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Samara Region
// GENERAL INFORMATION
It is hard to imagine a finer and more fortunate location than Samara, the administrative, industrial, and cultural center of the Middle Volga. The city stands in the center of a boundless expanse of steppe on the high left bank of the Volga River, bounded by the Zhiguli Mountains. Most of the city is situated in the area between the Volga and its left tributary, the Samara River. The elevation drop of the banks of the Volga ranges from 28 to 150-200 m. The Zhiguli Mountains near Samara formed the Samara Bend in the Volga River.
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Samara extends for 50 km lengthwise and is 20 km wide; it occupies an area of 46 597 hectares. Many air, rail, and water routes and highways pass through it, and it is conveniently connected with all the important Russian regions and other republics.
The Volga is the most important waterway. It is a great navigable river with large fish stocks that occupies an area of 53 600 km2 and connects the Volga region with the Baltic and Black seas and the Sea of Azov.
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Samara Region borders on Saratov Region (Lower Volga) in the south, Ulyanovsk Region (Volga region) in the west, Tatarstan in the north, and Orenburg Region (Ural region) in the east. There are 11 cities in the region (10 under regional jurisdiction and 1 under district jurisdiction): Samara, Togliatti, Syzran, Novokuibyshevsk, Chapaevsk, Otradny, Zhigulevsk, Oktyabrsk, Kinel, Pokhvistnevo, and Neftegorsk. Samara and Togliatti are additionally divided into 12 city districts. There are also 1333 rural communities in 324 rural administrations and 27 rural districts, as well as 24 towns.
Samara Region has a temperate continental climate, but the summers are much warmer and the winters harsher than in western Russia. Thus, there are often long periods of dry weather with little precipitation. The average annual temperature is +3.8 °C, with average July (the hottest month) temperatures of +20.7 °C (but ranging from +18 °C to +25 °C) and average January (the coldest month) temperatures of -13.8 °C (-16 °C to -12 °C), although the annual variation can be from -35 °C in winter to +33 °C in summer. Average annual precipitation is 372 mm, two-thirds of it falling between April and October (maximum in July and August). The annual amount of sunshine is a relatively low 1500-1700 hours.
The region's topography is intricate and varied, and in combination with the natural vegetation forms distinctive landscapes. The Volga Uplands extend along the right bank of the Volga, reaching elevations of 375 m in the Zhiguli Mountains, while the left bank of the river is low and flat. The Zhiguli Mountains in the northern part of the Samara Bend are one of the most beautiful places in the entire East European Plain. The mountainous terrain of cliffs, crags, and deep valleys give the Zhiguli range both esthetic and scientific value.
The entire region is located on the Russian Plain, at the meeting place of three native zones: forest, steppe, and forest steppe (a transitional zone between the forest and steppe zones). This geographical location makes for varied natural landscapes, from taiga forests and ancient peat bogs to endless steppes and countless lakes and other water bodies. However, the greater part of these landscapes has been destroyed by human economic activity; surviving natural areas have been designated as natural monuments. Samara Bend National Park was established at the Samara Bend in 1984.
The Volga River valley has its own wonderful world of nature, with a multitude of islands covered with reeds, poplars, and willows and cut by channels and countless small lakes. There are deciduous forests with steppe areas in the northern part and pine forests on sandy river terraces. Steppes with dark chestnut soils extend through the southern part of the region. The soil cover in Samara Region is characterized by general east-west zoning and typical black earth (chernozem) soils.
The formation of reservoirs in Samara Region has made it possible to expand irrigation farming, increase the amount of arable land, and increase animal production, as well as locate flour-milling companies in Samara. The hot summer months provide enough warmth and light for growing and ripening various crops. Corn, sugar beets, grapes, and melons are grown in the region's southern districts. Samara Region is also a supplier of wool, meat, and valuable sturgeon.
