Murmansk region

The rapid growth of industry, culture and the population of the region led to the creation in 1938 of the Murmansk Region from the Murmansk District and the Kandalaksha District of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic .

In 1940, after the end of the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, the western parts of the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas, which had joined the Soviet Union, became part of the Murmansk Region.

In 1944, the region included Pechenga , known as Petsamo as part of independent Finland.

February 3, 1947 The Janiskoski-Niskakoski Sector, an area of ​​176 km², was bought by the Soviet Union from Finland and incorporated into the Murmansk Region.

Geographical position

Murmansk region is located in Northern Europe . About 70% of the region’s territory is occupied by the Kola Peninsula , it also includes the continental part, the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas, the Ainovskiy Islands, Velikiy , Kildin , Seven Islands . Most of the region is located beyond the Arctic Circle .

In the west it borders with Norway and Finland , in the south with the Republic of Karelia and through the White Sea with the Arkhangelsk region . It is washed by the White and Barents Seas.

Geology and Minerals

The Murmansk region is located on the Baltic Crystal Shield ^[9] . The bowels of the region are rich in minerals and minerals. So, in January 2010, 1070 minerals were discovered and studied in the region (about 1/5 of all known on Earth), of which 256 were newly discovered (about 100 of them were found only here) ^{[10] [11]} .

The main mineral resources in the region are apatite (Khibiny deposits of apatite - nepheline ores ). Apatite - a valuable raw material for phosphate fertilizers - has been mined in the Murmansk region since the pre-war era, nepheline is used to produce alumina - a raw material for the aluminum industry, soda and cement production. Iron ore (about 10% of Russian production) of the Olenegorsk and Kovdor deposits is in the second place. Apatite, zirconium ore (baddeleyite), phlogopite mica and vermiculite (the world's largest reserves) are also mined at the Kovdorsky deposit. Copper-nickel ores of the Pechenga and Monchegorsk group of deposits give the country, in addition to nickel and copper, metals such as cobalt, platinum, osmium, iridium and many others. In the bowels of the Fedorovo-Pansky massif is the largest metal deposit of the platinum group, which is one of the largest in the world.

Oil is also produced on the shelf of the Barents Sea , and one of the world's largest gas fields, the Shtokman field , has been explored here. The largest reserves of rare-earth metals in the country are concentrated in their bowels by the unique Lovozero deposit . Almost unlimited reserves of aluminum raw materials (kyanite shales in Keivi), almandine garnet. There in Keivy there are deposits of beryllium and lithium (almost 50% of Russian reserves) ores, rare metals. Muscovite mica and pegmatites are being mined.

There are numerous deposits of building rocks, ornamental and semiprecious stones (amethyst, chrysolite, garnet, moonstone Belomorit, amazonite, eudialyte, etc.). Recently, diamond finds have been noted.

Climate

The climate in the southern part is moderately cold, in the northern - subarctic marine, softened by the warm North Atlantic current (northeastern continuation of the Gulf Stream ), this allows shipping all year round. In winter, polar night is characteristic, in summer - polar day . The average air temperature of the coldest months (January-February) ranges from −8 ° C in the north of the region (the influence of the warm current) to −12 ... -15 ° C in the central regions. In summer, respectively, +8 ° C and +14 ° C. The lowest air temperatures in winter are −35 ° C on the coast of the Barents Sea, −45 ° C on the White Sea coast and −55 ° C in the central regions. Summer highs, respectively, are +27, +32 and +33 ° C. Due to the high humidity and strong winds, even small frosts are extremely difficult to tolerate. Frosts are possible on any day of the summer; in June snowfalls are not uncommon. On the sea coast and mountain plateaus, strong winds are frequent (in gusts up to 55-60 m / s). Snow lays on average from mid-late October to mid-May (in mountainous areas from late September-early October to mid-June).

The entire territory of the Murmansk region belongs to the regions of the Far North .

Relief

In the central part of the Murmansk region (in the western part of the Kola Peninsula ) there are the Khibiny mountains (up to 1200 m high) and the Lovozero tundra (up to 1120 m high), further west - Monchetundra , Chunatundra , Volchye Tundra , Nyavka Tundra , Salny Tundra , Pechenga tundra and Tuadash of the Tundra .

