'Kemerovo Oblast' (, ''Kemerovskaya oblast''), often called ''Kuzbass'' (Кузба́сс) after the ''
Kuznetsk Basin'', is a
federal subject of
Russia (an
oblast), is located in southwestern
Siberia, where the West-Siberian Plain meets the South Siberian mountains. The oblast, which covers an area of 95,500 km², shares a border with
Tomsk Oblast in the north,
Krasnoyarsk Krai and the
Republic of Khakassia in the east,
Altai Krai in the south, and
Novosibirsk Oblast and
Altai Republic in the west. Its population is predominantly ethnic
Russian, but
Ukrainians,
Tatars, and
Chuvash also live in the region.
The oblast was established on
January 26,
1943, but it has considerably older antecedents. The oldest city in Kemerovo Oblast is
Kuznetsk (after 1961,
Novokuznetsk), founded in 1618, soon after
Cossack ataman Yermak's push into Siberia. Kuznetsk is also the largest city in the oblast, exceeding even the administrative center,
Kemerovo, in terms of size. Kemerovo Oblast is one of Russia's most urbanized regions, with over 70% of the population living in its nine principal cities.
Kemerovo Oblast is one of Russia's most important industrial regions, with some of the world's biggest deposits of
coal. The south of the region is dominated by
metallurgy and the
mining industry, as well as
mechanical engineering and chemical production. The
Evraz Group and an ore subsidiary
Evrazruda operate
iron ore mining and processing facilities and the
Raspadskaya and
Yuzhkuzbassugol coal and coking coal mines there. in The north is more agricultural. The region has a dense railway network, including the
Trans-Siberian Railway, which passes through the oblast.
Time zone
Kemerovo Oblast is located in the
Krasnoyarsk Time Zone (KRAT/KRAST).
UTC offset is +0700 (KRAT)/+0800 (KRAST).
Administrative divisions