small coat of arms of Primorsky KraiPostage stamp of theUSSR: Primorsky Krai.Commemorative coin of the Bank of Russia with a face value of 10 rubles (2006)
The name of the krai is derived from the Russian wordsприморский (primorsky), meaning "littoral" or "coastal", andкрай (kray), meaning "region" or "area".[8][9][10] It is informally known asPrimorye (Приморье,IPA:[prʲɪˈmorʲjɪ]) in Russian, and is occasionally translated asMaritime Territory in English.[8]
Primorsky Krai, bordered byChina(Jilin andHeilongjiang),North Korea (Rason) andKhabarovsk Krai, and the relatively warm—although freezing in winter—waters of theSea of Japan, is the southeasternmost region of Russia, located between the42° and48° north latitude and130° and139° east longitude. It is stretched in themeridianal direction, the distance from its extreme northern point to its most southerly point being about 900 kilometers (559 mi).
Highlands dominate the territory of the krai. Most of the territory is mountainous, and almost 80% of it is forested. The average elevation is about 500 meters (1,640 ft).Sikhote-Alin is a mountainous formation, extending for the most part of the Krai. It consists of a number of parallel ranges: the Partizansky (Partisan), the Siny (Blue), the Kholodny (Cold), and others. There are manykarst caves in the south of Primorye, including the relatively accessible Spyashchaya Krasavitsa cave (the Sleeping Beauty) in the Ussuriysky Nature Preserve. There are comparatively well-preserved fragments of ancient volcanoes in the area.
The ranges are cut by the picturesque narrow and deep valleys of the rivers and by large brooks, such as thePartizanskaya, theKiyevka, the Zerkalnaya, the Cheryomukhovaya, the Yedinka, theSamarga, theBikin, and theBolshaya Ussurka. Most rivers in theKrai have rocky bottoms and limpid water. The largest among them is theUssuri, with a length of 903 kilometers (561 mi). The head of theUssuri River originates 20 kilometers (12 mi) east of Oblachnaya Mountain. The vast Khanka Lowlands extend into the west and southwest of Primorye, carpeted by coniferous-deciduous forest. A part of the Lowland surrounding the largest lake in theRussian Far East,Khanka Lake, is occupied by a forest-steppe.
The geographic location of Primorye accounts for the variety of itsflora. The territory of Primorye has not been subjected to the ice cover in the past in contrast to the rest of Siberia during the ice ages. The specifics of the geographic situation and the specific features of climate determine the unique diversity of the plant world at species and genetic levels and the richness of plant resources. In the flora of Primorye, there are more than two thousand species of higher plants, of which are about 250 species of trees, bushes, and ligneous lianas. Flora of mosses and lichens are very diverse. As part of the coastal flora, there are many valuable medicinal, technical and food plants, many relict and endemic species. About 200 species are listed in the IUCN Red List as rare and threatened extermination.
Most of the world's population of wildSiberian tigers is found in Primorsky KraiThe cliffs Brat ("Brother") and Sestra ("Sister") in the environs of Nakhodka.
The area is believed to have been settled by several Tungusic and Mongolic tribes, such as theSushen, the proto-MongolShiwei and theMohe. Although, there are other populartheories, such as the fact that the place was earlier settled by theAinu people.[clarify]
In the past, the land was part ofGoguryeo, the northernmost kingdom among the three Korean kingdoms.
During theBalhae Kingdom, most of the krai was within the boundaries of the provinces of Dingli, Anbian and Anyuan. After Balhae was conquered by the Khitans, the territory became part ofLiao dynasty's Eastern Circuit andJin dynasty's Supin Circuit. It then came underMongol andManchu rule.
In the period from 1859 to 1882, ninety-five settlements were established in the Primorye region, including Vladivostok,Ussuriysk, Razdolnoye, Vladimiro-Aleksandrovskoye,Shkotovo,Pokrovka, Tury Rog, andKamen-Rybolov. Russians began migrating to these regions. The population was primarily engaged in hunting, fishing and cultivation. More than two-thirds of the territory's inhabitants followed these occupations.
