Yufo borders. Geographical zone and natural and climatic conditions

Southern federal district was formed in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 13, 2000 No. 849.

The Southern Federal District includes 13 subjects of the Russian Federation: the Republic of Adygea (Adygea), the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of Ingushetia, the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, the Republic of Kalmykia, the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, the Chechen Republic, Krasnodar region, Stavropol Territory, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Rostov regions. The center of the Southern Federal District is the city of Rostov-on-Don (population as of 01.01.2007 - 1.1 million people).

The area of the Southern Federal District is 591.3 thousand km2 (3.5% of the area of the territory of Russia), the population is 22.8 million people. (15.8% of the country's population). The share of the urban population is only 57.5%. In terms of the share of the rural population, the Southern Federal District occupies a leading position in Russia. In terms of population density, the district ranks second among the federal districts - 36.4 people. per km2.

The largest cities of the Southern Federal District are Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Astrakhan, Stavropol, Sochi, Makhachkala, Vladikavkaz. The number of other cities does not exceed 300,000 people. In total, there are 132 cities in the district.

The possibility of discovering large reserves of oil and gas is available in the Caspian Sea.

The Southern Federal District is the most important supplier of agricultural products for Russia. Grain, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables, grapes, gourds, fish, products are exported outside the district.

The electric power industry plays a primary role in the economy of the Southern Federal District. Thermal (Krasnodar, Grozny, Novocherkassk, Nevinnomyssk) and hydroelectric power stations (Tsimlyanskaya, Gizeldonskaya, Baksanskaya, Chirkeyskaya, Irganaiskaya, etc.) have been built in many districts. The Southern Federal District has a developed oil and gas industry. At the same time, the oil industry is the oldest in the region. On its basis, the chemical industry is developing. Branches of specialization are also ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, agricultural engineering and production of drilling equipment. The sectors of specialization of the Southern Federal District also include the resort industry of the North Caucasus.

The main industrial potential of the Southern Federal District is concentrated in the Rostov and Volgograd regions and in the Krasnodar Territory. The specialization of the Rostov region is heavy industry: ferrous (metal powder, steel pipes) and non-ferrous metallurgy, mechanical engineering (grain harvesters, electric locomotives, steam boilers, equipment for nuclear power plants, forging machines), coal mining industry. An important role is played by the food industry (meat and dairy, oil and fat, confectionery, tobacco, fruit and vegetable canning). The Volgograd region has developed electric power industry, ferrous metallurgy (steel, rolled products, steel pipes), mechanical engineering, including shipbuilding, chemical and. backbone of industry Krasnodar Territory are the food industry (wine-making, fruit and vegetable canning, oil milling, meat), mechanical engineering (instrument making, machine tool building, agricultural engineering), oil refining and.

tense social situation in the district is emphasized by the country's lowest level of monetary income of the population and the highest unemployment rate. Thanks to the agricultural specialization of the district, the cost of the food part of the consumer basket is the lowest in Russia and the consumer price index is the lowest in Russia, although the growth rate of producer prices exceeded the average Russian level.

- formed by Decree of the President of Russia V.V. Putin dated May 13, 2000 No. 849, the composition of the Southern Federal District was changed on January 19, 2010 in accordance with Decree of the President of Russia D.A. Medvedev No. 82 "On Amendments to the List of Federal Districts approved Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 13, 2000 No. 849, and Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 12, 2008 No. 724 "Issues of the system and structure of federal executive bodies."
From the moment of formation on May 13, 2000, the district was called "North Caucasian", by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1149 of June 21, 2000 - renamed "South".

The Southern Federal District is located in the southern part of the European part of Russia, in the lower reaches of the Volga River. The center of the Southern Federal District is the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Southern Federal District (SFD), consisting of 13 subjects of the Federation, has a number of striking distinctive features. The regions of the Southern Federal District are included in the North Caucasian and Volga economic regions. It is located between three seas - Black, Azov and Caspian, has favorable natural and climatic conditions. Its natural zones - steppe (plain), foothill and mountain, picturesque relief contribute to the development of resort and recreational business, large agro-industrial and industrial complexes. The Southern Federal District has a multinational composition. The district is located in the southern part of the country and occupies the smallest area among the federal districts of Russia.

The climate of the Southern Federal District is diverse. The Black Sea has a great influence on the temperature regime, especially in the areas adjacent to it. Most of the territory of the Southern Federal District is occupied by the steppe zone, located from its northern borders. The climate of the dry steppe and more humid foothill zones is favorable for the population and agriculture due to the long growing season, which lasts here for 170-190 days. In the steppe and foothill zones, chernozem and chestnut soils predominate, which, despite being susceptible to wind and water erosion, have retained exceptional fertility potential.
The natural resource potential predetermined the main macroeconomic functions universal for all subjects of the Southern Federal District: the production and processing of agricultural products.
The Southern Federal District ranks first in Russia in terms of the extraction of mineral waters, the second - in the extraction of tungsten raw materials, the third - in the extraction of cement raw materials, and raw materials for building materials and underground drinking water.
There are a lot of various minerals in the bowels of the district. Fuel and energy resources are represented by oil, natural gas, coal. The resources of ores of non-ferrous and rare metals are significant. Within the district there are unique deposits of tungsten-molybdenum ores.
The Southern Federal District is one of the regions of the Russian Federation that are the least provided with forest resources. But here all the beech forests of Russia are concentrated, as well as a significant part of such valuable tree species as oak, hornbeam, ash.
The specificity of natural and historical conditions determines the prevailing distinctive features economy of the Southern Federal District. In it, the branches of market specialization are in industry - fuel (coal, gas), non-ferrous metallurgy, engineering, food industry and petrochemistry, in agriculture - growing grain, sugar beet, sunflower, vegetable growing, meat and dairy cattle breeding, sheep breeding. The Okrug has a unique resort and recreational complex. The metallurgical complex of the Southern Federal District includes enterprises of both ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. In terms of coal production (Donbass), the district is in third place after the Siberian and Far Eastern regions. But the main prospects economic development region are associated precisely with the extraction and production of "black gold".
Economic situation in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation that are part of the Southern Federal District, on the whole, it is worse than the average Russian level. The main industrial potential of the Southern Federal District is concentrated in the Rostov and Volgograd regions and in the Krasnodar Territory.
The electric power industry of the region is represented by three types of power plants - thermal, hydraulic and nuclear.
Among the branches of the non-productive sphere, the resort industry is of all-Russian significance in the Southern Federal District.

Southern Federal District. The district includes 8 subjects of the Russian Federation: the Republic of Adygea, Kalmykia; Crimea, Krasnodar Territory; Astrakhan, Volgograd, Rostov regions, Sevastopol. The Southern Federal District includes 3 republics, 3 regions, 1 territory and 1 city of federal significance. Its area is 447,821 sq. km.
There are 21 cities with a population of more than 100 thousand people in the Southern Federal District. List of the ten largest cities: Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Krasnodar, Astrakhan, Sevastopol, Sochi, Simferopol, Volzhsky, Novorossiysk, Taganrog.
The administrative center of the Southern Federal District - Rostov-on-Don

Republic of ADYGEA - The administrative center of Maykop
Republic of Kalmykia - The administrative center of the city of Elista
KRASNODAR Territory - The administrative center of the city of Krasnodar
ASTRAKHAN Oblast - The administrative center of the city of Astrakhan
VOLGOGRAD Oblast - The administrative center of the city of Volgograd
ROSTOV Oblast - The administrative center of the city of Rostov-on-Don
Republic of Crimea - The administrative center of Simferopol
Sevastopol

Notes: By decree of the President of Russia V.V. Putin dated July 28, 2016 No. 375, the Crimean Federal District was abolished, and its constituent entities - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol - were included in the Southern Federal District.

Cities of the Southern Federal District.

Cities in the Republic of Adygea: Maykop, Adygeysk. The administrative center of the federal district is the city Maykop.

Cities in the Republic of Kalmykia: Gorodovikovsk, Lagan. The administrative center of the federal district is the city Elista.

Cities in the Krasnodar Territory: Abinsk, Anapa, Apsheronsk, Armavir, Belorechensk, Gelendzhik, Hot Key, Gulkevichi, Yeysk, Korenovsk, Kropotkin, Krymsk, Kurganinsk, Labinsk, Novokubansk, Novorossiysk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Sochi, Temryuk, Timashevsk, Tikhoretsk , Tuapse, Ust-Labinsk, Khadyzhensk.

Cities in the Astrakhan region: Akhtubinsk, Znamensk, Kamyzyak, Narimanov, Kharabali. The administrative center of the federal district is the city Astrakhan.

The Southern Federal District is one of the components of the Russian Federation, if I may say so. It is interesting that for some time (to be more precise, from 05/13/2000 to 06/21/2000) it was called the North Caucasian Federal District. But, as you can see, it did not last long - a little more than a month. Then, however, on January 19, 2010, the North Caucasian Federal District was separated from the Southern Federal District. But this is a slightly different topic.

general information

The Southern Federal District is the smallest in all of Russia. Its area is 447,821 sq.m. - this is only 2.61% of less than the notorious North Caucasian Federal District (170,439 km²). For comparison, the Siberian Federal District has an area of 5,145,000 km². Although it consists of only 12 entities. But the Krasnoyarsk Territory alone occupies 2,366,797 km².

So, the Southern Federal District includes 8 subjects. And its population is 16,367,949 people, according to the latest statistics. This is about 11.17%. The average density is low - 36.5 people per square kilometer. The center of the Federal District, by the way, is the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Compound

What cities the SFD includes should be noted with special attention. The Southern Federal District has a small composition. As mentioned above, only 8 subjects.

The smallest in terms of area is the Hero City of Sevastopol. Total 864 km². It is home to about 420,000 people. This city is good for many, but the most important thing is that it is in it that the main naval base of Cherno is located. navy Russian Navy.

The Republic of Adygea, supposedly located inside the Krasnodar Territory, has an area of 7,800 km². The peculiarity of this region is its forest resources. They occupy more than 1/3 of the entire republic. Also, there are a lot of minerals here.

The Crimea is not large either - about 27,000 km². But here it is more than twice as superior. Its area is 49,024 km². rich in deserts used as pastures. serves as a spawning ground for beluga, stellate sturgeon and sturgeon.

