The Far Eastern Federal District is the most remote region of the Russian Federation. It includes ten territorial units, including Sakhalin, Yakutia, the Kamchatka Territory and the Amur Region. The region borders on Korea, Japan, the USA and China.

Active settlement of the lands began in the 19th century, although it is known about many peoples who have lived in the territory of the modern region since the Stone Age. Today, an impressive industrial complex has been created on the territory of the Far Eastern District. The demographic diversity is no less significant.

Population of the Far East

The Far East is characterized by low population. On an area of ​​6169.3 thousand square meters. km (39% of the country's area) is home to about 7.6 million people (slightly more than 5% of the population of Russia). That is, the average population density is 1.2 people per square kilometer. For comparison, the population density in Central Russia is 46 people per sq. km. km. However, the distribution of the population across regions is extremely uneven. For example, Primorsky Krai and southern Sakhalin have a density of 12 people. per sq. km, the same indicator in the Kamchatka or Magadan region fluctuates between 0.2 and 0.3.

The demographic situation in the region is characterized by negative dynamics, however, the rapid development of the agro-industrial complex provokes a mechanical increase in the population, and with it a natural one. The bulk of the population of the Far East are Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars and Jews.

But a galaxy of indigenous peoples deserves special attention: Nanai, Aleuts, Evenks, Chukchi, Eskimos and many others. The rapid development of industry mentioned earlier has a negative impact on the number of indigenous peoples. Habitat and traditions are gradually collapsing under the influence of the industry and culture of Russians.

Industry of the Far East

The lands of the Far East are a rich storehouse of natural and fossil resources. The leading positions in the agro-industrial complex of the region are occupied by three industries: mining, forestry and fishing. The mining industry is focused on the extraction, enrichment and, in part, processing of non-ferrous metal ores. Tin, mercury, lead, zinc, and tungsten are supplied from the Far East to European Russia and for export. Particularly noteworthy are the volumes of extraction of gold, silver and diamonds. There are currently 827 mineral deposits in active development throughout the region. In the Magadan region and Yakutia, mining accounts for 60% of the entire industry.

The vast expanses of the region are a place where about a quarter of all Russian timber reserves, or 20 billion cubic meters, are stored. Many industrial enterprises producing paper, furniture, plywood work on these materials. The main export of timber products falls on the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, the Amur Region, Sakhalin and Yakutia.

The Far East is the leader among other regions of the country in terms of fishing and seafood production. Canned Far Eastern products are well known in Russia and far beyond its borders. Among the main species of commercial fish, herring, pollock, tuna, and salmon are especially actively hunted. In addition, crabs, scallops, mussels, squids are actively caught, caviar and seaweed are processed.

Agriculture of the Far East

The climate of the Far East region is diverse, but neither the arctic, nor the subarctic, nor the maritime climate is suitable for the full development of agriculture. However, in the south of the region, in the Primorsky Territory and the Amur Region, about 2% of Russian arable land is located. Grain crops (rice, wheat, oats), fruit and vegetable crops are actively grown here. Of particular note is the cultivation of soybeans.

The livestock sector of agriculture is represented by meat and dairy cattle breeding and pig breeding. Reindeer breeding and fur farming are actively developing in the northern regions of the region.

From ancient times to the beginning of development

17th century

In the 17th century Russian colonization of Siberia and the Far East began. In Yakutsk was founded.

Physical location

Physiography

The Far East is located in 3 time zones, from +10 to +12 UTC.

Climate

The climate of the Far East is distinguished by a special contrast - from sharply continental (the whole of Yakutia, the Kolyma regions of the Magadan region) to monsoonal (southeast), which is due to the vast extent of the territory from north to south (almost 4500 km.) And from west to east (to 2500-3000 km.). This is determined by the interaction of continental and sea air masses of temperate latitudes. The most significant differences between the Far East and Siberia are associated with the predominance of a monsoon climate in the south and a monsoon-like and maritime climate in the north, which is the result of the interaction between the Pacific Ocean and the land of North Asia. The influence of the marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean, especially the cold Sea of ​​Okhotsk, is also noticeable. The complex, predominantly mountainous terrain has a great influence on the climate.

Natural resources

The Far East is one of the regions richest in raw materials in Russia and the world. This gives him the opportunity to occupy an important place in the country's economy for a number of raw material positions. Thus, in the all-Russian production of certain resources, the Far East accounts for (%): diamonds - 98, tin - 80, boron raw materials - 90, gold - 50, tungsten - 14, fish and seafood - more than 40, soybeans - 80, timber - 13, pulp - 7. The main branches of specialization of the Far East: mining and processing of non-ferrous metals, diamond mining, fishing, timber, pulp and paper industry, shipbuilding, ship repair. These factors, while focusing on the domestic market, determined the role of the Far East within Russia.

Primarily extractive industries developed here - fishing, timber industry, mining of non-ferrous metals, which account for more than half of marketable products. Manufacturing industries are extremely underdeveloped. By exporting raw materials, the region loses potential income in the form of value added. Its remoteness causes significant transport surcharges, which are reflected in the cost indicators of most sectors of the economy. The entire economy of the region is developing, as it were, with an increased coefficient of friction.