Coat of arms of Primorskaya Oblast in the beginning of the 20th century
During the latter part of the 19th century, there was a significant resource, industrial and resulting economic development in Primorye. Coal mining became a prominent industry, as did the export ofsea-kale,velvet antlers,timber,crab,dried fish, andtrepangs. The rapid economic expansion of Primorye was financed in large measure by Russian and foreign capital investment.
The area became a battleground for allied and Bolshevik troops during theSiberian Intervention. In 1922, shortly before the end of theCivil War, Primorye came under Bolshevik control. The new government directed the economic, scientific, and cultural development of the territory. TheSoviet Government spent the following ten years combating "bourgeois ideology" in many areas of life and culture. As a result, the music, theater, literature, and the fine arts of Primorye were censored.
Primorsky was the center of the ethnic Korean minority of Russia. The Pos'et Korean National Raion was created under the policy ofKorenizatsiya. The Krai had 105 both fully and mixed Korean towns where residents used the Korean language as an official language. Nearly 200,000 ethnic Koreans were living in the Krai by the time of theirdeportation in 1938.[16] The Soviet Union had earlier deported ethnic Chinese from western Siberia.
During this period, the Soviet government emphasizedcentralized planning of the economy. As in the rest of the Soviet Union, priority was given to heavy industry, with a special emphasis on mining and commercial fishing. There was a widespread investment in the construction of rail and sea transit, and new port facilities were constructed.
Primorsky Krai was formed by further subdivision of Far-Eastern Krai in 1938, as part of the Stalin-era policy of "unbundling". Primorsky Krai, as defined in 1938, corresponds to the northeastern part of the historical region ofOuter Manchuria.
On April 18, 1942, the region became accidentally involved inWorld War II, which the United States had entered after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Primorsky Krai was the location where one of 16United States Army Air CorpsB-25 Mitchellmedium bombers landed. The group had been launched fromUSSHornet to carry out theDoolittle Raid on Japan. Japan and the Soviet Union were not then at war. The landing occurred 40 miles (65 km) west of Vladivostok; the bomber's crew could not return to their base, the aircraft carrierHornet, by the mission plan.[17] The crew later returned home via Iran.
During the 1970s, the Soviet Union expanded scientific institutions in Primorye, especially in the city ofVladivostok. Several large research institutions are located here, such as the Institute of Biology and Agriculture, the Pacific Institute of Bio-organic Chemistry, the Institute of Marine Biology, the Pacific Institute of Geography, the Pacific Oceanological Institute, as well as several Institutes affiliated with theFar Eastern Division of the Russian Academy of Science.
By the early 1990s, once-small enterprises in the city had developed into large companies. Some of the most prominent include theDVMP (FESCO) shipping company, the Dalmoreprodukt fishing company, ProgressArsenyev Aircraft Works, and Vostok Mining. Commercial fishing plays an important part in the economy of the Primorye and includes firms like Vladivostok Trawling and Refrigerating Fleet (VBTRF), the Active Marine Fisheries Base ofNakhodka, and the Fishing and Marine Transport Fleet of Primorye. Numerous enterprises of theRussian military-industrial complex were also established in Primorye.
During theSoviet period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Primorsky CPSU Committee (who in reality had the biggest authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). After 1991, the head of the Oblast administration and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside electedregional parliament.
The Charter of Primorsky Krai is the fundamental law of the region. TheLegislative Assembly of Primorsky Krai is the province'sregional standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as the guarantor of the observance of the krai Charter in accordance with theConstitution of Russia.
Primorsky Krai's economy, the most balanced in the Russian Far East,[citation needed] is also the largest in absolute terms. Food production is the most important sector, represented mainly byfish processing. Annual catch exceeds two milliontonnes, or one half of the Russian Far East total. Second ismachine building, where half of the output is geared toward thefishing industry andshipyards.Defense is another important sector, producing naval vessels and militaryaircraft. Theconstruction materials industry here provides for the whole Russian Far East. Lead smelting is conducted inRudnaya Pristan on the coast.
Thetimber industry, though inrecession,[when?] is still second only toKhabarovsk Krai's with an annual yield of about 3 million cubic meters oftimber. Primorsky Krai is the largestcoal producer in the Russian Far East and generates moreelectricity than any other Russian Far East administrative division, but power shortages are common.Agriculture is also important; the krai produces rice, milk, eggs, and vegetables.
