Northern cities of Russia: why do people go to them despite the climate?

Which regions of Russia belong to the Far North?

When establishing the boundaries of the Far North, the Government was guided by the geographical location, the influence of climate on people and equipment, and the costs of production . As a result, a List of regions of the Far North and localities equated to regions of the Far North was created for the purpose of providing state guarantees and compensation for persons working and living in these areas and localities. It identifies the subjects, regions and settlements of the Russian Federation, whose residents can count on “northern allowances” .

The regions of the Far North are highlighted in the darkest color. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

What benefits are provided for residents of the Far North?

Those who work in the regions of the Far North and in territories equivalent to them can count on a significant increase in wages, which consists of a regional coefficient and a percentage increase. The size of the coefficient will be different for different regions (for example, in Chukotka it can reach 100% of the salary).

Also, employees of these territories are entitled to additional paid leave (from 16 to 24 days), compensation for expenses on vacation tickets . All these issues are regulated by RF Law N 4520-1.

Of course, in the article we will not list all the settlements of the Far North, but will focus only on a few large and popular cities in this area. Data on salaries was taken from the website “trud.com”, data on the cost of apartments - from “naydidom.com”.

Why does the community exist?

The purpose of creating this organization is the formation of a common economic space, integration in humanitarian areas, as well as coordination in other issues, in particular in the fight against corruption, terrorism, and money laundering. Work is carried out for the sake of freedom of movement of goods, services, capital and labor.

Member countries are actively involved in creating other structures to achieve these goals. In 2000, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan signed the Treaty establishing the Eurasian Economic Community, and three years later the SES (Common Economic Space) was created by four countries - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. In 2009, the CIS Free Trade Zone (CIS FTA) was created.

The CIS countries have already signed a Free Trade Agreement with Vietnam, which has contributed to an increase in trade turnover. Negotiations are underway to sign an agreement on the ST zone with Egypt, Israel, India, Iran, Serbia and Singapore.

The purpose of creating the CIS is to form an interstate regional market and establish strong economic ties between the participating countries.

Arkhangelsk

Arkhangelsk is located in the North-West of Russia and belongs to lands equated to the Far North. Founded in 1584, almost 345 thousand people live in it. The climate here is subarctic, with long winters and short, cool summers. However, it cannot be said that terrible frosts reign here: the average temperature for January is 12.4 °C below zero . The economy is centered around the timber, fishing and fish processing industries. Therefore, production workers will be the most in demand here.

At the beginning of the year, a ranking of cities by standard of living was published. Arkhangelsk took 75th place out of 85 possible.

The wooden city of Arkhangelsk was built in just “one year.” PHOTO: pixabay.com

Arkhangelsk in numbers 2021:

• Population - 344,927 people.
• The average salary is 38,525 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 2,480,000.

What it is?

CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) is an association of a number of countries that were formerly part of the USSR, created in December 1991.

Initially, all republics of the Union except the Baltic countries and Georgia were participants. In 1993, Georgia joined them.

As of 2021, the CIS includes 11 republics (there were 15 republics in the former USSR). The total population of the countries of the association amounted to 281.1 million people. The most populous countries: Russia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan (they account for about 80% of the CIS population). Countries interact through the statutory bodies of the organization.

Severodvinsk

And this city in the Arkhangelsk region already belongs to the regions of the Far North . It was founded less than a hundred years ago, in 1936, as a shipbuilding village near the mouth of the Northern Dvina River. Now about 180 thousand people live there, and the life of the city still revolves around shipbuilding. The city-forming enterprises of Severodvinsk are JSC PO Northern Machine-Building Enterprise and OJSC ". They are engaged in the construction and repair of nuclear submarines, civilian ships and surface ships.

The former names of Severodvinsk are the village of Sudostroy and the city of Molotovsk. PHOTO: cdn.ptisidiastima.com

Severodvinsk in numbers 2021:

• Population - 180,806 people.
• The average salary is 38,109 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 2,788,750.

Goals of the association

The goals of creating the CIS are specified in its Charter.

These include:

• cooperation in all spheres of economics and culture;
• development of member states within the framework of a common economic space;
• ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms;
• cooperation in ensuring international peace and security;
• reduction of the arms race, military spending, elimination of the nuclear arsenal of weapons;
• mutual legal assistance;
• peaceful resolution of disputes within the association.

In short, the unification should contribute to a fuller disclosure of the socio-economic potential of each state and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Norilsk

Norilsk is a city in the Krasnoyarsk Territory , the construction of which began in 1935 with the construction of the Norilsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine. It was built by Gulag prisoners. In 1953, the settlement received city status, and is currently considered the northernmost settlement in the world with a population of more than 150,000 people .

