles May Target U.S. Missile Defense Sites". Huffington Post. 2011-11-23. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/23/dmitry-medvedev-russia-missiles_n_1109660.html.
- ^ "S-400 Missiles Deployed in Russia's Baltic Fleet." RIA Novosti, April 9, 2012.
- ^ "Russia launches new missile defense to cover Atlantic." RT. November 29, 2011
- ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров. (All Union Population Census of 1989. Present population of union and autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and okrugs, krais, oblasts, districts, urban settlements, and villages serving as district administrative centers.)" (in Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года (All-Union Population Census of 1989). Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics. 1989. http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus89_reg.php. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ http://www.perepis-2010.ru/news/detail.php?ID=6936
- ^ Переписи населения Российской Империи, СССР, 15 новых независимых государств Census of the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, 15 new independent states
- ^ "Kaliningrad Region - Introduction". Russia: All Regions Trade & Investment Guide. CTEC Publishing LLC. 2008. http://www.russiasregions.com/north_ossetia_alania.html.
- ^ "Regions and territories: Kaliningrad". BBC News. 2009-05-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/6177003.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Regional administration's website (Russian)
- ^ Валовой региональный продукт на душу населения Федеральная служба государственной статистики
- ^ "EDB Fakel". OKB Fakel. http://users.gazinter.net/fakel/index_eng.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ "OKB Fakel (Russian Federation)". Jane's Space Systems and Industry. 2008-12-17. http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Space-Systems-and-Industry/OKB-Fakel-Russian-Federation.html. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ How Products Are Made: Amber
- Simon Grunau, Preußische Chronik. Hrsg. von M. Perlbach etc., Leipzig, 1875.
- A. Bezzenberger, Geographie von Preußen, Gotha, 1959
- Областная Дума Калининградской области. Закон №30 от 18 января 1996 г. «О вступлении в действие Устава (Основного Закона) Калининградской области», в ред. Закона №650 от 29 сентября 2005 г. «О внесении изменений и дополнений в Устав (Основной Закон) Калининградской области». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней со дня официального публикования, за исключением пункта 5 статьи 15 и подпункта "б" статьи 22 в части подписания постановлений областной Думы председателем областной Думы, которые введены в действие одновременно со вступлением в силу Федерального закона от 06.10.1999 №184-ФЗ "Об общих принципах организации законодательных (представительных) и исполнительных органов государственной власти субъектов Российской Федерации. Опубликован: "Янтарный край", №20, 26 января 1996 г. (Oblast Duma of Kaliningrad Oblast. Law #30 of January 18, 1996 On the Charter (Basic Law) of Kaliningrad Oblast Taking Effect, as amended by the Law #650 of September 29, 2005 On Amending and Supplementing the Charter (Basic Law) of Kaliningrad Oblast. Effective as of the date ten days after the official publication date, with the exception of item 5 of Article 15 and the portion of subitem "b" of Article 22 dealing with the signing of the resolutions of the Oblast Duma by the Chair of the Oblast Duma, which take effect simultaneously with the Federal Law #184-FZ of October 6, 1999 "On the General Principles of the Organization of the Legislative (Representative) and Executive Organs of the State Power in the Federal Subjects of the Russian Federation.).
See also[link]
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kaliningrad Oblast |
- Official website of Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian)
- A. Liucija Arbusauskaité "The Soviet Policy Towards the "Kaliningrad Germans" 1945-1951" chapter in "Themenheft: Eingliederung und Ausgrenzung. Beiträge aus der Historischen Migrationsforschung. Hrsg.: Jochen Oltmer Osnabrück: IMIS, 1999. ISSN 0949-4723
- Master's thesis by Sergey Naumkin on the possibility of Kaliningrad integrating with the EU as a special economic zone
- Life in Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian)
- Spuren der Vergangenheit / Следы Пρошлого (Traces of the past) This site by W.A. Milowskij, a Kaliningrad resident, contains hundreds of interesting photos, often with text explanations, of architectural and infrastructural artifacts of the territory's long German past. (German) (Russian)
- City and Reagen News
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad_Oblast
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is about the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. For other uses, see Kaliningrad (disambiguation).
