View source for Amur Oblast

{{short description|First-level administrative division of Russia}}
{{redirect|Priamurye|a broader historical region|Outer Manchuria|other uses|Amur (disambiguation){{!}}Amur}}
{{Infobox Russian federal subject
|en_name=Amur Oblast
|ru_name=Амурская область
|image_map=Map of Russia (2014–2022) - Amur Oblast (Crimea disputed).svg
|coordinates = {{coord|53|33|N|127|50|E|type:adm1st_region:RU|display=inline,title}}
|image_coa=Coat of Arms of Amur Oblast.svg
|image_flag=Flag of Amur Oblast.svg
|anthem= 
|anthem_ref=
|holiday=
|holiday_ref=
|political_status=Oblast
|political_status_link=Oblasts of Russia
|federal_district=[[Far Eastern Federal District|Far Eastern]]
|economic_region=[[Far Eastern economic region|Far Eastern]]
|adm_ctr_type=Administrative center
|adm_ctr_name=[[Blagoveshchensk]]
|adm_ctr_ref=<ref name="AdmCtr">Charter of Amur Oblast, Article&nbsp;118</ref>
|pop_2021census=766912
|pop_2021census_rank=60th
|urban_pop_2021census=68.1%
|rural_pop_2021census=31.9%
|pop_2021census_ref=<ref name=2021census>{{cite web|title=Оценка численности постоянного населения по субъектам Российской Федерации|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/tab-5_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|access-date=1 September 2022}}</ref>
|pop_latest=811274
|pop_latest_date=January 2014
|pop_latest_ref=<ref name="2014Est">Amur Oblast Territorial Branch of the [[Russian Federal State Statistics Service|Federal State Statistics Service]]. [http://amurstat.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/amurstat/resources/76cf9a804d16a5f3af8bbfc5b34c73c1/07_1_2.htm Возрастно-половой состав населения на 1 января 2014 года] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304231253/http://amurstat.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/amurstat/resources/76cf9a804d16a5f3af8bbfc5b34c73c1/07_1_2.htm |date=March 4, 2016 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
|area_km2=361908
|area_km2_rank=14th
|established_date=October 20, 1932
|established_date_ref=<ref name="Established">''USSR. Administrative-Territorial Divisions of the Union Republics'', p.&nbsp;99</ref>
|license_plates=28
|ISO=RU-AMU
|leader_title=[[Governor of Amur Oblast|Governor]]
|leader_title_ref=<ref name="HeadLegis">Charter of Amur Oblast, Article&nbsp;10</ref>
|leader_name=[[Vasily Orlov]]
|leader_name_ref=<ref name="HeadName">Official website of Amur Oblast. [http://www.amurobl.ru/wps/portal/Main/gov/governor/biography Alexander Alexandrovich Kozlov] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708035042/http://www.amurobl.ru/wps/portal/Main/gov/governor/biography |date=July 8, 2015 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
|legislature=[[Legislative Assembly of Amur Oblast|Legislative Assembly]]
|legislature_ref=<ref name="HeadLegis" />
|website=http://www.amurobl.ru/
}}
'''Amur Oblast''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|m|ʊə|_|ˈ|ɒ|b|l|æ|s|t}}){{efn|{{langx|ru|Амурская область|Amúrskaya óblastʹ}}, {{IPA|ru|ɐˈmurskəjə ˈobɫəsʲtʲ|IPA}}}} is a [[federal subjects of Russia|federal subject]] of [[Russia]] (an [[oblast]]), located on the banks of the [[Amur]] and [[Zeya (river)|Zeya]] rivers in the [[Russian Far East]]. The oblast borders [[Heilongjiang]] province of the [[China|People's Republic of China]] (PRC) to the south.

The [[administrative center]] of the oblast, the [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] of [[Blagoveshchensk]], is one of the oldest settlements in the far east of the country, founded in 1856. It is a traditional center of trade and [[gold mining]]. The [[territory]] is accessed by two railways: the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] and the [[Baikal–Amur Mainline]]. As of the [[Russian Census (2021)|2021 Census]], the oblast's population was&nbsp;766,912.<ref name="2021Census">{{ru-pop-ref|2021Census}}</ref>

==Names==
''Amur Krai'' ({{lang|ru|Аму́рский край}}) or ''Priamurye'' ({{lang|ru|Приаму́рье}} 'Circum-Amur') were unofficial names for the Russian territories by the [[Amur River]] used in the late [[Russian Empire]] that approximately correspond to modern Amur Oblast.