The weather in Norilsk is harsh: the average temperature in January is -27 C (the minimum recorded temperature is -64 C), and in July - only +14.3 C. And city residents also have to adapt to the Polar Night. PHOTO: bigenc.ru

Norilsk is the center of non-ferrous metallurgy. Metals such as palladium, osmium, platinum, etc. are mined here. Naturally, the active work of metallurgical enterprises has affected the environment - Norilsk is one of the 10 most polluted places on the planet.

The Norilsk plant produces 35% of the world's palladium.

Norilsk in numbers 2021:

• Population - 182,701 people.
• Average salary - 51,046 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 2,127,699.

see also

• List of cities in Russia
• Municipality
• Historical cities of Russia
• Administrative centers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation
• Agglomerations of Russia
• Settlements in Russia that have lost city status
• The most comfortable city in Russia
• List of heads of major cities in Russia

Historical lists of cities

• List of cities of the Russian Empire in 1840
• List of cities of the Russian Empire in 1897
• List of cities in the USSR in 1926

Murmansk

Murmansk is the largest city located above the Arctic Circle. It was built on the coast of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea. The population is about 283 thousand people. Murmansk is first and foremost a port; it was founded for these purposes in 1916. The climate here is moderate, and severe frosts are rare. The polar night lasts from December 2 to January 11, and the polar day lasts from May 22 to July 22 . The main sectors of the economy of Murmansk are fishing and fish processing, as well as ship repair, shipping, metalworking and the food industry .

In Murmansk you can observe the Northern Lights. PHOTO: unsplash.com

Murmansk in numbers 2021:

• Population - 282,851 people.
• Average salary - 43,213 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 3,191,585.

Irkutsk region

• Alzamay - 6135.
• Angarsk - 226777.
• Baikalsk - 12900.
• Biryusinsk - 8484.
• Bodaibo - 13420.
• Bratsk - 234145.
• Vikhorevka - 21455.
• Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky - 23980.
• Winter - 31282.

• Irkutsk - 623420. An ancient city with many cultural and historical attractions.
• Kirensk - 11435.
• Nizhneudinsk - 43050.
• Sayansk - 38955.
• Svirsk - 13126.
• Slyudyanka - 18300.
• Taishet - 33587.
• Tulun - 41988.
• Usolye-Sibirskoye - 78563.
• Ust-Ilimsk - 82828.
• Ust-Kut - 42499.
• Cheremkhovo - 51337.
• Shelekhov - 47377.

Monchegorsk

Another city in the Murmansk region, located beyond the Arctic Circle. Monchegorsk is a single-industry town whose life revolves around a mining and metallurgical plant.

A single-industry town is a settlement founded at a city-forming enterprise to provide production with labor resources.

When the plant was first built, it was assumed that these lands were rich in copper and nickel. However, the deposit turned out to be very small, so now the city-forming enterprise of Monchegorsk is processing raw materials from Norilsk.

Monchegorsk is located on the slope of a mountain range on the shores of lakes Imandra and Lumbolka. Photo by: Lihgra Adventure

Monchegorsk is very small - a little more than 40,000 people. The environmental situation here is unfavorable due to emissions from the plant. However, with the modernization of production, the situation is slowly but surely improving.

Monchegorsk in numbers 2021:

• Population - 40,675 people.
• The average salary is 42,272 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 1,419,365.

Prospects for the Commonwealth

The economic development strategy of the CIS for the period until 2021 plans to increase mutual trade volumes by 2.5-3 times and increase real income per capita by 3.3-3.7 times. The countries plan to cooperate not only in the economic sphere, but also in the space industry, informatization, and interstate innovative technologies.

It is planned to gradually converge the customs legislation of the CIS member states on the basis of WTO requirements and prepare proposals for the unification of forms and methods of tax control. In the future, it is planned to mutually admit resident banks of the member countries of the association to each other’s foreign exchange markets in order to conduct conversion operations to service foreign trade activities.

Cooperation between the newly independent states will be carried out within the framework of integration associations such as the EAEU, the Common Economic Space and the Free Trade Zone. Over the 10 months of 2021, trade turnover between the Commonwealth countries increased by more than a quarter (25.7%), reaching almost $117 billion (in 2016, this figure was $94 billion).

Economic relations are developing best between Belarus and Russia (25% growth in trade turnover in 2021), as well as between Russia and Kyrgyzstan (17% growth in 2021). In 2017-2018, the share of CIS countries in the structure of Russian online exports increased significantly (from 32 to 40%).

Due to the political crisis, the volume of foreign trade in goods between Ukraine and the CIS countries in the first months of 2021 decreased by 7% ($2.794 billion). The volume of trade turnover with the CIS countries and Tajikistan decreased by 5.1% (over the same period). CIS partners account for 54.7% of Tajikistan’s total foreign trade turnover. The first places in trade turnover are occupied by Russia ($154.9 million) and Kazakhstan ($125.1 million).

