Kaluga Oblast


Kaluga Oblast is a federal subject of Russia. Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga. The 2021 Russian Census found a population of 1,069,904.

Geography

Kaluga Oblast lies in the central part of the East European Plain. The oblast's territory is located between the Central Russian Upland, the Smolensk–Moscow Upland, and the Dnieper–Desna watershed. Most of the oblast is occupied by plains, fields, and forests with diverse flora and fauna. The administrative center is located on the Baryatino-Sukhinichy plain. The western part of the oblast — located within the drift plain — is dominated by the Spas-Demensk ridge. To the south is an outwash plain that is part of the Bryansk-Zhizdra woodlands, with average elevation up to 200 m.
From north to south, Kaluga Oblast extends for more than, from 53°30′ to 55°30′ north latitude, and east to west – for 220 km. Its area is.
The oblast's territory is crossed by major international motor and railways, linking Kaluga with Moscow, Bryansk, Kyiv, Lviv and Warsaw.
Kaluga Oblast borders on:
The climate of Kaluga Oblast is moderately continental with distinct seasons: warm and humid summers, and cold winters with stable snow-cover. The average temperature in July is in north and in south, and in January in northeast and in southwest. The duration of the warm period is 215–220 days. The territory of the oblast is exposed to a substantial amount of solar radiation — around 115 Kcal per cm2. The average annual air temperature varies from in the north and the north-east to up to in the west and the east of the oblast. The duration of the frost-free season is 113 to 127 days. The northern part of the oblast is the coldest, while the central part is moderately cold. In the south, in the zone of forest steppes, the climate is relatively warm. Precipitation is distributed unevenly, varying from in the north and the west and up to in the south.

Hydrography

The Oka is the main river in the oblast's river system. Other rivers include the Ugra, the Zhizdra, the Protva, and the Vorya. Large lakes: Bezdon and Svyatoye.

Vegetation

the total area occupied by forests is around 1,380,000 ha. As of the beginning of 2005, agricultural lands occupied an area of 1,350,000 ha. The main crops grown include forage cereals, potatoes, vegetables, and feed grains, and fiber-flax.

Fauna

Mammals include typical forest animals: brown bear, lynx, elk, beaver, wolf, polar hare, and squirrel. The south of the oblast is sometimes visited by bison that were recently released into the Orlovskoye Polesye national park. Aquatic fauna includes two kinds of lamprey and 41 species of bony fish. The diversity of fish is explained by the variety of habitats. Among 11 kinds of amphibians, the most common are crested and common newts, red-bellied, common and green toads, and various lake, pool, moor and grass frogs. Reptiles are represented by 7 species, including snakes: the venomous adder and the harmless water snake and smooth snake.
There are 267 types of birds registered as visiting the oblast, including 177 to nest, 58 to migrate and 32 to occasionally transit. The most significant bird-of-prey habitats are located in the Kaluzhskiye Zaseki Nature Reserve and the interfluve of the Vytebet and the Resseta. The largest populations are: waterfowl - mallard; semi-aquatic – black-headed gull; in forest – chaffinch, chiffchaff; along river banks – sand martin; in settlements – feral pigeon, common swift, rook, tree sparrow.

Conservation and ecological condition

According to the governmental report On the Status of the Environment and Its Conservation in the Russian Federation published by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Kaluga Oblast is one of the most ecologically pure regions of the Central Federal District. There are several successful eco-settlements: the nature reserve Kaluzhskiye Zaseki, the Ugra National Park, the Tarusa natural reserve, and the Kaluzhski Bor natural sanctuary.
The Chernobyl disaster resulted in radioactive contamination in the oblast's south and southwest. Radiation monitoring is conducted in nine districts. The radiation background complies with the established radiation situation.