==Geography==
Amur Oblast is located in the southeast of Russia, between the [[Stanovoy Range]] in the north and the [[Amur River]] in the south, and borders with the [[Sakha Republic]] in the north, [[Khabarovsk Krai]] and the [[Jewish Autonomous Oblast]] in the east, [[Heilongjiang]] of China in the south, and with [[Zabaykalsky Krai]] in the west. The [[Stanovoy Range]] forms the dividing line between the Sakha Republic and Amur Oblast and spreads across the oblast's entire northern border. The [[Amur–Zeya Plain|Amur–Zeya]] and [[Zeya–Bureya Plain]]s cover about 40% of the oblast's territory, but the rest is hilly. Several mountain ranges rise to the south of the Stanovoy Range, including the [[Selemdzha Range]] parallel to it, as well as the [[Ezop Range|Ezop]], [[Yam-Alin]] and the [[Turan Range|Turan]] ranges stretching along the oblast's southeastern border with Khabarovsk Krai.<ref name="GЕ">[[Google Earth]]</ref>

Many rivers flow through the oblast, especially in the north, accounting for 75% of the [[hydropower]] resources in the [[Russian Far East]]. Most of the oblast is in the Amur's [[drainage basin]], although the rivers in the northwest drain into the [[Lena River|Lena]] and the rivers in the northeast drain into the [[Uda River (Khabarovsk Krai)|Uda]]. The longest rivers include the Amur, [[Bureya River|Bureya]], [[Gilyuy River|Gilyuy]], [[Nyukzha River|Nyukzha]], [[Olyokma River|Olyokma]], [[Selemdzha River|Selemdzha]], and [[Zeya River|Zeya]]. The Zeya begins in the mountains in the northeast, and its middle reaches are dammed to create the huge [[Zeya Dam|Zeya Reservoir]], which sprawls over {{convert|2400|km2|sp=us}}.

Climate is temperate continental, with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. Average January temperatures vary from {{convert|-24|C}} in the south to {{convert|-33|C}} in the north. Average July temperatures are {{convert|+21|C}} in the south and {{convert|+18|C}} in the north. Annual [[precipitation]] is about {{cvt|850|mm}}.

Dwarf Siberian pine and [[alpine tundra]] grow at higher elevations and [[larch]] forests with small stands of flat-leaved [[birch]] and [[pine]] forests grow alongside the river plains. These larch and [[fir]]-[[spruce]] forests form the watershed of the Selemdzha River. The Bureya and Arkhara Rivers, southeast of the Selemdza, have the richest remaining forests in the oblast with [[Pinus koraiensis|Korean pine]], [[Schisandra chinensis]], [[Quercus mongolica|Mongolian Oak]], and other Manchurian flora. The Zeya–Bureya Plain, located between the Zeya, Amur, and Bureya Rivers, has the highest biodiversity in Amur Oblast. Much of this plain has been burned for agriculture, but large patches still remain. Japanese Daurian and Far Eastern western cranes nest here, as well as a host of other rare birds.

===Natural resources===
Amur Oblast has considerable reserves of many types of mineral resources; proven reserves are estimated to be worth US$400&nbsp;billion. Among the most important are gold (the largest reserves in Russia), silver, [[titanium]], [[molybdenum]], [[tungsten]], copper, and [[tin]]. There are also an estimated 70 billion tons of [[bituminous coal]] and [[lignite]] reserves. Probable iron deposits are estimated to be 3.8&nbsp;billion tons. The Garin deposit is fully explored and known to contain 389&nbsp;million tons of iron ore. Estimated reserves of the deposit are 1,293&nbsp;million tons. The deposit's ore contains a low concentration of detrimental impurities; the ore contains 69.9% iron. Amur Oblast is also a promising source of [[titanium]], with the Bolshoy Seyim deposit being the most important.<ref name="AllRegions">{{cite book|title=Russia: All Regions Trade & Investment Guide |publisher=CTEC Publishing LLC |year=2008 |chapter=Amur Region |url=http://www.russiasregions.com/79%20Amur%20Region.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715214750/http://www.russiasregions.com/79%20Amur%20Region.pdf |archive-date=July 15, 2011 }}</ref>