The Far East has the largest reserves of mineral resources, in terms of the volume of reserves of which the region occupies a leading position in Russia. The Far Eastern reserves of antimony, boron, tin make up about 95% of all reserves of these resources in Russia, fluorspar and - up to 60%, tungsten - 24% and about 10% of the all-Russian reserves of iron ore, lead, native sulfur, apatite. The world's largest diamond-bearing province is located in the north-west of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): the Mir, Aikhal, and Udachnoye diamond deposits account for over 80% of Russia's diamond reserves. The confirmed reserves of iron ore in the south of Yakutia amounted to more than 4 billion tons (about 80% of the regional one), and the reserves of these ores are significant in the Jewish Autonomous Region.

Large coal reserves are located in the Lena and South Yakutsk basins (Yakutia), in the Amur Region, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. The Far East region is one of the most important gold-bearing regions of Russia. Ore and placer gold deposits are concentrated in the Republic of Sakha, Magadan, Amur regions, Khabarovsk Territory and Kamchatka. Tin and tungsten ores have been discovered and are being developed in the Republic of Sakha, Magadan Region, Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. The main industrial reserves of lead and zinc (up to 80% of the regional total) are concentrated in Primorsky Krai.

A large titanium ore province (Kalarsko-Dzhugdzhurskaya) has been identified on the territory of the Amur Region and the Khabarovsk Territory. The main deposits of mercury are located in the Magadan region, Chukotka, Yakutia and the Khabarovsk Territory. In addition to the above, there are reserves of non-metallic raw materials: limestone, marl, refractory clay, quartz sand, sulfur, graphite. In Tommot, on the upper Aldan, unique deposits of mica have been explored. Forest resources.

Forestry, woodworking and pulp and paper industry. The forest resources of the Far East are large and diverse (about 11 billion cubic meters). Forests here account for over 35% of the total Russian resources.

Geopolitical position

The Far East region, of course, is of great geopolitical and geostrategic importance for Russia.

Firstly, the region has access to two oceans: the Pacific and the Arctic, borders on five states (China, Japan, USA, Mongolia, North Korea).

Secondly, the region has huge natural resources, for example, about 1/3 of the country's coal reserves and hydrotechnical resources. Forest tracts occupy about 30% of the total forest area in Russia. The region has reserves of iron ores, gold, silver, platinum, copper ores, polymetallic ores, and platinum.

Thirdly, given the high rates of development of the Asia-Pacific region both in the economic and military fields, integration into the region is very promising for Russia. The RFE can serve as that "bridge" in the Asia-Pacific region with a sensibly pursued policy.

For comparison, the nearest neighbor of the Far East of Russia - Japan has a small territory of 377 thousand km² (61st place in the world in terms of territory), while the population of Japan is 127.5 million people. (10th in the world in terms of population, just behind Russia). The population density of Japan is 337.4 people / km² (18th in the world in terms of population density).

More than a hundred million people live in the three provinces of Northeast China, while on the other side of the border in an area of ​​​​6.2 million square kilometers of the Far Eastern Federal District, the population has declined from about 9 million in 1991 to 6 million. in 2011, and by 2015 the federal district may lose another 500,000 people.

One of the reasons for the active development of partnership between Russia and the European Union, which should result in the creation of an economic alliance, proposed by Vladimir Putin, located on the territory from Vladivostok to Lisbon, is the economic development of the Far Eastern territories. Russia, still highly dependent on the commodity market, and deindustrialized Europe can help each other and use the advantages of both economic systems

Also, one of the economic partners of Russia could be Japan - which has huge financial, economic and technological resources (Japan ranks 2nd in the world, after the United States, in terms of the nominal value of GDP, which is more than $ 5 trillion), and is in dire need of natural resources and new markets for the development of their economy.

Population

The population of the Far Eastern Federal District as of January 1, 2012 was estimated at 6,265,833 people; this is 0.3% less than in 2011. Demographic losses, unlike other federal districts of the Russian Federation, are mainly due to the migration outflow of the population.

Currently, the birth rate in the district exceeds the death rate (that is, there is a natural increase in the population). In January-October 2012, the birth rate in the Far Eastern Federal District was 13.9 per 1,000 people, the death rate was 13.1, and the rate of natural increase was 0.8. At the same time, the birth rate in the Far Eastern Federal District is higher than the national average, and the mortality rate is lower. Compared to the previous year, there is an increase in the birth rate, a decrease in mortality and an increase in the natural increase rate. At the same time, the migration outflow of the population, which exceeds the natural increase, is currently preserved, therefore, the population is decreasing.

The average life expectancy of the Okrug's population in 2009 was 66 years, including among men - 60 years, among women - 72 years, urban population - 67 years, rural population - 64 years. The life expectancy of the population of the district has been constantly growing in recent years, in 2004-2009 it increased by 3.6 years.

