The capital of Zapolyarye is hero-city Murmansk. It is the largest administrative, industrial and cultural centre above the Polar Circle. Industry is the basic economical potential of the region. Annual volume of export amounts about 900 million dollars in 80 countires worldwide. A share of export production in the total volume has positive dynamics and amounted to more than 45% in 2000.

Energy capacities, created on the Kola Peninsula considerably exceed the consumption necessities of the region. It allows to export up to 4 billion kilowatt/per hour oc electricity annually. Infrastructure of regional culture is manysided and large: museums, libraries, Houses and Palaces of Culture, schools for primary aesthetic education and music schools. Professional art is represented by the Drama theatre, Puppet theatre, Philharmonic Society, Northern Fleet Theatre.

Considerable sources of mineral raw materials are concentrated on the area. Powerful mining complex created here, meet the requirement of the biggest part of Russia (%): phosphate ores (100), flogopite and vermiculite (35 each), nickel, copper, cobalt, niobium, tantalum, rare earth metals. Invaluable natural resources are discovered on the shelf of the West Arctic, where large stock of hydro-carbonic raw materials were prospected within the last 20 years. Provision by hydro-carbon raw materials depends considerably upon development of the unique deposits, such as Shtokmanovskoye, Prirazlomnoye, Leningradskoye, Rusanovskoye. Even now the specialists are working on thew projects of Polar shelf development contains about 75% of all hydro-carbon stocks of the Russian shelf and it is considered as a region of long-term strategic prospect of oil and gas branches development.

A share of fish branch in the total volume of industrial production amounts to 15%. As regards the catching of fish, Murmansk region takes the fourth place in the Russian Federation and the first one in the European part of Russia.

The climate of the Murmansk region is arctic temperate, sea and it is influenced by the warm current Gulf Stream.

Murmansk region was founded on the 28th of May 1938. There are 16 towns, 5 districts, 16 urban settlements, 17 rural area administrations in the region.

Well developed transport infrastructure made Murman an important centre for establishing trade connections with other regions of Russia. The total length of railways within the territory of Murmansk region amounts to 1012,7 kms. The length of railways is 4159 kms. There are 2 large airports in the Murmansk region. They are "Murmask" (in Murmashy) and Khibiny (in Apatithy). Murmansk airport has regular international flights to Kirkenes and Tromso (Norway), Rovaniemi (Finland) and Lulea (Sweden).

Two large sea commercial ports are located on the territory;in Murmansk and Kandalaksha. Murmansk Sea Commercial Port is the only non-freezing port in the North-West Russia. The only in the world atomic icebreakers?fleet has its base in Murmansk The region is one of the 20 subjects of the Russian Federation-the largest exporters of the goods. The main export goods are: non-ferrous metals, apatite concentrate, fish products.