0 100 200 Kilometers 0 50 100 Miles Solikamsk Kirov Perm Sarov Nizhniy Novgorod MORDOVIA Saransk Volga R. Cheboksary Arzamas Penza CHUVASH Ulyanovsk Volga R. Saratov Izhevsk Yoshkar - Ola MARY EL Kazan Naberezhnye Chelny TATARSTAN Kuybyshev Res. Togliatti Kama R. Samara UDMURTIYA Zhigulevsky Zapovednik & Samarskaya Luka N.P. BASHKORTOSTAN Ufa Orenburg Yekaterinburg Chelyabinsk KAZAKHSTAN FIGURE 24.1. The Volga federal district of Russia. Map: J. Torguson.
TABLE 24.1. Subjects of Federation of the Volga Federal District Subject Administrative center Population (2006) (thousands) % ethnic Russian GRP/capita (rubles in 2006) Top products and areas of economic specialization within Russia (% of nation s total production for some) Kirov Oblast Kirov 1,443 91 67,185 Wood-processing equipment (19%), tires (16%), OS board (14%), defense Permsky Kray Perm 2,748 85 143,570 Turbo drills (100%), mineral fertilizer (42%), gas ranges (29%), defense Udmurt Republic Izhevsk 1,544 60 105,767 Small engines (11%), cars (4%), trucks (3%), military, beef, dairy Nizhegorodskaya Oblast Nizhniy Novgorod 3,411 95 112,162 Buses (65%), trucks (62%), thermoplastics (39%), food processing (17%), cars Mariy El Republic Yoshkar-Ola 712 48 59,964 Refrigerators (19%), grains, potatoes Chuvash Republic Cheboksary 1,292 27 71,242 Looms (76%), bulldozers (27%), beef, dairy Mordoviya Republic Saransk 857 61 66,573 Power transformers (75%), cistern cars (51%), light bulbs (27%), beef, dairy Tatarstan Republic Kazan 3,762 40 161,013 Synthetic rubber (30%), tires (28%), trucks (16%), plastics (14%), agriculture Bashkortostan Republic Ufa 4,064 36 124,647 Baking soda (55%), wheelchairs (47%), light bulbs (29%), rubber, oil Penza Oblast Penza 1,408 86 64,962 Seed combines (23%), pipeline equipment, sugar (5%), grain Ulyanovsk Oblast Ulyanovsk 1,336 73 76,244 Buses (26%), trucks (10%), beef, dairy, grain Samara Oblast Samara 3,189 84 153,967 Cars (75%), synthetic rubber (21%), oil refining, beverages, plastics, aerospace Saratov Oblast Saratov 2,608 86 77,148 Trolleybuses (49%), synthetic fibers (29%), glass (26%), tractors, refrigerators Orenburg Oblast Orenburg 2,138 74 140,586 Nonferrous metallurgy equipment (34%), salt (19%), oil, gas Note. Data from the Federal Service of State Statistics, Russian Federation (2009). To convert gross regional product (GRP) to U.S. dollars, divide GRP by 27.19.
FIGURE 24.2. Chalk cliffs along the Volga at Samarskaya Luka National Park. Photo: S. Blinnikov.
FIGURE 24.3. Chuvash traditional dress on display at Cheboksary. An offering of bread and salt is a traditional form of hospitality throughout Russia, not only among the Slavs. Photo: S. Blinnikov.
FIGURE 1. Large-scale reconstruction of Kazan is under way to provide room for more commercial development in the congested city core. Photo: S. Blinnikov.
FIGURE 2. Suyumbike was built in the late 17th century in Kazan, probably as a guard tower. Its tilt from the vertical is 1.8 m near the top. Photo: S. Blinnikov.
FIGURE 24.4. New housing in Samara for people with higher-than-average incomes. Photo: S. Blinnikov.
FIGURE 24.5. Locally made toys are sold directly from the factory to the train passengers at the Trans-Siberian Railroad station in Kirov. Photo: Author.
FIGURE 24.6. The city of Perm a large industrial and military hub in the northeastern part of the Volga region. Photo: Author.