Hydrography

In the distant past, the territory of the present Murmansk region was covered with a glacier , which left deep scratches on the ground during the offensive, therefore in the Murmansk region there are many rivers ( Varzuga , Umba , Niva , Voronya , Kola , Tuloma , the longest is the Ponoi River ) and lakes ( Umbozero , Lovozero , the largest in area - Imandra ). There are also small rivers, for example, Strelna . Water reserves are not limited to fresh inland waters and seas, significant water reserves are also in underground strata. There are more than 110 thousand lakes with an area of ​​more than 10 hectares and 18 209 rivers more than 100 m long.

Due to the topography and high water availability, the region has significant hydroelectric potential, used up to 3 billion kWh / year for the 2000s .

Soil

Podzolic - gley , podzolic illuvial - humus and tundra-gley soils prevail in the region, which are of no practical value, in the south of the region there are podzolic and bog soils , and in the west are areas of bog soils.

Fauna and flora

On the territory of the Murmansk region, the southern tundra , forest-tundra and northern taiga alternate sub-latitudinally. Plain tundra occupy about 20% of the region, stretching from the northwest to the southeast. The tundra is covered with carpet, mosses and lichens , many berries: blueberries , cloudberries , blueberries , lingonberries and cranberries . South of the tundra, a forest-tundra stretches (from a strip of 20 kilometers in the northwest to 100 kilometers in the southeast), represented by light forests of fluffy birch. Trees in the forest-tundra zone are often dwarf ( birch and aspen ), spruce grows well, pine is found. To the south of the forest-tundra strip, the northern taiga extends. In general, forests occupy 37.2% of the territory of the Murmansk region, and the total timber stock is 226.3 million m³ (2010). Stands with a predominance of pine account for 43%, spruce - 29%, birch - 28% of the area ^[12] . Clear cuts from the 1940s to the 1980s led to a reduction in commercial timber by 60%.

The animal world of the Murmansk region is noticeably less diverse than the all-Russian one. So, 32 mammal species live in the borders (326 in total in Russia), about 280 bird species (765 in total in Russia), and a small number of amphibians and reptiles ^[13] . Among mammals, foxes , martens , ermines , arctic foxes are common, you can meet a wolf , a brown bear and a wolverine . Moose and reindeer are also common. Sometimes in the southern part there are lynx , wild boar and roe deer . A large number of squirrels and lemmings .

Of the birds here you can find tits , bullfinches , waxwings . In the forests - polar owl , hazel grouse , ptarmigan , black grouse and capercaillie . Many gulls , terns and other seabirds .

The Murmansk region is rich in fish - such species of fish as cod , sea ​​bass , halibut , catfish , flounder , herring , and navaga are hunted in marine waters. In the Barents Sea, the Kamchatka crab was introduced off the coast of the region. Lakes and rivers are rich in valuable species of fish, such as: trout , salmon , whitefish , grayling , pale , nelma , char . In large quantities, perch , pike , burbot are found .

Nature Reserves and Botanical Gardens

• Lapland Nature Reserve
• Kandalaksha Reserve (also in Karelia)
• Pasvik (also in Norway)
• Polar Alpine Botanical Garden Institute

The population of the region, according to the Federal State Statistics Service, is 748,056 ^[6] people. (2019). The population density is 5.16 people / km² (2019). The urban population is 93.01 ^[8] % (2018).

Population Change

According to the All-Union and All-Russian censuses ^{[31] [32]} :

National composition

Indigenous people are Sami .

The table shows the nationalities represented by more than 1% of the population of the Murmansk region according to the results of at least one census.

Settlements with a population of more than 10 thousand people

In the administrative-territorial respect, the Murmansk region consists of the following administrative-territorial units : ^[33]

• 6 districts

1. Kandalaksha
2. Kovdorsky
3. Kola
4. Lovozersky
5. Pechenga
6. Tersky

• 6 cities of regional significance

1. Murmansk city;
2. Apatity city ​​with jurisdictional territory;
3. Kirovsk city ​​with jurisdictional territory;
4. Monchegorsk city ​​with jurisdictional territory;
5. Olenegorsk city ​​with jurisdictional territory;
6. the city of Polar Dawns with jurisdictional territory;

• 5 closed administrative divisions

1. ZATO village Vidyaevo
2. ZATO city Zaozersk
3. ZATO city ​​of Island
4. ZATO city Severomorsk
5. ZATO Aleksandrovsk .

As part of the municipal structure, the region consists of 12 urban districts and 5 municipal districts .

