Volgograd Region (Волгогра́дская о́бласть)

Volgograd Oblast (Russian: Волгогра́дская о́бласть, Volgogradskaya oblast) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the Volga region of Southern Russia. Its administrative center is Volgograd. The population of the oblast was 2,610,161 in the 2010 Census.

Formerly known as Stalingrad Oblast, it was given its present name in 1961, when the city of Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd as part of de-Stalinization. Volgograd Oblast borders Rostov Oblast in the southwest, Voronezh Oblast in the northwest, Saratov Oblast in the north, Astrakhan Oblast and the Republic of Kalmykia in the southeast, and has an international border with Kazakhstan in the east. The two main rivers in European Russia, the Don and the Volga, run through the oblast and are connected by the Volga–Don Canal. Volgograd Oblast's strategic waterways have made it a popular route for shipping and for the generation of hydroelectricity.

Volgograd Oblast is best known as the primary site of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II, often regarded as one of the single largest and the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare.

Geography

• Borders length: 2,221.9 kilometers (1,380.6 mi)

Volgograd Oblast borders with Saratov, Rostov, Astrakhan, and Voronezh Oblasts, as well as with Kalmykia of Russia and with Kazakhstan (West Kazakhstan Region).

Volgograd has more than 200 rivers and streams. The major ones include:

• The Volga River
• The Don River
• The Medveditsa River
• The Khopyor River

History

Stalingrad Oblast (Сталинградская область) was established on December 5, 1936 on the territory of former Stalingrad Krai. The oblast was given its present name on November 10, 1961.

Politics

 

Building of the Oblast Duma and Oblast Government

During the Soviet period, three people exercised oblast-level authority:

1. the first secretary of the Volgograd CPSU Committee (who in reality had the most power)
2. the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power)
3. the chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power)

In 1991 the CPSU lost de facto power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.

The Charter of Volgograd Oblast provides the fundamental law of the region. The Legislative Assembly of Volgograd Oblast is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body, the Oblast Government, includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day-to-day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor, who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the oblast Charter in accordance with the Constitution of Russia.

Demographics

Population: 2,610,161 (2010 Census); 2,699,223 (2002 Census); 2,593,944 (1989 Census).

Vital statistics for 2012

• Births: 30,252 (11.7 per 1000)
• Deaths: 35,021 (13.5 per 1000) 
• Total fertility rate: 2009 - 1.46 | 2010 - 1.45 | 2011 - 1.44 | 2012 - 1.54 | 2013 - 1.53 | 2014 - 1.57 | 2015 1.59 | 2016 1.57(e)

Settlements

Largest cities or towns in Volgograd Oblast 2010 Russian Census
	Rank		Administrative Division	Pop.
Volgograd Volzhsky	1	Volgograd	City of oblast significance of Volgograd	1,021,215	Kamyshin Mikhaylovka
	2	Volzhsky	City of oblast significance of Volzhsky	314,255
	3	Kamyshin	Kamyshinsky District	119,565
	4	Mikhaylovka	Mikhaylovsky District	59,132
	5	Uryupinsk	Uryupinsky District	41,590
	6	Frolovo	Frolovsky District	39,449
	7	Kalach-na-Donu	Kalachyovsky District	26,910
	8	Kotovo	Kotovsky District	24,115
	9	Gorodishche	Gorodishchensky District	21,381
	10	Surovikino	Surovikinsky District	20,533

Ethnic groups

(shown are the ethnic groups with a population of more than 7,500 people)

• 44,541 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.

Religion

According to a 2012 survey 54.5% of the population of Volgograd Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 4% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 2% are Orthodox Christian believers who don't belong to any church or are members of non-Russian Orthodox churches, 3% are Muslims. In addition, 18% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 12% is atheist, and 6.5% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.

Government

Governor of Volgograd Oblast is Anatoliy Brovko (since 2010)

Both the flag and the coat of arms of Volgograd Oblast include an image of The Motherland Calls, an 85 meter tall statue located in Volgograd.

Economy