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Khabarovsk Territory
// GENERAL INFORMATION
Khabarovsk Territory is located in the Far East of the Russian Federation. On the west and north, the territory borders on subjects of the Russian Federation, i.e., the Jewish Autonomous Region, Amur Region, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and Magadan Region. The eastern boundary passes through the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, dividing the territorial waters of Khabarovsk Territory and Sakhalin Region. Primorye Territory and China border on the territory in the south. Khabarovsk Territory belongs to the Far Eastern economic region.
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The territory occupies an area of 788 600 km2 or 4.5% of Russia's total area. More than half of the territory consists of plateaus and mountains with elevations of up to 2500 m in places. An extensive river system allows the use and development of river shipping, and the territory's thousands of lakes abound in fish. The territory has a moderate monsoon climate with average summer temperatures of no more than +24 °C in the south and +15 °C in the north; winter temperatures range from -23 °C in the south to -40 °C in the north in inland regions and -18 °C and -24°C, respectively, on the coast. Average annual precipitation is 400-600 mm in the north, 600-800 mm in the south, and up to 1000 mm in the mountains.
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Khabarovsk Territory includes 17 administrative districts and 2 cities under territorial administration: Khabarovsk (pop. slightly more than 612 000) and Komsomolsk-on-Amur (pop. of about 298 500). Altogether there are 7 cities, 27 urban communities, and 186 rural administrations in the territory. The territory has a population of 1 571 000 residents, 81% of whom live in urban areas.
HISTORY
The history of the city of Khabarovsk began in late May 1858, when soldiers of the Siberian Marine Battalion commanded by Captain Ya.V. Dyachenko established a military post named Khabarovka in honor of the Russian explorer Erofei Khabarov. The settlement grew rapidly as merchants, Cossacks, peasants, and artisans from neighboring provinces began arriving along with the soldiers. Within five years, more than 150 buildings had been constructed, which besides barracks and storehouses included houses and shops.
Khabarovka was granted city status on October 30, 1880, and was first designated the administrative center of Primorye Territory and then of the Priamurye governor-generalship in 1884. From then on, the governor-general, the commander and staff of the Priamurye military district, the immigration office, and other administrative offices were located in the city. The population at that time was more than 2000 people. The rapid development of the Far East and the favorable location increased the city's political and economic importance. As a result, a river port was built on the bank of the Amur River at Khabarovka in 1872; and in 1897 the city, now known as Khabarovsk (renamed in 1893), was connected with the equally young city of Valdivostok by the Ussuri Railway under construction since 1891, which contributed to the development of commerce and industry in neighboring regions.
Cultural life began to flourish in Khabarovsk in 1894 with the establishment of a division of the Russian Geographical Society, whose members almost immediately opened a museum and library. The newspaper Priamurskie vedomosti began publishing in the same year; and a city theater was opened in the fall as a result of the creation of an actors' association and the organization of an amateur theater group. Soldiers with a creative bent also established a soldiers' theater that year. By the early 20th century, Khabarovsk was one of the largest trading centers of the Far East and had great military significance. Thus, a number of munitions workshops were in operation at the beginning of the 20th century, the Arsenal munitions factory (now Daldizel) was set up in 1902, and the Amur Flotilla base was established in 1908. The first telephone exchange opened in the city in 1900, and the number of subscribers quickly reached more than 1000; electricity followed in 1907. Khabarovsk became the center of the Far Eastern Territory in 1924 and of Khabarovsk Territory in 1938.
The city's education system also began forming in the early 20th century, and by 1915, there were eight general education schools, a teacher's college, a seminary, a military school, a vocational school, and a railway engineering school.
Thus, the city developed without any special help from authorities in the "Big Cities." City residents who wanted education, entertainment, culture, and greater personal prosperity, together with energetic and enterprising people coming to the city from other regions of the country, were responsible for its development.
RESOURCES
Natural and mineral resources are a source of livelihood and enrichment for many Russian regions and form the basis of their industry and exports. Khabarovsk Territory is no exception, as most of the territory's enterprises are involved in the production and processing of a wide variety of resources.
The territory's natural resources consist of land, the food and animal resources of the forests, and the biological resources of rivers, lakes, and seas. The land supply in Khabarovsk Territory is about 78 763 000 hectares.
Forests are Khabarovsk Territory's largest natural resource. About 80% of them are coniferous forests of Korean pine, spruce, fir, pine, and larch. Deciduous species include white and yellow birch, ash, and aspen, as well as valuable species such as oak, elm, and maple. Forests are considered extremely important, since they provide a means of developing other economic sectors and are a source of animal, food, and plant resources.