The next in area is the republic of which Elista is. Interestingly, in this region, the official language is not only Russian. But also Kalmyk (at the legislative level).

And the largest three regions are the Krasnodar Territory, the Rostov Region and the Volgograd Region.

Economy

The Southern Federal District annually attracts tens of thousands of tourists. Because it includes the Krasnodar Territory and the Crimea. And these are regions rich in resorts. Sochi, Tuapse, Gelendzhik, Anapa, Sevastopol, Yalta - for the economy of these cities (and, accordingly, the entire district), the most profitable time is the end of spring, summer and the beginning of autumn. Such is the specificity of the climate, it was at this time in the resort areas of the Southern Federal District that there was no end to visitors.

But, in addition to the tourism industry, the agro-industrial and transport complexes, as well as trade, are still well developed here. True, this is not the case in the entire region. Transport complexes of interregional and international importance, for example, are concentrated in the Astrakhan region and the notorious Krasnodar Territory.

Percentage of production

But these are not all industries that the Southern Federal District can boast of. The cities of this federal district are good objects for lung development industry. It really is here, and it is oriented towards the supply of products to other federal districts of Russia. It is on the territory of this district that 1/10 of all knitwear in our country and about 28% of shoes are produced.

But that's not all. Also, the Southern Federal District, the map of which is provided above, is the region of the country that produces about 21% of the total Russian volume of steel pipes, 13% of metal-cutting machines, about 19% of tractors, 7% of cars and 9% of excavators.

In addition, the Southern Federal District produces approximately 18% of cement, 10% of prefabricated reinforced concrete structures and 15% of building bricks.

Addition

If you look at the Southern Federal District (map provided above), you can see that it also includes the Republic of Crimea and the hero city of Sevastopol. Back in March 2014, these subjects returned to the Russian Federation. But their territorial status was approved quite recently - in the middle of the summer of the current 2016.

After the inclusion of Crimea in the Southern Federal District, the district increased by 27,000 km². The population also increased - approximately 2,300,000 people. By the way, it is precisely because of the situation that occurred in November 2015, associated with the explosion of power transmission lines in Kherson, that the Southern Federal District is called an energy-deficient region. Since this incident deprived the entire Crimea (a large part of the district) of electricity completely. But, as you know, if everything is bad in one place, and good in another, then all the same, the indicators are summed up. That's why the Southern Federal District is now scarce and is considered.

Agro-industrial complex

The center of the Southern Federal District, like all its other regions, can boast of favorable natural and climatic conditions. In other federal districts, they are different, and are not so conducive to the development of the agricultural industry. And this is the main significance of the South for our entire vast country. It is the Southern Federal District, whose composition is not very large, that provides Russia with food security. It is here that almost 1/6 of the sown area of the whole country is concentrated. And they grow more than a quarter (!) of the total Russian volume of grain crops, 50% of sunflower seeds, and about 1/5 of vegetables.

On average, 1/7 of all agricultural products are produced in the Southern Federal District. And this is a lot. This also includes 33% sugar, 46% vegetable oil, about 11% dairy products and eggs, about 12.5% meat products. In general, the list can be long, but the fact that the Southern Federal District is very important for Russia is unambiguous and undeniable.

Composition, features of the economic and geographical position, level of socio-economic development

The Southern Federal District (SFD), which consists of 13 subjects of the Federation (Table 4.1), has a number of striking distinctive features. It is located between three seas - Black, Azov and Caspian, has favorable natural and climatic conditions. Its natural zones - steppe (plain), foothill and mountain, picturesque relief contribute to the development of resort and recreational business, large agro-industrial and industrial complexes. The Southern Federal District has a multinational composition. The district is located in the southern part of the country and occupies the smallest area among the federal districts of Russia.

The Southern Federal District has a favorable economic and geographical position. This largely determines the specialization of the region in the territorial division of labor and is of great economic and strategic interest for the Russian Federation as a whole. Occupying the Ciscaucasian Plain, the lower reaches of two large rivers of Russia - the Volga and the Don - and having access to three seas at once, the Southern Federal District has ample opportunities for sea transportation of goods both within the CIS and beyond its borders. In this regard, the importance of the Azov-Black Sea basin is especially great, giving access through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles to the Mediterranean and the World Ocean. The Caspian Sea is a closed continental reservoir that does not have a natural water connection with the World Ocean. A winning feature of the maritime position of the Southern Federal District is the fact that the seas washing it do not freeze (or freeze on short term), which provides regular economic ties both for the region itself and for the country as a whole.

The Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory stand out as the most favorable seaside position. The Astrakhan region, Kalmykia and Dagestan go to the Caspian Sea. At the same time, most of the administrative units of the region do not have direct access to the surrounding seas.

One of the most important features of the economic and geographical position of the district is its relative compactness - the distance from west to east is approximately equal to the length from north to south. No less important is the situation in the southern latitudes of the Russian Federation, which determines the wide opportunities for the development of agriculture and recreational economy - better than in other regions of Russia.

For several centuries, the region served as a springboard for expanding Russian borders to the south and, at the same time, a strategic outpost for protecting the country's southern borders from enemy invasions. The constant readiness to reflect them led to peculiar forms of settlement, ethnogenesis, economic development of the territory and the development of socio-economic processes.

The modern specificity of the economic and geographical position of the district finds its manifestation in its borderline status. On three sides it is surrounded by the economically moderately developed former republics of the Soviet Union: Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and along the water borders it also comes into contact with Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Bulgaria and Romania. Only three of the region's administrative units - Stavropol Territory, Adygea and Kalmykia - do not have land state borders with foreign countries. The southern border of the region with Georgia and Azerbaijan runs along a very formidable barrier in the form of the Main Caucasian Range, which creates serious obstacles for ties with the countries of the Transcaucasus and South-West Asia as a whole.

Unlike south direction the northern one is distinguished by convenient transport accessibility. Here passes the border with relatively developed regions of Russia - the Voronezh region of the Central Black Earth region and the Saratov region of the Volga region. Thus, being on the periphery of the Russian Federation, the Southern Federal District has another favorable component of its economic and geographical position: it is located at the intersection of extremely important transport routes from Central Russia to the Transcaucasus, Turkey, and Iran; from Ukrainian Donbas- in the Ural-Volga region and the countries Central Asia; from the eastern regions of Russia and Kazakhstan - to the ports of the Black Sea, etc.

Located within the district of the lower reaches navigable Volga and Don together with the Volga-Don Canal are one of the central links as part of the largest inland water transport system linking the Baltic, White, Caspian, Black and Azov seas. Moreover, the Volga-Don is also part of the so-called Great Water Ring of Europe, which passes through several seas and rivers, including the Danube, the Rhine and the Danube-Main-Rhine canal connecting them. The geo-economic integrity of the North Caucasus is based on the unique natural and ecological conditions and resources (agro-climatic, recreational) and the ability of the region to perform the functions of the most important communication "corridor" providing links with the countries of the Mediterranean, the Near and Middle East.

Of the features of the political and geographical position of the district, one can distinguish its location at the ethnic crossroads, in the zone of direct contacts between the two largest world civilizations - Muslim and Christian, within and near one of the most tense regions of the world with many "hot spots", among which Chechnya stands out , Ingushetia, Abkhazia, Adzharia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, etc.

Natural resource potential

As you move east, the amount of precipitation is significantly reduced, therefore, in the eastern part of the district, moisture is insufficient.

There are significant differences in the distribution of atmospheric moisture and water resources. Most precipitation falls in the foothills of the Black Sea coast (average annual precipitation in Sochi is 1410 mm), where moist sea winds prevail. Their movement to the east is hindered by the Stavropol Upland, therefore the most arid part is the southeastern one. In Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region, the average annual precipitation is 170-250 mm. This is due to the influence of dry Central Asian winds penetrating from behind the Caspian. The northern part of the district is characterized by variability in moisture: the amount of precipitation here is from 430 to 525 mm per year.

The water resources of the region are the waters of the rivers of the basins of the Black, Azov and Caspian Seas and The groundwater. In the east flows the largest river in Europe - the Volga. Of the other large rivers, the Don, Kuban, Terek, Sulak should be noted. Although the district's water resources are significant, they are unevenly distributed over the territory. The foothills and the Azov-Black Sea plain have a dense river network, and the southeastern and Caspian regions are poor in water.

The region is characterized by intensive use of water resources and a high concentration of water users, so in many areas (especially in Kalmykia) there is a tense situation with the provision of the population and economic facilities with water. At the same time, in irrigation systems in agriculture - the main consumer of water - its unproductive losses reach 50%.

In the steppe and foothill zones, chernozem and chestnut soils predominate, which, despite the susceptibility to wind and water erosion, have retained an exceptional fertility potential. In the semi-desert regions of Dagestan and Kalmykia, brown soils predominate with the inclusion of large massifs of solonetzes and solonchaks, on the mountain slopes - mountain-forest and mountain-meadow soils.

The natural resource potential predetermined the main macroeconomic functions universal for all subjects of the Southern Federal District: the production and processing of agricultural products (for example, the South of Russia accounts for 100% of the production of cognac and grape wines, 65% of the national production of sunflower seeds, 42% of fruits and berries, 28% - grains, 19% - vegetables.It contains more than 35% of the all-Russian bed fund of sanatoriums, boarding houses, houses and recreation centers).

Land (agro-climatic) resources used for agriculture are of paramount importance for the economy of the Southern Federal District. The region is dominated by chernozems and chestnut soils, which, under conditions of proper moisture, provide high yields. In conditions of limited water resources, irrigation of agricultural land is the basis

for the intensification of agriculture. The shortage of water resources (the water supply of the inhabitants of the region is many times lower than the average for the country) makes it necessary to pursue a water-saving policy in the economy, primarily associated with limiting water-intensive industries.

The fish resources of the Black, Azov, Caspian Seas are represented by valuable species of sturgeon and partial (carp, pike perch, asp) fish. In the lower reaches of the Volga and in the Northern Caspian, up to 90% of the world's sturgeon stocks are concentrated, as well as large stocks of partial fish. The natural reproduction of valuable fish in the spawning grounds of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga delta, which has sharply decreased due to the regulation of the Volga runoff by a cascade of hydroelectric facilities, is currently supplemented by the activities of fish hatcheries that artificially grow sturgeon and other fish juveniles. The overall reduction in fish catch in recent years is due to the complication of the environmental situation and massive poaching of fish.