One of the main features of the historical Far East in terms of demography is an insignificant population in comparison with the total area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe territory. This situation is explained by harsh natural and climatic conditions and the position in relation to the transport arteries. Therefore, for a long time, in order to retain the population and attract labor, there were special benefits and wage increases. However, due to the termination of state support after the collapse of the USSR, the population began to decline rapidly: from 8 million people. in 1991 to 6,284 thousand people at the beginning of 2011. The average population density in Primorsky Krai is about 13.5 people per sq. km. km, in the Khabarovsk Territory - 2.0, in the Jewish Autonomous Region - 5.7, in the Amur Region - 2.8, in Yakutia - 0.3, in Chukotka - 0.1. Depopulation, which previously occurred throughout the country as a whole, hit the Far East (and Siberia) most severely, as well as the system-wide economic and social crisis. An alternative opinion of K. Gaddy and F. Hill, the authors of the book "The Siberian Curse" is that the Far East overpopulated in comparison with similar regions of Canada and Alaska, given the climate and distance from the main centers of population; such an opinion, however, has been repeatedly criticized both for anti-Russian sentiments and for actually incorrect conclusions expressing “the sincere errors of the authors, and not their bias.”

In 2012, there is an increase in population in the cities of Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Chukotka, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Although the entire Far East is depopulating in 2012, the depopulation is declining. .

In 2007, the opinion was expressed that if extraordinary measures were not taken, the region could fall into a "demographic hole" in the period 2015-2025.

Table 1. Demographic development of the Far East in 1985-2003

Indicator	1985	1991	1993	2003
Population, thousand people (as of 01.01)	7462,1	8056,6	7899,6	6634,1
Born, thousand people	138,6	110,0	82,1	77,0
Birth rate	18,3	13,7	10,5	11,6
total fertility rate	2.08 (1989-1990)	1,843	1,44	1.29 (2001)
Died, thousand people	63,3	67,9	92,3	98,9
Death rate	8,3	8,6	11,8	14,9
infant mortality rate	23,0	18,7	21,2	15,9
Natural population growth, thousand people	75,3	41,2	-10,2	-22,0
Natural increase rate	10,0	5,1	-1,3	-3,3
Balance of migration, thousand people	43,5	-65,4	-101	-23,6
General increase (decrease) in the population, thousand people)	118,8	-24,2	-111,2	-45,6

A significant problem is the migration loss in the Far East, although in Russia as a whole there is a migration growth of the population. In 2008, the total migration growth rate was -30.5 per 1,000 population, in 2009 - -27.8, in 2011 - -2.8. Thus, the scale of migration loss of the population is reduced. According to Professor Vadim Zausaev, director of the Far Eastern Market Research Institute, this is because the “most ambitious” have already left. According to a poll among residents of the district, which was reported in 2011, 19.3% of respondents expressed a desire to live in another city; 17.2 would like to live in another country.

In 2007, it was argued that the region's attractiveness is not facilitated by low compared to the national average growth in GRP and incomes of the population, especially since demographic problems are also felt in other regions of Russia, although not in such a catastrophic way. At the same time, since 2009, the district has been overtaking Russia in terms of GRP growth. According to Viktor Ishaev, Minister for the Development of the Far East, Far Easterners work 30% more and more intensively than other Russians; and although wages are often higher in the Far East, taking into account purchasing power parity and the high cost of living, in general, the standard of living in the Far Eastern Federal District is lower than the Russian average. small [ specify] availability of commodity mass , the number of the poor is higher .

The ratio of men and women (as of 2002) differed from the situation in the whole country: if in Russia there were 113 women for every 100 males (as of 1996), then in Primorsky Krai the ratio was 100:102, in the Amur Region - 100:101, in the Khabarovsk Territory - 100:103

Table 2. Life expectancy (according to 1999 data)

Territory	1989-1990	1995	2000	2010
the Russian Federation	69,4	64,6	65,3	66,5
Russian Far East	67,6	62,3	63,9	65
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)	66,9	62,7	64,6	65,6
Jewish Autonomous Region	…	61,1	62,5	63,6
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug	…	62,6	66,9	68,1
Primorsky Krai	67,9	63,4	64	65,2
Khabarovsk region	67,3	63,1	63,4	64,6
Amurskaya Oblast	68,2	63,7	63,1	64,3
Kamchatka Krai	66,1	61,6	64,2	65,4
Magadan Region	67	61	65	66,7
Sakhalin region	67,3	55,3	63,9	65,6

As of the mid 1990s [ specify] the labor resources of the region are estimated at only 3 million people. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the nature of the resource economy and resource production as extreme, uncomfortable work, it requires a specific workforce that has a short life cycle and must be constantly replaced. . As a result, there is a shortage of workers.

Against this background, the educational potential seems to be clearly excessive: today 100% of schoolchildren can enter a university, however, upon graduation, they cannot find a job in their specialty and leave.

The area of ​​housing per capita in the district in 2010 was 21.8 m² per person (the Russian average is 22.6 m²), which is higher than in the Siberian and North Caucasian federal districts, but less than in other districts. At the same time, the provision of housing is growing at a faster pace; in 1990-2010, the area of ​​housing per capita in the Far Eastern Federal District increased by 7.5 m² (on average in Russia - by 6.2 m²). .

According to the data for 2005, only Chukotka and Yakutia included expenditures to reduce depopulation in the budgets; Housing construction and concessional lending are poorly developed in the Okrug.

