Ryazan Oblast


Ryazan Oblast is a federal subject of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Ryazan, which is the oblast's largest city. Population: 1,154,114.

Geography

Ryazan Oblast borders Vladimir Oblast, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, the Republic of Mordovia, Penza Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Lipetsk Oblast, Tula Oblast, and Moscow Oblast.
In terms of physical geography, Ryazan Oblast lies 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 than 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.

Hydrography

Most of the Ryazan Oblast lies within the Volga basin, with the Oka the principal river of the area.

History

Human occupation of the area of the Ryazan Oblast dates from at least the Upper Paleolithic period. East Slavs, Volga Finnic, Tatar tribes inhabited the area and merged into an ethnos, a process virtually completed by the 13th century CE. In 830 the Ryazan area became part of Rus' Khaganate.
Later the Ryazan area became part of the Kievan Rus' political system, and came under the domination of the Principality of Chernigov. The Principality of Ryazan operated as a separate entity from 1097 to 1521, when the area became part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, though with the Qasim Khanate district retaining some autonomy until the 1550s.
The Ryazan Governorate became separate from the Moscow Governorate in 1796. The present-day Ryazan Oblast, formed out of the Moscow and Voronezh oblasts, dates from 1937.

Administrative divisions

Economy

Ryazan Oblast is a part of the Central economic region. The oblast is in an economically favorable geographical location owing to the water and land routes that pass through it and provide stable domestic and foreign economic ties. It is considered both an industrial and agrarian Oblast. The foundations of agriculture in the oblast are livestock farming and plant cultivation. Livestock farming specializes in raising and fattening cattle and breeding pigs, sheep, and poultry. Beekeeping is also well developed in the oblast.

Transportation

Population:
;2012
Ethnic composition :
According to a 2012 survey 63% of the population of Ryazan Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 3% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 1% are Orthodox Christian believers without belonging to church or belonging to non-Russian Orthodox churches, 1% are Muslims, and 1% are adherents of the Rodnovery movement. In addition, 15% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 9% is atheist, and 7% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.