HISTORY
According to archeologists, human settlements first appeared in the Middle Volga region in the Upper Paleolithic period. Isolated nomadic Scythian and Cimmerian (or Samarian) tribes roamed through what is now Samara Region. These lands repeatedly changed hands. In the 7th century, they were part of the Khazar Kaganat. Then in the 10th century, the army of Prince Svyatoslav liberated the people of the Volga from Khazar rule. In the 13th century, these lands came under the rule of the Golden Horde, where they remained until the mid-16th century, when Russia regained the territory of the Middle Volga.
Samara Bend was in an economically and strategically advantageous location, which was of great interest to the Muscovite rulers. Thus, in 1586, by decree of Tsar Fedor Ioannovich, Samara Fortress was founded near the mouth of the Samara River as a base for defending the Russian state against nomad raids.
This favorable geographical location played an enormous role in the city's formation. Fertile soils, superb pasture lands, a bountiful fishery, and a bustling intersection of trade routes brought an influx of people, which accelerated the colonization of these lands. Samara became a city in 1688. From 1708 to 1773, it was part of Kazan Province, and then became part of Astrakhan Province.
In 1850, Samara Province was formed as an independent administrative unit. It was famous throughout Russia as a major grain trading and agricultural center. At that time, a governor ruled Samara and the city had its own coat of arms. A large number of public administration offices helped to govern the city. Samara was a real cultural center of that time; new schools, gymnasia, and private educational institutions were built and museums and theaters were opened.
The spiritual life of Samara Province was quite rich by provincial standards, with nearly 1000 churches, 20 monasteries, a Catholic church, St. George's Lutheran Church, a synagogue, and 2 mosques. Several newspapers were published in the city (10 before 1917).
Samara was an important merchant city and trading center, where banks and an exchange operated. The first public city bank began operating in 1852. The city also kept pace with the development of the health resort business. Famous resorts and centers specializing in kumiss [fermented mare's milk] and mud therapy were located in Samara.
Strukovsky Garden, founded in 1849, was considered to be the largest and most famous city park in the Volga region. The beautiful city also played a considerable role in the development of the entire country. Great national and foreign cultural figures lived and worked here, including writers Alexei Tolstoy, Vladimir Korolenko, N.M. Gagarin-Mikhailovsky, Maxim Gorki, and Yaroslav Gashek, artist Ilya Repin, and Lenin. French writer Alexandre Dumas even described Samara in his book From Paris to Astrakhan after a trip along the Volga by steamer.
Samara was not left out of the dramatic events of the first half of the 20th century. The First World War and the Civil War left a deep imprint in the territory's history; many historical monuments were destroyed. In 1935, the city and region were renamed Kuibyshev after the famous revolutionary who proclaimed Soviet power in Samara. The region has existed within its present boundaries since December 1936.
During the Second World War, Samara became one of Russia's largest industrial centers after a number of engineering and aircraft plants were evacuated here from the west. The main government offices and foreign embassies also moved to Kuibyshev in late 1941, so that the city was rightly known as the capital of the home front.
In the postwar years, the region continued to increase its economic potential by expanding the engineering, hydroelectric power, and car manufacturing industries. The Lenin Hydroelectric Power Plant (GES im. Lenina) was built in 1957 to meet the region's rapidly increasing demands, resulting in flooding of a large area. Samara is also known as the city where the first R-7 carrier rocket was built. This was the rocket that in 1961 sent the first Vostok spacecraft into orbit with the world's first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, on board.
In 1990, the city and region regained their historic names of Samara and Samara Region.
Today, Samara Region is one of Russia's pillars of industrial power along with Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the Urals.
RESOURCES
Along with a beautiful location in the center of a vast steppe and a favorable geographical position, Samara Region has abundant natural resources. The region has a well-developed raw mineral base that includes coal; a wide variety of building materials; several kinds of nonmetallic industrial (process and chemical) minerals; oil and gas; and underground water, some of it containing commercial concentrations of dissolved minerals (hydrominerals).
Oil and associated gas are the region's most important mineral resources. The oil contains 7-11% paraffin, 12.2% pitch, and a significant percentage of light hydrocarbons. It also has a high sulfur content (3-3.5%), so it is of great importance as a chemical feedstock. More than 350 oilfields have been discovered in the region; 80 of them are located in unallocated subsurface reserves, and they may be developed on a tender basis. Specialists are working to resolve problems of development and the introduction of effective methods of increasing oil recovery from the formations. The Mukhanovskoe field is believed to be the region's largest oilfield; however, a significant proportion (83-85%) of unexplored oil reserves still remain that are considered economic to develop.
