TULA OBLAST

'Tula Oblast' (, ''Tulskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) with its present borders formed on September 26, 1937. Its administrative center is the city of Tula. It has an area of 25,700 km² and a population of 1,675,758 (2002 Census). The oblast's current governor is Vyacheslav Dudka.
For a sketch on its early history, see Upper Oka Principalities.

Contents

Geography

Time zone

Rivers

Natural resources

Climate

Administrative divisions

Demographics

Economy

Culture

Notes and references

External links

Geography

Tula Oblast is located in Russia's Central Federal District and borders Moscow, Ryazan, Lipetsk, Oryol, and Kaluga Oblasts.

Time zone

Tula Oblast is located in the Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD). UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD).

Rivers

Tula Oblast contains more than 1,600 rivers and streams. Major rivers include:

★ Don River

★ Oka River

★ Upa River

Natural resources

The oblast is rich in iron ore, clay, limestone, and deposits of lignite (coal). ^[1] The lignite deposit is part of the Moscow coal basin.

Climate

Tula Oblast has a moderate continental climate.

★ ''Average temperature in January'': −5.7°С

★ ''Average temperature in June'': +19.1°С

★ ''Average Annual Precipitation'': 470-575 mm

Administrative divisions

Demographics

According to the 2002 census, ethnic Russians at 1,595,564 make up 95% of the population. Other prominent ethnicities in the region include Ukrainians at 22,260 (1.3%), and Tatars at 8,968 (.5%). The rest of the residents identified themselves with 120 different ethnic groups, each group accounting for less than .5% of the population. ^[2]

★ 'Population': 1,675,758(2002)

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★ ''Urban'': 1,366,818 (81.6%)

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★ ''Rural'': 308,940 (18.4%)

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★ ''Males'': 755,057 (45.1%)

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★ ''Females'': 920,701 (54.9%)

★ 'Females per 1000 Males': 1219

★ 'Average age ': 41.7 years

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★ ''Urban '': 41.5 years

★
★ ''Rural '': 42.8 years

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★ ''Male '': 37.8 years

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★ ''Female '': 44.9 years
Birth Rate: 7.88 (2004), being the lowest in Russia. Decreased to 7.6 in mid-2006.

Economy

Tula Oblast is part of the Central economic region. It is a prominent industrial center with metalworking, engineering, coalmining, and chemical industries.^[3] Major industrial cities include Novomoskovsk and Aleksin. Historical industries, such as firearm, samovar, and accordion manufacturing, still play an important role in the region.
The oblast also has a developed agricultural sector, which ranks 33rd in Russia in agricultural production.^[4] The sector includes grain cultivation (wheat and rye), potato, sugar beet, and vegetable growing, livestock raising, and dairying.

Culture

Tula's dominant religions are Orthodox Christianity and atheism.
Tula Oblast has as many as 32 museums. Several are located in the administrative center of the oblast, the city of Tula, notably the ''Tula State Arms Museum'', the ''Tula Kremlin'', and the ''Tula Samovar Museum ''. Another important cultural tourist attractions is the home and country estate of Leo Tolstoy, Yasnaya Polyana, located 12 km outside of the city of Tula.
The region also has four professional theaters, a philharmonic orchestra, and a circus.

Notes and references

1. “Tula Oblast”
2. “All Russian Population Census 2002”
3. “Tula”
4. “TulaRegion”

External links

★ Official website of Tula Oblast

★ Official website of the Museum-Estate of Leo Tolstoy "Yasnaya Polyana"