GEOGRAPHY

The region of Kirov is located in the north east of European Russia. Its size is appr. Es ist 120.700 kmē and borders on the Arkhangelsk region and the Republic of Komi to the north, on the Perm region and the Udmurtian Republic to the east, on Tatarstan and the Mari Republic to the south and on the regions od Nizhni Novgorod, Kostroma and Vologda to the west.


A road-sign near Lalsk

The longest river of the region, the Viatka (1,370 km in length), belongs to the catchment area of the Volga. The Kirov region is a part of the Russian flatlands. The absolute difference in altitude is 281 m (from 56 to 337 m over sea-level). The highest elevation of the region is the Viatka-Kamsk plain in the north-east. 53% of the region's surface is covered by forests (mixed and coniferous).

In terms of climate, the area around Kirov is a part of the temperate continental zone. However, its proximity to the Arctic sea results in very cold winters and sudden outbreaks of cold in the summer months. The average temperature of the region is 1,75° C (-15° C in January; 18° C in July). From a statistic perspective, precipitation takes place every two days, resulting in an average precipitation value of 500-680 mm annually.

The region offers numerous mineral resources such as peat, oil, iron and copper ore as well as oil shale and phosphorites. At present, only the exploitation of peat and phosphorites have any real economic meaning, since technical difficulties and low profit margins have made the extraction of all other materials unprofitable. Other industrial branches of importance for the area include the chemical and textile industries as well as lumberjacking and timber processing. The production of potatoes, flax and grains (primarily rye and barley) as well as cattle-breeding are the mainstays of the region's agriculture.

Michael Orawski