In addition to oil, Samara Region has large reserves of commercial-grade building materials, such as building stone, sand-gravel mix, building and silicate sands, brick and tile materials, rock asphalt, gypsum and anhydrite, expanded clay materials, aggloporite clay [a porous aggregate material], glassmaking materials, refractory clays, and cement materials. These reserves are considered to be the largest in the Volga region.
Among the industrial minerals are reserves of foundry sand, which represent more than a 40-year supply for the region. The geological preconditions for bentonite and zeolite deposits also exist. Other industrial minerals include phosphorite, native sulfur, rock salt, asphalt and bitumen, native bitumens (estimated reserves down to 500 m are 780 million tons). There are large reserves of oil shale, which is produced and processed at the Kashpirskoe and Dergunovskoe deposits. The region is interested in attracting investments to develop the Dergunovskoe rock salt deposit. The value of the Kashpirskoe oil shale deposit is largely dependent on the export potential of its processed products. The bitumen and asphalt will find applications in road construction, given the use of effective technologies. In addition, the Volodinskoe and Syreisko-Kamenodolskoe native sulfur deposits are being developed, and limestone is produced at the Shiryaevskoe deposit.
The region's reserves of formation water have commercial concentrations of certain elements (e.g., bromine, iodine, boron, strontium, rubidium, potassium, and lithium) and could be used as a source of hydrominerals by employing the appropriate technologies. The region has ample reserves of underground water, including mineral water, various medicinal and therapeutic waters, and hydromineral sources.
ECONOMY
The Volga region's economic complex began forming and developing even before the Revolution of 1917. This was mainly due to the large transshipment and trading points located on the Volga, which led to the formation of major trading centers. The Volga region was initially an agricultural district, but after the Second World War, rapid development of the power industry and oil and gas reserves began, and petrochemical production was set up. Large-scale hydroelectric power plants (Volgograd, Samara, Saratov, and Nizhnekamsk) were built in the Volga region. They were of enormous significance in the formation of various districts and a number of large metallurgical, engineering, and chemical plants, as well as in the expansion of irrigation farming. New cities appeared in the region.
Samara Region is the most developed part of the Volga region. Of the 89 constituent regions of the Russian Federation, it is in second place after Moscow in total retail turnover volumes. The region's economy experienced a recession, but less than in other regions. The crisis particularly affected industrial sectors, such as the oil and chemical industries, engineering, and the military-industrial complex. Samara Region is currently one of the few Russian regions to see the return of a certain amount of economic stability and a way out of the crisis.
Samara Region is one of the leading Russian regions in economic potential. It is among the top ten regions in terms of covering commitments with internal revenues and balancing the regional budget.
A well-developed infrastructure, dynamically expanding industry, high intellectual potential, and low investment risk make the region one of the most attractive locations for new facilities. The region has a well-educated population (10th in Russia) and is in 5th place in industrial production volumes, 6th place in level of budget revenues, and 17th place (between Saratov and Perm regions) in investments in science. Samara Region as a whole is one of Russia's most successful regions and has become a center of regional and interregional cooperation.
The regional administration gives priority to creating favorable conditions for economic development and attracting investments. A number of special programs have been implemented to promote increased production, develop small and medium business, and solve social and environmental problems.
The region is developing and implementing various programs to obtain financial resources on international capital markets. Specifically, the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development is carrying out a lending program for small business with the participation of Sberbank, Inkombank, and Rosestbank.
The level of economic activity among the region's population is high: the number of economically people is 1.6 million out of a total population of 3.3 million. In addition, the region's high educational potential creates good conditions for economic growth.
Samara Region is considered to be one of the country's main oil producing districts, although its role is gradually declining. There is a well-developed oil refining industry.
Car manufacturing is leading sector in the engineering industry, followed by machine tools and bearings.