The issue of Chinese migration to the Russian Far East

Main article: The issue of Chinese migration to the Russian Far East

Mass migration to Russia began after the signing of an agreement on visa-free entry to border towns in 1992. The visitors are mainly from the border counties of Heilongjiang Province. Among migrants, men aged 20 to 50 years (data for 2002) with low incomes predominate. The main areas of employment are construction, industry, agriculture and general commercial activities. According to some experts, the proximity of overpopulated China can lead to serious geopolitical problems for Russia in the Far East.

Problem Solving Ways

As a solution to a whole range of demographic problems, experts propose to pursue a protectionist policy:

• activation of the economic and social life of the region
• establishing control over prices (for electricity, for travel)
• consolidation of the old-timer population and other measures.

Economy

In 2009, the Okrug's gross regional product (GRP) per capita amounted to 268,000 rubles, which is 19% higher than in Russia as a whole. In 2010, 80% of the region's GRP was produced on the territory of four subjects: Primorsky Krai (21.7%), Sakhalin Oblast (20.6%), Yakutia (19.4%) and Khabarovsk Krai (18.2%). According to the List of Russian regions by GRP for 2009, these subjects are above the national average.

In the 2000s, the economy of the Far Eastern Federal District experienced steady growth, which was not interrupted even during the global economic crisis of 2008-2009. From 1999 to 2010, the gross regional product of the Far Eastern Federal District increased by 73%. At the same time, since 2009, the growth of the district's GRP has outpaced the Russian average. So, in 2009, the GRP of the Far Eastern Federal District increased by 1.5% (Russian - decreased by 7.6%), in 2010 - by 6.8% (Russian - by 4.6%). In 2011, the volume of GRP increased by 5.4% compared to 2010 and amounted to 2.3 trillion rubles. Industrial production from the level of 1990 on average in Russia is 80.7%, and in the Far East - 103%.

Sectoral structure of the district's GRP (according to data for 2010):

• Agriculture and forestry, fishing - 6.5%
• Mining - 24.7%
• Manufacturing industry - 5.6%
• Production and distribution of electricity, gas and water - 4.2%
• Construction - 12.2%
• Trade - 10.2%
• Hotels and restaurants - 0.8%
• Transport and communications - 13.4%
• Education and healthcare - 7.7%
• Finance and services - 7.3%
• State administration and military security - 7.4%

The economy of the Far East is developing from a focal state, infrastructurally and economically isolated from the main part of Russia, to large investment projects based on public-private partnerships. The investment portfolio until 2025 is planned in the amount of 9 trillion rubles. The main tasks of the development of the Far East are the formation of a permanent population in the region, the leveling of the conditions for functioning, the change in the structure of the economy and integration into the Asia-Pacific region. To date, all regions of the Far East are subsidized.

Mining

827 deposits are exploited on the territory. A significant proportion are diamonds, gold, silver, non-ferrous metals: tin, lead, mining and chemical and mining raw materials: boron, fluorspar.

timber industry

The Far East has a resource base of approximately 20 billion cubic meters of industrial timber - a quarter of Russia's reserves. The level of processing is about 30%. 12 major projects are being implemented to create new enterprises in the field of wood processing, which will create over 5,000 jobs.

Investments

The volume of investments in fixed assets in the Okrug in 2010 amounted to 726 billion rubles, or 115 thousand rubles per capita. The volume of investments per capita in the Far Eastern Federal District is almost twice as high as the average Russian level.

In the first half of 2011, the economy of the Far East received 5.7 billion dollars of foreign investment, with an increase of 1.8 times compared to the corresponding period of 2010. However, this is only 6.5% of all foreign investment attracted to Russia. The main investors of the territories of the Far East in the period from 2002 to 2009 are the Netherlands - 49.2% of the accumulated foreign investments, Japan - 12.1%, Great Britain - 8.8%, India - 3.7%, Bahamas - 6% and Cyprus - 3.2%. Mining remains the most attractive industry for foreign investors, where almost 90% of their investments are directed. Despite the influx of capital, according to academician Pavel Minakir, “the economy of the Far East is extremely inefficient… the return on these investments is minimal. Over the past 40 years, the return on each ruble invested has been 18 kopecks.”

According to V. I. Ishaev, the volume of investments in the Far East in 2011 amounted to at least 1 trillion rubles, including government funds and investment by companies.

Population income

The average salary, pension and income of the population of the district are ahead of the national average. In 2010, the average salary in the Far Eastern Federal District was 25.8 thousand rubles per month (23% higher than the average in Russia), the average income was 20.8 thousand rubles per month (10% higher than the average in Russia), the average pension was 8.9 thousand rubles. From 2000 to 2010, the average nominal salary and average income in the district increased by 8 times, and the pension by 9 times.

The cost of a minimum set of food products in the Far Eastern Federal District is 35% higher than the average for Russia (as of mid-2011), the cost of a fixed set of consumer goods and services for interregional comparisons of the purchasing power of the population is 28% (as of the end of 2010).