The krai's proximity toPacific Rim markets gives it an edge over most other Russian Far East administrative divisions in developingforeign trade. Major trade items areseafood products, timber products, and ferrous metals. Major trading partners are Japan, China, and South Korea.
Road through Gorniye Kluchi village
The economy will be further diversified with the addition of as many as 8 government sanctioned casinos to be built in the Primorye Gambling Zone, which encompasses the entire Primorsky Krai.[18] Primorsky Entertainment Resort City, under development byNagaCorp Ltd. of Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, will be the largest. The development is expected to cost in the region of RUB11.6 billion (approximately HK$2.7 billion, US$350 million) and have a total footprint of 214.89 hectares.[19]
Primorsky Krai's compact territory is well endowed withinfrastructure. Itsrailway density is twice the Russian average.[citation needed] Railroads connect it with China and North Korea. Vladivostok, the eastern terminus of theTrans-Siberian Railway, was surpassed as a port by the nearbyNakhodka-Vostochny Port container,coal andtimber terminals. Primorsky Krai-based shipping companies provide 80% of marine shipping services in theRussian Far East. All the krai's significant ports are now open to international shipping.
The largest companies in the region include Far-Eastern Energy Company, NNK-Bunker, Mazda Sollers, andVostochny Port.[20]
More than 100 deposits ofcoal are known in Primorsky Krai. The commercial deposits of coal are connected to the Partizansky and Razdolnensky coal basins, the Podgorodnensky deposit, the Uglovsky basin, and the Shkotovsky, Pavlovsky, Bikinsky, Rettikhovsky, and Suputinsky deposits.
Partizansky Basin: The city ofPartizansk is located in the southern part of the basin. The total area of the basin is 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi). The basin has been known since the 19th century and has been explored since 1902. Five regions—Staropartizansky, Melnikovsky, Belopadinsky, Molchanovsky, andSergeyevsky—are within the limits of the basin. The coal isanthracite coal. By the output of volatile substances and caking ability, rich coals prevail. The reserves of coal in the basin total 193.6 milliontonnes. The deposits are maintained by the mines of the Partizanskugol Association. A coal-mining factory also operates in this area.
Razdolnensky Basin: The total area of this basin is about 4,500 km2 (1,700 sq mi). The basin is located to the north and the west of the city ofUssuriysk. The basin includes the following deposits: Ussuriysky, Lipovetsky, Verkhne-Razdolnensky, Konstantinovsky, and Alekseye-Nikolsky. The deposits were prospected as early as 1868. The mining of coal has been conducted since 1909. By the output of volatile substances and coking ability, long-flame coals prevail. The reserves of coal in the basin total of 66.7 million tons. The deposits are maintained by the mines and the open-pit coal mines of the Lipovetskoye Mine Administration.
Uglovsky Basin: Located 30 km (19 mi) northeast ofVladivostok, the basin's band extends about 40 km (25 mi) to the northeast ofAmursky Bay and ranges from 6 to 14 km (3.7 to 8.7 mi) in width. Coals in the basin have been known since 1859. The mining of coal has been executed since 1867 in the Tavrichansky deposit, and since 1911 in the Artyomovsky deposit. The coal isbrown coal, which is used as a power fuel. In the long years of operation, the stocks of coal in the basin have been considerably depleted. The reserves of coal in the basin total 233.7 million tons. The mines of the Tavrichansky Mine Administration and the Artyomugol Association operate on the basis of the deposits.
Podgrodnensko-Surazhevsky: This coal-bearing region is located close toVladivostok. The stocks of the Podgrodnensky deposit are estimated to be a total of 19.6 million tons. The coal isanthracite coal. By the output of volatile substances and caking ability, the coal is hard (non-bituminous). The deposits are maintained by the Podgorodenka mine of the Artyomugol Association.
ThePaleogene-Neogene deposits of Primorsky Krai are the Bikinsky, Pavlovsky, Shkotovsky, Rettikhovsky, Rakovsky, and Khasansky deposits. The deposits are the major sources of fuel for the largest heat and power stations of Primorye: Luchegorskaya and Vladivostokskaya. The coal isbrown coal.