The wildlife of Khabarovsk Territory is abundant and varied. Fur-bearing animals inhabiting the forests include foxes, squirrels, sables, muskrats, Siberian weasels, otters, brown bears, and wolves. The forests are also home to hoofed animals such as moose, Manchurian deer, roe deer, musk deer, and wild boars. Reindeer, ermine, and wolverines are encountered in the northern parts of the territory.
Other forest dwellers include the lynx, Siberian tiger, black bear, and a variety of wild pigs. Owing to the great diversity and numbers of wild animals, about 98% of the territory can be considered hunting grounds.
Unique medicinal plants, such as magnolia vine, ginseng, aralia, and devil's root, are also very important for the territory. Mushrooms, berries, pine and other nuts, ferns, and a multitude of nectar-producing plants are an integral part of the forest.
The lake and river systems of Khabarovsk Territory include more than 120 000 rivers with a total length of about 540 000 km and 55 000 lakes. The largest rivers are tributaries of the Amur such as the Amgun, Anui, Tunguska, and Ussuri with a total length of more than 1000 km within the territory. The largest lakes, i.e., Udyl, Orel, Bolon, and Chukchagirskoe, are also located in the Amur basin. More than 100 species of fish inhabit the waters of Khabarovsk Territory.
The greatest concentrations of fish are found in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk. Commercial species include herring, pollock, cod, salmon, flounder, and lamprey. In addition to fish, there are also many commercial species of crab, shrimp, scallops, and other mollusks.
Khabarovsk Territory has a great variety of mineral resources, although reserves vary greatly in size and few of them are of much commercial significance. Some of the most important resources are deposits of hard, coking, and brown coal, with probable reserves of 1, 4, and 7 billion tons, respectively. The recent Adnikanskoe hydrocarbon deposit is another fuel and energy resource. The territory's oil and gas reserves are estimated at 500 million tons. Tin ore is another important resource; Khabarovsk Territory is one of the leading Russian regions with respect to reserves and processing of this metal. Iron ore reserves from Dzhudzhursky (6.6 billion tons) and Udsko-Selemdzhinsky (1.6 billion tons) districts are the basis of the territory's ferrous metallurgy industry. Other minerals found in much smaller quantities include manganese, apatite, alunite, chromite, and some other ores, each of which may be accompanied by associated elements such as iron, titanium, copper, silver, vanadium, bismuth, tungsten, and indium. Production of gold and silver, mainly from alluvial deposits, is also of some importance in the territory.
AUTHORITIES
As in many Russian cities, executive authority is exercised by the Khabarovsk city Administration headed by the mayor. The city's administration is made up of the administrations of city districts, the mayor's direct deputies, and a number of structural subdivisions responsible for carrying out specific tasks. The functions and powers of the administrative bodies are assumed on the basis of legislation on local self-government and mayoral decrees. Overall management of the administration's activities is exercised according to the principle of the undivided authority of the mayor, or in his absence, the vice-mayor. Khabarovsk's highest representative and legislative body is the City Duma. According to the City Charter, the Duma comprises 16 elected deputies, with the chairman being appointed by the mayor. Organizational questions of the City Duma are governed by its regulations, drawn up by the Duma on the basis of Article 12 of the Charter. The Administration of Khabarovsk Territory exercises executive authority in the territory. It is headed by the Governor elected by absolute majority. The head of the administration determines the composition and structure of the territorial Administration and its main lines of activity.
The Duma of Khabarovsk Territory carries out legislative and representative functions in the territory. It is made up of 50 deputies elected for a four-year term. Half of the deputies work on a full-time basis, and the other half combine their duties with other jobs. The chairman, elected by the deputies by secret vote at a Duma session, organizes the Duma's work. The Duma's powers, as well as other questions concerning its structure, composition, and activities, are determined by the Law of Khabarovsk Territory on the Legislative Duma.
ECONOMY
The economy of Khabarovsk Territory depends to a great extent on the state of its economic sectors, the investment climate, and the successfulness of implementing investment projects. The territory's most important production sectors are the power, fuel, food, heavy, forest, and woodworking industries. The private sector of the economy accounts for about 85% of production.
It should be noted that industrial output in the territory has slumped over the past ten years due to the breakdown of the economic ties of the USSR. All major industries, except for the light, medical, and printing industries, have experienced a decline in production. Production has declined to a lesser extent than in industry as a whole in the power, fuel, and food industries and to a greater extent in heavy industry and the building material, forest and woodworking, and chemical and petrochemical industries. However, the slump in production has not affected investments. On the contrary, by adopting an investment policy favorable to all, the Administration was able to attract the attention of foreign and Russian investors and thus increase the flow of capital into the territorial economy.
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