CHELYABINSK OBLAST

An administrative region of the Russian Federation. Part of the UralFederal DistrictandEconomic Region, Chelyabinsk is situated in the southernUrals, predominantly within Asia. It bordersKurgan,Sverdlovsk,Bashkortostan,Orenburg, and northwesternKazakhstan.

The region is highly urban (82 percent) and heavily populated (3.6 million), and covers an area of 87,900 square kilometers.Ethnic Russiansform a clear majority (82 percent); however, more than 10 percent of the population is eitherTatarorBashkir.As a major site for relocation of World War II–era factories, the region is one of Russia’s most industrialized, focusing on metallurgy, petrochemicals, and tractor manufacture; as such, it suffers from one of the country’s highestpollutionrates. Due to the 1956 Kyshtym nuclear accident, certain areas of the region are still unsuitable foragricultureand water remains unsafe. The region houses a number of “closed cities,” including plutonium processing and storage sites, as well as weapons manufacturing plants. The regional capital, Chelyabinsk (pop. 1 million), was, during the Soviet era, also a closed city, though it is now open totouristsand investors. The famed Soviet industrial city ofMagnitogorskis also located in the oblast. First elected in 1996 on the ticket of theCommunist Party of the Russian Federation, Pyotr Sumin is the regional governor of Chelyabinsk Oblast of Russia. He was reelected in 2000 and reappointed for a third term by Russian PresidentVladimir Putin. Once a laggard in terms offoreign investment, Chelyabinsk has signed a number of deals in recent years to attract capital from abroad, particularly fromGermany.

See alsoForeign trade.