Modernization

The conditions for economic modernization are:

• attracting private investment to the region using the principle of public-private partnership
• regimes of special economic zones
• tax preferences for investors
• stimulating domestic demand and increasing the purchasing power of the population

The existing problems for investment in the region are:

• remoteness of the territories of the Far East
• harsh climatic conditions
• lack or limited road infrastructure
• lack or total absence of power supply
• clumsy bureaucratic mechanism (solving almost all issues through Moscow)
• legislative gaps and inconsistencies

Administrative division

Largest cities

Small administrative centers

1. Magadan is the administrative center of the Magadan Region. Population ▼ 95,925 people (2010).
2. Birobidzhan is the administrative center of the Jewish Autonomous Region. Population ▼ 75 419 people (2010).
3. Anadyr is the administrative center of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Population ▲ 13,053 (2010).

Radio stations of the Far East

• Radio East of Russia - (Khabarovsk)
• Vladivostok FM - (Vladivostok)
• Radio VBC (Vladivostok)
• Radio Lemma - (Vladivostok)
• Radio Ussuri - (Ussuriysk)
• Radio 105.5 - (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk)
• Fresh FM - (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk)
• Radio SV - (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky)
• Radio Blizzard - (Anadyr)
• Radio Victoria - (Yakutsk)
• Kiin Radio - (Yakutsk)
• Sakhaly Victoria Radio - (Yakutsk)
• STV-Radio - (Yakutsk)
• FM-Birobidzhan - (Birobidzhan)
• Radio Dacha - (Khabarovsk)

Internet

Internet coverage of the population of the Far East is almost 50% (2012).

Transport

The overall level of development of the transport network in the region is extremely low, in fact, only in the south of the region in the Amur region, Primorye and Sakhalin there is a network of railways and roads. The northern regions have practically no infrastructure. The level of development of transport infrastructure in the Far East is the lowest in Russia, which makes it difficult to supply, and greatly increases transport costs and the cost of production.

The network of paved roads in the Far East is 5.3 km per 1000 km², the average for Russia is 31.7 km per 1000 km².

Rail transport is the main type of trunk transport. It accounts for over 80% of cargo turnover and about 40% of domestic passenger traffic in the territory. The total length of the road network is 41.5 thousand km. The number of airfields for civil aviation is 107. There are 28 seaports. The main ports are Vostochny, Nakhodka, Vladivostok, Vanino and De-Kastri. There is a ferry service Vanino-Kholmsk.

The Far East has the highest rate among the districts of Russia in terms of provision of cars and is ahead of the average Russian indicator: there are 329 cars per thousand inhabitants.

• The Trans-Siberian Railway, the largest and longest railway in Russia, passes through the Far East.
• On the territory of the Far East, the Baikal-Amur Mainline was built - the railway line of Eastern Siberia.
• The construction of a new Amur-Yakutsk railway line from Skovorodino to Yakutsk is nearing completion.
• Through the Far East on the route Chita - Skovorodino - Svobodny - Birobidzhan - Khabarovsk passes the federal highway Amur.
• On the route Yakutsk - Magadan passes the federal highway Kolyma.
• The Ussuri federal highway runs along the route Khabarovsk - Vladivostok.
• On the route Khabarovsk - Nakhodka in the second half of the 20th century, it was planned to build a federal highway Vostok.
• The Bering Strait Tunnel , the Sakhalin Tunnel and the Sakhalin - Hokkaido Tunnel are under discussion .
• The Sakhalin-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok gas pipeline and the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline are under construction.

Far East Airlines

• Khabarovsk Airlines based in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur.
• Vostok Airlines based in Khabarovsk, small airport.