| Kaliningrad (English) Калининград (Russian) |
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| - City[citation needed] - | |
 Old Königsberg amid the modern Kaliningrad |
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.svg) Location of Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia |
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 Kaliningrad
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| Coordinates: 54°43′N 20°31′E / 54.717°N 20.517°E / 54.717; 20.517Coordinates: 54°43′N 20°31′E / 54.717°N 20.517°E / 54.717; 20.517 | |
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| City Day | July 4; observed on the first Saturday of July[citation needed] |
| Administrative status (as of November 2011) | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Kaliningrad Oblast |
| Administratively subordinated to | city of oblast significance of Kaliningrad[1] |
| Administrative center of | Kaliningrad Oblast, city of oblast significance of Kaliningrad[1] |
| Municipal status (as of July 2009) | |
| Urban okrug | Kaliningrad Urban Okrug[2] |
| Administrative center of | Kaliningrad Urban Okrug[2] |
| Head[citation needed] | Alexander Yaroshuk[citation needed] |
| Representative body | City Council of Deputies[citation needed] |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 215.7 km2 (83.3 sq mi)[citation needed] |
| Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
431,491 inhabitants[3] |
| - Rank in 2010 | 40th |
| Population (2002 Census) | 430,003 inhabitants[4] |
| - Rank in 2002 | 42nd |
| Density | 2,000 /km2 (5,200 /sq mi)[5] |
| Time zone | USZ1 (UTC+03:00)[6] |
| Founded | 1255[citation needed] |
| Postal code(s) | 236000[citation needed] |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 4012[citation needed] |
| Official website | |
Kaliningrad (Russian: Калинингра́д; Polish: Królewiec; Lithuanian: Karaliaučius; German: Königsberg; Czech: Královec) is a seaport city and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea. The territory, the northern part of the former East Prussia, borders on NATO and EU members Poland and Lithuania, and is geographically separated from the rest of Russia.
Originally named Königsberg in German, the town was founded in 1255 by the order of the Teutonic Knights in honour of the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II and was part of Prussia and then of Germany until 1945, but was largely destroyed during World War II. Its ruins were occupied by the Red Army in 1945 and its German population forced out. It was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946 in honor of Mikhail Kalinin.
According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, its population was 431,491[3]—an increase from 430,003 recorded in the 2002 Census.[4] Its ethnic composition is 77.9% Russians, 8.0% Belarusians, 7.3% Ukrainians, 1.9% Lithuanians,[7] 0.6% Germans, and 0.5% Poles.[8]
Contents |
History[link]
Königsberg[link]
Main article: Königsberg#History
The site now occupied by Kaliningrad was previously the site of the German city of Königsberg, founded in 1255. During World War II the city was largely destroyed.
Soviet Union[link]
At the end of World War II in 1945, the city became part of the Soviet Union pending the final determination of territorial questions at the peace settlement (as part of the Russian SFSR) as agreed upon by the Allies at the Potsdam Conference:
VI. CITY OF KÖNIGSBERG AND THE ADJACENT AREA
The Conference examined a proposal by the Soviet Government that pending the final determination of territorial questions at the peace settlement the section of the western frontier of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which is adjacent to the Baltic Sea should pass from a point on the eastern shore of the Bay of Danzig to the east, north of Braunsberg and Goldap, to the meeting point of the frontiers of Lithuania, the Polish Republic and East Prussia. The Conference has agreed in principle to the proposal of the Soviet Government concerning the ultimate transfer to the Soviet Union of the city of Koenigsberg and the area adjacent to it as described above, subject to expert examination of the actual frontier. The President of the United States and the British Prime Minister have declared that they will support the proposal of the Conference at the forthcoming peace settlement.[9]
Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946 after the death of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Kalinin, one of the original Bolsheviks. The survivors of the German population were expelled and the city was repopulated with Soviet citizens. The German language was replaced by the Russian language. The city was rebuilt, and went through industrialisation and modernisation. As the westernmost territory of the USSR, the Kaliningrad Oblast became a strategically important area during the Cold War. The Soviet Baltic Fleet was headquartered in the city in the 1950s. Because of its strategic importance, Kaliningrad was closed to foreign visitors.
In 1957 an agreement was signed and later came into force which delimited the border between Poland and the Soviet Union.[10][11]
Russian Federation[link]
Kaliningrad is the only Russian Baltic Sea port that is ice-free all year round and hence plays an important role in maintenance of the Baltic Fleet.
