Volgograd Oblast (Russian: Волгоградская область, IPA: [vəɫɡɐˈgratskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ]) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the lower Volga region of Southern Russia. Its administrative center is Volgograd. The population of the oblast was 2,500,781 in the 2021 Census.

Volgograd Oblast
Волгоградская область
Coat of arms of Volgograd Oblast
Coordinates: 49°44′N 44°07′E / 49.733°N 44.117°E / 49.733; 44.117
CountryRussia
Federal districtSouthern[1]
Economic regionVolga[2]
Administrative centerVolgograd[3]
Government
 • BodyOblast Duma[4]
 • Governor[4]Andrey Bocharov[5]
Area
 • Total
112,877 km2 (43,582 sq mi)
 • Rank31st
Population
 • Total
2,500,781
 • Estimate 
(2018)[8]
2,521,276
 • Rank18th
 • Urban
77.4%
 • Rural
22.6%
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK Edit this on Wikidata[9])
ISO 3166 codeRU-VGG
License plates34, 134
OKTMO ID18000000
Official languagesRussian[10]
Websitehttp://www.volganet.ru/

Formerly known as Stalingrad Oblast, it was given its present name in 1961, when the city of Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd as part of de-Stalinization. Volgograd Oblast borders Rostov Oblast in the southwest, Voronezh Oblast in the northwest, Saratov Oblast in the north, Astrakhan Oblast and the Republic of Kalmykia in the southeast, and has an international border with Kazakhstan in the east. The two main rivers in European Russia, the Don and the Volga, run through the oblast and are connected by the Volga–Don Canal. Volgograd Oblast's strategic waterways have made it a popular route for shipping and for the generation of hydroelectricity.

Volgograd Oblast was the primary site of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II, regarded as the single bloodiest battle in the history of warfare.[12][13][14]

Geography

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  • Borders length: 2,221.9 kilometers (1,380.6 mi)

Volgograd Oblast borders with Saratov, Rostov, Astrakhan, and Voronezh Oblasts, as well as with Kalmykia of Russia and with Kazakhstan (West Kazakhstan Region). Most of Volgograd oblast is located in the Pontic–Caspian steppe. The Yergeni hills are located to the southeast. Forests cover 4% of the territory. The major rivers are:

History

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Since the Middle Ages, the territory was ruled by Khazars, Cumania, the Golden Horde and Russia.

Stalingrad Oblast (Сталинградская область) was established on December 5, 1936 on the territory of former Stalingrad Krai.[11] It was the scene of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II in 1942–1943. The oblast was given its present name on November 10, 1961.[11]

Administrative divisions

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Politics

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Building of the Oblast Duma and Oblast Government

During the Soviet period, three people exercised oblast-level authority:

  1. the first secretary of the Volgograd CPSU Committee (who in reality had the most power)
  2. the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power)
  3. the chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power)

In 1991 the CPSU lost de facto power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.

The Charter of Volgograd Oblast provides the fundamental law of the region. The Legislative Assembly of Volgograd Oblast is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body, the Oblast Government, includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day-to-day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor, who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the oblast Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.

Demographics

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Life expectancy at birth in Volgograd Oblast

The population of the oblast was 2,500,781 according to the 2021 Russian census,[15] 2,610,161 in the 2010 Russian census,[16] 2,699,223 in the 2002 Russian census,[17] and 2,593,944 in the 1989 Soviet census.[18]

Vital statistics for 2022:[19][20]

  • Births: 17,622 (7.2 per 1,000)
  • Deaths: 34,437 (14.1 per 1,000)

Total fertility rate (2022):[21]
1.14 children per woman

Life expectancy (2021):[22]
Total — 69.96 years (male — 65.70, female — 74.14)

Settlements

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
19261,408,419—    
19392,287,535+62.4%
19591,853,928−19.0%
19702,322,910+25.3%
19792,475,245+6.6%
19892,593,944+4.8%
20022,699,223+4.1%
20102,610,161−3.3%
20212,500,781−4.2%
Source: Census data

Ethnic groups

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(shown are the ethnic groups with a population of more than 7,000 people)

Ethnic group Population (in 2010)[16] Percent
Russians 2,309,253 90
Kazakhs 46,223 1.8
Ukrainians 35,607 1.4
Armenians 27,846 1.1
Tatars 24,557 0.9
Azerbaijani 14,398 0.6
Germans 10,102 0.4
Chechens 9,649 0.4
Belarusians 7,868 0.4
Koreans 7,044 0.3
  • 44,541 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.[23]

