Belgorod Region
The Belgorod Region was established on January 6, 1954. It covers an area of 27,100 sq m. The region’s population is 1,530,000, as of January 1, 2010 (1.1% of the country’s total population). Its administrative centre is the city of Belgorod, with population of 363,000. It is often called “The City of the First Salute” and is also known as the City of Military Glory.
The agro-industrial region largely relies on mineral deposits and its unique black-soil. The region’s mining accounts for over 80% of Kursk Magnetic Anomaly’s iron ore and over 40% of national iron-ore deposits. The region has large bauxite and apatite deposits, as well as titanium and zirconium mines. It also abounds in chalk, marl, sand, and clay.
Since 1954, the region has developed a strong economic, research and technology potential and has created a well-developed social-cultural sector. The region’s favourable border location promotes the development of foreign economic ties.
The region has a powerful mining and smelting complex comprising the Lebedinsky and Stoilensky Ore-Dressing Plant and the Oskolsky Electrometallurgical Plant.
One of the region’s key development areas is the creation of an efficient, competitive agricultural industry that would provide food self-efficiency and high living standards. At present, the agrarian sector accounts for 22.2% of the regional domestic product. As of 2010, the wages of agribusiness workers averaged 15,000 roubles, amounting to 20,000 roubles at large agricultural companies.
Almost 624,900 tonnes of poultry were produced in 2010, which is 14.7 times more than the pre-reform 2009 figure, or a 13.2% increase. According to forecasts for the implementation of investment projects and target programmes in the livestock sector, almost 1.13 million tonnes of beef, 1.485 billion of eggs and 530,000 tonnes of milk are expected to be produced in 2011. The region has started a programme for biologisation of agriculture and a transition to basin-wide use of natural resources. The Green Capital project for landscaping and other improvements is being implemented in the region.
The region’s strategic development areas are the creation of an innovation environment, the modernisation of the transport infrastructure, and the development of the Belgorod and Stary Oskol conglomeration.
The Belgorod Region is home to famous nature preserves, including the Belogorye (Forest on the Vorskla) state reserve, and sections of the Alyokhin Yamskaya Steppe of the Central Black Soil Biospheric reserve and and Lysye Gory of the central Black Soil reserve. The region is best known for the Prokhorovka Field military-history museum.
