Tambov Region
The Tambov Region is located in the centre of the East European (Russian) Plain. It occupies the middle part of the Oka-Don Plain and a small part of the Volga Upland in the northeast. The region has an area of 34,500 square kilometres and a population of just over one million people.
The region has considerable water resources. Some 1,400 small and large rivers and streams flow throughout it. The largest rivers include the Tsna (Volga Basin), the Vorona, the Bityug, the Voronezh and the Savala (Don Basin). There are also 900 artificial bodies of water in the region (ponds and reservoirs).
Most of the region (about 76%) is made up of agricultural land, 60% of which are croplands. This accounts for the fact that 42% of population live in rural areas.
According to preliminary results, the gross regional domestic product in 2011 increased by 9.9%, due to vast investments into industrial assets, as well as the development of the agro-industrial complex.
The index of industrial production for the period from January to December 2011 was 116%. Manufacturing output was up by 16.7% and the production and distribution of power, gas and water was up by 11.2%. The production of machinery and equipment saw the highest growth in output (40.8%), followed by wood processing and the manufacture of wood products (17.2%), and food production, including beverages and tobacco (16.1%).
The agro-industrial complex accounts for 20% of the gross regional product. Total grain yield in 2011 reached two million tonnes, just over double that of last year. Vegetable production climbed to 150,000 tonnes, a 15% increase on 2010, including potatoes (525,000 tonnes – 2.4 times higher than last year).
In 2011, the region's agricultural producers received subsidies of more than three billion roubles. Last year, seven programmes were implemented in the agro-industrial complex and their number should rise to 14 in 2012.
In 2011, nearly 602,900 square metres of housing had been built by organisations of different forms of ownership (an increase of 5.9% compared to 2010), the average living space is estimated at 24 square metres per person.
The average per capita income in the region for the twelve months of 2011 was estimated at 15,000 roubles. Salaries improved in the social sphere. For the period from January to November 2011 salaries in the education sector rose by 13.6%, while healthcare and culture saw an 18% increase.
The labour market is stable. As of January 1, 2012, about 7,000 people were registered with the public employment service, including 6,700 (or 1.2% of the economically active population) who are officially unemployed.
The revenue of the consolidated budget for the region in 2011 totalled 38 billion roubles, an increase of 19.5% compared to 2010.