Due to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Kaliningrad Oblast became an exclave, geographically separated from the rest of Russia. This isolation from the rest of Russia became even more pronounced politically when Poland and Lithuania became members of NATO and subsequently the European Union in 2004. All military and civilian land links between the region and the rest of Russia have to pass through members of NATO and the EU. Special travel arrangements for the territory's inhabitants have been made through the Facilitated Transit Document (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Document (FRTD).[12][13]
Today, there is some debate about changing the name of the city back to "Königsberg" in the same way that several other Russian cities have reverted to their pre-Soviet names, e.g. Saint Petersburg and Tver, which were known in the Soviet era as Leningrad and Kalinin, respectively. "Kyonig" (Кёниг, a shortened form of "Königsberg" via Russian) is often used in advertisements for tourism companies in the region. Another possibility would be to give it a Russian name similar to other historic Slavic names, such as "Korolevets".[citation needed]
In July 2005, the 750-year jubilee of the city was widely celebrated.
In July 2007, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov declared that if US-controlled missile defense systems were deployed in Poland, then nuclear weapons might be deployed in Kaliningrad. On 5 November 2008, Russian leader Dimitry Medvedev said that installing missiles in Kaliningrad was almost a certainty.[14] These plans were suspended, however, in January 2009.[15]
But during late 2011, a long range Voronezh-DM radar Voronezh_radar was commissioned to monitor missile launches within about 6000Km. It is situated in the settlement of Pionerskoye (Pionersky) in the Kaliningrad region. [16]
Geography[link]
Kaliningrad is located at the mouth of the navigable Pregolya (Pregel) River, which empties into the Vistula Lagoon, an inlet of the Baltic Sea.
Sea vessels can access Gdańsk Bay/Bay of Danzig and the Baltic Sea by way of the Vistula Lagoon and the Strait of Baltiysk.
Until around 1900 ships drawing more than 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) of water could not pass the bar and come into town, so that larger vessels had to anchor at Pillau (now Baltiysk), where merchandise was moved onto smaller vessels. In 1901 a ship canal between Königsberg and Pillau was completed at a cost of 13 million German marks which enabled vessels of a 6.5 meters (21 ft) draught to moor alongside the town (see also Ports of the Baltic Sea).
Khrabrovo Airport is located 24 kilometers (15 mi) north of Kaliningrad, and has a few scheduled and charter services to several destinations throughout Europe. There is the smaller Kaliningrad Devau Airport for general aviation. Kaliningrad is also home to Kaliningrad Chkalovsk naval air base.
Administrative and municipal status[link]
Administratively, it is incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Kaliningrad—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[1] Municipally, the city of oblast significance of Kaliningrad is incorporated as Kaliningrad Urban Okrug.[2]
City districts[link]
As of 2011, the city is divided into three administrative districts:
| City district |
Russian name | Inhabitants 2010 Census (preliminary results)[3] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moskovsky | Московский | 151,990 | Named after the Russian capital, Moscow |
| Leningradsky | Ленинградский | 159,764 | named after Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg |
| Tsentralny | Центральный | 119,737 | lit. central, as it lies to the northwest of the historical city center |
Two administrative districts were abolished in June 2009:
| City district |
Russian name | Inhabitants 2002 Census[4] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baltiysky | Балтийский | 68,664 | named after the Baltic Sea |
| Oktyabrsky | Октябрьский | 43,252 | named after the October Revolution |
Climate[link]
Kaliningrad has a temperate climate, with cold, cloudy, moderate winters and mild summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms. Average temperatures range from -1.5 to 18.1 °C (29 to 65 °F) and rainfall varies from 36.0 mm/month to 96.0 mm/month. In general it is a maritime climate and therefore damp, variable and mild.