==History==
===Early history===
According to the ''Bei Shi'' (Dynastic History of Northern Dynasties) and the ''Sui Shu'' (Chronicles of the [[Sui dynasty]]), both Chinese records, this area belonged originally to the territory one of the five semi-[[nomad]]ic [[Shiwei people|Shiwei]], the Bo Shiwei tribes ({{lang-zh|c=钵室韋}}). Their settlements were located on the north of the Yilehuli Mountains in the upper reaches of the [[Nen River]], south of the [[Stanovoy Range]], west of the [[Bureya Range|Bureya]] and the [[Malyi Khingan]] ranges and reaching the [[Okhotsk Sea]] on the northeast. They brought tributary presents to the [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] court and disappeared at the dawn of the tenth century with the foundation of the [[Liao Dynasty|Liao]] empire.

Later, in the 13th century, the middle-[[Amur River|Amur]] and the [[Zeya River]] basin area became the homeland of the [[Daur people|Daurs]] and (further south) the [[Ducher]]s. The ancestors of the Daurs are thought to be closely related to the [[Khitan people|Khitans]] and the [[Mongols]], while the Duchers may have been a branch of the [[Jurchen people]], later known as the [[Manchus]].

The area was conquered by the [[Manchu people|Manchus]] in 1639–1640, after defeating the [[Evenks|Evenk]] Federation led by [[Bombogor (Evenk chief)|Bombogor]]. It was returned to the [[Qing dynasty]] in the [[Treaty of Nerchinsk]] with the [[Tsardom of Russia]].

===Russian Empire===
The region was [[Amur Annexation|annexed]] by Russia in 1858 in the [[Treaty of Aigun]] between Russia and the Qing dynasty. [[Amur Oblast (Russian Empire)|Amur Oblast]] was established with its center in [[Blagoveshchensk]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.predistoria.org/index.php?name=Pages&op=page&pid=8|title=Military Governors of the Amur Oblast. Part II}}</ref>

The region received its first influx of Russian settlers in the mid-seventeenth century. They were looking for a more temperate climate as an escape from the north. After the [[Opium War]], when the Chinese Empire was exposed to the outside world, Russian explorers once again moved to the region (mostly Cossacks and peasant farmers). The last influx of people arrived upon the completion of the [[Trans-Siberian Railroad]].

===Modern history===
In April 1920, the [[Far Eastern Republic]], with its capital in Chita, was formed from Amur, Transbaikal, [[Kamchatka]], [[Sakhalin]], and Primorye regions as a democratic "buffer" state in order to avoid war with Japan. It existed until November 1922, when it joined the [[Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic|Russian SFSR]].

In January 1926, the territory of Amur Oblast was split between the East Siberian Krai and the [[Far Eastern Krai]]. The [[East Siberian Oblast]] was divided into [[Irkutsk Oblast]] and [[Chita Oblast]] in 1937 and the part of Amur within it became part of Chita Oblast. The Far Eastern Krai was divided into [[Khabarovsk Krai]] and [[Primorsky Krai|Primorye Krai]] in 1938. The territory of Amur Oblast that was in Far Eastern Krai was included in [[Khabarovsk Krai]].

