European part of Russia: territory, regions and cities

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Many residents of this or that settlement in Russia do not even know the surrounding sights, not to mention those that the neighboring city or other region is famous for. Foreigners often have only a vague idea of the country. Fortunately, the level of service is constantly growing, which gradually stimulates the development of tourism.

Geographic location

The territory of the European part of Russia is bounded from the east by the Ural Mountains, the southern border runs through the North Caucasus. Its size is about 4,000,000 square kilometers, that is, it is almost half of all of Europe, but only 23% of the entire great country. This is the most developed and densely populated part of the state. It is here that noisy metropolises, ultra-modern buildings are located, and very close by are original ancient Russian cities and beautiful nature. The population of the European part of Russia is about 80 million people - this is half of all the inhabitants of the country.

One and indivisible

The European and Asian part of Russia is one big whole, although the second geographically belongs to Asia. Herthe area is about 13,000,000 square kilometers, although relatively few people live on it. This is due to the small number of large cities and adverse climatic conditions. The entire vast territory is inhabited by about 70 million people.

The Asian part is divided into 4 regions: the Urals, Siberia, East and West and the Far East. These are expanses from the Pacific Ocean to the Ural Mountains, the birthplace of endless forests and beautiful rivers. Despite the abundance of natural we alth concentrated in the eastern part of Russia, construction here is much more expensive, due to the harsh climate, permafrost, mountainous terrain, forests and swamps. That is why vast areas remain virtually untouched.

A paradise for nature lovers and hikers

The largest cities in the Asian part of Russia are Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tyumen, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk. The incredible beauty of the surroundings attracts tourists from all over the world. The famous sanatorium "Belokurikha", the magnificent Belukha mountain range and the protected area of the Altai Mountains make it possible to implement dozens of tourist routes of various complexity.

Kamchatka gives you the opportunity to get acquainted with active volcanoes and geysers. Thermal springs and therapeutic mud offer great opportunities for improving he alth. The flora and fauna are unique. Luxury fishing will give you an unforgettable experience.

The already mentioned Altai Mountains and Lake Baikal attract manytourists.

Administrative divisions

The following economic regions of the European part of Russia are distinguished:

• Central.
• Northwest.
• Southern.
• North Caucasian.
• Privolzhsky.

The European part of Russia is well-maintained cities, already little different from the megacities of Europe - the brilliance of night lights, luxurious hotels and restaurants, great shopping … Each region is ready to offer its own program for tourists, so we will consider their sights separately. The population of the European part of Russia consists of representatives of 39 nationalities. Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians are leading among them.

Characteristics of the European part of Russia

We have already talked about the Asian territory, so it will not be considered here. The European part of Russia stretches from the western borders of the country to the Urals. Cities are located compactly, close to Europe, there is access to the Atlantic Sea.

Most natural and hydropower resources are concentrated in the eastern part of the country, where only iron mining is in the lead. The main emphasis in the western part is on manufacturing and agriculture. The banking sector is much more developed.

Central region of western Russia

Beauty-Moscow, the ancient Kremlin, architectural monuments and museums. Every tourist tends to visit Golden-domed, but besides her, there are other cities in the European part of Russia that are no less interesting. Any travel agency will offer you a tour of the Golden Ring, visitingSuzdal, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo and other cities. Ancient temples and unique works of ancient architects will give you a lot of impressions.

The second destination for travel can be the places of life of great people. The most famous of them, of course, is Yasnaya Polyana, although the estates of the Pushkins, Sheremetevs, Shcherbatovs, Bolshoye Boldino are undeservedly forgotten.

Smolensk lakeland, forest Trans-Volga - a dozen years will not be enough to visit every amazing corner. The developed infrastructure and the absence of problems with transport and hotels make it possible to successfully receive even foreign tourists.

This region includes such regions of the European part of Russia as Moscow, Belgorod, Yaroslavl, Bryansk, Tula, Vladimir, Tver, Voronezh, Tambov, Ivanovo, Smolensk, Kaluga, Ryazan, Kostroma, Oryol, Kursk and Lipetsk. A budget vacation on the banks of majestic forests and beautiful rivers will benefit, charge you with he alth and good mood.

