Amur Region
The Amur Region is a part of the Far Eastern Federal District and borders on the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the north, the Khabarovsk Territory and the Jewish Autonomous Area in the east, the Chita Region in the west and China in the south.
It has a population of 894,500, of which 577,600 people are economically active. The number of gainfully employed people is 431,300. The unemployment rate, according to ILO, is 10.1%.
The region has more than 60 types of minerals including gold, silver, platinum, graphite, porcelain clay, titanium, magnesium, copper, apatite, coal and brown coal, semi-precious stones as well as rare earth elements, including uranium and diamonds. Among the most promising mineral deposits, is the Garinskoye iron ore deposit (with reserves estimated at 388.8 million tonnes). Its ores contain about 55% iron, do not need enrichment and can be used in non-coking metallurgy. Forests occupy 21.8 million hectares of the region, or 73% of its territory.
The main economic development problems stem from the long distances between the region and the country's main economic centres, and from a deficient transport network. The development of industrial enterprises is held back by the wear and tear of basic assets which operate far below capacity. A separate set of problems is connected with the region's shadow economy. The driving force in the region's development could be the relatively cheap electric power which reduces costs and promotes production. There is a future for the machine-building industry in connection with the projected construction of the East Siberia-Pacific Oil Pipeline. The Baikal-Amur Railway (BAM) has the potential to grow by increasing the transportation of coal, timber, petroleum products, ores as well as imported aluminum and containers.
Consumer prices for goods and services increased by 5.3% in the first half of 2010, including a 5.4% increase in food products, 2.5% in other goods and 9.8% in paid services. The average monthly wage in May 2010 was 20,703 roubles, 13.7% higher than in May 2009. The total sum of investments planned for 2010 will exceed $160 million. These investments will dramatically improve the investment climate in the Amur Region, which would attract other major players in the Russian market into its economy.
The Trans-Siberian Railway crosses through the region, and the region has access to the sea ports of the Primorye Territory via the Khabarovsk Territory, Nakhodka, Vostochny and Vladivostok; and a stretch of the Far Eastern Railway (the Baikal-Amur Mainline) goes through the region with access to the ports in Khabarovsk Territory, Vanino and Sovetskaya Harbour. This industry accounts for 53% of basic assets and its share in the gross value added in the region's economy is 24.1%. Railway transport carries 26.2% of all cargo, 70.0% is transported on the roads and 3.8% by water.
Enterprises in all sectors of the economy shipped 15.086 million tonnes of cargo in January to May 2010 (210%). And cargo turnover increased by 31.6% to 31.518 billion tonne-kilometres.
Trucking in all the sectors and by entrepreneurs (private individuals) commercially carried 6.8 million tonnes of cargo in January to May 2010, an increase of 44.4%. Cargo turnover amounted to 138.1 million tonne-kilometres, an increase of 12.5%. The increase in the flow of cargo is due to the shipments of oil along the Svobodny Branch of the Transbaikal Railway, which is a branch of Russian Railways (RZhD), via the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Pipeline.
On October 20, 2008 the regional parliament appointed Oleg Kozhemyako Governor of the Amur Region.