TheBikinsky Deposit is the largestbrown coal deposit in Primorsky Krai. Its total area is 260 km2 (100 sq mi). The reserves total 1,113.9 million tons. The coal-bearing thickness is 1,800 m (5,900 ft). The Luchegorsky Open-Pit Coal Mine maintains the mine and provides fuel to the largest power station in the krai, the Luchegorsky Hydro-Electric Power Station.
Pavlovsky Deposit: The total area is 400 km2 (150 sq mi). The reserves total 400 million tons. The coal-bearing thickness is up to 400 m (1,300 ft). The mining is maintained by the Pavlovsky-1 and Pavlovsky-2 Open-Pit Coal Mines. Coal is used as fuel for the Vladivostok Heat and Power Plant-2.
Skotovsky Deposit: The total area is 150 km2 (58 sq mi). The reserves total 251.6 million tons. The coal-bearing thickness ranges from 800 to 950 m (2,620 to 3,120 ft). Maintenance is by the open-pit mine of the Artyomugol Association.
The major areas of occurrence of commercialtin stocks areKavalerovsky,Krasnoarmeysky, andDalnegorsky Districts. There are more than 30 deposits of tin in Primorsky Krai. The extraction of tin ore is maintained by Khrustalnenskaya Tin Extracting Company, Dalpolimetal Stock Company, and Vostok Mining Company. All tin-extracting enterprises of the krai have a 30-year supply of ore.
There are four major commercial deposits oftungsten inKrasnoarmeysky andPozharsky Districts. The mining of only two of them is currently maintained, at Vostok-2 and Lermontovskoye by the Primorsky Mining Group and Lermontovskoye Mining Company. The enterprises have a 10-year reserve supply. The ores are complex, containingcopper,gold,silver,bismuth, and other metals besides tungsten.
There are more than 10 commercial deposits oflead andzinc in the territories ofDalnegorsky,Kavalerovsky, andKrasnoarmeysky Districts. The mining of the deposits of lead and zinc is maintained by Dalpolimetal Stock Company. The enterprise has a 40-year supply of ore.
Among the deposits of precious metals in Primorsky Krai,silver and gold-silver deposits predominate. Ten deposits of silver are found in the Krai. The majority of silver-polymetal ore deposits are located inDalnegorsky District and are maintained by Dalpolimetal Stock Company. Silver is extracted simultaneously with tungsten from tungsten ores deposits inKrasnoarmeysky andPozharsky Districts.
More than 60 deposits ofgold are found in the territory of the krai. Most of them are placer deposits. The southern part of the krai is the richest in placer deposits. Significant gold placer sites are at Kommisarovsky (the Pogranichnaya river), Fadeyevsky (the Fadeyevka river), Krinichny (the Bolshaya Rudnevka river), Nakhodkinsky (the Korobkovka river), and Soboliny (the Sobolinaya river). OkeanArtel and Primorsky Mine are engaged in gold extraction. Gold is also extracted from complex deposits of tungsten ores.
The Voznesenovsky and Pogranichny deposits of rare-metal-fluorspar ore are located inKhorolsky District. The Voznesenovskoye deposit was prospected in 1948. It is maintained by the Yaroslavsky Mining Group Stock Company and there is a 20-year supply of ore. The ore is a complex ore. Fluorspar totals 10 percent of the mineral content of the ore. The ore contains such rare metals asberyllium,lithium,tantalum, andniobium. TheUsuglinskoye mine is one of the largest fluorite mines in Russia, having estimated reserves of 2.9 million tonnes of ore.
Russia's largest deposit ofboron-containing ore (boron silicates) is located inDalnegorsky District. The deposit is operated byBor Stock Company. The enterprise has 50 years' supply of borosilicates stocks.
There are more than 100 large deposits of various construction materials.
TheSpasskaya group includes the Spasskoye and Dlinnogorskoyelimestone deposits. The stocks total more than 100 million tons and are maintained by Spassktsement Stock Company.
