The Irkutsk Region, a constituent entity of the Russian Federation, is part of the Siberian Federal District. On January 1, 2008 the region was merged with the Ust-Ordyn Buryat Autonomous Area, a special status territorial entity, according to the Federal constitutional law of December 30, 2007 On Establishing the New Constituent Entity of the Russian Federation by Merging the Irkutsk Region and the Ust-Ordyn Buryat Autonomous Area.

The region borders the constituent entities that are parts of the Eastern-Siberian economic region, namely the Krasnoyarsk Territory in the west, the Chita Region in the east, Republic of Buryatia in the south-east and to the south, Republic of Tuva in the south-west, and Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the north-east. The region's borders with the neighbouring territories stretch for over 7,240 kilometres, including the borders along Lake Baikal extending 520 kilometres. The region is washed by the lake from the east.

Official symbols

Location

The Irkutsk Region is located in south-eastern Siberia, in the middle of the Asian continent at the intersection of the transport routes linking European countries with the Russian Far East and the Pacific Rim countries. The region's southern point is located at 51° north latitude, while the northern point almost reaches 65th parallel north. Most of the territory is located on the southern part of the Central Siberian Plateau in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska rivers, and surrounded by the Eastern Sayan Mountains to the south-west and the Primorsky and the Baikal ridges and the Stanovoye and Patomskoye uplands in the east. The region also comprises part of Lake Baikal, with the lowest point at 1,181 metres near Olkhon Island, while the region's highest point is at the Kodar Ridge at 2,999 metres above sea level. Lowlands cover about 1.5% of the territory.

Administrative division

In 1937, the year the Irkutsk Region was established within its present borders, the territory comprised 27 districts, while now the number has reached 34. The large-scale administrative changes occurred mostly during the massive industrialisation period, which affected the extensively developing territories. Today, the region comprises 474 municipal entities, including 33 municipal areas, 9 municipal districts, 67 towns and 365 villages.

Area

The Irkutsk Region's area is 790,300 square kilometres, which is 4.6% of Russia's territory and 15.6% of the Siberian Federal District's area. The region's territory is larger than any western European country, stretching at 1,400 kilometres from north to south and at 1,500 kilometres from west to east.

Capital

Irkutsk, located 5,042 kilometres from Moscow

Main cities

Irkutsk, Angarsk, Bratsk, Usolye-Sibirskoye, Ust-Ilimsk, Cheremkhovo

Climate

The average temperature is below 0°C for half of the year. Winters are cold, with the average January temperatures ranging from -17°C (1.4°F) to -33°C (-27.4°F), while summers are hot and dry in the first half, with the average July temperatures ranging from +17°C (62.6°F) to +33°C (91.4°F).

Natural resources

The region has four coal bearing basins: the Irkutsk, the Kansko-Achinsk, the Tungussk and the Baikal basins, with estimated coal reserves of 200 billion tonnes. The total in-place reserves at 25 local industrial deposits amount to 14.3 billion tonnes, or about 15% of Eastern Siberia's balance reserves. The territory's forecast reserves of crude and condensate are estimated at 2.6 billion tonnes, or about 10% of Russia's crude and condensate reserves, while forecast reserves of combustible gas stand at 7.5 trillion cubic metres, or about 5% of Russia's overall reserves.
The territory also boasts dozens of explored iron ore bearing deposits and areas, the largest being Angarskaya and Vostochno-Sayanskaya provinces, with the total iron ore reserves estimated at 33 billion tonnes. The region also has about 20 explored manganese ore deposits in Vostochnye Sayany and Western Baikal areas, with the total forecast reserves estimated at 470 million tonnes.

The Irkutsk Region has three extensively explored gold bearing areas, Leno-Vitimsky, Vostochno-Sayansky and Predbaikalsky. Hardrock gold amounts to 80% and placer gold accounts for 15%, with balance reserves located at a total of 300 deposits while the forecast reserves are estimated for over 100 deposits and areas in the region's Bodaibo, Mamsko-Chuisky, Nizhneudinsk, Olkhonsky and Irkutsk areas. In terms of its developed hardrock gold reserves, the Irkutsk Region ranks first in Russia.

The territory is abundant in various rare metals, boasting 65% of Russia's niobium reserves, 45% of the country's tantalum reserves, 50% of lithium, as well as rubidium, cesium, beryllium and others.

The Angara River area is rich in non-metallic feed used in the ferrous industry, having 75% of Russia's reserves of magnesite sand, as well as in construction materials and ornamental stones.

Other important non-metallic reserves are coal clay, magnesite, moulding and glass sands, salt rock, talc, gypsum, semi-precious and ornamental stones, glimmer, muscovy glass, and mineral construction materials.

Forest resources

The region's forests cover a total of 72.5 million hectares, or 19.49% of the Siberian Federal District's forest area, including coniferous species taking up 46.8 million hectares, or 24.58% of the district's coniferous forests. The total standing forest reserves are estimated at 9.385 million cubic metres, or 28.15% of the Siberian Federal District's reserves.

Recreation and tourism

The Irkutsk Region is a unique recreation area, which boasts tourism, resort and natural healing resources, with some of the areas having favourable microclimate for aero- and heliotherapy.

The central ecological zone of Baikal has a 35,000 square kilometre area with vast tourist attractions. The areas of the southern Baikal region can provide tourist sites able to accommodate 145,000 people for short-term recreation and 50,000 people for long-term recreational activities. Lake Baikal coastal area can provide recreation for up to 2 million tourists.

The Angaro-Lensky artesian basin is the world's biggest basin, with the territory of 2,700 square kilometres having six large healing mud lakes and about 300 mineral springs, including eight mineral springs used for bottling water. The region has over 70 health recreational resorts.

The Baikal omul is a smallish endemic salmonid used for cooking various delicacies. The fur of Barguzin sable and Baikal seal, used for making clothing items, has received awards and diplomas at fur auctions outside Russia. The water from local deep springs is used for making high quality beverages and non-alcoholic drinks exported to Australia, the US and other countries.

In December 1996, Lake Baikal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its unique natural environment, with 2,635 different flora and fauna species, of which two thirds are endemic.

Population

The Irkutsk Region's population is 2,654,000, which is 1.87% of Russia's population and 13.54% of the Siberian Federal District's inhabitants. The region is Russia's 20th and the district's 4th most populated territory. The population density is 3.35 per square kilometre, the region ranking 6th in the Siberian Federal District. 75.3% of the region's population is urban, while residents in rural areas account for 24.7%. The region ranks 3rd in the Siberian Federal District in terms of urbanisation. Ethnic Russians amount to 88.1% of the region's population, while Buryats account for 5%, Ukrainians make up 2.1%, Tatars account for 1.2% and other ethnicities make up 3.6% of the region's population.

Regional administration

Governor of the Irkutsk Region: Igor Yesipovsky, appointed acting governor by President Vladimir Putin's decree on April 16, 2008. Appointed Governor of the Irkutsk Region by majority of vote at the regional legislature's session on November 22, 2008.

Mayor of Irkutsk: Kondrashov Viktor, appointed in March 2010.

Speaker of the regional legislature: Lyudmila Berlina