Interesting facts about the Far East

Mobile operators Far East

see also

• Ministry for the Development of the Far East of the Russian Federation

Notes

1. The Far East of Russia in the encyclopedia Around the World
2. Ekaterina Motrich: We are getting smaller.
3. Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation - Program "Economic and social development of the Far East and Transbaikalia for the period up to 2013"
4. Server of the Government of the Khabarovsk Territory - Socio-economic strategy for the development of the Khabarovsk Territory and Transbaikalia
5. Atlas of Asiatic Russia. - St. Petersburg: Edition of the Resettlement Administration, 1914. - S. 14.
6. TSB: USSR. Physical-geographical (natural) countries
7. N. A. Gvozdetsky, I. I. Mikhailov. Physical geography of the USSR. Asian part. Publishing house 3. M.: "Thought", 1978, ss. 387, 410.
8. Heilongjiang, Liaoning and Jilin provinces.
9. Lintner, Bertil (2006-05-27), ""The Chinese are coming ... to Russia"", Asia Times Online, . Retrieved 18 January 2009.
10. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" - Economics of the Far East No. 5623. 03.11.2011. Packing suitcases. The authorities are still powerless to stop the migration of the population from the district
11. Chinese tutor.
12. Center for Political Technologies.
13. Stephen J. Blank“Toward a New Chinese Order in Asia: Russia’s Failure” NBR Reports (Mar 2011)
14. Russian experts deny the threat of Chinese immigrants to the Far East of the Russian Federation. 03/06/2009 // People's Daily
15. Chinese sword
16. Zbigniew Brzezinski: Russia is in danger of becoming an empty space
17. News article on Lenta. Ru”: “Putin offered Europe an economic alliance from Vladivostok to Lisbon” - 11/25/2010
18. CIA - The World Factbook - Field Listing:: GDP (official exchange rate)
19. Estimated resident population as of January 1, 2011, January 1, 2012 and 2011 average. Goskomstat
20. http://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=15586340
21. Demographic Prospects for the Russian Far East (copy)
22. Population of the Russian Far East
23. Interregional Association for Economic Cooperation Far East and Transbaikalia - Types of economic activity
24. Information on the number of registered, born, deceased, marriages and divorces for January - October 2012. Goskomstat
25. Life expectancy at birth (indicator value for the year, year)
26. Economic organization of Chinese migration to the Russian Far East after the collapse of the USSR
27. Migration situation in the Far East and Russian policy. Research Papers/Carnegie Center, Issue 7, February 1996.
28. The authorities are still powerless to stop the outflow of the population from the Far East - Tatyana Alexandrova, Inna Glebova, Irina Drobysheva - “They are packing their bags” - Russian Ga…
29. China and the Russian Far East: on the issue of demographic imbalance
30. Russia: the danger of losing Siberia and the Far East in the light of demography and geopolitics
31. Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy. The Siberian Curse. How Communist Planners Left Russia out in the Cold. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, 2003.
32. Soboleva S. V., Doctor of Economics, Institute of Economics and Organization of Industrial Production of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. So that Siberia does not become depopulated // [[ECO (magazine)|]]. - 2004. - No. 8
33. Siberia: pearl or ballast of Russia? // Russian newspaper, August 26, 2005
34. Lunev S. Siberia is worth a Mass // Nezavisimaya Gazeta, March 4, 2004
35. Ministry of the Far East. Interview of Viktor Ishaev to the Vesti channel
36. Russian demographic barometer
37. Newspapers write about the problems of the Far East
38. Motrich E. Population of the Far East and NEA countries: current state and development prospects // Perspectives of the Far East region: population, migration, labor markets. M., 1999. S. 108.
39. Estimated resident population for 2008. Goskomstat
40. Estimated resident population for 2009. Goskomstat
41. Estimated resident population for 2011. Goskomstat
42. Indices of the physical volume of the gross regional product in 1998-2010
43. Standard of living in the regions of the Far East
44. Problems of socio-economic development of the Far East (Abstract)
45. Far East of Russia: economic potential. Vladivostok, 1999, p. 430
46. Motrich E. Population of the Far East and NEA countries: current state and development prospects // Perspectives of the Far East region: population, migration, labor markets. M., 1999. S. 68.
47. Larin VL Russia in East Asia on the Eve of the 21st Century: Ethnodemographic and Civilizational Incentives and Barriers // Population Processes in the Regional Structure of Russia in the 18th-20th centuries. Novosibirsk, 1996. S. 23-32

For the opening of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in autumn 2017, the Presidential Library has prepared a collection dedicated to one of the most important and most dynamically developing regions of Russia - the Far East.

During the XVII-XVIII centuries. Russian pioneers moved to the East and successively explored Eastern Siberia, and then the Pacific and American coasts. After the final establishment of the Russian-Chinese border, the Russian Far East was actively explored and explored in the 19th century. and became the pillar of our oceanic power and the center of overseas trade. By the beginning of the XX century. its geographical features, flora and fauna were studied in detail, mineral deposits were discovered, and the first modern ports began to be built.

The small local population has become a new decoration for the lush inflorescence of tribes and peoples of the Russian State.

The Russian Far East has become a place where direct acquaintance and cooperation between the peoples of Russia, China, Korea and Japan, strengthened by honest interest in each other, mutually beneficial cooperation and not destroyed by the military vicissitudes of the 20th century, arose and strengthened.

Accelerating with each century, the migration of Russian people to the Far East went on: cities and factories stood up, railways connected Russia with its new neighbors. The rapid development of the Far East in the Russian Empire continued, albeit in new historical forms, in the USSR, while preserving the traditional culture of local tribes and peoples and supporting the settlers.

After a brief stagnation and decline in the 90s. 20th century Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Far East has been rapidly turning into a region of advanced development and has attracted significant attention from both entrepreneurs in Russia and neighboring countries, who are investing more and more capital in the creation of new high-tech enterprises in the Far East.

The new collection of the Presidential Library presents digital copies of official documents, monographs, abstracts, periodicals, albums, photographs, maps, archival materials.

When preparing the collection, materials were used from the official websites of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation, the funds of the Russian State Historical Archive, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Library, the Russian National Library, the State Public Historical Library, the Central Naval Library, St. Petersburg State University, Altai Regional Universal Scientific Library, Amur Regional Scientific Library, Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, Birobidzhan Regional Universal Scientific Library, Far Eastern State Scientific Library, Don State Public Library, Duma of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Transbaikal Regional Universal Scientific Library, Irkutsk Regional State Universal Scientific Library , Kamchatka Regional Scientific Library, Magadan Regional Duma, Magadan Regional Universal scientific library, the Moscow Theological Academy, the National Library of the Republic of Buryatia, the Novosibirsk State Regional Scientific Library, the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents, the Russian State Pedagogical University. A. I. Herzen, Russian Geographical Society, Tambov Regional Universal Scientific Library, Pacific State University, Tyumen Regional Scientific Library, Fundamental Library of the Far Eastern State University, Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, Center for Information Technologies and Systems of Executive Authorities, Autonomous Non-Commercial Organization " Tyumen Region Today, the Achinsk Local History Museum, the Children's Postcard Museum, the Expert Group Publishing House, Krasivaya Strana LLC, and the Nashe Radio radio station.