Urban counties

Municipalities

The gross regional product of the Murmansk region in 2008 amounted to 215.9 billion rubles. Including mining - 40.0 billion rubles .; manufacturing industries - 33.7 billion rubles; wholesale and retail trade , repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles, household products and personal items - 25.9 billion rubles; transport and communications - 24.5 billion rubles., etc. ^[34]

Well-developed fishing, mining, chemical industries and non-ferrous metallurgy .

In 2012, Kommersant-Vlast magazine based on data for 2010-2012. makes the following calculations in the Murmansk region. ^[35]

Among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the Murmansk region is consistently holding average and above average positions in international and Russian ratings and reports on the investment climate. In the investment rating of Russian regions 2012—2013. rating agency Expert RA Murmansk region has a rating of 3B1 (low potential - moderate risk). In the rating of investment attractiveness of Russian regions (2013) of the National Rating Agency , the Murmansk Region is included in the IC5 group (average investment attractiveness is the second level).

Industry

The largest enterprises of the region:

• Apatite ( Apatity , Kirovsk ) - production of apatite concentrate
• Kandalaksha Aluminum Plant ( Kandalaksha ) - primary aluminum production
• Kola Mining and Metallurgical Company ( Monchegorsk , Zapolyarny , Nickel ) - production of nickel , refined copper , sulfuric acid
• Olenegorsk GOK (Olenegorsk) - production of iron ore
• Kovdorsky mining and processing plant - production of apatite, baddeleyite and iron ore concentrates
• Murmansk Trawl Fleet ( Murmansk ) - fishing

Energy

The region is provided with electricity by the Kola NPP with an excess capacity of 1760 MW, Apatitskaya TPP (323 MW, 735 Gcal / h), Murmansk TPP (12 MW, 1111 Gcal / h) and a total capacity of 1,550 MW on the Tuloma rivers ( Nizhnetulomskaya and Verkhnetulomskaya HPP ), Niva ( HPP-I , II and III ), Paz ( Paz HPPs ), Kovda ( Knyazhegubskaya HPP , Iovskaya HPP ), Voronya ( Serebryanskiy HPPs ), Teriberka ( Teriberskaya HPPs ). In the Murmansk region there is a unique power station : Kislogubskaya tidal power station , generating electricity from the energy of the tides (the only tidal power station in Russia).

Kola superdeep well

Another unique object on the territory of the Murmansk region is the Kola superdeep well , its depth exceeds 12 km, the well is currently closed.

Agriculture

Mostly grown forage crops, potatoes and vegetables. Berry picking is developed. Most of the industry’s production is provided by livestock raising - meat and dairy farming, reindeer husbandry (about 60 thousand heads), and pig farming.

Reindeer husbandry

The region was characterized by developed reindeer husbandry, and the number of livestock was relatively stable in the post-Soviet period: in 1990 there were 78 thousand deer, in 2000 - 70 thousand deer, and in 2010 - 62 thousand deer ^[39] . Reindeer husbandry is characterized by a significant role of agricultural enterprises: as of January 1, 2011, only 8% of deer were in private hands ^[40] .

Tourism, Recreation and Sports

Recently, environmental and ethno-tourism is gaining momentum, mainly foreign tourists who want to live in places of Lapland, where a person’s foot does not step (for example, a camp site near Yokanga ). Mineralogical and extreme tourism are also popular in the region ^[41] .

Ski resorts - Kirovsk and Khibiny .

Transport

Roads

The federal highway P-21 Kola runs through the region from St. Petersburg through Petrozavodsk , Murmansk , Pechenga to the border with Norway ( Borisoglebsk international road checkpoint) from km 1068.

In total, there are 2566 km of public roads in the Murmansk Region, of which 2472 km (or 96.3%) are paved (91.3% in Russia as a whole), including: category II (106 km), category III ( 628 km). The largest besides the "Cola" in the region are the roads of Lotta , Salla and Serebryanka .

According to the availability of paved public roads, the Murmansk Region has an indicator of 17.1 km per 1 thousand km².

Of the 145 rural settlements, 106, or 73.1%, have a connection with paved roads with a network of public roads (in Russia as a whole - 66.1%).

During the implementation of the “Roads of Russia” program ( 2000-2004 ), 50.1 km of federal and territorial roads and 453.7 linear meters of bridge structures were built and reconstructed in the Murmansk Region.

Until 2005, communication between the right and left banks of the Kola Bay was carried out over bridges across the Kola and Tuloma rivers.