TheSuchanskaya group includes the Novitskoye and Chandolazskoye limestone deposits, which are located inPartizansky District. These deposits are suitable for the production of Portlandcement of 400 and 500 types. The stocks total approximately more than 1 billion tons.
TheMaikhinskaya group includes the Maikhinskoye and Glubinnogorskoye deposits located inShkotovsky District. The estimated stocks of limestone in both deposits total about 60 million tons.
TheAmbinskoye deposit of marble is located in Khasanky District. This marble is highly decorative and is easily polished. The estimated stocks total more than 2 million m3 (70.6 million ft3).
TheKnorringskoye deposit ofashlar stones is located inChernigovsky District. The estimated stocks total about 10 million m3 (35.3 million ft3). They are similar in color to the famous American ashlar stones.
There are more than 100 deposits offusible clay which is used inbrick production in the krai. Fusible clay deposits are found almost everywhere in the krai, except its northeastern parts. The Uglovskaya, Ussuriyskaya, and Spasskaya group of fusible clay deposits are noteworthy in this area.
The krai's largest stocks, a total of more than fifteen million tons, is the Uglovskaya group of deposits located inUglovoye settlement. The deposits provide raw material to the brick factories inVladivostok andArtyom.
TheLipovetskoye Deposit of refractory clay is located in Oktyabrsky District. The estimated stocks total about 1.5 million tons and are maintained by the Lipovetsky Brick Factory.
TheOzernovskoye deposit of fireclay is located in Uglovoye settlement. The estimated stocks total about 2 million tons and have been used for the manufacture of bricks since 1964.
Primorsky krai's best-known Gusevskoye deposit ofporcelain stone is located inKhasansky District. The material is used by the Vladivostok and Artyom Porcelain Factories. The estimated stocks total about 3 million tons.
Population: According to the2021 Census,[6] the population of the krai was 1,845,165, down from 1,956,497 recorded in the2010 Census,[22] and further down from 2,258,391 recorded in the1989 Census.[23] Due to its geographical location, the krai boasts a mixture of not only ethnic Russians, but alsoUkrainians,Koreans,Volga Germans,Buryats,Nanai, andOrochs. TheUdege and their sub-minority, theTaz, are the region's aboriginals.
According to a 2012 survey[28] 26.6% of the population of Primorsky Krai adheres to theRussian Orthodox Church, 6% areunaffiliatedChristians, 1% adheres to otherEastern Orthodox churches or is an Eastern Orthodox believer without belonging to any church, and 1% of the population adheres to theSlavic native faith (Rodnovery) or to local Siberian native faiths. In addition, 24% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious, 35% isatheist, and 6.4% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question. This is one of the least religious regions in Russia.[28]
^№14-КЗ 6 октября 1995 г. «Устав Приморского края», в ред. Закона №610-КЗ от 5 мая 2010 г «О внесении изменений в Устав Приморского края». Вступил в силу с момента официального опубликования. Опубликован: в виде отдельного издания, 16 октября 1995 г. (#14-KZ October 6, 1995Charter of Primorsky Krai, as amended by the Law #610-KZ of May 5, 2010On Amending the Charter of Primorsky Krai. Effective as of the moment of the official publication.).
№14-КЗ 6 октября 1995 г. «Устав Приморского края», в ред. Закона №359-КЗ от 18 декабря 2008 г. (#14-KZ October 6, 1995Charter of Primorsky Krai, as amended by the Law #359-KZ of December 18, 2008. ).
А. Р. Артёмьев и др. "История Российского Приморья". Дальнаука, 1998. (A. R. Artyomyev et al.History of Russian Primorye. Vladivostok: Dalnauka, 1998)
.svg)
_-_Primorsky_Krai.svg)
.jpg)
%2c_%25D0%2592%25D0%25BB%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B4%25D0%25B8%25D0%25B2%25D0%25BE%25D1%2581%25D1%2582%25D0%25BE%25D0%25BA%2c_%25D0%25A1%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B5%25D1%2582%25D0%25BB%25D0%25B0%25D0%25BD%25D1%2581%25D0%25BA%25D0%25B0%25D1%258F%2c_22%2c_2011-06-14.JPG)