The Southern Federal District ranks first in Russia in the extraction of mineral waters, the second in the extraction of tungsten raw materials (25% of Russian volumes), the third in the extraction of cement raw materials (15%), raw materials for building materials and underground drinking water (Table 4.2).

Table 4.2

Reserves of the main minerals in the territory of the Southern Federal District, in % of those available in Russia

There are a lot of various minerals in the bowels of the district. Fuel and energy resources are represented by oil, natural gas, coal. Only about 2% of the reserves are located in the district Russian oil, 7% gas and 3.5% coal. The share of oil and gas production is 2.5 and 2%, respectively. The largest gas field - Astrakhan - is of national significance. Of the other deposits, Severo-Stavropolskoye, Maikopskoye, Dagestan Lights should be mentioned. Oil reserves are concentrated mainly in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, the Krasnodar Territory, Chechnya and Ingushetia. In the last two republics for long

years of operation, the reserves have been greatly depleted. Oil lies at great depths, which makes it difficult to extract. However, the Okrug's role as a supplier of oil and gas raw materials may noticeably increase after the development of the Caspian Sea shelf. The possibility of discovering large reserves of oil and gas is available in the Caspian region, as well as on the shelves of the Azov and Black Seas.

Almost all coal resources are located in the Rostov region, on the territory of which the eastern wing of the Donbass enters.

The resources of ores of non-ferrous and rare metals are significant. Within the district there are unique deposits of tungsten-molybdenum ores - Tyrnyauz (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic) and Ktiteberdinskoye (Karachay-Cherkess Republic). The deposits of lead-zinc ores are mainly concentrated in North Ossetia (the largest is the Sadonskoye deposit). There are explored copper deposits in Karachay-Cherkessia (Urupskoye) and Dagestan (Khudesskoye, Kizil-Dere). Mercury deposits are known in the Krasnodar Territory and North Ossetia.

Non-metallic minerals are represented by mining and chemical raw materials (significant reserves of barite, rock salt, sulfur). Especially it is necessary to highlight the largest deposits in the Russian Federation table salt in lakes Baskunchak (Astrakhan region) and Elton (Volgograd region). There are significant reserves of raw materials for the production of building materials (cement marls in the Novorossiysk region, high-quality marble in the Teberda region, quartz sandstones, clays for the production of bricks and ceramics, chalk, granites, etc.).

Transport transit through the network of port terminals (Novorossiysk, Tuapse, Makhachkala, etc.) concentrates up to 50% of the total cargo turnover of the country's seaports.

The Southern Federal District is one of the regions of the Russian Federation that are the least provided with forest resources. When evaluating the forest fund, it is important to take into account its features: 65% of forests are of a high-mountain type, which are not found in the European part of Russia; all the beech forests of Russia are concentrated here, as well as a significant part of such valuable tree species as oak, hornbeam, ash. Obviously, the forests of the region cannot be of operational importance, however, in recent years, in connection with the development of furniture production, intensive felling of valuable wood has been carried out, the reserves of which in the lower tier of broad-leaved species are practically exhausted. Today it is very important to drastically reduce, or better yet, completely stop cutting forests in the zone of growth of broad-leaved species, to refrain from developing coniferous forests,

speed up reforestation. Forests should be considered solely from the point of view of their recreational, health-improving and environmental usefulness.

The recreational resources of the federal district are unique. The mild climate, the abundance of mineral springs and therapeutic mud, warm sea waters create richest opportunities for treatment and recreation. The mountainous regions with their unique landscapes have all the necessary conditions for the development of mountaineering and tourism, the organization of ski resorts of international importance here.

Population

In terms of population, the Southern Federal District ranks third in Russia, second only to the Central and Volga regions. Here, on the territory of 3.5% of the total area of the country, 22.8 million people live (as of January 1, 2006), i.e. about 16% of its population.

The urban population prevails (57%). But if in the Volgograd region the townspeople make up 75% of the population, in the Rostov region - 67%, then in Chechnya - only 34%, Ingushetia and Dagestan - 43%. The network of urban settlements is represented mainly by medium and small towns. Among the largest cities, one should single out the millionaire cities - Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, as well as the largest - Krasnodar (over 600 thousand inhabitants).

Rural settlements(villages) located in the steppe zone, as a rule, are large in territory and population. They sometimes stretch for several kilometers and can number up to 25-30 thousand inhabitants. Mountainous areas are characterized by small and medium-sized settlements.

The average population density of the district is about 38.7 people per 1 km 2, which is more than 4 times higher than in Russia as a whole. However, the population is distributed unevenly across the territory. Its highest density is in Ingushetia (135.3 people per 1 km 2), North Ossetia (87.8), Chechnya (74.5), Kabardino-Balkaria (71.5) and Krasnodar Territory (67.1). The least densely populated are Kalmykia (3.8), Astrakhan (22.5) and Volgograd (23.1 people per 1 km 2) regions.

For the period 2000-2006. in the district, an increase in the population by 0.12% was noted (in Russia - a decline of 2.43%). Increased life expectancy of the population, which amounted to 67.9 years (in Russia - 65.3 years).

The natural population decline (-1.0 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2006) is several times lower than the Russian average (-4.8 per 1,000 inhabitants). In a number of national republics, a positive natural increase, the maximum is observed in the Chechen Republic, Dagestan, Ingushetia. At the same time, in the Rostov Region, Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, the natural decline is at the average Russian level.

infant mortality has declined significantly in recent years. It is 12-13%o (2004-2006), which is somewhat higher than the national average.

The Southern Federal District is characterized by rather multidirectional migration processes associated with military and interethnic conflicts, as well as with significant volumes of resettlement of residents from other regions with an unfavorable climate. Therefore, there is a compensation for the natural decline of the population due to the migration influx in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Ingushetia and Adygea. Due to these regions, the coefficient of migration growth is positive and in 2005 amounted to 3 persons per 100 inhabitants. In other regions of the district, migration decline was noted.

SFD is the most multinational region of Russia. In Dagestan alone, there are 30 nationalities (Avars, Dargins, Kumyks, Lezgins, Laks, etc.). The most numerous are Russians and Ukrainians. Most of them live in Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol territories. The Russian population is the majority in all major cities and industrial centers. The most numerous indigenous nationalities of the Southern District form independent republics: Adygea, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkess, North Ossetia - Alania, Kalmykia and Chechnya.

The district has a multi-confessional composition of residents. Supporters of Orthodoxy predominate, there are also numerous adherents of Islam, Buddhism (in Kalmykia), and some other confessions.

Growth in the Southern Federal District total strength of the population, including those employed in the economy, but the number of unemployed is also increasing. The Okrug is a region with a high labor supply, but in recent years, with the transition to market relations and the massive cessation of enterprises, there has been a release of labor and the transformation of the region into a labor surplus. The situation is aggravated by the fact that a large number of internally displaced persons and refugees arrive here, as well as military personnel who have retired. An acute shortage of places to apply labor causes a high level of unemployment, and taking into account the lack of provision of rural residents with fertile lands, a negative attitude in the behavior of residents is intensifying.

Registered unemployment rate in 2000-2005 amounted to 6.1%, which is almost 3 times higher than the national average. The level of actual unemployment, according to the methodology of the International Labor Organization (ILO), is several times higher than the officially registered level. This problem is most acute in the Chechen Republic (71% of the economically active population are unemployed), Ingushetia (66%), Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria (23%). The lowest level of actual unemployment is in Volgograd and Rostov regions, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. Obviously, under these conditions, the problem of employment and rational use labor resources is of particular relevance. For its successful solution, it seems appropriate to encourage the development of a small-scale way of life both in urban and rural areas, re-profiling industry to meet the needs of the population in consumer goods, and farms - in small-sized agricultural machinery, fertilizers, etc.

The indicators of the standard of living in the district as a whole are below the average Russian values, with the exception of the Krasnodar Territory and the Volgograd Region. In 2000-2005 real cash incomes of the population in the district increased by 181.0%, which is slightly more than the national average. But today, the average per capita monetary income of the population in the district amounted (in 2005) to 5250.2 rubles. per month, which is 1.5 times lower than the national average. Average monthly nominal accrued wage working in the economy in 2005 was equal to 5851 rubles. (in Russia - 8550.2 rubles). The purchasing power of the population in the district as a whole is below the average Russian level. The ratio of the average per capita money income of the population and the cost of a fixed set of goods and services in 2005 was 1.2 (in Russia - 1.67).

Leading industry complexes

The specificity of natural and historical conditions determines the established distinctive features of the economy of the Southern Federal District. In it, the branches of market specialization are in industry - fuel (coal, gas), non-ferrous metallurgy, engineering, food industry, in agriculture - the cultivation of grain, sugar beet, sunflower, vegetable growing, meat and dairy cattle breeding, sheep breeding. The Okrug has a unique resort and recreational complex.

According to Rosstat, in terms of gross regional product (GRP) in the Russian Federation in 2005, the share of the district was 7.22%

(sixth place among federal districts). The GRP structure is based on industry, agriculture and forestry, trade and commercial activities (Table 4.3). The production of GRP in the region per inhabitant in 2005 amounted to 57 thousand rubles, which is two times lower than the national average. Per capita production of GRP in the Southern Federal District is at the level of the lowest indicators in the country.

Table 4.3

Sectoral structure of the gross regional product of the Southern Federal District in 2005

Source: Regions of Russia - 2006. Moscow: Rosstat, 2007. P. 355-357.

The economic situation in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation that are part of the Southern Federal District is generally worse than the average Russian level. Per capita production of GRP in the Krasnodar Territory in 2005 compared with the average Russian level amounted to 67.7%, in the Volgograd region - 65.2%, Astrakhan - 59.9%, in Rostov - 59.2%. The regions with a level of development below the average include the Stavropol Territory (52.6%); the group of regions with a low level of development includes Kabardino-Balkaria (40.1%), North Ossetia (39.7%), Adygea (36.3%), Karachay-Cherkessia (33.2%), Dagestan (33.2%) %) and Kalmykia (28.8%); a very low level of economic condition is characteristic of Ingushetia (13.5%).

