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Chita Oblast (English) Читинская область (Russian)
Location of Chita Oblast in Russia
Coat of Arms	Flag
Coat of arms of Chita Oblast	Flag of Chita Oblast
Anthem: None
Country	Russia
Administrative center	Chita
Established	September 26, 1937
Political status Federal district Economic region	Oblast Siberian East Siberian
Code	75
Area - Rank within Russia	431,500 km² 12th
Population ( 2002) - Rank within Russia - Density - Urban - Rural	1,155,346 inhabitants 47th 2.7 inhab. / km² 63.9% 36.1%
Official language	Russian
Governor	Ravil Geniatulin
First Deputy Governor	Vladimir Okunev
Legislative body	Oblast Duma
Charter	Charter of Chita Oblast
Official website	n/a

Chita Oblast (Russian: Чити́нская о́бласть), Chitinskaya oblast) was a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in south-east Siberia, Russia. Its administrative center was the city of Chita. It had extensive international borders with China (998 km) and Mongolia (868 km) and internal borders with Irkutsk and Amur Oblasts, as well as with the Buryat and the Sakha Republics. Its size was just over 430,000 km² with a population of almost 1,150,000. On March 1, 2008, Chita Oblast merged with Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug to form Zabaykalsky Krai.

The territory that made up the former Chita Oblast was first explored by Cossacks led by Pyotr Beketov in 1653. People began to move into and develop the area in order to strengthen Russia's border with China and Mongolia, extract mineral resources, and build the Trans-Siberian railway. In 1920, Chita became the capital of the Far East Republic, which merged with Russia in November 1922, a month before the Soviet Union was constituted. In 1923, Chita Oblast was formed.

The oblast was rich in ferrous, non-ferrous, rare, and precious metals, coal, charcoal, and mineral waters. Russia's estimated reserves of ores with a high uranium content are 145,400 tons. Most of these deposits are located in the former Chita Oblast, near Krasnokamensk, site of the Priargunsky Mining and Chemical Combine (PMCC).[1] Forests cover about 60% of its territory. As a result, the oblast's main industries were metallurgy, fuel, and timber. It also had advanced light and food industries. Local agriculture focused on cattle, sheep, and reindeer breeding.

Geography

Time zone

Chita Oblast was located in the Yakutsk Time Zone (YAKT/YAKST). UTC offset is +0900 (YAKT)/+1000 (YAKST).

Administrative divisions

Demographics

Birth rate: Quite high at 13.77 (2004), but still there were more deaths than births (2005 official figures).

The population were mostly Russians and Buryats, along with some Ukrainians and a few Evenks. There were 1,000 Jews, who mostly speak Yiddish in the regional capital. According to the 2002 census, Russians made up 89.8% of the population while Buriots were 6.1%. Other significant groups were Tatars (0.71%), Armenians (0.31%), Belarusians (0.26%), Azeri (0.18%), Evenks (0.13%), Nemts (0.11%), Chuvash (0.11%), Bashkirs (0.11%), Moldvin (0.07%), Mordvin (0.06%), Uzbek (0.06%) and Dargwa (0.05%).

In 2007, Chita Oblast recorded a small natural population increase (+0.03% without taking any migration into account), becoming one of the only two Russian federal subjects to reverse its population decline in 2007. The other federal subject was Kamchatka Oblast, with a NGPR of +0.005%. Chita Oblast is one of only twenty Russian federal subjects to have a +ve natural growth of population. [2] [3] But population of Chita actually decreased in 2007 due to very heavy emigration.

Vital Statistics for 2007: Source

Birth Rate: 14.63 per 1000

Death Rate: 14.33 per 1000

Net Immigration: -3.2 per 1000

NGR: +0.03% per Year

PGR: -0.29% per Year

References

• http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9082209/Chita
• http://cip.nsk.su/fund/Chita/ChitaRegion/index.html
• http://heraldry.hobby.ru/eng/e.chita.html
• http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps3997/9703chit.htm

From Wikitravel

Chita Oblast is a region in Eastern Siberia, which borders Buryatia to the west, Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest, Yakutia to the north, Amur Oblast to the northeast, North East (China) to the east, and Mongolia to the south.

• Chita - the largest city and the region's capital
• Aginskoye the capital of the Aginskoye-Buryat Autonomous region is a center of Buryat culture
• Chara - gateway to the pristine and remote Kodar Mountains Region of northern Chita Oblast, home to snow-capped mountains, the Chara Sand Dunes, numerous small, isolated Evenk villages, and a former Stalinist gulag network; reachable via plane or rail from Chita or via the Baikal-Amur Mainline
• Nerchinsk - founded in 1654, this town was the regional hub for Chinese trade until it was surpassed by Chita on the new railway in the late 19th century; a very historical town with some impressive architectural monuments in varying states of disrepair; also, there is a nearby 350 year old monastery marking the spot of Nerchinsk's former location
• Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky - an old site of the Decembrist exiles on the Trans-Siberian Railway

• Darasun Resort - a balneological spa in a mountain valley
• Daursky Nature Reserve
• Sokhondinsky Nature Reserve
• Zabaikalsk

Understand

Chita Oblast is similar to Buryatia in the great diversity and beauty of its landscapes. It is, however, far less visited than its western neighbor. Chita Oblast derives much of its importance to Russia from its proximity to China. As such, it has served as a point for international trade, migration, and even war. Today Chita Oblast contains a large Russian military presence - for this reason Chita was a "closed city" during the Soviet era.

Talk

Expect that Russian will come in handy in this remote Siberian region.

Get in

Chita is the principal arrival point for most visitors, who usually arrive on the Trans-Siberian Railway, although the Baikal-Amur Mainline also cuts through Chita Oblast's more isolated north. Chita is also served by VIM Airlines from Moscow and Bratsk. However, VIM are by far the worst airline in Russia and it is a much better idea to fly Siberian (S7) or Ural Airlines.

Get out

The next major stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway are Ulan-Ude to the west and Skovorodino and Svobodny to the east. On the Baikal-Amur Mainline: Severobaikalsk to the west and Tynda to the east.