The seasons are clearly differentiated. Spring starts in March and is initially cold and windy, later becoming pleasantly warm and often very sunny. Summer, which begins in June, is predominantly warm but hot at times (with temperature reaching as high as 30-35C at least once per year) with plenty of sunshine interspersed with heavy rain. The average annual hours of sunshine for Kaliningrad are 1700, similar to other Northern cities. July and August are the hottest months. Autumn comes in September and is at first warm and usually sunny, turning cold, damp and foggy in November. Winter lasts from December to March and includes periods of snow. January and February are the coldest months with the temperature sometimes dropping as low as −15 °C (5 °F).
| Climate data for Kaliningrad | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
31.7 (89.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
33.5 (92.3) |
36.3 (97.3) |
36.5 (97.7) |
31.2 (88.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
36.5 (97.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
5.6 (42.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
20.5 (68.9) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.6 (72.7) |
17.6 (63.7) |
12.1 (53.8) |
5.6 (42.1) |
1.9 (35.4) |
11.8 (53.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.0 (35.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
12.5 (54.5) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
17.6 (63.7) |
13.1 (55.6) |
8.4 (47.1) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
7.9 (46.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
2.9 (37.2) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.9 (51.6) |
13.6 (56.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
9.3 (48.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
4.4 (39.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −32.5 (−26.5) |
−33.3 (−27.9) |
−21.7 (−7.1) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4.5 (40.1) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−2 (28.4) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
−18.7 (−1.7) |
−25.6 (−14.1) |
−33.3 (−27.9) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 68 (2.68) |
49 (1.93) |
51 (2.01) |
36 (1.42) |
54 (2.13) |
78 (3.07) |
76 (2.99) |
96 (3.78) |
74 (2.91) |
82 (3.23) |
82 (3.23) |
72 (2.83) |
818 (32.2) |
| % humidity | 85 | 83 | 78 | 72 | 71 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 81 | 83 | 86 | 87 | 79 |
| Avg. rainy days | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 185 |
| Avg. snowy days | 15 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 64 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 34.1 | 61.6 | 120.9 | 171.0 | 254.2 | 264.0 | 257.3 | 229.4 | 159.0 | 96.1 | 39.0 | 24.8 | 1,711.4 |
| Source no. 1: Pogoda.ru.net[17] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Hong Kong Observatory [18] | |||||||||||||
Cityscape[link]
Museums[link]
Kaliningrad has many museums. A few examples are the Immanuel Kant museum on the Kneiphof island, the Museum of History and Arts, which still has parts of the so-called Prussia collection of local archaeological findings, and the Kaliningrad Amber Museum, which is situated in the Dohna tower near the Rossgarten Gate. The city also has an art gallery with eight exhibition rooms.
The Museum of the World's Oceans is located on the former research vessel Wityaz on the shore of the Pregel river. The museum displays the newest technologies on sea research and also shows the diversity of the flora and fauna of the world's oceans. An anchored Foxtrot-class submarine next to the museum, the B-413, hosts an exhibit about the Russian submarine fleet.
Theater[link]
The Kaliningrad Philharmonic Orchestra is accommodated in the former Catholic Church of the Holy Family of Königsberg, built in 1907. The church was destroyed during World War II, but rebuilt afterwards. The building, which has noted acoustics, functions as an organ hall since re-opening in 1980.
The city theater is still located in the former Königsberg theater, which was opened in 1910. The building was rebuilt after the war using earlier plans for the theater and opened in 1960. The colonnade in front of the entrance was modeled after the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
The regionally notable Kaliningrad Puppet Theater has had its seat since 1975 in the Queen Louise Remembrance Church. This neo-romantic church, designed by architect Fritz Heitmann, was built in 1901.
Architecture[link]
The pre-war city center (Altstadt and Kneiphof) currently consists of parks, broad avenues, a square on the site of the former Königsberg Castle, and only two buildings: the House of the Soviets ("Dom Sovyetov"), roughly on the site of the former Castle, and the restored Königsberg Cathedral on the Kneiphof island (now "Kant island"). Immanuel Kant's grave is situated next to the Cathedral. The new city centre is concentrated around Victory Square. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior, consecrated in 2005, is located on that square.
The oldest building in Kaliningrad is the Juditten Church (built before 1288). Also worth seeing are the former Stock Exchange, the surviving churches, and the remaining city gates. In anti-clockwise order these gates are: the Sackheim Gate (German: Sackheimer Tor), King's Gate (German: Königstor), Rossgarten Gate (German: Rossgärter Tor), Attack Gate (German: Ausfallstor), Railway Gate (German: Eisenbahntor), Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor), and Friedland Gate (German: Friedländer Tor). Apart from the already mentioned Dohna tower, which houses the Amber museum, the Wranger tower also remains as a reminder of the former Königsberg city walls. Only the gate of the former Friedrichsburg Castle remains.