In 1948, Amur Oblast was finally separated from Khabarovsk Krai and Chita Oblast to become an independent region of the RSFSR. Rapid economic growth based on gold production began at that time, and living standards improved with the arrival of young specialists. As the Far Eastern District expanded, the demand for services such as electric power and [[House|housing]] also increased, which stimulated a new round of construction projects. New cities were built, along with the [[Zeya Hydroelectric Power Plant]] (Zeiskaya GES), which still supplies electricity to most of the Far Eastern District.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kommersant.com/p-34/r_377/Amur_Region/ |title=Amur Region |publisher=Kommersant.com |access-date=2013-08-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013034609/http://www.kommersant.com/p-34/r_377/Amur_Region/ |archive-date=October 13, 2012 }}</ref> On 21 May 1998 Amur alongside [[Ivanovo Oblast|Ivanovo]], [[Kostroma Oblast|Kostroma]], [[Voronezh Oblast]], and the [[Mari El|Mari El Republic]] signed a power-sharing agreement with the federal government, granting it autonomy.<ref name= "newsline2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1141661.html|title=Newsline – May 22, 1998 Yeltsin Signs More Power-Sharing Agreements with Regions|website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=June 20, 2008 |language=en|access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref> This agreement would be abolished on 18 March 2002.<ref name= "demokratiztsiya">{{Cite journal|last=Chuman|first=Mizuki|title=The Rise and Fall of Power-Sharing Treaties Between Center and Regions in Post-Soviet Russia|url=http://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/19_2_L7H017206G216817.pdf|journal=Demokratizatsiya|page=146|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190308002915/http://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/19_2_L7H017206G216817.pdf|archive-date=March 8, 2019}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Amur Oblast}}

The largest urban localities of the oblast are [[Blagoveshchensk]], [[Belogorsk, Amur Oblast|Belogorsk]], [[Svobodny, Amur Oblast|Svobodny]], [[Tynda]], and [[Raychikhinsk]].<ref name="2010Census" />

==Politics==
The [[Governor of Amur Oblast]] since 2018 is [[Vasily Orlov]].

On 19 September 2021, elections to the [[Legislative Assembly of Amur Oblast]] were held. One self-nominee and seven parties entered the regional parliament: [[United Russia]] – 18 seats; the [[Communist Party of the Russian Federation]] – 3 seats; the [[Liberal Democratic Party of Russia]], [[A Just Russia – For Truth]], the [[Russian Party of Pensioners for Social Justice|Party of Pensioners]], [[New People (political party)|New People]], and [[Communists of Russia]] – one each place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ampravda.ru/2021/09/21/0107272.html |title=В Госдуму пройдут представители восьми партий |trans-title=Representatives of eight parties will pass to the State Duma |publisher=Амурская правда |date=2021-09-21 |access-date=2022-09-20 |archive-date=2021-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925211144/https://ampravda.ru/2021/09/21/0107272.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Chairman of the Legislative Assembly is [[:ru:Дьяконов, Константин Викторович|Konstantin Dyakonov]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://zs.amurobl.ru/pages/sostav-i-struktura/predsedatel/dyakonov-konstantin-viktorovich/ |title=Законодательное Собрание Амурской области |trans-title=Legislative Assembly of the Amur Oblast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109012658/http://www.zsamur.ru/article/view/1568/777 |archive-date=2014-01-09 |access-date=2014-06-03 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Governors ===

* 1991 – Albert Krivchenko
* 1993 – Alexander Surat
* 1993 – Vladimir Polevanov
* 1994 – Vladimir Diachenko
* 1996 – Yuriy Lyashko
* 1997 – Anatoly Belonogov
* 2001 – Leonid Korotkov
* 2007 – Nikolay Kolesov
* 2008 – Oleg Kozhemyako
* 2015 – Alexander Kozlov
* 2018 – Vasily Orlov

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations|1897|118570|1926|412200|1939|634000|1959|717514|1970|793449|1979|937389|1989|1057781|2002|902844|2010|830103|2021|766912|type=|footnote=Source: Census data}}'''Population''': {{ru-census|p2021=766,912|p2010=830,103|p2002=902,844|p1989=1,057,781}}

===Ethnic groups===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Ethnicities in Amur Oblast in 2021<ref name=census2021>{{cite web|title=Национальный состав населения|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab1_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|access-date=30 December 2022}}</ref>
|-
! Ethnicity
!Population !! Percentage
|-
| [[Russians]]
|689,864|| 95.2%
|-
| [[Ukrainians]]
|4,422|| 0.6%
|-
| [[Armenians]]
|2,988|| 0.4%
|-
|[[Uzbeks]]
|2,328
|0.3%
|-
| [[Azerbaijanis]]
|1,709|| 0.2%
|-
|[[Tatars]]
|1,546
|0.2%
|-
| Other Ethnicities
| 21,986|| 3.0%
|-
| Ethnicity not stated
| 42,069|| –
|}

