Central Federal District, Russia

Central Federal District - Overview

The Central Federal District is a federal district of the Russian Federation located in the west of its European part, formed by the Decree of the President of Russia on May 13, 2000.

The district has no republics in its composition - only oblasts (regions) and a city of federal significance (Moscow), which is the administrative center and the largest city of the district.

The Central Federal District has no access to the world ocean or any sea. It is the largest among the federal districts by the number of subjects and population.

The population of Central Federal District is about 39,209,000 (2016), the area - 650,205 sq. km.

Central district map, Russia

Central Federal District - Features

The Central Federal District is located on the East European Plain. It borders on Belarus in the west and Ukraine in the southwest.

It is the federal district with the highest density of population in Russia - 60.30 people per sq. km., the level of urbanization - 82%, about 50% of the population lives in Moscow and the Moscow region.

The Central Federal District includes several natural zones (from north to south): mixed forest, broad-leaved forest, forest-steppe, steppe. The largest rivers are the Volga, the Oka, the Don, the Voronezh, the Dnieper, the Desna, the Seym, the Western Dvina. The climate is temperate continental, the average temperature in January is minus 7-14 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 16-22 degrees Celsius.

The main natural resources: iron ore (Kursk magnetic anomaly) - about 40 billion tons (60% of the total Russian reserves), phosphorites (25%), bauxites (15%), brown coal, cement raw materials (25% ), granite, ocher, peat, forests, chernozem (black earth), water resources.

From historical, economic and natural-climatic point of view the district is divided into two sub-regions - Non-Black Earth and Black Earth. This federal district is also called the Center of Russia or Central Russia.