Omsk Oblast

Omsk Oblast
Омская область (Russian)
—  Oblast  —
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Anthem of Omsk Oblast
Coordinates: 56°13′N 73°16′E
Political status
Country	Russia
Federal district	Siberian
Economic region	West Siberian
Established	December 7, 1934
Administrative center	Omsk
Government (as of March 2011)
- Governor	Viktor Nazarov
- Legislature	Legislative Assembly
Statistics
Area (as of the 2002 Census)
- Total	139,700 km2 (53,938.5 sq mi)
Area rank	28th
Population (2010 Census)
- Total	1,977,665
- Rank	24th
- Density	14.16 /km2 (36.7 /sq mi)
- Urban	71.5%
- Rural	28.5%
Time zone(s)	OMST (UTC+07:00)
ISO 3166-2	RU-OMS
License plates	55
Official languages	Russian
Official website

Omsk Oblast (Russian: О́мская о́бласть, Omskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of 139,700 square kilometers (53,900 sq mi). Its population is 1,977,665 (2010 Census) with the majority, 1.15 million, living in Omsk, the administrative center.

The oblast borders with Tyumen Oblast in the north and west, Novosibirsk and Tomsk Oblasts in the east, and with Kazakhstan in the south.

History

Prehistoric

Archeological finds have indicated that the present day territory of the oblast has been inhabited for the last 14,000 years. Neolithic societies in the area lived by fishing and hunting. About three thousand years ago, pastoralism began to take hold.

Medieval

Various Turkic states dominated the area throughout the Middle Ages. The most notable of these were the Western Turkic Khaganate and the Siberian Khanate. Siberian Tatars, Mongols, Khanty and Mansi tribes, along with others, inhabited the territory.

The Russian history of Omsk can be said to begin with the 1584 arrival of a Cossack force under the command of Yermak, who defeated local rulers and established nominal Russian control of the area.

The Russian State

In the century following Yermak's passage through the area, the settlement of the oblast, and of Siberia in general, began in earnest. Tsars Feodor and Boris Godunov directed the construction of fortified settlements and military installations in order to defend their subjects from raiding nomadic tribesmen and to exert authority over local populations, specifically over the tribute-paying Tatars of The Baraba Lands and the recently founded Tara uyezd (a local administrative unit of the Russian empire).

In 1716 a fortress was constructed at the confluence of the Om and Irtysh rivers on the orders of sublieutenant Ivan Bugholtz.The fortress would form the nucleus for the development of the future city of Omsk. By the second half of the 18th century, Omsk fortress was the largest building of any kind in the eastern part of Russia.

As Russian settlement of the Yenisei, Tobol and Irtysh watersheds continued in the course of the 18th century, so did the development of the Omsk and the surrounding region. In 1753 a customs post was established to tax goods brought into the city by the ever increasing trade with Kazakh tribesmen. When, in 1764, The Siberian provinces were organized into two governorships, centered on Irkutsk and Tobolsk, the city of Tara and the fortress of Omsk were assigned to the latter. In 1780, on the orders of Catherine the Great the fortress was transferred to Kolyvan Oblast. By this time Omsk had grown to the size of a small city, however, from 1797 to 1804 it did not possess its own uyezd.

In 1804, the territories surrounding Omsk were organized into the Omsk Okrug. The city's rise to providence continued and, when Siberia was once again reorganized in 1822, Omsk became the administrative center of the General Governorship of Eastern Siberia, eclipsing the old center of Tobolsk. The new governorship was divided into settler populated oblasts around the cities of Omsk, Petropavlovsk, Semipalatinsk and Ust-Kamenogrsk and okrugs, populated by Kazakh nomads. In subsequent reforms the name of the Oblast was changed repeatedly to The Oblast of The Siberian Kyrgyz (1854), Akmolinsk Oblast (1868), and Omsk Oblast (1917) before finally reverting to the Omsk Governorship in 1918. During the later periods the authority of the oblast was extended south, to include areas of present day Kazakhstan. Southernmost parts of the oblast were gone to Kyrgyz ASSR in 1921.

In the 19th century, Omsk gained the dubious distinction of being a premier destination for political exiles and prisoners from the European portion of the Empire. Decembrists, Polish rebels, French prisoners of war and political activists of every stripe found their way to Siberia. Among them was Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who spent four years (1850–1854) at the Omsk prison.

The early nineteenth century also saw the growth of industry in the city and in the rest of the Irtysh basin. The Siberian Cossack Army was headquartered in Omsk after 1808 and contributed to the development of the city, by the beginning of the 20th century the Cossacks were a dominant component in the society of both the city of Omsk and the surrounding lands, having reached a population of 174 thousand and holding title to five million hectares of agricultural land. The 18th and 19th centuries also saw the influx of a significant number of German immigrants both from Russia's Volga Regions and from abroad.