Only four subjects (Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Rostov and Volgograd Regions) provide more than 3/4 of the total GRP of the Southern Federal District. The remaining nine entities account for only slightly more than 20% of GRP.

The South was characterized by the greatest decline in industrial production in the 90s. This is explained not only by the general economic crisis, but also by the difficult political situation in the North Caucasus. At present, the share of the region in the total Russian volume of industrial production is only 6.2% (in 2005 -

800,920 million rubles, sixth place among the federal districts), but it was and remains the country's largest producer of agricultural products.

The Volgograd region has developed electric power industry, ferrous metallurgy (steel, rolled products, steel pipes), mechanical engineering, including shipbuilding, chemical and petrochemical industries.

The basis of the industry of the Krasnodar Territory is the food industry (wine-making, fruit and vegetable canning, oil milling, meat), mechanical engineering (instrument making, machine tool building, agricultural engineering), oil refining and light industries.

The basis of the Okrug's economy is intersectoral complexes, among which agro-industrial, machine-building and resort and recreational complexes stand out. It is they who define the face of the region in territorial division labor, and the deepening of specialization in these areas in today seems natural.

The leading structure-forming industries in the modern industrial complex of the Southern Federal District are the fuel and energy complex, mechanical engineering, the food industry and petrochemistry. A significant role in the economy is also played by chemical and metallurgical complexes, the production of cement and other building materials, and a complex of industries for the production of non-food consumer goods. The volume of industrial production per capita in 2006 amounted to 42.5 thousand rubles, which is 2.5 times lower than the average for Russia (110.8 thousand rubles).

The fuel and energy complex is the basis for the development of productive forces in the district. It is represented by all its main branches: coal, oil, gas, electric power industry.

The coal industry is developed mainly in the Rostov region, where the eastern wing of the Donbass enters. Coal reserves here up to a depth of 1800 m reach 11 billion tons. The most common coals of Eastern Donbass are anthracites, which have a high calorific value(from 7200 to 8700 Kcal / kg) and containing little ash and sulfur. The main reserves of anthracites are concentrated in Shakhtinsko-Nesvetaevsky, Gukovo-Zverevsky, Sulinsky and other coal mining areas. In the Belokalitvinsky and Kamensko-Gundorovsky coal-bearing regions, coke coals are also concentrated. Of the technical and economic features of the coals of the Eastern Donbass, it should be noted the large depths of the seams and their small thickness (from 0.5 to 1.5 m), which increases the cost of coal produced. Coal mining in recent decades has declined sharply and amounted to only 7.7 million tons in 2005 compared to 32 million tons in 1980. The reduction in coal production is due to the strong depletion of the best seams, deterioration of mining and geological conditions for mining, slow reconstruction of the existing mine fund, competition of oil and gas raw materials, etc. Coal from the Eastern Donbass is sold in the North Caucasus, in the Central Black Earth, Central, Volga regions and exported to the world market.

Oil industry- the oldest branch of specialization of the region. Initially, the main areas of oil production were Grozny and Maikop, now it is carried out in the Kuban-Chernomorsky region, in the Stavropol Territory, the Caspian coast of Dagestan, in the Lower Volga region. The volume of oil production does not ensure the full load of oil refineries in Tuapse, Krasnodar, Volgograd, which to a large extent work on imported raw materials from Western Siberia. The youngest fuel industry in the region is gas. Natural gas production is carried out in the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions, Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov regions, the republics of Dagestan and Kalmykia. Among the deposits stand out Stavropol, Leningrad, Berezan and one of the largest in the country - Astrakhan. The gas pipeline network connects production sites with consumers within the region and beyond.

The electric power industry of the region is represented by three types of power plants - thermal, hydraulic and nuclear. Electricity generation in 2005 amounted to 70.0 billion kWh. Its main share is generated at thermal power plants, which use mainly gas fuel and partly Donetsk coal, as well as fuel oil. The placement of thermal power plants is determined by raw material and consumer factors. The largest thermal power plants are Novocherkasskaya GRES (2.4 million kW), Stavropolskaya GRES (2.4 million kW), Nevinnomysskaya GRES and Krasnodarskaya

CHPP (each with a capacity of 1 million kW). CHPPs of smaller capacity provide electricity and heat to Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Volgodonsk, Grozny, Astrakhan and other cities.

Hydroelectric power stations of the region are located both on the plain and mountain rivers of the Caucasus. Among the flat ones, the Volzhskaya HPP (2.5 million kW) on the Volga and the Tsimlyanskaya HPP (204 thousand kW) on the Don should be noted. The largest of the hydroelectric power plants built on mountain rivers is Chirkeyskaya (1.1 million kW) on the river. Sulak in Dagestan. There are also cascades of hydroelectric power stations on the river. , Belaya in Adygea and in the Krasnodar Territory, in the Kuban in the Stavropol Territory, the Baksanskaya hydroelectric power station in Kabardino-Balkaria, the Gizeldonskaya hydroelectric power station in North Ossetia on the Terek, etc. North Ossetia, Achaluk in Ingushetia, Zelenchuk in Karachay-Cherkessia. The hydropower potential of the North Caucasus is currently underused, and in the future it is expected to use it by 70%. An important role in the power supply of the region has recently been played by the Rostov NPP in Volgodonsk, the first unit of which was put into operation in 2001. One of the most important complexes of industrial production in the region is the machine-building complex. The main prerequisites for the development of the industry are the relative availability of raw materials and labor resources, developed research base, favorable transport position, capacious domestic market for products, proximity to the Ural and Central metallurgical bases of the country, as well as to Ukraine. The created powerful machine-building complex is able not only to serve the needs of many industries in its region, but also has inter-district significance.

Mechanical engineering of the Southern Federal District is characterized by a complex sectoral structure; agricultural, machine tool building, instrument making, energy and transport engineering are especially developed. Important feature machine-building complex of the region - a high degree of industrial and territorial concentration. Many of the machine-building enterprises are the largest or even the only producers of certain types of machine-building products in the country: Rostselmash, Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant, Volgodonsk Atommash, Taganrog Krasny Kotelshchik, etc. The machine-building potential of the region is territorially concentrated mainly in the Rostov and Volgograd regions, which provide about half of products from the industry; the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories following them noticeably yield; of the republics, mechanical engineering is best developed in Kabardino-Balkaria.

The highly developed agricultural production of the region predetermined a very great place in the structure of the agricultural engineering industry, the flagship of which is the Rostov production association Rostselmash. It also includes the Taganrog combine plant, the Morozovsk-selmash, Millerovoselmash, Kalitvaselmash and other plants. Rostselmash, the country's largest enterprise for the production of combine harvesters, is currently experiencing great difficulties and is not operating at full capacity. Of the other enterprises of agricultural engineering, one should mention the Rostov production association Krasny Aksai, specializing in the production of tractor cultivators, Aksaikardandetal, which manufactures articulated cardan gears, Salskselmash, which produces universal kopnonoses and stacker-loaders, Zernogradhydroagregat, which specializes in the manufacture of components for the hydraulic systems of combines and self-propelled chassis, Orlovsksel-mash, which produces machines for animal husbandry and spare parts for them. In Krasnodar since 1978, a factory has been operating for the production of rice harvesters and self-propelled tractor chassis for rice harvesters. The plant of agricultural engineering in the city of Kotelnikovo, Volgograd region, produces corn harvesting equipment. The Volgograd Tractor Plant is also widely known, most of products of which are used by agricultural enterprises.

An important branch of specialization of the machine-building complex, which is of national importance, is power engineering. The leading enterprises in this industry are the Taganrog production association Krasny Kotelshchik (founded in 1895) and Atommash in Volgodonsk. Taganrog "Krasny Kotelshchik" is one of the largest boiler-building plant in the world in terms of capacity, it produces boilers of various capacities for thermal power plants, boiler-auxiliary equipment. Favorable transport and geographical position was the main factor in the construction and commissioning in 1978 of Atommash. This is a large specialized plant for the production of component power equipment for high-capacity nuclear power plants. At present, the company also manufactures equipment for oil refining and the construction industry.

Of the enterprises of heavy engineering in the region, the Shakhtinsky and Kamensky plants for the production of mining equipment, the Novocherkassk and Volgograd plants of oil equipment, the Millerovsky plant named after. Gavrilov for the production of blast furnace and steelmaking equipment, Khadyzhensky machine building plant drilling equipment, etc. One of the largest in the country is the Donetsk excavator plant (Donetsk, Rostov region).

Transport engineering is widely represented in the region. The largest among the enterprises is the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant, which specializes in the production of mainline electric locomotives. The aircraft industry has also developed in the region. The Rostov Helicopter Production Association, which manufactures powerful heavy-lift helicopters, is one of the largest in the country. Widely known in Russia and abroad hydroplanes of the Taganrog plant named after. Beriev. One of the oldest branches of transport engineering in the region is shipbuilding and ship repair. Among the enterprises of this profile, it is worth noting the Rostov plants Krasny Don and Krasny Moryak, the Azov shipyard, the Taganrog ship repair plant, the Volgograd and Astrakhan shipyards. There are also shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises in Yeysk, Tuapse, Novorossiysk, and Makhachkala. In the 1990s car assembly enterprises have emerged and are increasing their production capacities in Rostov-on-Don (based on the Krasny Aksai plant) and in Taganrog (based on a combine plant). In the future, the capacity of the Taganrog enterprise is planned to be increased to 480 thousand vehicles per year, with a gradual transition from "screwdriver" operations to the independent production of many parts and assemblies.

Of the machine-tool enterprises, it is necessary to name the Krasnodar Plant named after. Sedina, which produces well-known turning and rotary machines, the Azov plant forging and pressing automatic machines, the Novocherkassk plant for the production of machine tools with numerical control, the Krasnodar plant named after. Kalinin, which produces automatic lines and metal-cutting machines. There are also machine-tool enterprises in Maykop, Yeysk, Astrakhan, and Kropotkin. Forging and pressing plants are located in Taganrog, Azov, Salsk.

