Belgorod Oblast Белгородская область (Russian) | |||
---|---|---|---|
— Oblast — | |||
| |||
Coordinates: 50°46′N 37°27′E / 50.767°N 37.450°E | |||
Political status | |||
Country | Russia | ||
Federal district | Central[1] | ||
Economic region | Central Black Earth[2] | ||
Established | 6 January 1954[3] | ||
Administrative center | Belgorod[4] | ||
Government (as of February 2014) | |||
• Governor[6] | Vyacheslav Gladkov[5] | ||
• Legislature | Oblast Duma[6] | ||
Statistics | |||
Area (as of the 2002 Census)[7] | |||
• Total | 27,100 km2 (10,500 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 67th | ||
Population (2010 Census)[8] | |||
• Total | 1,532,526 | ||
• Rank | 28th | ||
• Density[9] | 56.55/km2 (146.5/sq mi) | ||
• Urban | 66.1% | ||
• Rural | 33.9% | ||
Population (January 2013 est.) | |||
• Total | 1,541,000[10] | ||
Time zone(s) | MSK (UTC+04:00) | ||
ISO 3166-2 | RU-BEL | ||
License plates | 31 | ||
Official languages | Russian[11] | ||
Official website |
Belgorod Oblast (Russian: Белгоро́дская о́бласть, Belgorodskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia. Specifically, it is an oblast. Its administrative center (capital city) is the city of Belgorod. Population: 1,532,526 (2010 Census);[8]
During the 17th century, Belgorod Oblast was home to a line of military forts that were held by the Cossacks.
After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the territory was given to the Ukrainian State. Modern-day Belgorod Oblast was created in 1954 from parts of Kursk and Voronezh Oblasts.
Belgorod Oblast is part of the Central Black Earth economic region and the Central Federal District. It borders the Ukrainian oblasts of Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Sumy in the south and west, Kursk Oblast in the north and northwest, and Voronezh Oblast in the east.
The size of the oblast is around 27,100 square kilometers (10,500 sq mi). It is in the southwestern and southern slopes of the Central Russian Upland.
Belgorod Oblast has a temperate continental climate with mild winters and long summers.
Over 40% of the known iron ore reserves in Russia are in Belgorod Oblast. There are also large amounts of bauxite and apatite. Some other known resources are gold and graphite.
The Belgorod region had an important role in the evolution of Russian culture.[12] It was inhabited by different tribes besides East Slavs. It was one of the earliest Rus' principalities. Belgorod Oblast had an important role in the Russian wedding tradition of the Rushnyk. Belgorod is also famous for its wood carving.
The oblast is 67th place in area compared to the other Russian federal subjects. In population it is ranked 28th.
Largest cities or towns in Belgorod Oblast
2010 Russian Census | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Administrative Division | Pop. | |||||||
![]() Belgorod ![]() Stary Oskol |
1 | Belgorod | City of oblast significance of Belgorod | 356,402 | ![]() Gubkin ![]() Shebekino | ||||
2 | Stary Oskol | Starooskolsky District | 221,085 | ||||||
3 | Gubkin | Gubkinsky District | 88,560 | ||||||
4 | Shebekino | Shebekinsky District | 44,277 | ||||||
5 | Alexeyevka | Alexeyevsky District | 39,026 | ||||||
6 | Valuyki | Valuysky District | 35,322 | ||||||
7 | Stroitel | Yakovlevsky District | 23,933 | ||||||
8 | Novy Oskol | Novooskolsky District | 19,530 | ||||||
9 | Chernyanka | Chernyansky District | 15,217 | ||||||
10 | Borisovka | Borisovsky District | 13,896 |
Russian is the only official language of the oblast.
Ethnicity | Number | % |
---|---|---|
Russian | 1,404,653 | 94.4% |
Ukrainian | 41,914 | 2.8% |
Armenian | 7,588 | 0.5% |
Azeri | 4,621 | 0.3% |
Turkish | 4,665 | 0.3% |
Others | 25,073 | 1.7% |
See the main article: Administrative divisions of Belgorod Oblast |
Belgorod Oblast is divided into twenty-one districts (raions).These are then divided into 335 rural okrugs. There are ten cities/towns in the oblast. There are also twenty urban-type settlements and 1,592 rural-type settlements.
Belgorod Oblast's large economy is based mainly on its mineral resources and its unique black soils. There are also many important railways and highways that go through the oblast. These connect Moscow to central Russia and Ukraine.