Monuments[link]
Notable monuments include the statue of Immanuel Kant in front of the Immanuel Kant State University of Russia. The statue was made by notable sculptor Christian Daniel Rauch and unveiled in 1864. The statue was destroyed in 1945, but was remoulded in 1992 on the initiative of Marion Dönhoff. Also worth seeing is the Cosmonaut monument, which honours the Kaliningrad cosmonauts Alexei Leonov, Yuri Romanenko and Aleksandr Viktorenko. Other statues and monuments include the statue for count Albrecht, the statue for Friedrich Schiller, the statue for Tsar Peter the Great, the "Mother Russia" monument, and the Monument for the 1200 Guardsmen, remembering the Battle of Königsberg.
Parks[link]
The Kaliningrad Zoo was opened as the Königsberg Zoo in 1896. The collection, which extends over 16.5 ha, comprises 315 species with a total of 2264 individual animals (as of 2005). The Kaliningrad zoo is also an arboretum.
Lower Pond[link]
Centrally located in the city is Lower Pond (Russian: Нижний пруд), an artificial lake. Lower Pond is surrounded by a promenade and is an area for recreation especially in summer.
Culture[link]
Music[link]
The modern city of Kaliningrad is home to the Kaliningrad Regional Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestra, the Lik male chamber choir and the Garmonika Russian music ensemble,[19] as well as the Kaliningrad Chamber Orchestra.[20]
Cuisine[link]
Kaliningrad has its own vodka and beer brands, Stari Konigsberg and Ostmark respectively. Since the early 1990s many new restaurants have opened in the city. These restaurants offer culinary specialities of former East Prussia, like Königsberger Klopse, but also many fish and salad dishes, Italian pizza and sushi, which is as popular in Kaliningrad as in the rest of Russia. Königsberger Fleck, a bovine tripe soup and yet another culinary specialty from former Königsberg, no longer belongs to the eating culture of Kaliningrad.
The people of Kaliningrad generally imported their respective culinary traditions to the region when they settled in the area after 1945. Borshch and okroshka may be served as in the rest of Russia. Many Italian and Asian restaurants (or fusions of both traditions) are in operation all over the city. Pizza and sushi are amongst the most popular dishes today. Fast food is widely available from various chains, including those of foreign origin: McDonald's and Subway began operations in Kaliningrad in 2011. Shawarma is also gaining considerable prominence.
Transport[link]
Kaliningrad's airport is located near Khrabrovo. The airport mainly connects Kaliningrad to other Russian cities, but also offers flights to other cities in Europe. In Baltiysk one can take a ferry to Saint Petersburg, Copenhagen, Riga, and Kiel. Kaliningrad's international train station is Kaliningrad Passazhirskiy, which in German times was known as Königsberg Hauptbahnhof. Trains depart in the directions of Malbork, Berlin, Baltiysk, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Minsk, Kharkiv, Anapa, and Bagrationovsk. A unique feature of the Kaliningrad railway is that the track in the direction of Berlin has a standard gauge of 1435 mm instead of the commonly used in Russia broad gauge of 1520 mm.
Regional trains depart from Kaliningrad Severnyy, the former Königsberg Nordbahnhof, which is situated on Victory Square, the current city centre. Trains depart to Zelenogradsk and Svetlogorsk and also once a day to Sovetsk.
In 1881 the Königsberg tramway was opened, and it still functions to this day. In 1975 a trolleybus system was also introduced.
Economy[link]
In 1996, Kaliningrad was designated a Special Economic Zone. Manufacturers based there get tax and customs duty breaks on the goods they send back to Russia. Although corruption was an early deterrent, that policy means the region is now a manufacturing hub. One in three televisions in Russia is made in Kaliningrad, and it is home to Cadillac, Hummer and BMW car plants. Currently, Kaliningrad's major industries are manufacturing, shipping, fishing and amber products. Moscow has declared it will turn the region into "the Russian Hong Kong".[21]
The European Commission provides funds for business projects under its special programme for Kaliningrad. The region has begun to see increasing trade with the countries of the EU as well as increasing economic growth and rising industrial output. With an average GDP growth of more than 10% per year for three years to 2007, Kaliningrad is growing faster than any other region in Russia, even outstripping the success of its EU neighbours.[22]
Military[link]
Kaliningrad Oblast used to be the most heavily militarized area of what is now the Russian Federation, and the density of military infrastructure was the highest in Europe. It was the headquarters of the former Soviet Baltic Military District. Kaliningrad also functions as the headquarters of the Russian Baltic Fleet, circled by Chernyakhovsk (air base), Donskoye (air base) and Kaliningrad Chkalovsk (naval air base).
