Tomsk region

Description

Tomsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It lies in the southeastern West Siberian Plain, in the southwest of the Siberian Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Tomsk. Population: 1,047,394 (2010 Census).

The development of the territory which now constitutes the oblast began in the early 17th century. Tomsk itself was founded in 1604. Most of the oblast's 316,900 square km territory is inaccessible because it is covered with taiga woods and swamps. The oblast borders with Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, and Kemerovo Oblasts.

History

Long before the Siberia became part of Russia, the territory of modern Tomsk Oblast was inhabited by people belonging to the taiga Kulayskoy civilization known for its bronze artifacts.

The development of the region began in the end of the 16th and early 17th centuries. The oldest settlement in the area is the village (former city) Narym, founded in 1596.

The administrative center of the province, city of Tomsk, was founded by in 1604 year. C 1719 to 1804 in the province of Tobolsk. In 1782, is formed by Tomskaya oblast in the composition of Tobolsky namestnichestva (from 1796 - Tobolskaya guberniya). In 1804 was founded the Tomsk province, which existed until 1925, when it became part of the Siberian region (since 1930 - the West Siberian region). Tomsk oblast was established August 13, 1944 by isolation from the Novosibirsk region of the districts and the former Narym District. On July 26, 1995 the Oblast's charter was adopted.

Economy

Tomsk Oblast is rich in natural resources, particularly oil, natural gas, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, peat, and underground waters. Forests are also among the most significant assets of the oblast: about 20% of the West Siberian forest resources are located in Tomsk Oblast. Industry makes up about half of the regional GDP, while agriculture contributes 19% and construction 13%. Chemical and oil industries are the most developed in the region, followed by machine construction. The oblast's major export items are: oil (62.1%), methanol (30.2%), and machines and equipment (4.8%). Oil extraction and lumbering are the major business of the region's joint ventures.

Demographics

Population: 1,047,394 (2010).

Major ethnic groups living in the oblast are Russians (92.1%), Ukrainian-Belorussian (1.4%), Siberian Tatars (1.7%) & Volga German (0.9%). Slavs, Finns and Germans make up more than 94.4% of the population, while Tatars, Chuvash, Armenes and Khants make up the remaining part. Additionally, 45,016 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.

Education

Science and education are also important for the regional development. The oblast is home to six state higher education institutions and 47 research institutes. Tomsk was the site of the first university in Asian Russian, founded in the 19th century. Since then city often dubbed the "Siberian Athens" for its unique spirit. Today more than 100,000 people (or 20 per cent of population of the city) study in Tomsk universities and colleges. In terms of the number of students per 10,000 people Tomsk is ranked third after Moscow and Saint-Petersburg. Tomsk Region is also ranked first in Russia in terms of the number of people engaged in R&D per capita with 160 researchers per 10,000 citizens.

Note: Data for Total fertility rate (2012) is estimate based on age and sex structure of Tomsk Oblast at the beginning of 2012, number of births in 2012 and fertility structure in previous years.

Religion

According to a 2012 official survey 33.3% of the population of Tomsk Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 4% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 2% adheres to other Orthodox Churches, 1% adheres to Slavic Rodnovery (Slavic Neopaganism), 1% to Islam, 0.62% to Tibetan Buddhism, and 0.4% to the Catholic Church. In addition, 29% of the population deems itself to be "spiritual but not religious", 15% is atheist, and 13.68% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.