Volgograd Oblast


Volgograd Oblast is a federal subject of Russia, located in the Volga region of Southern Russia. Its administrative center is Volgograd. The population of the oblast was 2,610,161 in the 2010 Census. 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, often regarded as one of the single largest and the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare.

Geography

Volgograd Oblast borders with Saratov, Rostov, Astrakhan, and Voronezh Oblasts, as well as with Kalmykia of Russia and with Kazakhstan.
Volgograd has more than 200 rivers and streams. The major ones include:
Stalingrad Oblast was established on December 5, 1936 on the territory of former Stalingrad Krai. The oblast was given its present name on November 10, 1961.

Administrative divisions

Politics

During the Soviet period, three people exercised oblast-level authority:
  1. the first secretary of the Volgograd CPSU Committee
  2. the chairman of the oblast Soviet
  3. the chairman of the oblast Executive Committee
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 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

The population of the oblast was 2,610,161 according to the 2010 Russian census, 2,699,223 in the 2002 Russian census, and 2,593,944 in the 1989 Soviet census.. In 2012, there were 30,252 births and 35,021 deaths. The total fertility rate was 1.46 in 2009, rising to 1.57 by 2016.

Settlements

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groupPopulation Percent
Russians2,309,25390
Kazakhs46,2231.8
Ukrainians35,6071.4
Tatars24,5570.9
Armenians27,8461.1
Azerbaijani14,3980.6
Germans10,1020.4
Chechen9,6490.4
Belarusians7,8680.4

According to a 2012 survey 54.5% of the population of Volgograd Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 4% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 2% are Orthodox Christian believers who don't belong to any church or are members of non-Russian Orthodox churches, 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.

Government

Governor of Volgograd Oblast is Anatoliy Brovko
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

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, OJSC Kaustik, Volzhsky Orgsintez.