Vorkuta

A city in the Komi Republic, founded in 1936 for the sake of coal mining. Vorkuta has a unique climate: on the one hand, the frost-free period here is on average only 70 days (frosts are possible even in summer), and on the other hand, annual temperature fluctuations are small and the average temperature for January is 19 °C below zero . There is a short Polar Night - 11 days and a Polar Day - 46 days .

Vorkuta is described as a city with poor infrastructure but high salaries. PHOTO: wikiway.com

Now Vorkuta, in fact, is a single-industry town, closely connected with its mines.

Vorkuta in numbers 2021:

• Population - 52,292 people.
• Average salary - 44,861 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 1,424,371.

Who wanted to join the community

In 2008, Afghanistan announced its desire to join the CIS, but the procedure was never completed. There is no information about its beginning. But the country actively participated in the meeting of the Council of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth member countries.

The accession plans were also voiced by the heads of countries:

• Republic of Tatarstan;
• Chechen Republic of Ichkeria;
• Transnistria;
• Republic of Abkhazia;
• South Ossetia.

Negotiations are underway with Vietnam and New Zealand on joining the CIS free trade zone (there is information about this on the Commonwealth website).

Petrozavodsk

The capital of Karelia is located on the shores of Lake Onega. Although Petrozavodsk is equated to the regions of the Far North, the climate here is moderate. Winters are long but mild, and summers are cool. 20 streams and rivers flow through the city. Petrozavodsk is sometimes called the port of 5 seas, since through a system of rivers and canals it has access to the Baltic, White, Barents, Black and Caspian seas.

The sculptures on the embankment have recently become a symbol of the city. PHOTO: 64parallel.ru

Petrozavodsk has enterprises in the engineering, forestry, woodworking, food and light industries. In recent years, the tourism industry has been actively developing.

Petrozavodsk in numbers 2021:

• Population - 263,540 people.
• The average salary is 37,242 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 2,677,741.

CIS on the world map

Former participating countries

In 2009, Georgia withdrew from the membership. So far, this is the only country that has voluntarily left the CIS. Reason: lack of measures on the part of the Commonwealth member countries in response to the five-day war in 2008 and recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia participated in 113 multilateral treaties with CIS countries and was an active participant in the Commonwealth.

Countries with controversial participation

Ukraine has still not ratified the CIS Charter, but has the status of a founding country and participant in the organization. In 2014, the country suspended its chairmanship in the statutory bodies of the CIS, and in 2021, the President of Ukraine asked the government to begin the process of the country's withdrawal from the Commonwealth (the withdrawal procedure takes at least one year according to the CIS Charter). The country has withdrawn from a number of Commonwealth multilateral agreements.

Since August 2005, Turkmenistan withdrew from the full members of the CIS and received the status of an associated observer member. Mongolia participates as an observer in some CIS structures.

Ukraine is not officially a member state of the Commonwealth. This country has the status of a participant and founder of the CIS.

Kostomuksha

A city in Karelia, built to serve the Karelian mining and processing plant. Currently it is home to about 30,000 people. Kostomuksha is located just 35 kilometers from the Russian-Finnish border in taiga lands with a temperate climate. It has relatively warm, snowy winters and cold, rainy summers. The city lives on iron ore mining and wood processing.

The city has tourism potential, because on its territory is located the ancient Karelian village of Voknavolok, where the world famous epic “Kalevala” was created. PHOTO: i.pinimg.com

Kostomuksha in numbers 2021:

• Population - 29,778 people.
• The average salary is 43,340 rubles.
• The average cost of a one-room apartment is RUB 2,476,402.

The northernmost city in Russia

Pevek is the northernmost city in Russia. It got its name from the hill, which the locals called “peekinei”. It means "thick mountain". It is very difficult to get to Pevek; the only option is to fly from Moscow, Magadan or Anadyr.

Until 2021, the city was so closed that even Russians could only enter it with special permission.

In the 90s, the population of Pevek decreased three times . At the end of the 1980s it was 13 thousand people, and by 2000 about 4 thousand remained in the city. It remains so to this day.

The northernmost city in Russia. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

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Table of regions of Russia. List as of 2021

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There are 85 regions in Russia, including 22 republics, 9 territories, 46 regions, 3 federal cities, 1 autonomous region, 4 autonomous districts (Nenets, Chukotka, Yamalo-Nenets and Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra).

There are also 86 positions on the lists - code 99 - Other territories, including the city and the Baikonur cosmodrome - are not a region of the Russian Federation.

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Table of regions of Russia in order of increasing code

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