===Settlements===
{{Largest cities
| country      = Amur Oblast
| stat_ref     = 2021 Russian Census
| list_by_pop  =
| div_name     =
| div_link     = Administrative divisions of Amur Oblast{{!}}Administrative Division
| city_1 = Blagoveshchensk
| div_1 = Blagoveshchensky District, Amur Oblast{{!}}Blagoveshchensky District
| pop_1 = 241,437
| city_2 = Belogorsk, Amur Oblast{{!}}Belogorsk
| div_2 = Belogorsky District
| pop_2 = 61,440
| city_3 = Svobodny, Amur Oblast{{!}}Svobodny
| div_3 = Svobodnensky District
| pop_3 = 48,517
| city_4 = Tynda
| div_4 = Tyndinsky District
| pop_4 = 28,625
| city_5 = Zeya, Russia{{!}}Zeya
| div_5 = Zeysky District
| pop_5 = 19,414
| city_6 = Chigiri
| div_6 = Blagoveshchensky District, Amur Oblast{{!}}Blagoveshchensky District
| pop_6 = 18,538
| city_7 = Shimanovsk
| div_7 = Shimanovsky District
| pop_7 = 16,488
| city_8 = Raychikhinsk
| div_8 = Raychikhinsk{{!}}Town of oblast significance of Raychikhinsk
| pop_8 = 15,797
| city_9 = Progress, Amur Oblast{{!}}Progress
| div_9 = Progress, Amur Oblast{{!}}Town of oblast significance of Progress
| pop_9 = 9,918
| city_10 = Zavitinsk
| div_10 = Zavitinsky District
| pop_10 = 9,615
}}

'''Vital statistics for 2024:<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 February 2025 |title=Естественное движение населения в разрезе субъектов российской федерации за декабрь 2024 года |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/EDN_12-2024.htm |access-date=25 February 2025 |website=Rosstat}}</ref>'''
*Births: 6,530 (8.7 per 1,000)
*Deaths: 10,624 (14.2 per 1,000)

'''Total fertility rate (2024):<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-25 |title=Рейтинг рождаемости в регионах: кто в лидерах, а кто в аутсайдерах {{!}} Москва |url=https://fedpress.ru/article/3365231 |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=ФедералПресс |language=ru-RU}}</ref>'''<br />
1.42 children per woman

'''Life expectancy (2021):'''<ref name="rosstat">{{cite web|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/folder/210/document/13207 |title=Демографический ежегодник России |publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service of Russia]] (Rosstat) |access-date=2022-06-01 |language=ru |trans-title=The Demographic Yearbook of Russia}}</ref>  <br />
Total — 66.30 years (male&nbsp;— 61.75, female&nbsp;— 71.11)

===Religion===
{{Bar box
|title=Religion in Amur Oblast as of 2012 (Sreda Arena Atlas)<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas">[http://sreda.org/en/arena "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia"]. Sreda, 2012.</ref><ref name="2012Arena-religion-maps">[http://c2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PHOTO/OGONIOK/2012/034/ogcyhjk2.jpg 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps]. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), August 27, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170421154615/http://c2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PHOTO/OGONIOK/2012/034/ogcyhjk2.jpg Archived].</ref>
|float=right
|bars=
{{Bar percent|[[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodoxy]]|DarkOrchid|25.1}}
{{Bar percent|Other [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]]|MediumOrchid|0.7}}
{{Bar percent|Other [[Christianity in Russia|Christians]]|DeepSkyBlue|4.8}}
{{Bar percent|[[Islam in Russia|Islam]]|Green|0.6}}
{{Bar percent|[[Spiritual but not religious]]|DarkSlateGray|41}}
{{Bar percent|[[Atheism]] and [[irreligion]]|Black|23.6}}
{{Bar percent|Other and undeclared|Gray|4.2}}
}}

According to a 2012 survey<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas"/> 25.1% of the population of Amur Oblast adheres to the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], 5% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 1% is an Orthodox believer without belonging to any church or adheres to other (non-Russian) [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox church]]es, and 1% is an adherent of [[Islam]]. In addition, 41% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 24% is [[atheism|atheist]], and 2.9% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas"/>
{{clear}}