History

The territory of Kaluga Oblast has been inhabited since ancient times. Through the province of Kaluga flows the Tarusa River, which could give an indication of the history and origin of the Russian people. The oldest human sites discovered by archeologists date back to the Mesolithic period. The first mentions of Kaluga's towns are associated with events in the 12th century, specifically, the feudal war between the Olegovichi and the Monomakhovichi.
In the 14th century, Kaluga lands were places of constant confrontations between Lithuania and Moscow. Traditionally, it is considered that Kaluga was established as a frontier settlement to protect the Moscow principality from Lithuania's attacks. Around half of the current province with the western and southern parts and the towns of Kozelsk, Mosalsk, Meshchovsk, Serpeysk, Peremyshl and Vorotynsk were part of Lithuania in the late 14th-15th centuries.
Between 1480–1481, Kaluga's territory was the place of the Great Stand on the Ugra River, resulting in the liberation of Russian lands from the Tatar yoke, and Moscow's transformation into a sovereign state.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, with active development of trade and crafts, the city advanced in the arts of wood-carving and jewelry-making. After the formal Pereiaslav Agreement
On August 24, 1776, Catherine the Great issued a decree establishing Kaluga Viceroyalty to unite the Kaluga and Tula Governorates. The center of the viceroyalty acquired a new image. In 1795, during the rule of Paul I, the Kaluga Viceroyalty was transformed into a governorate.
During World War II, Kozelsk housed a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp for Poles, captured during the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939, who were then murdered in the Katyn massacre in 1940. In 1941, the territory was captured by Nazi Germany, and then was liberated from German occupation by the Soviet Army's 10th, 16th, 33rd, 43rd, 49th, 50th, and 61st Armies, the 20th Tank Brigade, 1st Air Army, 1st Cavalry Corps, and the Normandy squadron.
The modern oblast was founded in accordance with the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on July 5, 1944. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kaluga Oblast became a federal subject of the Russian Federation. In March 1996, the Charter of Kaluga Oblast was adopted.

Demographics

Vital statistics for 2024:
  • Births: 7,981
  • Deaths: 14,152
Total fertility rate :

1.33 children per woman
Life expectancy :

Total — 69.16 years

Settlements

Population

In 2021, Kaluga Oblast had a population of 1,069,904. Previously, according to the results of the 2010 Census, the population of the oblast was 1,010,930; down from 1,041,641 recorded in the 2002 Census, and further down from 1,066,833 recorded in the 1989 Census.
Ethnic composition
Ethnic GroupsPopulationPercentage
Russians906,53390.4%
Tajiks18,7151.9%
Armenians12,5191.2%
Uzbeks12,0841.2%
Ukrainians8,8480.9%
Others44,6564.5%
Ethnicity not stated66,549–

Religion

Kaluga Oblast is a centre of the Slavic native faith movement, being the headquarters of the Union of Slavic Native Faith Communities located in Kaluga city. The region has many temples dedicated to the Slavic gods.

Administrative and municipal divisions

Within the framework of administrative divisions, the oblast is divided into twenty-four districts and four cities of oblast significance.
Within the framework of municipal divisions, the territories of the administrative districts are incorporated into twenty-four municipal districts and the territories of the two cities of oblast significance are incorporated as urban okrugs. Two other cities of oblast significance are incorporated as urban settlements within corresponding municipal districts.

Economy

The Kaluga Province is one of the most economically-advanced provinces of the Russian Federation. Major international corporations implementing projects in the region include: Volkswagen, Volvo, Peugeot, Citroen, Mitsubishi, GE, Samsung, Continental, Berlin-Chemie/Menarini, Novo Nordisk, STADA CIS, and others. There is active development in traditional economic segments, as well, represented by manufacturers of turbo generators and gas turbine engines, railway equipment, building materials, electronics, optical systems among others.

Industry

The economic policy being pursued in the Kaluga Province changed the structure of its industrial complex and created conditions for the development of high tech production companies. There are 2,747 different enterprises in the region that generate about 40% of gross regional product and more than half of tax payments to the provincial budget. Almost a third of the province's residents are employed in industry.
The traditional foundation of the province's industry is the automotive complex.

Science and training

  • Obninsk Institute of Nuclear Energy, a branch of the MIFI National Nuclear Research University with a medical department;
  • The Tsiolkovsky State University in Kaluga;
  • The Karpov Scientific and Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, a branch of the Russian State Scientific Center;
  • The Medical Radiology Scientific Center under the Russian Ministry of Public Health;
  • The Leipunsky Institute of Physics and Energy.