At the beginning of the XXI century. about 52% of the total production of metal-cutting machine tools in the region accounted for the Krasnodar Territory and 40% - for the Astrakhan Region.

Dozens of enterprises represent instrument making. Automation tools, electrical measuring instruments, opto-mechanical products, radio navigation equipment, clocks, self-recording and digital instruments, etc. are produced. Among them are the Krasnodar plants of electrical and radio measuring instruments, the Rostov watch "Horizon" and "Electroapparat", the Taganrog "Vibropribor" and "Priboy", Azov optical-mechanical, Nazran "Electroinstrument", Nalchik "Sevkavelektropribor" and telemechanical equipment plant, Vladikavkaz machine-tool plant.

In terms of the breadth of the range, quality and product orientation, the food industry of the district has no equal among the regions of the Russian Federation. The region ranks first in the country in the production of a number of products, in particular, sunflower oil, canned fruits and vegetables, wines, etc. The food industry of the Southern Federal District performs two tasks: meeting the needs of the population of the region and supplying its products to consumers in other regions of the country, including the European North, Siberia, etc. During the post-Soviet years, the place of the food industry in the structure of the industrial production of the district has changed: gg. it accounted for "/ e of the value of the region's industrial products, then at present - only a little more than 4/4.

The structure of the region's food industry is also provided by fat-and-oil, meat, fruit and vegetable canning, wine-making, sugar, fish, butter and cheese, dairy, flour-grinding and cereal industries. The flour and cereals industry is based on local raw materials and produces a variety of products, including High Quality, for pasta and confectionery factories from valuable varieties of hard and strong wheat grown here. The largest centers of milling and cereal production are Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Volgograd, Salsk, Armavir, Volgodonsk, Kamyshin, Novorossiysk.

The cultivation of oilseeds (sunflower, mustard) in the steppes of the South of Russia led to the development of a powerful oil and fat industry. In terms of sunflower oil production, the region is far ahead of all other regions of the country. The largest enterprises of the industry are located in Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Millerovo, Kropotkin, Georgievsk, Volgograd, Kamyshin. Enterprises for the production of mustard oil and mustard powder are located in the Volgograd region.

In terms of sugar production, the region is second only to Central District. The strongest orientation towards the raw material base was a factor in the concentration of sugar factories, mainly in the Krasnodar Territory, where rural administrative centers and small towns are located: Timashevsk, Korenovsk, Ust-Labinsk, the villages of Leningradskaya, Starominskaya, Dinskaya, etc. There are also sugar production enterprises in Adygea , Stavropol Territory and Karachay-Cherkessia.

The Okrug occupies a leading place in the country in the production of fruit and vegetable canning products, which are distinguished by great variety, high marketability and wide territorial distribution. This industry is represented in all administrative units of the region, but especially in the Krasnodar Territory. The largest fruit and vegetable canning centers in the country are located in Krymsk, Astrakhan, Azov, Semikarakorsk, Rostov-on-Don, Volgodonsk, Bagaevskaya, Volgograd, Kamyshin, Akhtubinsk, Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Yeysk, Stavropol, Georgievsk, Derbent, Buynaksk, Nar-tkale, Cool.

The wine industry of the district ranks first in the country in terms of production of primary winemaking products and second in terms of bottling of finished products. Wines of the North Caucasus - Don, Kuban, cognacs of Dagestan, etc. - are widely known not only in the domestic, but also in the international market. The largest wineries are located in Rostov-on-Don, Tsimlyansk, Novocherkassk in the Rostov region; Abrau-Dyurso, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Krymsk, Sochi, Temryuk in the Krasnodar Territory; Praskoveya, Budennovsk, Pyatigorsk in the Stavropol Territory; Kizlyar and Derbent in Dagestan, Cool in Kabardino-Balkaria. The birthplace of Russian and Soviet champagne is Abrau-Dyurso and Rostov-on-Don, respectively. The region produces the best cognacs in the country (Derbent, Kizlyar, Prokhladny), vintage wines (Anapa, Gelendzhik, Praskoveya), dry and table wines (Rostov Region, Krasnodar Territory, etc.).

The meat processing industry is of national importance, represented in many centers of the region, including Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Volgodonsk, Taganrog, Stavropol, Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Nalchik, Vladikavkaz, Kamyshin, etc. The region is no less famous and products of the dairy complex, the sub-sectors of which have been widely developed, but the highest concentration of the production of these products is in the Krasnodar Territory. Here are located powerful cheese-making plants (Tikhoretsky, Leningradsky), which are among the largest in the country, milk canning production (Timashevsk, Bryukhovetskaya, Starominskaya, Korenovsk).

The traditional industry of the region is the fish processing industry. In terms of production, the region is second only to the Far East and the European North. The products of the fishery concern "Kasp-ryba" (Astrakhan region), which includes a caviar and balyk association, a number of large fish processing plants, and a fish breeding plant for growing sturgeon fry, are world famous. The production of black caviar and salmon in the deltas of the Volga, Don, Kuban, Terek, which account for more than 90% of the world production of black caviar, are of global importance. Industry enterprises process fish resources of the Caspian, Azov, Black Seas, the World Ocean, ponds and major rivers. The largest fish processing centers are Astrakhan, Novorossiysk, Temryuk, Rostov-on-Don, Azov, Taganrog, Makhachkala.

Of the other branches of the food industry in the region, it should be noted: bottling of mineral waters ("Narzan", "Essentuki", etc.), whose centers are Kislovodsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk, Cherkessk, Sochi, Nagutskaya, Nalchik, Goryachiy Klyuch; confectionery industry (Nalchik, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Volgograd, Maikop, Stavropol, Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, etc.), tea (Dagomys). Rostov-on-Don has been the largest center for the production of tobacco products since pre-revolutionary times. A large tobacco factory, equipped with the latest equipment and owned by the Philip Morris concern, has been established in Armavir.

Processing capacities do not fully correspond to the raw material base, and therefore hinder the development of the food industry. This is most acute in the oil and starch industries. The level of technical equipment of many enterprises is insufficient, especially in the meat and fruit and vegetable canning industries, there are not enough storage bases and refrigerators. The speedy solution of these problems is the most important direction in the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Southern District, which is generally highly efficient, and its role in the food supply of the Russian population is invaluable.

The metallurgical complex of the Southern Federal District includes enterprises of both ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. Of the ferrous metallurgy enterprises (all of them belong to the conversion industry), the following

the Volgograd plant Krasny Oktyabr, which produces high-quality steel for tractor and automobile plants, the Krasnosulin and Taganrog plants. Specializing in the production of steel pipes pipe plant in Volzhsky. Non-ferrous metallurgy is represented by the Volgograd aluminum plant, the Tyrnyauz mining and metallurgical plant (tungsten and molybdenum ores) and the Electrozinc plant (Vladikavkaz). Ores are also mined in small quantities - copper in Karachay-Cherkessia and polymetallic in North Ossetia.

The chemical complex of the Southern Federal District develops mainly on local raw materials and produces a variety of products. The chemical plants in Volgograd and Volzhsky produce chemical fibers and threads, plastics, and synthetic resins. Plastics are also produced by the Prikumsky Plant (Stavropol Territory), and artificial fibers - by the Kamensky Combine (Rostov Region). Phosphate fertilizers are produced at the Belorechensky chemical plant (Krasnodar Territory), nitrogen fertilizers are produced at the Azot production association (Nevinnomyssk), varnishes and paints are produced in Cherkessk, and synthetic detergents are produced in Volgodonsk.

The building materials industry specializes in the commercial production of cement (the largest plant is in the city of Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Territory), glass (factories in Ossetia, Dagestan, Rostov Region). The industry is fully provided with local raw materials: limestone, marl, sand.

In 2005, the Southern Federal District accounted for 21.8% of the country's agricultural production (326,695 million rubles, third place among federal districts). In terms of per capita index of agricultural production in the district in 2006 amounted to 15.6 thousand rubles. (on average in Russia - 11.4 thousand rubles). The structure of agricultural production includes crop production (63.3%) and livestock products (36.7%). The South is the largest supplier of grain. The main grain crop is wheat, and corn crops are also widespread. Significant areas are occupied by such a valuable grain crop as rice, which is grown in the lower reaches of the Kuban (Kubanskie plavni), on irrigated lands of the Astrakhan and Rostov regions, and Dagestan.

The region is of great importance in the production of important industrial crops - sunflower, sugar beet, mustard, tobacco. The south of Russia is the largest area of horticulture and viticulture. More than a third of all fruit and berry plantations and all vineyards of the Russian Federation are located here. Only here in Russia subtropical crops are grown - tea, citrus fruits, persimmons, figs (mainly on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory). The Southern Federal District is the largest producer of vegetables and gourds, which are grown throughout the region, especially in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain. Astrakhan and Volgograd watermelons and tomatoes are known and appreciated by the entire population of the country.

Animal husbandry is characterized by high marketability. Cattle, pigs, poultry are bred here. Sheep breeding, especially fine-fleeced sheep breeding, is of great importance. Most of the fine wool of the Russian Federation is harvested in the region. The south is also famous for breeding horse breeding.

Transport and non-manufacturing industries

As in Russia as a whole, the leading role in inter-district transportation in the Southern Federal District is played by rail transport. The importance of road, sea, river and pipeline transport, as well as mixed sea and river transport, is also great.

Railway transport, through the largest Rostov railway junction, provides connections between the district and other regions of Russia, with Ukraine, Kazakhstan (through Astrakhan), as well as with the Transcaucasus (Georgia and Azerbaijan). The most intensive passenger traffic is carried out on the main routes Moscow-Sochi, Moscow-Mineralnye Vody, Moscow-Astrakhan. big role in quality transport route Volga plays. Rail transport is combined with river transport, which transports mainly bulk cargo along the Volga and Don.

Sea transport serves export-import transportation of Russia, formed in the ports of Chernoy (Novorossiysk, Tuapse); Azov (Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Azov, Taganrog) and the Caspian Seas (Makhachkala). Most of the country's oil and grain exports pass through Novorossiysk and Tuapse. The Black Sea ports cannot cope with the ever-increasing level of external traffic. Therefore, there is an acute problem of increasing the capacity of existing ports and building new ports of universal importance, primarily on the Taman Peninsula.