The Far East is traditionally called the territory of Russia, located off the coast of the Pacific and partially Arctic Oceans, as well as the Kuril, Commander, Shantar Islands and Sakhalin Island. The Far East is a huge territory, 36% of the total area of ​​modern Russia.

Geography and climate

The length of the region from Chukotka to the southwest to the borders of Korea and Japan is 4500 km. It captures the Arctic Circle, where snow lies all year round. The lands in the northern part of the Far East are bound by permafrost, on which the tundra grows. In fact, almost the entire territory of the Far East, except for Primorye and the southern half of Kamchatka, is located in the permafrost zone.

To the south the climate and nature change considerably. In the south of the Far East, taiga trees coexist with plants from the subtropics (which is not repeated almost anywhere in the world).

Far East. Nature

In the view of the majority, and in fact, the Far East is a vast taiga, mountains and other irregularities of the territory that attract extreme tourists so much. The rivers Amur, Penzhin, Anadyr and a number of less significant ones flow here.

The relief of the Far East has a strongly rugged character and is represented mainly by mountainous forms. There are several watershed ranges: Kolyma, Dzhugdzhur, Yablonovyo and Stanovoy. There are powerful mountain systems, for example: the Tukuringra and Jagdy ranges. The peaks of the mountain ranges of the Far East, as a rule, do not exceed 2500 m.

The landscapes of the Far East are very diverse. Plains stretch along its tributaries. In the north and west, these plains are covered with southern taiga forests of special Daurian larch. In the south, on the flat Prikhankaysko-Amur lowland, unique Manchurian broad-leaved forests grow. Many relict and southern plants are found in them: Mongolian oak, Amur linden, white-bark elm, Manchurian ash, hornbeam, cork tree.

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The vast lowlands located between the mountain ranges are very interesting for their flora and fauna: Zee-Bureinskaya, Nizhne-Amurskaya, Ussuriyskaya and Prikhankayskaya. But in general, the plains occupy no more than 25% of the area of ​​the region.

Winters are severe and with little snow, summers are relatively warm and with heavy rainfall. Winter is characterized by weak winds, a large number of sunny days, little snow and severe frosts. Especially gets from frost to the inhabitants of the most remote mainland, for example, in Transbaikalia. Here, on average, up to 10 mm of precipitation falls during the winter. Sometimes you can't go sledding either.

Rains in the Far East, the closer to China and the sea, the more similar to showers in the tropics, but only in intensity, but not in temperature. In the summer in the Far East, you can easily come across a swamp; the swampiness of the territories reaches 15-20%.

The tastiest piece of Russia for the damned imperialists. The richest region, the natural pantry of diamonds (in Yakutia more than 80% of all reserves of Russia), in almost every subject of the region there are gold deposits (50% of Russia's reserves), deposits of non-ferrous metals, minerals, there is coal, and oil, and gas.

Cities of the Russian Far East

The major cities include Vladivostok, Khabarovsk. These cities are of great economic and geostrategic importance for the country. Blagoveshchensk, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Nakhodka, Ussuriysk, Magadan should also be mentioned.

The city of Yakutsk is of particular importance for the entire region. But in Chukotka there are endangered settlements. The places there are harsh and hard to reach - people leave.

Population of the Far East

There are many nationalities in the Far East, but Russians predominate everywhere. Russians are about 88%, the second group is Ukrainians - about 7%. There are, of course, Koreans, Chinese (which is not surprising), Belarusians, Jews.

The population of the Far East is 6.3 million people. (about 5% of the population of Russia).

Indigenous peoples:

• Yakuts,
• Dolgans, Evenki and Eveny in the north,
• the northeast is occupied by the Eskimos and Chukchi,
• on the islands - Aleuts,
• in Kamchatka - Itelmens and Koryaks,
• in the Amur basin and to the east of it - Nanai, Ulchi, terms, Orochi, Udege, Nivkhs.

The number of Yakuts is about 380 thousand people, Evenks - 24 thousand. And the rest - no more than 10 thousand people. Difficult living conditions have determined that the urban population prevails over the rural. On average, 76% of the population of the Far East lives in cities.

Despite the rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing on the basis of confrontation with the West, there is a point of hidden conflict in the relations of these countries - the Far East, Sankei Shimbun writes in his article. Illegal Chinese migration to these lands worries Russians, and Chinese residents consider the territories “stolen” as a result of unequal treaties of the 19th century.

A conflict will erupt if the spark of Chinese nationalism is ignited, a Japanese newspaper warns.

The Chinese are infiltrating the Far East, where few Russians live, and suppressing them from a psychological point of view. Russian research institutes believe that in the near future the Chinese will become the most numerous nationality in the Far East region. The Chinese believe that with the help of unequal agreements that were concluded in the 19th century, part of the Far East, including Vladivostok, was taken away from them, so they are wary of the Russians.

