Magadan Oblast
Magadan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia. It is geographically located in the Far East region of the country, and is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. Magadan Oblast has a population of 156,996, making it the least populated oblast and the third-least populated federal subject in Russia.
Magadan is the largest city and the capital of Magadan Oblast.
It borders Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the north, Kamchatka Krai in the east, Khabarovsk Krai in the south and the Sakha Republic in the west. The economy is primarily based on mining, particularly gold, silver and other non-ferrous metals.
History
Magadan Oblast was established on December 3, 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.
The indigenous peoples of the region, including the Evens, Koryaks, Yupiks, Chukchis, Orochs, Chuvans and Itelmens, who had traditionally lived from fishing along the Sea of Okhotsk coast or from reindeer herding in the River Kolyma valley, suffered from the industrialization of the area but were able to rely on institutional support until 1987 when Perestroika started to cause many of the older structures to close. As a result, many of those who can no longer rely on traditional sources of income are now unemployed.
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug was formerly administratively subordinated to Magadan Oblast, but declared its separation in 1991.
On 4 July 1997, Magadan, alongside Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Saratov, and Vologda signed a power-sharing agreement with the government of Russia, granting it autonomy. The agreement would be abolished on 30 January 2002.
Terrain and wildlife
Magadan Oblast consists principally of mountainous desert, tundra, and taiga. The southern part of the region is partly forested with birch, willow, mountain ash, larch and alder.There are a number of peninsulas along the oblast's coast, the chief ones being
Economy
The economy is centered on mining interests for gold, silver and other non-ferrous metals. The city of Magadan is the only large industrial center. Agriculture is not well developed in the region. On April 2014 the Russian government has endorsed bills for extending the operations of the Special Economic Zone in Magadan Oblast through to December 31, 2025.Mining
Magadan Oblast is considered one of the world's richest mining areas. Gold is the region's main resource, although silver and tin deposits are also being developed. There are nearly 2,000 placer gold deposits, 100 gold ore deposits, and 48 silver ore deposits in the territory.Recently, there has been interest in exploiting the coal resources in the region. Over the medium term, there seem to be excellent opportunities for petroleum and natural gas exploitation.
Fishing
The fishing industry is the region's only food sector and is second in importance after mining. The area of the Sea of Okhotsk that borders on Magadan Oblast is one of the most productive regions of the world's oceans. Magadan Oblast has more than of coastline and of rivers of commercial importance. The catching vessels of the oblast's fishing companies operate mainly in Russia's economic zone, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea, and to some extent in the Sea of Japan. Most of the catch comes from coastal waters. Fishing industry companies are concentrated in Magadan, Ola, Yamsk, and Evensk. The most important commercial fish are pollock, herring, cod, navaga, flounder, and various kinds of salmon. Crabs, squid, shrimp, and whelks are also caught.Agriculture
Owing to the severe climate, agriculture is Magadan Region's least developed economic sector; as a result, 50% of all food products must be supplied from outside. The agricultural complex consists of companies producing agricultural products, the food and processing industries, a production infrastructure, and farm enterprises. The particular areas of specialization are reindeer herding, fur farming, and traditional hunting, fishing, and fur trapping activities. Companies involved in food processing and production include Gormolzavod, a distillery, a pasta factory, a sausage factory, the Dukcha state poultry farm, and the Khasynsky state farm.Present situation
Despite rich natural resources, the economy has not prospered as much as might have been expected in recent years. The severe climate and poorly developed infrastructure are partly to blame, but the difficult transition from Soviet times has led to the collapse of a number of companies with the result that many inhabitants have left the region. Recently, there does seem to have been renewed efforts to encourage foreign investment which could lead to improvements in the economy. Indeed, on a visit to Magadan in November 2005, President Vladimir Putin supported the extension of special tax advantages for the region in order to encourage gold exploitation.While official unemployment in Magadan Region is around 12%, it is higher in remote areas where a large segment of the population is indigenous. The actual unemployment figures must be much higher, because many people who live in remote areas have no opportunity to register as unemployed. In some places unemployment is probably almost 20%, although this is not officially recognized. While reindeer herding is ruined in many places, and fishing quotas are nearly impossible to get, the fraction of indigenous workers in industry and mining is almost invisible.
Administrative divisions
Demographics
Population:- Total Fertility Rate: 1.344 children per women
- Urban TFR: 1.300 children per women
- Rural TFR: 5.879 children per women
- Infant Mortality Rate: 14.2 per 1000 births
- Urban Infant Mortality Rate: 12.9 per 1000 births
- Rural Infant Mortality Rate: 34.8 per 1000 births .
- Births: 1 917
- Deaths: 1 943
2009 - 1.54 | 2010 - 1.44 | 2011 - 1.48 | 2012 - 1.65 | 2013 - 1.69 | 2014 - 1.66 | 2015 - 1.66 | 2016 - 1.59
Ethnic groups: According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition was:
- 127,936 Russians ;
- 9,857 Ukrainians ;
- 2,635 Evens ;
- 1,415 Tatars ;
- 1,121 Belarusians ;
- 4,930 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.
Demographics for 2006 and later
Although Magadan Oblast is a part of the program of resettlement of ethnic Russian families, not a single such family from the near abroad has so far settled in the Oblast.
| District | Population | Urban | Rural | Births | BR | Deaths | DR | NGR |
| Magadan Oblast | 171,569 | 161,937 | 9,632 | 1820 | 10.70 | 2242 | 13.20 | -0.25% |
| Magadan | 107,265 | 107,265 | 0 | 1171 | 10.90 | 1292 | 12.10 | -0.12% |
| Olsky District | 11,463 | 7,917 | 3,546 | 124 | 10.90 | 192 | 16.90 | -0.60% |
| Omsukchansky District | 5,993 | 5,887 | 106 | 51 | 8.60 | 61 | 10.30 | -0.17% |
| Severo-Evensky District | 3,129 | 1,797 | 1,332 | 29 | 9.50 | 55 | 18.10 | -0.86% |
| Srednekansky District | 4,193 | 2,984 | 1,209 | 35 | 8.70 | 74 | 18.40 | -0.97% |
| Susumansky District | 11,166 | 10,952 | 214 | 101 | 9.30 | 132 | 12.20 | -0.29% |
| Tenkinsky District | 6,523 | 4,433 | 2,090 | 74 | 11.60 | 96 | 15.00 | -0.34% |
| Khasynsky District | 9,147 | 8,587 | 560 | 108 | 12.00 | 140 | 15.50 | -0.35% |
| Yagodninsky District | 12,690 | 12,115 | 575 | 127 | 10.40 | 200 | 16.30 | -0.59% |
After 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of Russia's LDPR party, has called on Japanese to leave “the dangerous islands” and move to the Magadan Oblast.