Gas pipeline transport operates in the mode of the Unified Gas Supply System of Russia, regulating gas flows going south from the Urals-Volga region and Western Siberia, and connecting to them the local gas resources of the Astrakhan region, Stavropol and Kuban. Transit flows of natural gas from Turkmenistan also pass through the region.

research institutes towards Ukraine and Transcaucasia. The Blue Stream gas pipeline is directed across the Black Sea towards Turkey.

Freight turnover of motor transport enterprises of the Southern Federal District puts the district in fifth place in Russia in terms of freight traffic. Road transport serves for intra-regional transportation and is of exceptional importance for direct communications with the countries of Transcaucasia (along the Georgian Military and Ossetian Military Highways crossing the Greater Caucasus). The Southern Federal District significantly exceeds the average Russian density of paved roads (31 km per 1000 km2). Among the regions of the district, the leading positions are occupied by North Ossetia (286 km per 1000 km 2), Kabardino-Balkaria (238), Adygea (209). Lowest Density highways - in Kalmykia (38), Rostov (49) and Astrakhan (60 km per 1000 km 2) regions.

In recent years, the role of road transport in inter-district transportation, primarily associated with the delivery of perishable goods (fruits, vegetables, etc.) to Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities in the European part of the country using special vehicles (trailers equipped with refrigeration units).

Among the branches of the non-productive sphere, the resort industry is of all-Russian significance in the Southern Federal District. The resort and recreational complex of the Southern Federal District is the largest in the country. There are about 150 climatic, balneological and balneological resorts in Russia, and more than 50 of them are located here. The resorts of the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory (Sochi, Anapa, Gelendzhik) are very famous and popular. The famous group of resorts of the Caucasian Mineral Waters (Pyatigorsk, Kislovodsk, Essentuki, Zheleznovodsk) is located in the Stavropol Territory. Dombay and Teber-da (Karachay-Cherkessia), the Baksan Gorge (Kabardino-Balkaria) and other areas with unique natural landscapes enjoy well-deserved popularity among tourists, climbers, skiers. The development of the resort and recreational complex is uneven. More than 80% of sanatoriums and 90% of tourist centers are concentrated in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories, especially on the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory, where health resorts are completely filled during the season and cannot accommodate everyone. At the same time, the recreational resources of the Caspian Sea coast are used very poorly. The same can be said about the resources of the mountain zone of the national republics, but in this case it is not only the underdevelopment

i and material base. The instability of the political situation, interethnic conflicts scare away potential tourists.

Foreign economic relations

The Southern Federal District occupies a key economic and geographical position, strategically important for Russia. As a border region, it ensures Russia's access to the states of the Transcaucasus, the Black Sea and the Caspian basins in order to establish stable interstate relations and consolidate Russia's economic and political positions in these regions.

Located at the intersection of important land, sea, and air communications between the countries of the two continents and having a fairly developed transport infrastructure and an economic diversified complex, the region has a good opportunity to strengthen the country's economy by organizing transit passage through its territory of international traffic flows.

The northwestern part of the Caspian Sea, as an integral part of the region, has favorable conditions for the development of international transport communications capable of providing communication along the shortest route European countries with the countries of the Near and Middle East, India and China.

In 2006, the volume of foreign trade turnover of the Southern Federal District amounted to 14.53 billion dollars. USA (seventh place among federal districts). In the structure of foreign trade turnover, exports accounted for 59% (8.45 billion US dollars, sixth place in the Russian Federation among federal districts), imports - 41% (6.08 billion US dollars, fifth place). At the same time, more than 2/3 of the foreign trade turnover in the district falls on three regions - Krasnodar Territory, Rostov and Volgograd Regions.

The main export items of the Southern Federal District: fuel and energy products - 28.5%; metals and products from them - 28.4%; food products and raw materials for food products - 15.8%; as part of imports: machinery, equipment and vehicles - "54.5%; metals and products from them - 22.2%; food products and raw materials for food products - 21.2% (2004).

Internal territorial differences

Three parts are clearly distinguished within the SFD, each of which has its own specifics. The largest territorial subdivision of the Southern Federal District of Russia is the Azov-Chernomorsky region, which includes Krasnodar-

and the Stavropol Territory, as well as the Rostov Region. It accounts for almost half of the total population of the South, 53% of the value of its fixed assets, 58% of agricultural production and 54% of industrial products. Recreational complexes of national importance (Greater Sochi, Caucasian Mineralnye Vody, etc.) and the most important objects of transregional transport infrastructure are localized within the region. Being part of the North Caucasian economic region since its inception, the characterized territory has always differed from the North Caucasian republics in terms of the general level of economic development, the direction of demographic processes, and the ethno-confessional situation.

The regionalization of post-Soviet Russia, the activation of ethno-political processes in it enhance the originality of the national republics localized in the North Caucasus, predetermine the possibility of their grouping within the framework of an independent socio-economic-mycocultural region. This territory - the North Caucasus region - is the most densely populated (the average population density here is 51 people / km 2), it is distinguished by the highest differentiation of natural and environmental conditions, unprecedented in terms of localization in a relatively compact territory of various ethnic groups, languages, confessions. In economic terms, it is distinguished by a pronounced dominant of ethno-economics.

Taking into account geopolitical realities, ethno-social processes, and economic specifics, this entity, in turn, is “divided” into two independent structures. The first of these is East End, uniting the republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya. It is characterized by all major socio-economic parameters as highly depressive and the epicenter of ethno-political problems and conflicts. The second - the western part - is relatively more prosperous, but at the same time, even against the background of other southern Russian territories, it is highly problematic (“hot spots”, a deep decline in basic sectors of the economy, a lack of investment, refugees, etc.). It includes a number of republics: Adygea, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and North Ossetia-Alania.

The Nizhnevolzhsky region, which is extremely polarized in socio-economic terms, consisting of the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, as well as the Republic of Kalmykia, also acts as a holistic entity in the system of the Southern Federal District of Russia. Territorial socio-economic structures were formed here along the Volga-Caspian communications. This territory was annexed to the Russian state and began to develop earlier than other parts of the SFD. But in the XX - early XXI centuries. it yielded in the pace of development to the Azo-but-Black Sea region.

Ecological situation

In the Southern Federal District, agriculture has the most significant impact on the environment. The deterioration of the quality of soil resources is a consequence of large-scale water-chemical reclamation carried out here in violation of environmental requirements. The area of irrigated land in the Southern Federal District exceeds 2 million hectares (more than 2/5 of all irrigated land in the country). Irrational water reclamation has brought soil resources to a disastrous state. As a result of soil compaction and a decrease in its iodine-absorbing capacity, half of the fertilizers and pesticides are carried into watercourses. Soil fertility has fallen, and grain yields have decreased by "/ 4 .

The development of rice cultivation, mainly in the Krasnodar Territory, led to particularly negative consequences. The increase in the area of rice plantations with the active use of pesticides has led to a general pollution of the biosphere of the region and sharp deterioration sanitary-ecological conditions of life of the population. The most dangerous are organochlorine pesticides, the content of which in the waters of the Krasnodar Territory is ten times higher than the maximum permissible concentration (MAC). On the rivers of the Kuban basin, 1.5 thousand dams and dams were created, which turned into poisoned reservoirs that flooded up to 40 thousand hectares of the most fertile lands. All pesticides removed from rice fields enter the Sea of Azov and its estuaries.

In the Republic of Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region, soil degradation processes continue due to desertification, erosion, salinization and flooding. In Kalmykia, the total area of open sands reaches almost 10% of the territory of the republic. Salt licks are located almost everywhere and make up almost 1/3 in the structure soil cover. On the other hand, due to irrigation activities, the processes of secondary salinization, waterlogging of soils, and flooding of agricultural lands and settlements have sharply increased. Fluctuations in the levels of the Caspian Sea led to the reduction of land and flooding of the territory on an area of up to 250 thousand hectares.

Excessive (per 1 ha of pastures) increase in the number of livestock in the southern part of the region, unsystematic grazing of animals, especially sheep, also lead to massive destruction of natural forage lands, degradation of vegetation. In Kalmykia, for example, 40-50 thousand hectares of previously productive pastures are desertified annually. The state of pastures has deteriorated and desertification processes are developing in the Astrakhan region, the territory of which is classified as dangerous and potentially dangerous in terms of desertification throughout the entire land use area.

Thus, the main environmental problem of the South of Russia is the restoration of the biopotential of its land resources. It provides, in particular, for measures such as soil reclamation, agroforestry, changes in land irrigation technology; restoration of rangelands; soil protection tillage, etc.

The state of the seas washing the territory of the Southern Federal District is very difficult. The environmental problems of the Caspian Sea are connected, on the one hand, with the instability of its hydrological and level regimes caused by natural climatic cycles, and, on the other hand, with the growing anthropogenic impact on the reservoir, consisting of intense chemical pollution of waters, expansion of infrastructure for offshore oil and gas production, poaching, etc. All these problems were exacerbated by the inconsistency of the Caspian states in making political and economic decisions on the exploitation and protection of the natural resources of the Caspian Sea. Until now, the issue of dividing the Caspian - its waters and seabed, as well as hydrocarbon and fish resources - has not been resolved. Without this, the protection of the "Sea from pollution and poachers will not have much effect.

An analysis of fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea over the past 10 thousand years shows that their amplitude reached 15 m: from absolute marks -20 m to -35 m. During the period of instrumental observations, it amounted to about 3.5 m: from -25.6 in 1980 -s. down to -29 m in 1977

The latest increase in the level of the Caspian Sea (since 1978) is caused by a change in the components of the water balance. The average inflow into the sea during this period was 310 km 3 per year, which is 17 km 3 per year above the norm, and the average layer of visible evaporation was 5 cm below the norm. The current sea level rise is extreme for the entire period of instrumental observations: water inflow maximum, visible evaporation - minimum. The rise in the level of the Caspian Sea is the result of significant change climate regime, expressed primarily in the growth of cyclonic activity over Eastern Europe. The number of Atlantic cyclones and 1/3 of West European cyclones increased by 50% with a simultaneous increase in their moisture saturation. This led to an increase in cloudiness, an increase in precipitation and a reduction in evaporation and, as a result, to an increase in river runoff in the Caspian basin. The level of the Caspian Sea for the future determined the possible interval of its position within the limits of marks from -27 m to -25 m, at which the sea level can maintain its position, rise or fall.