Launched in October 2005, the bridge over the Kola Bay is a nodal link, providing road communication between the regions of the Murmansk Region and access to the borders of the Scandinavian countries ( Norway , Finland ) and a significant part of the region with Murmansk .

The construction of this bridge has been carried out since 1992 with the joint participation of the federal budget. The length of the bridge is 2500 meters, the number of lanes is 4, the estimated cost of the object in 2005 prices is 2856.873 million rubles.

Railways

The main road is the Kovda - Murmansk section, electrified with alternating current of 27.5 kV (double-track from Kovda station to Apatity station and single-track with double-track inserts from Apatity station to Murmansk station) of the St. Petersburg - Murmansk line . The line was built in its original form during the First World War , and put into temporary operation on November 5, 1916. ^[42] Diesel lines were later built on Alakurtti , Kovdor , Revda , Monchegorsk , Severomorsk , Nickel and Liinakhamari .

In the early 1950s, construction of a branch began eastward, to the bays of Ponoi and Yokang in the eastern part of the peninsula (the so-called Kola Railway ), but due to the death of Stalin the construction was not completed.

The Murmansk region has an important strategic military significance. This is the only place in the European part of Russia where non-freezing ports are located, providing year-round direct access to the open ocean. The Northern Fleet with headquarters in Severomorsk is concentrated here. In total, there are 5 ZATOs of the Ministry of Defense in the region ( Severomorsk , Vidyaevo , Zaozyorsk , Ostrovnoy and Aleksandrovsk ). Until recently, the Rybachy Peninsula was also closed to public access. At the airbases Olenya , Severomorsk-1 and Severomorsk-3, aircraft of the Northern Fleet are deployed, including long-range missile carriers Tu-22M3 . There is a military airfield near Monchegorsk.

In 2016, in the Murmansk region, 2 state and 2 private universities had a valid license, and there were also 8 branches of universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities ^{[43] [44]} .

The state educational system of the region includes 240 preschool educational organizations, 166 general educational organizations, 19 secondary vocational education.

Museums

The first museum of the region - the Murmansk Regional Museum of Local Lore , was opened on October 17, 1926 . 9 years later, on May 1, 1935 , the Kirovsk Memorial Museum appeared. After that, from 1935 to 1950, museums arose throughout the region, their own local history exhibitions were opened at regional schools, the first geological museum of Murman was opened at the Kirov mine, in 1946 , based on the work of artists and photographers of World War II , in Murmansk opened the Naval Museum of the Northern Fleet .

The first museums at large enterprises and institutions of the Murmansk region began to appear from the late 1970s . So, in the premises of the Murmansk Trawl Fleet Fishermen’s Rest House, the exposition “Formation and development of the fishing industry of the Northern Basin” appeared, Kolenergo acquired its museum in Murmashi , the Lovozersky mining and processing plant in the village of Revda , in Apatit in Kirovsk , in Murmansk - City customs, internal affairs bodies, etc. In 1989, the Murmansk Regional Art Museum was founded, the last museum that appeared in the region during the Soviet period.

Due to the financial crisis that arose during the years of perestroika, many museums, especially small school museums and museums in enterprises and institutions, were closed and liquidated. The revival of museums in the Murmansk Territory came in the second half-end of the 1990s . In 1996, the North Sea Museum of the History of the City and Navy was founded, in 1999 - the ZATO City Museum of History and Local Lore, the city of Polyarny and a number of municipal museums in Kandalaksha , Kovdor, and other settlements of the region. Museums began to appear at large regional libraries, for example, the Sami Literature and Writing Museum named after Oktyabrina Voronova in the village of Revda, the Yesenin Museum at the Murmansk Regional Children and Youth Library , the Literary Museum named after N. N. Blinov and others.

As of 2008, 89 museums were officially registered in the Murmansk Region: 2 regional, 8 municipal, 1 departmental and 78 public. Из общественных музеев: 25 боевой славы, 16 истории образовательных учреждений, 14 истории предприятий и организаций, 6 историко-краеведческих, 5 литературных и 12 разнопрофильных.

• The government of the Murmansk region. Official portal of executive authorities
• The legislation of the Murmansk region
• The official page of the Murmansk region on the VKontakte social network
• Murmansk region in the directory-directory "All Russia" (neopr.) (Inaccessible link) . Archived January 2, 2008.
• Overview of the social sphere of the Murmansk region, on the NISP website
• Kola Encyclopedia
• Atlas of the Murmansk region