Agriculture in the region is oriented towards grain growing and livestock farming. Other important crops besides grain include industrial crops, especially sunflowers, as well as sugar beets and hemp. Livestock farming specializes in raising beef and dairy cattle; sheep are also raised for meat and wool. Beekeeping is another developed sector.
The region has an extensive transportation infrastructure, with 1400 km of operating general-use railway lines, 10 200 km of paved roads, and 525 km of internal waterways. The Friendship (Druzhba) and Mangyshlak (Kazakhstan)-Samara oil pipelines and the Togliatti-North Caucasus product pipeline pass through the region.
Samara, the regional capital, has strong industrial potential and is a leading industrial center of the Volga region. As a result of its favorable geographical location, Samara developed rapidly and by the early 20th century, had become one of Russia's major commercial and financial centers. The city is among the top ten Russian cities in generated national income and industrial production volumes.
Samara's primary economic sector is industry, especially heavy industry (77% of the total), which employs 137 000 people, or 40% of employed city residents. The engineering complex includes the aerospace, electrical, cable, and machine tool industries; instrument-making; bearing production; and production of oilfield, construction, and agricultural equipment.
The city's industries produce a wide range of sophisticated high-end equipment, TU passenger planes, carrier rockets for satellites and space vehicles, aircraft and spacecraft engines, metal-cutting machines, and a wide assortment of cable products.
Production facilities for manufacturing rolled aluminum, petroleum products, chocolate candy, alcoholic beverages, and meat, dairy, and pasta products account for a large share of total output.
Small, medium, and large companies are involved in all spheres of activity. Most of them are found in industry, construction, trade, communications, science, finance, and culture. A total of 156 large and medium industrial companies operate in Samara.
AUTHORITIES
The Administration of Samara Region, is the region's governing body. It is formed for the purposes of supporting the activities of the Governor as the highest official and exercising the political authority given to it. The Samara Provincial Duma is the region's legislative body.
CULTURE AND ART
The city of Samara is a striking combination of historical monuments, modern residential buildings, and massive industrial structures. It is also a city of high culture, education, and research centers.
Even in the 19th century, Samara Region had a very interesting cultural life and rich and varied theatrical traditions. The city's oldest theaters have memories of performances by celebrated artists, such as Fedor Chaliapin, Ivan Kozlovsky, R. Glier, David Oistrakh, L. Utesov, L. Sobinov, and many others. The famous Russian actors Pelageya Strepetova, Modest Pisarev, and Aleksandr Lensky also worked here.
Samara Region has considerable cultural potential, with 4 theaters, 12 museums and their branches, a philharmonic, a state symphony orchestra, and one of the finest art galleries in the Volga region. The museum of local history has a superb collection of more than 114 000 exhibits. The Lenin Science Library has unique book stocks; there is also a library for the blind. The 842 state and municipal libraries provide library services for regional residents. The Novokuibyshevsk and Chapaevsk central library systems, the Samara branch of the children's library, and the regional children's library were the winners at the All-Russian library project competition "The Library on the Threshold of the 21st Century" organized by the Open Society Institute.
Residents of other cities besides Samara have a full and interesting cultural life. Togliatti has three professional theaters, a philharmonic, and a museum; and Syzran also has its own theater and museum.
Theater studios for youth and musical arts groups operate in addition to the professional theaters. Many creative events, including international events, are held with the participation of professional unions of architects, designers, writers, composers, artists, theater workers, and journalists. The Dmitry Kabalevsky competition for young Volga pianists, jazz festivals, the "Sounds of the Volga" festival, and the All-Russian competition for solo folk dance performers and choreographers are held in Samara. The State Volga Russian Folk Choir and the Valery Grushin memorial festival of amateur traveler's songs are known far beyond Russia.
The people of the Volga have tradition of forming cultural and business ties with foreign twin cities, for example, Samara and Stuttgart (Germany), St. Louis (USA), and Stara Zagora (Bulgaria); Togliatti and Flint (USA), Wolfsburg (Germany), Valence (France), and Kazanlyk (Bulgaria).
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