Northwest District

This is a large and underdeveloped part of the country. This includes the Arkhangelsk, Pskov, Vologda, Novgorod, Murmansk, Leningrad regions, Komi, Karelia and the creation of Peter, sung by A. S. Pushkin, - St. Petersburg. What is interesting here for tourists? The north of the European part of Russia is a fabulous virgin taiga. In summer, a fresh breeze rustles in the treetops, birds sing. If the vacation fell on a sultry July, it is betterthere is no place to find: the lakes are already warming up for comfortable swimming, and on the shore the sun does not burn the skin. In autumn, the taiga pleases with colors, crimson and gold are everywhere. Leaves are falling, nature is quiet in anticipation of winter…

Karelia provides great scope for water adventures. Local lakes are interconnected by rapid rapids, so rafting enthusiasts will like it here. The Khibiny mountains are famous among skiing beginners, but it is better to practice before the onset of severe winter frosts.

There are many architectural monuments in the North, ancient monasteries (Solovki, Valaam), Kizhi Church in Lake Onega and much more.

South Region

River, forest and sun… A dream can come true here. The specified district includes the Krasnodar Territory, Adygea, Astrakhan, Volgograd Region. The presence of large and very beautiful rivers, such as the Volga and the Don, opens up endless opportunities for spending holidays. At the same time, you don’t even have to plan a trip to the Black Sea, Sochi or Anapa.

If we talk about visiting tourists, they most often prefer comfortable hotels on the Black Sea coast with a visit to the local arboretum and other interesting places to wild holidays in tents. But for the local population with an average income, a vacation in a tent camp on the Volga, a ferry trip to the city-museum Myshkin and any other budget option may be suitable.

North Caucasian District

This district includesStavropol Territory, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Dagestan. Today these places are world famous as the only subtropical climatic zone in the country, which gives us the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. Thousands of tourists spend their holidays and improve their he alth here every year. It is impossible not to mention the local mineral waters. Kislovodsk is a former all-Union he alth resort, which is still very popular today.

Alpinists have long chosen these places, as Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe, is located here. Routes of varying severity allow you to master the basics of a difficult sport.

Life and customs of the Caucasian peoples attract tourists to these beautiful lands. Cultural and ethnographic sights and museums are frequently visited objects. Local cuisine is a separate story, none of the tourists will go home without trying fragrant lamb skewers.

Privolzhsky District

These are territories located near the Urals. Republic of Chuvash, Udmurt, Tatarstan, Mordovia, Mari El. In addition to them, the Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Samara and Saratov regions are also part of the district. Many people live here, in terms of tourism the area is very promising. Stunning mountainous areas, inexhaustible water resources, great fishing and just relaxing in the bosom of nature - such prospects attract tourists and provide opportunities for numerous tourism organizations to work.

The proximity of the Ural Mountains allows you to go in for mountaineering, as well as lead groups of sports andadventure tourism. The area allows everyone to find something to do, including climbers of the highest category (they will be especially interested in the Subpolar Urals).

The unique Komi forests have the status of a world natural heritage. So far, tourist routes are not developed here, although they have great prospects.

Bashkortostan is a place of amazing beauty. It is even hard to imagine that forty percent of the area of the entire republic is occupied by forests, and besides them, more than 10,000 rivers flow here, there are about 2,500 lakes, ponds and reservoirs. Three nature reserves, two natural parks, more than a hundred natural monuments, many reserves for the protection of medicinal plants - all this makes it impossible to get to know even one republic during your vacation. The European part of Russia is truly immense.

Summarize

We only briefly touched on the description of the riches that hide these vast territories. The European part of Russia includes five regions, each of which includes from six to eighteen regions. A region may include several dozen cities, large and small.

Tourists can find whatever they want here. Big cities and ancient archeological monuments, untouched forests of Siberia and the highest mountains… Russia has always been famous for its water resources, mother nature's reserves are truly inexhaustible! Rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, small and fragile, powerful and majestic, fast mountain streams for lovers of extreme sports or the Volga slowly carrying its waves - nowhere in the worldit is impossible to find such diversity. Not only the cities themselves, but also the surroundings are radically different from each other.