Population of the Rostov Region

The southern region of Russia, the Rostov region, has specific features and features that distinguish it from other subjects of the state. This uniqueness is due to the history, geographical location, economic development of the region. And they affect the size and composition of the population of the Rostov region.

Geographical position

In the south of Russia, on the East European Plain and the north of the Caucasus, there is a large federal subject - the Rostov Region. Its area is just over 1 million square meters. Km, and this is the 33rd place among all regions of the country. The region borders on the Voronezh and Volgograd regions, with Ukraine, the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories and Kalmykia. The relief of the region as a whole is flat: from a small hill in the north to a depression - in the south. The region is rich in hydro resources. Here flows one of the largest rivers of Europe - Don - and its two tributaries - Manych and Donets, there is a large Tsimlyansk reservoir and several lakes. The region is located within the steppe zone, in the south there is a transition to semi-deserts. Most of the territory is occupied by fertile agricultural lands, there are a few forests here, mostly green massifs located in river floodplains. The life of the population of the Rostov region has for many centuries been associated with the cultivation of crops and livestock.

Climate and ecology

The Rostov region is located in the temperate continental steppe climate zone with a mild short winter and a long, hot summer. In the region, a lot of sun, for a year there are about 2100 hours of such weather. The average annual temperature is 10 degrees Celsius. Winter in the region occurs in December and lasts until the end of February, the coldest month is January, when the thermometer drops to minus 5 at night. The snow cover lasts not for long, on average 203 weeks for the whole season. Winter in the Rostov region is humid and windy. Spring begins in the region at the end of February and lasts for 2 months, in March the plants start to bloom, in April the thermometer rises to a mark of +15 degrees in the daytime, sometimes even higher.

The longest season in the area is summer. It starts in May and ends in late September. The hottest month is July, when the temperature keeps on average about 25-30 degrees Celsius. Autumn in the area is short and dry, in October and November the temperature drops to 10 degrees Celsius, more often the sky frowns and winds often blow. Southeast territories are characterized by a more pronounced sharply continental climate and here the winter is colder, and the summer is much hotter than in other parts of the region. These climatic features affect the population density of the Rostov region and its distribution. The ecological situation in the region differs little from the situation in all southern regions of the country. Nature is polluted by cars and people, there are no harmful industries, but the industry adversely affects water and air, especially in the Rostov region.

Dynamics of the number

Systematically to calculate the population of the Rostov region began in 1959. Then there lived just over 3 million people. During the Soviet era, the region showed a steady increase in the number of inhabitants, an average of several tens of thousands of people per year. In 1997, almost 4.5 million people lived here. But with the advent of change and economic difficulties, the number of inhabitants of the region begins to decline. In 2016, there are 4.2 million people.

Region's districts and population distribution

Since 2005, the region has allocated 12 cities and 43 districts, which have 18 urban settlements and 390 villages. Statistics show that the population of the districts of the Rostov region is not homogeneous. The northern and southeastern parts are much less populated than the central territories. The average density of the population of the region is 42 people per square meter. Km. And the largest average population density in the Rostov region is observed in the capital area, here this figure ranges from 2 to 2.5 thousand people per square meter. Km. Most of the residents are settled in cities (2.9 million people), there is a gradual outflow of rural residents to the cities of the region. The largest cities in the Rostov region in terms of population size are the capital of the region (1.1 million people), Taganrog (250,000 people), Shakhty (236,000 people), Novocherkassk (170,000), Volgodonsk (170,000 people) People).

Demographic indicators of the Rostov region

As of 2016, the birth rate in the region is growing and is slightly more than 12 newborns per 1,000 inhabitants. At the same time mortality decreases, but very slowly and still remains quite high. This causes a negative dynamics of natural population growth. And even migration processes can not level out the problem of reducing the number of residents of the region. In the region there is a decrease in the number of people of working age, this is due to low birth rate and an increase in life expectancy (71 years). All this increases the demographic burden and adversely affects the economy of the region. By gender, the population of the Rostov region is not much different from other regions, the number of women here prevails over the number of men, especially in older age.

Ethnic composition

If we assess the national composition of the population of the Rostov region, then we can note a small increase in the Ukrainians in the overall structure of the region's inhabitants. 86% of the population are Russians, about 2% are Ukrainians, 2.6% are Armenians. The remaining ethnic groups make up less than 1% of the total number of inhabitants. 97% of the population speak Russian. The dominant religion is Orthodoxy.

Economy and employment of the population of the Rostov region

The region occupies the 39th place in Russia in terms of socio-economic development indicators. Here the processing, agrarian, coal, heavy and machine-building industries are well developed. The bulk of the population of the Rostov region is engaged in wholesale and retail trade - about 20%, in agriculture - 16% and manufacturing - 14%. The largest employers in the region are the metallurgical and automotive plants in Taganrog, Atommash and Rostselmash, the Electric Locomotive Plant in Novocherkassk. However, the work is not for everyone. The unemployment rate in the region is 5.1%, which is lower than in the neighboring southern regions of the Federation, but higher than the national average. In addition, there is a so-called unregistered unemployment, and its indicators are quite high. Young people can not find a job after graduating from universities, and this negatively affects the demography of the region.