- Soviet Era
Access and control to the Baltic Sea was imperative because of Soviet perceptions that this meant that the hegemonic power had "influence on European and global affairs." Russia had replaced Sweden as the hegemon since the 18th century.[23] At any point in time during the Soviet Era, there would be at least 100,000 troops stationed in Kaliningrad (though there are some estimates that run up to 300,000). Therefore, the population of the city was fluid and almost always temporary. Many military officers and their families would refer to the Kaliningrad Oblast as "the West". The Soviet Union also kept nuclear weapons for use in case a war were to occur. [24]
Sports[link]
Kaliningrad is home to the football club FC Baltika Kaliningrad, which plays in the Football Championship of the National League (formerly Russian First Division). It played in the Russian Premier League between 1996-1998 (3 seasons). Kaliningrad will be the host of some games in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Notable residents[link]
- Philosophers
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), philosopher, theologist and anthropologist.
- Writers
- Sergey Snegov (1910–1994), science fiction writer
- Athletes
- Sergei Beloglazov (born 1956) Olympic wrestler
- Lilli Henoch, world record holder in three sports
- Alexander Volkov (born 1967), tennis player
- Cosmonauts
- Alexey Leonov (born 1934), first person to walk in space
- Viktor Patsayev (1933–1971)
- Yuri Romanenko (born 1944)
- Alexander Viktorenko (born 1947)
- Other
- Julius Abronsius (1901–1968),vampirist
- Oleg Gazmanov (born 1951), singer
- Evgeny Grishkovetz
- Lyudmila Putina (born 1958), wife of Vladimir Putin, First Lady of Russia
- Tvangeste, black metal band
- Veruschka (born 1939), German supermodel
International relations[link]
Twin towns and sister cities[link]
Kaliningrad is twinned with:[25]
See also[link]
References[link]
Notes[link]
- ^ a b c Resolution #639
- ^ a b c Law #397
- ^ a b c Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2011). "Предварительные итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года (Preliminary results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/results-inform.php. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ a b c Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
- ^ The value of density was calculated automatically by dividing the 2010 Census population by the area specified in the infobox. Please note that this value may not be accurate as the area specified in the infobox does not necessarily correspond to the area of the entity proper or is reported for the same year as the population.
- ^ Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №725 от 31 августа 2011 г. «О составе территорий, образующих каждую часовую зону, и порядке исчисления времени в часовых зонах, а также о признании утратившими силу отдельных Постановлений Правительства Российской Федерации». Вступил в силу по истечении 7 дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №197, 6 сентября 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #725 of August 31, 2011 On the Composition of the Territories Included into Each Time Zone and on the Procedures of Timekeeping in the Time Zones, as Well as on Abrogation of Several Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation. Effective as of after 7 days following the day of the official publication.).
- ^ Kaliningrad Oblast
- ^ Learn Russian in Russia
- ^ "THE POTSDAM DECLARATION". http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1945/450802a.html. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
- ^ "Russia (USSR) / Poland Treaty (with annexed maps) concerning the Demarcation of the Existing Soviet-Polish State Frontier in the Sector Adjoining the Baltic Sea 5 March 1957". http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/PDFFILES/TREATIES/RUS-POL1957SF.PDF. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
- ^ For other issues of the frontier delimitation see "Maritime boundary delimitation agreements and other material". http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLATIONANDTREATIES/STATEFILES/POL.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
- ^ Transit from/to Kaliningrad Region, www.euro.lt
- ^ Council Regulation (EC) No 693/2003, eur-lex.europa.eu
- ^ "Medvedev Says Russia to Deploy Missiles Near Poland" Associated Press via Yahoo News[dead link]
- ^ "Russia scraps plans to deploy nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad" The Guardian
- ^ "Russia's new radar to monitor all Europe including Britain" Pravda 28.11.2011
- ^ "Pogoda.ru.net" (in Russian). http://pogoda.ru.net/climate/26702.htm. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
- ^ Climatological Norms of Kaliningrad [1]. Retrieved on: August 24, 2011.