Religion

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Religion in Oblast Krai as of 2012 (Sreda Arena Atlas)[24][25]
Russian Orthodoxy
54.5%
Other Orthodox
2.2%
Other Christians
4.1%
Islam
3.5%
Spiritual but not religious
18.4%
Atheism and irreligion
12.1%
Other and undeclared
5.2%

According to a 2012 survey,[24] 54.5% of the population of Volgograd Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 4% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 2% are Eastern Orthodox Christian believers who don't belong to any church or are members of non-Russian Eastern Orthodox churches, and 3% are Muslims. In addition, 18% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 12% is atheist, and 6.5% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.[24]

Government

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Governor of Volgograd Oblast is Андрей Бочаров (since 2014)

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.

Economy

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Primary branches of economics are agriculture, food production, heavy industry, gas and petroleum refining. The Volga Hydroelectric Station operates on the Volga River.

The largest companies in the region include Volzhsky Pipe Plant, Volgogradenergosbyt (a local electric power distribution company), OJSC Kaustik (caustic soda manufacturer), Volzhsky Orgsintez (a chemical plant).[26]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ 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", No. 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.).
  2. ^ 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. ).
  3. ^ Charter of Volgograd Oblast, Article 41
  4. ^ a b Charter of Volgograd Oblast, Article 7
  5. ^ Official website of Volgograd Oblast. Andrey Ivanovich Bocharov, Acting Governor of Volgograd Oblast (in Russian)
  6. ^ "Сведения о наличии и распределении земель в Российской Федерации на 01.01.2019 (в разрезе субъектов Российской Федерации)". Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "Оценка численности постоянного населения по субъектам Российской Федерации". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  10. ^ Official throughout the Russian Federation according to Article 68.1 of the Constitution of Russia.
  11. ^ a b c Volgograd Oblast. Administrative-Territorial Structure, p. 3
  12. ^ Matters, Military History (November 2, 2010). "The 5 Bloodiest Battles in History | Military History Matters". www.military-history.org.
  13. ^ Hellbeck, Jochen (2015). Stalingrad: The City that Defeated the Third Reich. PublicAffairs. p. 1. ISBN 9781610394963.
  14. ^ Liddil, Davis (2016). ""Stalingrad is Hell": Soviet Morale and the Battle of Stalingrad" (PDF). CLA Journal. 4: 203.
  15. ^ Russian Federal State Statistics Service. Всероссийская перепись населения 2020 года. Том 1 [2020 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1] (XLS) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  16. ^ a b Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1 [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  17. ^ 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] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
  18. ^ 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]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
  19. ^ "Information on the number of registered births, deaths, marriages and divorces for January to December 2022". ROSSTAT. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  20. ^ "Birth rate, mortality rate, natural increase, marriage rate, divorce rate for January to December 2022". ROSSTAT. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  21. ^ Суммарный коэффициент рождаемости [Total fertility rate]. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (in Russian). Archived from the original (XLSX) on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  22. ^ "Демографический ежегодник России" [The Demographic Yearbook of Russia] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service of Russia (Rosstat). Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  23. ^ "Перепись-2010: русских становится больше". Perepis-2010.ru. December 19, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  24. ^ a b c "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia". Sreda, 2012.
  25. ^ 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017. Archived.
  26. ^ Выписки ЕГРЮЛ и ЕГРИП, проверка контрагентов, ИНН и КПП организаций, реквизиты ИП и ООО. СБИС (in Russian). Retrieved October 20, 2018.

Sources

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  • Волгоградская областная Дума. №1-ОД 24 февраля 2012 г. «Устав Волгоградской области», в ред. Закона №90-ОД от 10 июля 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в статью 2 Устава Волгоградской области от 24 февраля 2012 г. №1-ОД». Вступил в силу по истечении десяти дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Волгоградская правда", №35, 29 февраля 2012 г. (Volgograd Oblast Duma. #1-OD February 24, 2012 Charter of Volgograd Oblast, as amended by the Law #90-OD of July 10, 2015 On Amending Article 2 of the Charter of Volgograd Oblast #1-OD of February 24, 2012. Effective as of the day which is ten days after the day of the official publication.).
  • Исполнительный комитет Волгоградского областного Совета депутатов трудящихся. "Волгоградская область. Административно-территориальное деление на 1 июля 1968 года" (Volgograd Oblast. Administrative-Territorial Structure as of July 1, 1968). Нижне-Волжское книжное издательство. Волгоград, 1969.
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