Mogilev region, also known asMogilev oblast[a] orMahilyow voblasts,[b] is one of theregions of Belarus. Its administrative center is the city ofMogilev.
Mogilev region covers a total area of 29,100 square kilometres (11,200 sq mi),[3] about 14% of the national total. The region's greatest extent from north to south comprises 150 kilometres (93 mi), from east to west – 300 kilometres (190 mi), while the highest point is 239 metres (784 ft) above sea level and the lowest at 126 metres (413 ft) above sea level.
Many rivers flow through the Mogilev region, including the Dnieper (Dniapro), Berezina,Sozh,Druts,Pronia andPtsich. The oblast also has small lakes, the largest being the Zaozerye Lake with a surface area of 0.58 square kilometres (0.22 sq mi). TheChigirin Reservoir [ru] on the Druts River has an area of 21.1 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi).
The extreme eastern point of Belarus is situated within the Mogilev region to the east of the Khotimsk District.[4]
Mogilev region has a temperate continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers. January's average temperature ranges from −8.2 °C (17.2 °F) in the northeast to −6.5 °C (20.3 °F) in the southwest. July's average temperature ranges from 17.8 °C (64.0 °F) in the northeast to 18.7 °C (65.7 °F) in the southwest. The region's average yearly vegetative period lasts around 183–194 days. The average precipitation is 575–675 millimetres (22.6–26.6 in) a year, with approximately 70% falling during the warm season (April–October).[citation needed]
With a total population of 1,088,100 (2011),[3] 353,600 inhabitants live in rural areas and 855,000 live in cities or towns. There are 639,300 women and 567,300 men in the region, of which 288,100 are under 18 while 267,300 are elderly people.
Of the major nationalities living in the Mogilev region, 1,044,000 inhabitants are Belarusians, 132,000 are Russians, 3,500 areJewish, 2,800 arePoles, 2,110 areUkrainians, 1,700 areTatars, 1,300 areLithuanians, 1,100 areArmenians, and 1,070 areRomani.
The number of travel agencies in Mogilev region has grown from 20 in 2000 to 50 in 2010, 12 of which provide agent services, the others are tour operators.[5][6] Mogilev region hosts 3-4% of all the organized tourist arrivals to the Republic of Belarus.[7] The most popular cities to visit in the region areMogilev andBobruisk.
During the elimination of the consequences of theChernobyl disaster, as of 2010, residents of 141 settlements in the Mogilev region were evacuated, and 88 settlements were buried. In the post-accident period, more than 21,500 people were resettled to clean areas of the republic, leading to a decrease in the region 's population by about 7%. The most contaminated areas are theBykhaw,Kastsyukovichy,Krasnapollye,Slawharad, andCherykaw districts; these areas are contaminated not only with cesium-137, the main dose-forming nuclide, but also with strontium-90. In 14 districts of the Mogilev region, 11,200 km² of territory became radioactively contaminated: Byalynichy, Babruysk, Bykhaw, Kirov, Klimavichy, Klichaw, Kastsyukovichy, Krasnapollye, Krychaw, Krugloe, Mogilev, Slawharad, Chavusy, and Cherykaw district, which accounts for 38.6% of the total area of the region. At the beginning of 2010, nearly 119,500 people lived in 778 settlements in areas of radioactive contamination.[9]
^"Main Geographic Characteristics of the Republic of Belarus".Land of Ancestors. The Scientific and Production State Republican Unitary Enterprise "National Cadastre Agency" of the State Property Committee of the Republic of Belarus. 2011. Archived fromthe original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved20 September 2013.