Social and economic development

Voronezh area is the third largest area in the Central Federal district with the territory of 52.2 thousand square kilometers (8.0% of the Central Federal district territory). The area is centered in Voronezh (840.7 thousand citizens by January 1, 2007).

Voronezh area finds itself at the south of the Central Russia and after the Soviet Union disintegration has become a border zone – in the south it borders Ukraine. Voronezh area neighbors: Rostov area at the south, Belgorod area at the west, Kursk area at the north-west, Lipetsk and Tambov areas at the north, Volgograd area at the north-east.

Black earth is prevailing at the area territory. Common, fertile and rich black earth covers the most part of the territory and constitutes the most powerful area resource.

Vegetation – large forest masses, mostly oak-wood and pine forests; someplace you can find basement steppes, mostly upturned.

Mineral resource base in Voronezh area is represented by non-metallic deposits, mostly construction materials (sands, clays, chalk, granites, crude cement, ochre, limestone, sandstone), especially in the southern and western parts of the area.

Voronezh area prospected mineral deposits are developed by a number of mining enterprises, the largest of them being ОАО Pavlovskgranite, ОАО Voronezhskoe Rudoupravlenie, Semiluk construction materials combine, ОАО Podgorensky Cementnik, ZАО

Kopanishensk construction materials combine, Zuravsk ochre plant etc. The area also masters mineral ground waters.

The area industrial specialty is agricultural products (production and processing), mechanical engineering and electric power (state-of-the art Novovoronezh nuclear power plant).

Main branches of industry: mechanical engineering and metal working. Leading production capacities: machine-tool construction, production of excavating machines, agricultural machines, passenger airbuses, metal-forming machines, ore-dressing and processing equipment, TV sets, radio sets, VSRs, household devices, metal bridge structures; chemical and chemical-pharmaceutical industry; production of construction materials (fireproof etc.), food (butter and fat-making, sugar, meat) industry.

Voronezh area holds monopoly in manufacturing nine types of machinery and equipment, including power presses, forging machines, drilling equipment, pre-cleaning separators.

Voronezh area is the third largely populated area in the Central Federal district, after Moscow and Moscow area. By January 1, 2007 the total area population amounted to 2 294.6 thousand people. Population density is 44 persons per 1 square kilometer. The area features high share of rural population – 37.2%. Russians exceed 94%, but there are compact dwellings of Ukrainians. Significant part of the area south is populated by Don Cossacks.

Voronezh area boasts one of the largest groups of students in Russia – 320 persons per 10 thousand citizens. Of 18 areas in the Central Federal district Voronezh area has the second largest student population after Moscow.

As to small and medium enterprises in “science and scientific servicing”, Voronezh area is the third in the Central Federal district, having preserved its high scientific, technical and industrial potential. All types of research are conducted by 56 research institutions and design bureaus, with hundreds of doctors of science and thousands of candidates of science on their staff.

Voronezh area contains 534 municipal units, including 3 town regions, 31 municipal districts, 29 settlements, 471 villages.

Main economic centers – together with Voronezh - are: Borisoglebsk (66.6 thousand), Liski (54.8 thousand), Novovoronezh (35.6 thousand), Ostrogozhsk (32.3 thousand), Rossosh (62.0 thousand).

Neo geo-politic status advances Voronezh to the central role in science, industry, education and culture at the southern sector of the country. Present formation of Voronezh as a new inter-regional capital requires dynamic progress of the whole area, intensified investments by large companies into big-scale industrial, infrastructure and agricultural projects.