The Soviet Union

In 1925 the Omsk governorship was dissolved into the newly formed Siberian Krai and again reorganized, this time as an Oblast by order of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on the 7th of December, 1934. Parts of the Obsko-Irtysh Oblast and the West Siberian Krai as well as the southern part of Chelyabinsk Oblast were given over to Omsk. In 1943, Kurgan Oblast was created from a portion of the territory of Omsk. In 1944, several districts were transferred to the newly created Tyumen Oblast.

The 1950s saw the creation of the petroleum processing industry, as well as the development of various high-technology facilities that came to define the economy of the Oblast for the remainder of the century.

Post-Soviet era

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union the oblast became part of the newly independent Russian Federation. The independence of the Union Republic of Kazakhstan gave Omsk an international border to the south, while continued federal policy aiming to rectify the effects of Stalin Era population transfers a national German district created an area with a significant, although not a dominant, German population around the town of Azovo.

Economy

As of 2008, Omsk Oblast is the 23rd largest economy in Russia, with a gross regional product of 10.2 billion dollars.

The economy of Omsk Oblast is heavily industrial, with well developed, and growing, service and financial sectors. Agriculture represents a smaller, but still significant, portion of the economy.

Economic activity is concentrated in Omsk, with over sixty-six thousand private enterprises registered, ranging from small-scale retailers to billion-dollar manufacturing.

Omsk was ranked by Forbes as the 6th-best city in Russia for business in 2008, an improvement over its 20th-place ranking the previous year.

The oblast and city governments have made efforts to improve the business climate and foster small enterprise through various incentives and government programs designed to ease the bureaucratic red-tape, a notorious feature of Russian business life, and to generate cooperation within the business community.

The bulk of industrial output, as of 2009, is concentrated in food and tobacco processing ($900 million), hydrocarbon processing ($6.7 billion), chemical manufacturing ($500 m), plastics manufacturing ($200 m) and the manufacture of electrical components ($280 m). The remainder of the economy is dominated by the retail sector and agriculture.

The largest industrial enterprises include the aerospace manufacturer Polyot, the Omsk Aggregate Plant, the agricultural manufacturer Sibzavod, Omsk Baranov Motorworks, and Omsktransmash, which manufactures the T-80 main battle tank. Additionally, Omsk Rubber, the Technical Hydrocarbon Plant, Omsk-Polymer and Omsk Hydrocarbon Processing Plant, represent the petroleum and hydrocarbon industry. Omsk Hydrocarbon is one of the most important oil refineries in Russia.^{[citation needed]}

The oblast operates four thermal power plants, which makes it largely self-sufficient from the standpoint of energy generation.

Agricultural production is concentrated in the Isil'rul'skii District and produces wheat, barley, flax, sunflower, potato, various fruits and vegetables as well as meat, poultry and dairy products.

The food processing sector includes several breweries, a distillery and numerous food packaging enterprises.

Geography

Omsk Oblast spans 600 km north to south and 300 km west to east. The geography of the oblast is dominated by the Irtysh River and its larger tributaries, the Ishim, Om, Osha, and Tara. The region is part of the West Siberian Plain, and as such is fairly level. The south of the oblast consists predominantly of grassy plains, which gradually transition to wooded plains, forests and, eventually, marshy taiga forest in the north. The most fertile lands are concentrated about the Irtysh river, this area, is also more wooded, and more uneven than the rest of the Oblast. Numerous lakes can be found in the oblast, with the largest being the Saltaim, Tenis, Ik, Ebeity, Ul'jai and Tobol-Kushly.

The highest point in the oblast, is an elevation of 150 meters lying near the town of Nagornoye, while the lowest is a section of the Irtysh river lying near Malaya Bicha.

Climate

The oblast has a classic continental climate, with cold, snowy winters and hot, dry summers. Average January temperatures range from -42°C to -30°C. Average July temperatures range from +28°C to +25°C, and can reach up to +35°C and even +40°C. Annual rainfall averages 300-400mm. Sunny days predominate.

The southern plains have notably longer and warmers summers and a delayed onset of freezing temperatures. They are also significantly drier than the northern forests, receiving only 250–300 mm of precipitation annually. Winters, however, are as severe as on the plains as they are further north. Spring rains are rare, but late spring freezes are not. The early part of the summer is frequently dominated by hot, dry southern winds.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Omsk Oblast

Demographics

Population: 1,977,665 (2010 Census); 2,692,251 (2002 Census); 2,782,005 (1989 Census).

Vital statistics for 2012

• Births: 29 475 (14.9 per 1000)
• Deaths: 27 197 (13.8 per 1000)

• Total fertility rate:

2009 - 1.58 | 2010 - 1.60 | 2011 - 1.66 | 2012 - 1.86(e)

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

According to the 2010 Census, the ethnic composition was:

• 85.8% Russian
• 4.1% Kazakh
• 2.7% Ukrainian
• 2.6% German
• 2.2% Tatar
• 0.3% Belarusians
• 0.4% Armenian
• other groups of less than two thousand persons each
• 57,518 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.