For the socio-economic development of the Caspian coastal zone, the most dangerous development of events and the greatest damage are predicted based on the conditions of further sea level rise, up to a critical mark of -25 m. In this case, one should expect catastrophic changes in the ecological situation of the entire Caspian region.

For the 1980-1990s. on the Russian coast of the Caspian Sea, 320 thousand hectares of valuable land were flooded and taken out of land use. The cities of Makhachkala, Derbent, Kaspiysk, numerous smaller settlements and objects were in the zone of the destructive impact of the sea economic activity Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region. The total economic damage in the Caspian region of Russia is estimated at billions of rubles.

The main negative processes that took place in the Caspian Sea include: land flooding at a rate of 1-2 km per year, wind surge phenomena height up to 2-3 m, spreading up to 20 km or more inland, destruction of banks, migration of river beds, rising groundwater levels and flooding of lands. Of particular danger is the flooding of built-up urban areas, causing the destruction of the foundations of multi-storey buildings.

As a result of flooding and underflooding of densely populated areas, agricultural lands, irrigation systems, oil fields, roads, power lines, treatment facilities, industrial facilities and other contaminated areas in the Caspian coastal zone, the environmental and medical and biological situation has deteriorated. were polluted toxic substances and oil products surface and ground water, and as a result of increased migration of rodents from flooded areas of land, foci of infectious diseases. Mass discharges of sewage into the sea associated with the destruction of collectors have been registered.

The Northern Caspian is an area of world importance for the reproduction and fishing of sturgeon and other valuable fish. In recent years, fishing conditions in the marine zone have deteriorated significantly, and its efficiency has decreased. In the event of a new rise in sea level to -25 m, the loss of part of the highly productive spawning grounds in the lower reaches of the Volga delta is predicted, which will entail a particularly sharp decrease in fish catches.

In the absence of preventive measures to protect the Russian coast from a possible resumption of the Caspian offensive, residential and commercial buildings of ten cities and urban-type settlements and about 100 rural settlements may be under the threat of flooding and destruction. In addition, almost 0.5 million hectares of land will be flooded, including over 0.2 million hectares of agricultural land.

In the future, the pollution of the Caspian Sea will be affected by the expanding development of the resources of the oil and gas bearing Caspian shelf, which has long been practiced near the shores of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan and begins in the Russian part of the North Caspian. In the latter case, production workers, together with environmentalists, will have to solve the most difficult task of preserving Russia's largest freshwater fish resources, including sturgeons, which make up 90% of their global stocks.

The state of stocks and reproduction of the most valuable fish stocks of the Caspian remains extremely unsatisfactory. The continued high level of catch of the Caspian kilka, some semi-anadromous fish (eg common carp) and small freshwater fish does not compensate for the loss of a significant part of the catches of migratory sturgeons. In 1999, only 6.3 thousand centners of sturgeon fish were caught in the Volga-Caspian fishing area, compared to 200 thousand centners in the mid-1970s.

The main reasons for the decline in sturgeon catches in Russian waters are related to the competition of other Caspian states that fish without taking into account the conditions for the reproduction of fish stocks, large-scale and widespread (including Russian regions) poachers

Administrative-territorial composition of the Southern Federal District: republics of Adygea, Kalmykia. Krasnodar region. Astrakhan, Volgograd, Rostov regions. The administrative center is the city of Rostov-on-Don.

Administrative-territorial structure of the North Caucasian Federal District Republics: Karachay-Cherkess, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Mania, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Chechen. Stavropol region.

Territory- 589.2 thousand km 2

Population— 22.9 million people

Administrative center- Pyatigorsk.

The North Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) is a new district of the Russian Federation, created on January 19, 2010 by a special Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 82 of January 19, 2010 “On Amending the List of Federal Districts approved by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of May 13, 2000 No. 849, and in the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 12, 2008 No. 724 “Issues of the system and structure of federal executive bodies”.

In fact, the North Caucasian was separated from the Southern Federal District. The creation of the North Caucasian Federal District should contribute to the accelerated development southern territories Russia and the solution of economic and ethno-political problems.

It should be noted that when it was formed by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 849 of May 13, 2000, the district was named North Caucasian, but already on June 21 of the same year, by Decree No. 1149, it was renamed South. The motives for the renaming were geographical reasons: Volgograd and Astrakhan regions and Kalmykia do not belong to the North Caucasus. The Rostov region belongs conditionally.

At present, the Southern Federal District includes the subjects of the Federation belonging to the North Caucasian Economic Region, as well as the territory Lower Volga(Republic of Kalmykia, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions), which, according to the current zoning grid, belongs to the Volga economic region.

The territory of the North Caucasus Federal District is included in the grid of economic zoning in the North Caucasus economic region.

Let us characterize the features of the location and development of the productive forces of these districts in certain territories: the North Caucasian economic region and the Lower Volga region.

Southern Federal District

Southern Federal District (center — Rostov-on-Don) occupies the south of the East European Plain, Ciscaucasia and northern slopes Greater Caucasus, accounting for approximately 3.5% of the country's territory. The landscapes of the territory are diverse - semi-desert and steppe plains, mountain ranges, stormy mountain (Terek) and calm lowland (Don, Kuban) rivers, subtropical oases, snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus Mountains.

The Southern Federal District is one of the most densely populated in Russia. It concentrates 15% of the country's population. The county is one of the most multinational. More than 40 peoples live here, belonging mainly to the Slavic, Nakh-Dagestan and Turkic groups. The clash of dissimilar cultures belonging to different civilizations, the implementation of the administrative-territorial division of the republics, deportation(forced resettlement) of many North Caucasian peoples, hostilities in the region for two centuries - all this, of course, influenced the severity of interethnic conflicts in the region.

By natural features the territory of the district can be divided into four parts: flat steppe, foothill, mountain and lower Volga.

flat steppe territory extends from the Don River to the valleys of the Kuban and Terek rivers. This is the main agricultural region, the main breadbasket of Russia. There are practically no natural landscapes preserved in this territory. Everywhere there are natural and anthropogenic agricultural landscapes, in which natural vegetation has largely been replaced by crops.

The plowed land of steppe landscapes reaches 90%. Mostly cereals and industrial crops are grown here.

Due to the fact that the forest cover of agricultural land is a little more than 3% instead of 5-6% according to the accepted norms, the agrolandscapes of the steppe zone of the district have become very unstable, i.e. subject to active erosion (destruction) of soils, silting of small rivers, pollution of water bodies.

The agro-industrial complex of the Southern District occupies a leading role in the country's economy, determines the specialization of mechanical engineering - the production of agricultural machinery (Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Millerovo, Krasnodar), technological equipment for the agro-industrial complex (Krasnodar, Stavropol), as well as the chemical industry - production nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers and pesticides (Nevinnomyssk, Belorechensk).

food industry also developed everywhere and specializes in the processing of various agricultural raw materials, vegetables and fruits, the production of meat, butter, flour, cereals (Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol, Novocherkassk, etc.).

Shipbuilding development in the district is connected with the implementation of the program "Revival of the Russian Fleet", which provides for the construction of river-sea vessels, tankers, dry cargo ships (Astrakhan, Volgograd).

Fuel and energy complex specializes in the oil (Dagestan, Groznenskoye, Stavropol, Krasnodar deposits), gas (Kubano-Priazovskoye, Stavropol deposits, as well as deposits in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions) and coal industry (the eastern ring of Donbass in the Rostov region) (see map of the atlas).

Oil refineries are located in Krasnodar, Maikop, Tuapse.

Transport engineering(Novocherkassk) specializes in the production of electric locomotives.

Despite the construction of powerful thermal power plants and the presence of hydroelectric power plants, the region is experiencing a constant shortage of electricity.

Recreational complex The North Caucasus uses the unique natural conditions and resources of the region.

On the Black Sea coast famous resorts are located: Anapa, Gelendzhik, Tuapse, Sochi. The subtropical climate, abundance of sun, sea bathing, mud and hydrotherapy, vegetation brought here from all over the world attract many tourists and vacationers.

Caucasian [Mineralnye Vody] region unites the balneological resorts of Essentuki, Kislovodsk, Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk and is famous for such sights as the "Castle of deceit and love", "Temple of the Air", "Blue Lakes", "Dombai", "Blue Stones", the State Museum-Reserve M. Yu. Lermontov.

Ecological problems of the lower Volga. The Volga is the longest river in Europe. Its length from the source to the Caspian Sea is 3530 km.

The modern Volga is actually a chain of huge reservoirs, passing one into another. It is regulated by cascades of eight HPPs. Only from Volgograd to the Caspian Sea, the Volga retained its natural course.

The construction of a hydroelectric power station and the creation of reservoirs made it difficult for the natural processes of self-purification of water in the river. It can detect oil products, lead salts, sulfur compounds. The way out of this situation - the limitation of industrial effluents, the installation of filters, the construction of treatment facilities - has not yet yielded the desired results. This problem is especially acute in the lower reaches of the Volga.

Ecological situation in Volga delta assessed by experts as catastrophic. In its lower reaches, harmful substances accumulate from the entire drainage basin of the river. 8-9 km 3 of untreated industrial and domestic wastewater is annually discharged into the Volga, which is almost equivalent to the volume of the Tsimlyansk reservoir.

Of all the HPPs, only Volgogradskaya and Saratovskaya have devices for passing fish. However, they are weak and require reconstruction. Cascades of hydroelectric power plants reduce the flow of water, which leads to the death of fish. In recent years, control over enterprises that discharge harmful substances into the river has become tougher. However, until now, the content of heavy metals, oil products, pesticides, detergents exceeds the maximum allowable concentration (MAC). This is especially alarming because the waters of the lower reaches of the Volga are rich in fish (sturgeon, perch, herring, smelt, carp, pike).