==Economy==
[[image:Launch of the Soyuz-2.1a from Vostochny 2016-04-28 011.jpg|thumb|[[Vostochny Cosmodrome]] in Amur Oblast]]
[[Gross regional product]] per capita in 2007 was 131,039.60 [[Russian ruble|rubles]], while the national average was 198,817 rubles.<ref name="grpc2007">[http://www.gks.ru/bgd/free/b01_19/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d000/dusha98-07.htm Валовой региональный продукт на душу населения] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224125746/http://www.gks.ru/bgd/free/b01_19/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d000/dusha98-07.htm |date=February 24, 2021 }} Федеральная служба государственной статистики</ref>

===Industry===
The industrial section contributes 18.3% to the total GRP.<ref name="AllRegions" /> The most important industrial sector in 2007 was manufacturing, constituting 25.7% of the industrial output. The sector is dominated by food products and beverages, which constitute 13% of industrial output. Machine building includes shipbuilding machinery, lifting and transport vehicles, mining equipment, agricultural machinery, metal assemblies and goods, electrical appliances and electrical machines and tools. The largest engineering companies in the oblast include [[OAO Svobodny Railroad Car Repair Plant]], [[OAO Blagoveshchensk October Revolution Ship Building Plant]] and [[OAO Bureya-Kran]].<ref name="AllRegions" />

Mining and quarrying amounted to 19.9% of industrial output in 2007.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baklanov |first1=Petre Y. |title=Environmental change and the social response in the Amur River Basin |date=2015 |publisher=Springer |location=Tokyo |doi=10.1007/978-4-431-55245-1_1 |isbn=978-4-431-55245-1 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-4-431-55245-1_1 |access-date=10 September 2024}}</ref> Amur Oblast ranks sixth in Russia for gold mining, and has the largest gold reserves in the country. The largest gold mine in the region is Pioneer, part of Petropavlovsk PLC who also own the Albyn, Malomir and Pokrovskiy mines in the region. There is a large site of [[uranium mining]] and processing facilities in [[Oktyabrsky, Amur Oblast|Oktyabrsky]], near the Russia–China border.<ref name="hps2009">Shandala N, Filonova A, Titov A, Isaev D, Seregin V, Semenova V, and Metlyaev EG (2009), [http://hpschapters.org/2009AM/program/singlesession.php3?sessid=P#114 Radiation situation nearby the uranium mining facility], 54th Annual Meeting of the Health Physics Society, July 12–16, 2009, Minneapolis, MN, USA.</ref> There are plans to develop other mineral deposits as well, such as titanium, iron, copper, nickel, apatite, etc. Total coal production amounts to 3,398 tons. As of 2007, four coal deposits are being operated by the company [[OOO Amur Coal]], and two more have been explored. In total, the oblast is estimated to have over 90 deposits of lignite and black coal, with overall reserves of 70&nbsp;billion tons. In addition, fuel extraction amounted to 2.9% of industrial output.<ref name="AllRegions" />

===Energy===
[[image:Bureya Dam.jpg|thumb|[[Bureya Dam]]]]
Amur Oblast enjoys an energy surplus: its energy consumption in 2007 was 6.9&nbsp;TWh, while production was 9.3&nbsp;TWh. Electricity output in 2007 was 9.9&nbsp;TWh. The most important electricity producer is the [[Zeyskaya Hydroelectric Power Station]] with an installed capacity of 1,330&nbsp;MW and a yearly output of 4.91&nbsp;TWh. The station is owned by [[RusHydro]]. The company also owns the 2,010&nbsp;MW [[Bureyskaya Hydroelectric Power Station]], opened in 2009. Its annual output is 7.1&nbsp;TWh.<ref name="AllRegions" />