According to Russia's 2002 Census, Omsk Oblast has one of the lowest birth rates in Siberia. However, birth rates remain higher than the average in heavily German districts - Azovsky Nemetsky National District (24% German), Moskalensky, Poltavsky (22% Ukrainian & 11% German) and Isilkulsky (8% German), even as significant emigration to Germany acts to reduce the overall birth rate. In 2009, the lowest death rate was recorded for Azovsky German National Raion (9.4 per 1000) and the highest birth rate was recorded for Moskalenskom (17.0 per 1000), Isilkulskom (15.2), Maryanovsky (15.8), Pavlogradski (15.8), Tevrizskom (16.6), Ust-Ishim (15.4) and Sherbakulskom (16.2). Regions with the highest population growth were Moskalensky area (5.5 ppm), Azovsky German National Raion (4.8 ppm), Sherbakulsky (3.8 ppm) and Pavlogradskij (3.2 ppm).

Raion (2007)	Pop	Births	Deaths	NG	BR	DR	NGR
Omsk Oblast	2,020,000	23,627	29,578	-5,951	11.7	14.6	-0.29%
Omsk	1,130,000	11,857	15,599	-3,742	10.5	13.8	-0.33%
Azovsky Nemetsky National District	22,500	327	245	82	14.5	10.9	0.36%
Bolsherechensky District	32,400	393	519	-126	12.1	16	-0.39%
Bolsheukovsky District	8,800	125	160	-35	14.2	18.1	-0.39%
Gorkovsky	23,400	295	366	-71	12.6	15.7	-0.31%
Znamensky	13,400	195	213	-18	14.6	15.9	-0.13%
Isilkulsky	46,700	681	715	-34	14.6	15.3	-0.07%
Kalachinsky	44,700	506	754	-248	11.3	16.9	-0.56%
Kolosovsky	14,900	184	240	-56	12.4	16.1	-0.37%
Kormilovsky	25,800	352	447	-95	13.6	17.3	-0.37%
Krutinsky	20,000	248	343	-95	12.4	17.1	-0.47%
Lyubinsky	41,900	590	750	-160	14.1	17.9	-0.38%
Maryanovsky	27,300	423	444	-21	15.5	16.3	-0.08%
Moskalensky	32,200	505	460	45	15.7	14.3	0.14%
Muromtsevsky	26,100	271	542	-271	10.4	20.8	-1.04%
Nazyvayevsky	28,500	350	465	-115	12.3	16.3	-0.40%
Nizhneomsky	18,600	247	277	-30	13.3	14.9	-0.16%
Novovarshavsky	26,700	336	325	11	12.6	12.2	0.04%
Odessky	18,200	260	231	29	14.3	12.7	0.16%
Okoneshnikovsky	16,700	194	247	-53	11.6	14.8	-0.32%
Omsky	91,800	1,146	1,326	-180	12.5	14.4	-0.19%
Pavlogradsky	20,600	292	292	0	14.2	14.2	0.00%
Poltavsky	24,000	328	320	8	13.7	13.3	0.04%
Russko-Polyansky	22,800	314	344	-30	13.7	15.1	-0.14%
Sargatsky	21,800	279	364	-85	12.8	16.7	-0.39%
Sedelnikovsky	11,900	153	205	-52	12.9	17.3	-0.44%
Tavrichesky	39,200	519	579	-60	13.2	14.8	-0.16%
Tarsky	48,000	585	839	-254	12.2	17.5	-0.53%
Tevrizsky	17,200	270	305	-35	15.6	17.7	-0.21%
Tyukalinsky	29,500	357	472	-115	12.1	16	-0.39%
Ust-Ishimsky	15,200	192	289	-97	12.6	18.9	-0.63%
Cherlaksky	34,700	506	562	-56	14.6	16.2	-0.16%
Sherbakulsky	24,500	347	339	8	14.2	13.8	0.04%

Ethnic Russian birth rate in the province is significantly lower than that of the ethnic Kazakhs (by 50%) and that of ethnic Germans (by 20%), according to the 2002 Census.

Religion

Religion in Omsk Oblast (2012)

  Russian Orthodox (35.7%)

  Unaffiliated Christian (3%)

  Muslim (2%)

  Rodnover (1%)

  Roman Catholic (0.5%)

  Spiritual but not religious (39%)

  Atheist (13%)

  Other or undeclared (5.8%)

According to a 2012 official survey 35.7% of the population of Omsk Oblast adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 3% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 2% adheres to Islam, 1% to Slavic Rodnovery (Slavic Neopaganism), 0.5% to the Catholic Church. In addition, 39% of the population deems itself to be "spiritual but not religious", 13% is atheist, and 5.8% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.

Sister relationships

• Pest County, Hungary

See also

• List of Chairmen of the Legislative Assembly of Omsk Oblast
• 2007 Siberian orange snow