- ^ "Russia's Daily Online". Kommersant. http://www.kommersant.com/tree.asp?rubric=5&node=386&doc_id=-43. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ Classics Today.com - Your Online Guide to Classical Music
- ^ 'Kaliningrad erases stains of past' 16 October 2006
- ^ 'Regions and territories: Kaliningrad' 18 December 2007
- ^ Knudsen, Olav F. (1999). Stability and Security in the Baltic Sea Region. Portland, Oregon: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. pp. 38. ISBN 0-7146-4932-5.
- ^ Krickus, Richard (2002). The Kaliningrad Question. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.. pp. 42.
- ^ a b c "Kaliningrad – Partner Cities". © 2000-2006 Kaliningrad City Hall. http://www.klgd.ru/en/search/index.php?q=partner+cities&where=. Retrieved 2008-12-08. [dead link]
- ^ Kaliningrad information
- ^ "Ireland and Russia build a stragic partnership". http://www.innovbusiness.ru/content/document_r_DE4E0F9C-F166-4E11-97E6-DBB53F4B1B39.html. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
- ^ "Gdańsk Official Website: 'Miasta partnerskie'" (in Polish & English). © 2009 Urząd Miejski w Gdańsku. http://www.gdansk.pl/samorzad,62,733.html. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
- ^ "Groningen - Partner Cities". © 2008 Gemeente Groningen, Kreupelstraat 1,9712 HW Groningen. http://www.groningen.nl/functies/pagfunctie.cfm?parameter=1285. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
- ^ "Biogas - on the "peaceful" purposes". Press service city hall. http://www.klgd.ru/ru/press/news/detail.php?ID=1842. Retrieved 2003-12-29. [dead link]
- ^ "Twin Cities". The City of Łódź Office.
(in English and Polish) © 2007 UMŁ. http://en.www.uml.lodz.pl/index.php?str=2029. Retrieved 2008-10-23. - ^ "Malmö stads vänortssamarbete" (in Swedish). © 2004-2009 Malmö stad, 205 80 Malmö, Organisationsnummer: 212000-1124. http://www.malmo.se/faktaommalmopolitik/internationelltsamarbete/vanortssamarbetet.4.33aee30d103b8f15916800032874.html. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
Sources[link]
- Правительство Калининградской области. Постановление №639 от 30 августа 2011 г. «О реестре объектов административно-территориального деления Калининградской области», в ред. Постановления №877 от 21 ноября 2011 г «О внесении изменения в Постановление Правительства Калининградской области от 30 августа 2011 г. №640». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Калининградская правда" (вкладыш "Официально"), №170, 15 сентября 2011 г. (Government of Kaliningrad Oblast. Resolution #639 of August 30, 2011 On the Registry of the Objects of the Administrative-Territorial Divisions of Kaliningrad Oblast, as amended by the Resolution #877 of November 21, 2011 On Amending the Resolution of the Government of Kaliningrad Oblast No. 640 of August 30, 2011. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
- Калининградская областная Дума. Закон №397 от 15 мая 2004 г. «О наделении муниципального образования "Город Калининград" статусом городского округа», в ред. Закона №370 от 1 июля 2009 г «О составе территорий муниципальных образований Калининградской области». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Российская газета" ("Запад России"), №115, 3 июня 2004 г. (Kaliningrad Oblast Duma. Law #397 of May 15, 2004 On Granting the Urban Okrug Status to the Municipal Formation of the "City of Kaliningrad", as amended by the Law #370 of July 1, 2009 On the Composition of the Territories of the Municipal Formations of Kaliningrad Oblast. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
- Vesilind, Priit J. "Kaliningrad: Coping with a German Past and a Russian Future", National Geographic, March 1997.
- Kaliningrad Region, General Information Kommersant, Russia's daily On-line
External links[link]
- Kaliningrad travel guide
- Sights/monuments/museums in Kaliningrad
- City portal where you can find relevant information
- Kaliningrad at the Open Directory Project
- Territory's history from 1815 to 1945 (German)
- Interactive Map with photos of Königsberg and modern Kaliningrad
- Photos of Königsberg/Kaliningrad, comparing locations in 1939 and 2005 (Russian) (German)
- Panoramic photo of Kaliningrad & Virtual tours over Kaliningrad
- Kaliningrad city and Oblast travel information and photo gallery (German)
- Winter trip to the city of Kaliningrad (English)
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