While the leaders of Russia and China are enjoying a "honeymoon" in relations against the Western countries, a conflict is flaring up right under their noses.

The Chinese attack Russia not in tanks, but in suits.

In July, the American company ABC News published an analytical article written by a Russian expert. According to Russian media, a Russian government official in charge of border control said that 1.5 million Chinese have illegally entered the Far East over the past year and a half. While the numbers are somewhat exaggerated, he says, there is definitely a significant influx of Chinese crossing the border.

According to the Carnegie Moscow Center, in 1977 there were only 250,000 Chinese in Russia, but now their number has grown to two million people, which is comparable to the population of a large city. The government organization responsible for migration control claims that in 20-30 years the Chinese will dominate the Far East, becoming the largest ethnic group.

The population of the Far Eastern Federal District, which is twice the size of India, is 6.3 million people, which is not much more than the population of Japan's Hyogo prefecture. At the same time, the population of the Chinese provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang, bordering Russia, exceeds 100 million people.

Blagoveshchensk and Heihe, which are located on opposite sides of the Amur River that runs along the border, reflect the difference in the development of both regions.

Across from a provincial town of 200,000 is a large modern city with high-rise buildings and a population of two million.

The ABC News article notes that the Russian Far East is to China what the United States is to Mexico: these countries use their neighbors to drain population surpluses. Meanwhile, relations between Russia and China cannot be compared with relations between Mexico and the United States, where a presidential candidate proposes to build a wall to combat illegal migration. As for Russian-Chinese relations, China is superior to Russia in them, where it sends its population.

In 20 years the mayor will be a Chinese?

After the collapse of the USSR, the population of the Far East was declining. There is a serious labor shortage problem in the region. The area of ​​abandoned lands has grown; local residents alone are unable to maintain all the fields in proper condition.

According to a professor at the University of Chicago Loyola Mikhail Khodarkovsky, who published an article in The New York Times, over the past ten years, 800,000 square kilometers of farmland, twice the size of Japan, have been leased to the Chinese at a low price. There is a large-scale activity in the cultivation of soybeans, corn, as well as the breeding of pigs.

This year, the Trans-Baikal Territory, which borders China, agreed to lease 1,150 square kilometers of land to Chinese companies, about half the size of Tokyo. The lease term will be 49 years. The price is amazing: about 500 yen per hectare per year. The Russians expressed a strong protest: According to them, in 20 years the mayor will be a Chinese.

The Russian government has passed a law allowing Russians to lease land free of charge in the hope of speeding up their resettlement, but many experts fear that the post-Soviet situation could repeat itself. In the 1990s, the shares of state corporations were snapped up in the blink of an eye. As a result, only a special caste associated with the authorities lined their pockets.

The Far East cannot stand up without China, which leads to an influx of Chinese.

Professor Khodarkovsky notes: "The Russian lands along the Amur have already turned into a Chinese fiefdom."

Unrecovered lands.

As a result of the influx of Chinese, a movement for the return of the lands is emerging, but the return of the Russian territories will not be easy.

The Russian Empire, which was part of the Western forces, in 1858 and 1860 signed the Aigun and Beijing treaties with the weakened China, according to which it received the Far Eastern region. These vast territories, including Primorsky Krai, are several times larger than Japan. As a result, China lost access to the sea in the northeast of the country. These were humiliating and unequal treaties for China - as in the situation with Hong Kong, which was ceded to Great Britain after the Opium War.

In the 1960s, a territorial conflict even broke out between China and the USSR. It came to an armed clash. Nevertheless, after the end of the Cold War, negotiations began on the demarcation of the borders, and in 2008 the parties reached an agreement. At present, Russia and China have no territorial problems.

Despite this, statements about the lands taken by Russia often appear on the Chinese Internet.

In July, The New York Times ran a report on Vladivostok, which has been visited by a growing number of Chinese in recent years. It is a western-type city, the name of which means "to own the East". This abandoned coastal region developed as a stronghold in the Far East.

“Obviously, these lands belonged to us. But I don’t think about returning them as soon as possible,” says a Chinese from Jilin Province. A representative of one of the Vladivostok historical research institutes emphasizes: “Chinese scientists and officials do not talk about the rights to Vladivostok, but ordinary Chinese, thinking about unfair treaties, believe that someday these territories should be returned.”

Ice cream as a symbol of the "honeymoon"

The territorial nationalism fueled by the Chinese authorities over Taiwan, Tibet, the Senkaku archipelago and the South China Sea has already gone beyond the government's intentions and turned towards Russia. Many Chinese already believe that the Far East is stolen territory.

During a summit meeting held in September in Hangzhou, President Putin presented to the head of China Xi Jinping his favorite Russian ice cream, thus illustrating the "honeymoon" in bilateral relations. Russia and China are in confrontation with Western countries over Crimea and the South China Sea, respectively, and are strengthening bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Pandora's box, fraught with the territorial problem in the Far East, is still closed. If nationalism escalates, then the ice cream is likely to melt quickly.