Caspian Sea- most large lake in the world (368 thousand km 2). It received its modern name in honor of the ancient tribes of the Caspians (horse breeders), who lived in the 1st century BC. BC e. on its coast. The lowest level of the Caspian Sea (-29 m) was registered by scientists in 1997. Since 1998, the water level has begun to rise, at present it has reached -27 m.

Many scientists are engaged in the problem of water level fluctuations in the Caspian Sea. According to some experts, main reason- climatic, and it is associated with a decrease in the activity of the Sun and, as a result, a decrease in the evaporation of water from the surface of the lake. The average salinity of the water in the lake is 11‰, i.e., each liter of water contains 11 g of salt (in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov - 10-12 g, in the Black Sea - from 17 to 22 g).

The flora of the lake is represented by more than 700 species of algae, including green and blue-green. The wealth of the Caspian Sea is sturgeon and salmon species of fish.

To restore stocks of especially valuable sturgeon fish in the lower reaches of the Volga, eight sturgeon hatcheries were built, where sturgeon fry are grown from eggs (Alexandrovsky, Volgogradsky, Lebyazhy).

North Caucasian economic region

Composition of the district(ten subjects of the federation) - the republics: Adygea, Karachay-Cherkess, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia - Alania, Ingushetia, Chechen, Dagestan; Krasnodar, Stavropol Territories; Rostov region.

The area stands out among others with maximum number republics in its composition (seven republics).

conditions for a developed economy. The main wealth area is its agro-climatic potential. There are optimal combinations of climatic and soil conditions for growing most cultivated plants temperate zone, as well as for the development of almost all branches of animal husbandry.

The region provides itself with coal at the expense of the deposits of the eastern wing of Donbass. There are reserves of good quality oil, gas, non-ferrous metal ores (lead, zinc, tungsten and molybdenum, copper, mercury). There are also significant resources of non-metallic raw materials (barite, rock salt, gypsum, marls, dolomites).

The combination of climatic resources with mountainous relief, warm sea creates conditions for the development of resorts and various types of tourism.

Population. This is the only region of the country where the population tends to stabilize. In many republics of the region, a fairly high natural increase has been preserved, and the territories of the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, the Rostov Region are the main regions for receiving migrants not only from the national republics of the region, but from the entire post-Soviet space. The average population density is relatively high - 50 people / km 2.

The ethnic composition is very diverse, for example, it is believed that more than 130 nationalities live in Dagestan. Representatives of the North Caucasian language family stand out (Adygs, Circassians, Kabardians, Ingush, Chechens, Avars, Laks, Dargins, Lezgins, etc.). Representatives also live in the republics Turkic group Altaic language family (Karachays, Balkars, Nogais, Kumyks). Ossetians belong to the Iranian group of the Indo-European language family. Russians prevail in the region as a whole (62%), but their share in the national republics decreases from the west (Adygea - 68%) to the east (Dagestan - 9%). Among Slavic peoples high percentage of Ukrainians.

The urban population is approaching 10 million people, or more than 55% of the total (the lowest in the Russian Federation). The largest cities: Rostov-on-Don (1 million people), Krasnodar (640 thousand people). Rural settlements are numerous. The flat territories are characterized by very large villages (more than 25-30 thousand people).

The North Caucasian region as a whole is provided with labor resources.

Economy. The role of the North Caucasian region in the economic complex of the country is determined by the agro-industrial complex and the recreational complex.

Agro-industrial complex. The region occupies a leading position in the country as the largest producer of rice, sunflower, corn, grapes, tea, fruits and berries, and wool. It stands out for the production of grain crops (Krasnodar Territory provides more than 10% of Russian grain) and sugar beet (2nd place in the country), vegetables (4th place), milk (5th place), meat (4th place) . Almost all agricultural products are processed locally. In some cases, the capacity of enterprises Food Industry so large that they allow the use of not only local raw materials (for example, the sugar industry processes imported raw sugar).

Industry. In Soviet times, the district was one of the largest in the country in terms of agricultural engineering(Rostov, Taganrog, Krasnodar), but economic crisis drastically reduced the performance of this industry. Other areas of mechanical engineering include the production of electric locomotives (Novocherkassk), nuclear reactors(Volgodonsk), steam boilers (Taganrog). The equipment for the food and chemical industries is produced in small numbers.

Now the leading position is chemistry(fertilizers - Nevinnomyssk, Belorechensk, organic chemistry- Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Budennovsk, Volgodonsk).

The electric power industry is mainly represented by large thermal power plants. In connection with the commissioning of the Rostov NPP in 2001, the importance of nuclear power increased sharply.

Transport. The transit position of the region determines the development of almost all types of transport. The largest oil loading port in Russia, Novorossiysk, is located in the region. Automobile and railway routes pass through the region, connecting the country with the south of Ukraine, Georgia, through the ferry with Turkey.

Main problems and development prospects. An analysis of the current economic situation in Russia shows a clearly expressed trend towards a decrease in production volumes in most sectors of the economy. In the North Caucasus, this trend, common to all regions, is exacerbated by the difficult political situation and armed conflicts. The cessation of hostilities in the region, the establishment of peace and stability in the region is the main task of further economic and social development of the North Caucasian economic region.

Development prospects include the most effective use favorable natural and climatic factors of the balneological resources of the region for the development of resort areas and their transformation into world-class resorts, zones of domestic and foreign tourism.

Lower Volga

This one is the northern part of the Southern Federal District, covering the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia, Astrakhan and Volgograd regions. The region has access to the Caspian Sea. The main branches of specialization are the oil and gas industry. In addition, the Volga region is the main area for catching valuable sturgeon fish, one of the most important areas for growing grain crops, sunflower, mustard, vegetables and melons, and a major supplier of wool, meat, and fish.

. The natural resource potential is diverse. A significant area is occupied by the Volga valley, which passes in the south into the Caspian lowland. A special place is occupied by the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, composed of river sediments, favorable for agriculture.

The creation of a large-scale industry in the Volga basin that pollutes its waters, the intensive development of river transport, agriculture, which uses large amounts of mineral fertilizers, a significant part of which is washed into the Volga, the construction of hydroelectric power plants has a negative impact on the river and creates an ecological disaster zone in this area. The region's water resources are significant, but unevenly distributed. In this regard, there is a shortage of water resources in inland areas, especially in Kalmykia. On the territory of the region there are oil and gas resources in the Volgograd region - Zhirnovskoye, Korobkovskoye, the largest gas condensate field is located in the Astrakhan region, on the basis of which a gas industrial complex is being formed.

In the Caspian lowland, in the lakes Baskunchak and Elton, there are resources of table salt; these lakes are also rich in bromine, iodine, and magnesium salts.

Population. The population of the Volga region is distinguished by the diversity of the national composition. Significant specific gravity In the structure of the population in the Republic of Kalmykia, Kalmyks occupy 45.4%. In the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, with the predominance of the Russian population, Kazakhs, Tatars, and Ukrainians live. The population of the Volga region is characterized by its high concentration in the regional centers and the capital of the republic. The population of Volgograd exceeds one million inhabitants. The lowest population density in Kalmykia, here is the smallest share of the urban population.

Economy of the region. The region produces oil and gas. The largest is the Astrakhan gas condensate field, where natural gas is extracted and processed.

Oil refineries and petrochemical plants are located in the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions. The largest enterprise is the Volgograd Oil Refinery. Significant prospects for the development of the petrochemical industry has the Astrakhan region based on the use of hydrocarbon fractions of the Astrakhan field.

The electric power industry of the region is represented by the Volgograd hydroelectric power station and thermal power plants.

The region has a developed machine-building complex: shipbuilding centers - Astrakhan, Volgograd; agricultural engineering is represented by a large tractor plant in Volgograd; chemical and oil engineering is developed in the Astrakhan region.

Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy is developed in Volgograd, largest enterprises- OAO "Volzhsky Pipe Plant", an aluminum plant. The vast resources of the salt lakes have led to the development of the salt industry, which provides 25% of the country's need for food grade salt and other valuable chemical products.

The fishing industry is developed in the Lower Volga region, the main enterprise of the industry is the Kaspryba fishery concern, which includes a caviar and balyk association, a number of large fish processing plants, a marine fleet base, a fishing fleet (Kasprybholod-flot), leading expeditionary fishing in the Caspian Sea. The concern also includes a fish breeding plant for the production of sturgeon fry and a net knitting factory. In agricultural production, the branches of specialization are the cultivation of vegetable and gourd crops, sunflower; in animal husbandry - sheep breeding.

Transport and economic relations. The Volga region exports crude oil and oil products, gas, tractors, fish, grain, vegetables and gourds, etc. It imports timber, mineral fertilizers, machinery and equipment, light industry products. The Volga region has a developed transport network, which provides high-capacity cargo flows.

River, railway and pipeline transport is developed in the region.

Intra-districtdifferences. The Lower Volga region includes the Astrakhan, Volgograd regions and Kalmykia. The Lower Volga region is a sub-region of developed industry - mechanical engineering, chemical, food. At the same time, this is the most important agricultural region with a developed grain economy, beef cattle breeding and sheep breeding, as well as the production of rice, vegetables and gourds and fisheries.

The main centers of the Lower Volga region are Volgograd (engineering, chemical industry are developed), Astrakhan (shipbuilding, the fishing industry, the production of containers, a diverse food industry), Elista (building materials industry, mechanical engineering and metalworking).

The most industrially developed is the Volgograd region, where machine building, ferrous metallurgy, chemical and petrochemical, food and light industries have the largest share in the diversified complex.

Main problems and development prospects. Degradation of natural forage lands, especially in Kalmykia with its transhumant pasture system, is one of the main environmental problems in the region. Environmental damage is caused by industrial emissions and transport to the water and fish resources of the region. The solution to the problem is possible on the basis of the implementation of the targeted federal program "Caspian", the main task of which is to clean up the Volga-Caspian water basin and increase the number of valuable fish species.

One of the main tasks is to equalize the levels of socio-economic development of the most backward regions of the Volga region and, first of all, Kalmykia, which has been granted a number of benefits in taxation and financing. The prospects for the development of this republic are connected with the expansion of oil and gas production, in particular, on the shelf of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Oil Company (CPC) has been set up to engage in exploration and development of oil fields in a number of promising areas of the sea shelf.