Orenburg oblast overview
Orenburg oblast (other spelling Orenburgskaya) is situated in the boundary of Europe and Asia in the basin of the middle current of Ural (Volga Federal District). It has boundaries with Kazakhstan state. Administrative center of the region is Orenburg city.
Orenburg oblast population - 2,112,000 (2009); land area - 123,700 sq. km.
Orenburg oblast facts
Orenburg region is divided into 35 districts, 12 towns, 1768 settlements. The population of oblast consists of more than 80 nationalities: Russians - about 72%, Tatars - about 7%, Kazakhs - about 5%.
Orenburg oblast natural resources
The territory of Orenburg region is rich in mineral resources: over 2,500 deposits of 75 different raw materials have been discovered and developed. Oil, charcoal, ferrous and non-ferrous metals are the key deposits.
Orenburg oblast economy
More than three fourths of Orenburg oblast output comes from industry, which is dominated by the fuel and energy complex, metallurgy, machine construction, and chemicals.
Orenburg oblast is located on the crossroads of numerous railroads and highways making it an important transportation hub. Russia’s major gas and oil pipelines, connecting Siberian gas and oil fields to the European part of Russia and other European countries, cross the territory of Orenburg region.
Orenburg oblast history
Originally the territory of present Orenburg oblast was home to several nomadic tribes, including Kalmyks, Skiffs and Tatars, who later moved westward. Russia took control of the region in the 16-17th centuries, though intensive migration to the area from the country’s western territories began only in the 1830s.
In 1743, the present oblast capital, Orenburg, was founded on the confluence of Yaik and Sakmara rivers, and immediately became main administrative and trade center of the area.