===Agriculture===
The Amur Region is the primary producer of [[soybean]] in Russia. By 1940, 65 thousand hectares of land in Amur had been cultivated with soybeans, and by 1972 soybean made up 592 thousand hectares of land in Amur, compared to 650 thousand hectares of soybean crops in the whole of the USSR. During the Soviet period, this made up a significant proportion of the economy of Far Eastern Russia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Boiarskaia |first1=A I |last2=Hasegawa |first2=H |last3=Boiarskii |first3=B S |last4=Lyude |first4=A V |title=History of development of Soybean Production in the Amur Region and Far East District in the USSR |journal=IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science |date=2 September 2020 |volume=548 |issue=2 |article-number=022079 |doi=10.1088/1755-1315/548/2/022079 |bibcode=2020E&ES..548b2079B |issn=1755-1315|doi-access=free }}</ref> By 2019, the Amur Region's share of Russian soybean production had declined to 28 percent due to increased cultivation of soybean in other regions, though it still remains Russia's largest soybean producer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Selikhova |first1=O A |last2=Tikhonchuk |first2=P V |title=Problems of rational varietal placement of soybean in the Amur region |journal=IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science |date=5 August 2020 |volume=547 |issue=1 |article-number=012033 |doi=10.1088/1755-1315/547/1/012033|bibcode=2020E&ES..547a2033S |doi-access=free }}</ref> The region in 2019 produced approximately 1 million tonnes of soybean, many of which are exported to neighboring China. While in the past the harvested soybean was shipped west, in recent years due to increased Chinese demands multiple [[soybean oil]] plants have opened in the region.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kurmanaev |first1=Thomas Grove and Anatoly |title=A Surprise Winner From the U.S.-China Trade Spat: Russian Soybean Farmers |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-exploits-u-s-china-trade-tensions-to-sell-more-soybeans-11550745001 |access-date=23 December 2020 |work=Wall Street Journal |date=21 February 2019}}</ref> In 2019, Chinese companies owned or leased some 100 thousand hectares out of the 1.3 million hectares of farmland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Chinese farmers have crossed border into Russia's Far East |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50185006 |access-date=23 December 2020 |work=BBC News |date=1 November 2019}}</ref>

===Foreign trade===
The oblast's main foreign exports are raw timber (1,172,900 cubic meters going to China, North Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine), metal goods (68,300 tons to China and Kazakhstan), and machinery, equipment and transport (12,300 tons to China, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.) Main foreign imports are food and beverages from China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Philippines; textiles and footwear from China; and machinery and equipment from Ukraine and Japan.<ref name="AllRegions" />

===Vostochny cosmodrome===
In July 2010, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced that the area would be the site of a new [[Vostochny Cosmodrome]] ("Eastern Spaceport"), to reduce Russian dependence on the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] in Kazakhstan.<ref>{{cite web|last=Moskvitch |first=Katia |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10698433 |title=BBC News – Russia to kick off construction of a new spaceport |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=July 20, 2010|access-date=August 21, 2013}}</ref> The first rocket launch from the site took place on 28 April 2016.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

==Sister province==
*{{Flagicon|South Korea}} [[Chungcheongnam-do|Chungnam]], South Korea

==References==
===Notes===
{{Notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{RussiaBasicLawRef|amu}}
*{{Cite book|last1=Дударев|first1=В. А.|last2=Евсеева|first2=Н. А.|editor=И. Каманина|script-title=ru:СССР. Административно-территориальное деление союзных республик|year=1987|language=ru|location=Moscow}}
*{{Cite Russian law
|ru_entity=Губернатор Амурской области
|ru_type=Постановление
|ru_number=607
|ru_date=25 октября 2005 г.
|ru_title=О совершенствовании системы информационного обеспечения органов государственной власти и местного самоуправления области
|en_entity=Governor of Amur Oblast
|en_type=Resolution
|en_number=607
|en_date=October 25, 2005
|en_title=On Improving the Information System Serving the Organs of the State Power and the Local-Self Government of the Oblast
}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070926190143/https://oa.doria.fi/dspace/bitstream/10024/829/1/historic.pdf Information concerning the Shiwei tribes and their relationship with the Khitans]
*{{in lang|ru}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928122031/http://www.culturemap.ru/region/69/article.html?topic=7&subtopic=&id=355 History of Amur Oblast]

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Amur Oblast}}
{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Amur (East Siberia) |volume= 1|last= Kropotkin |first= Peter Alexeivitch |author-link= Peter Kropotkin| pages = 899–900 |short= 1}}

{{Subdivisions of Russia}}
{{Amur Oblast}}
{{Russian Far East}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}

[[Category:Amur Oblast| ]]
[[Category:Inner Asia]]
[[Category:Manchuria]]
[[Category:Russian Far East]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1932]]
[[Category:1932 establishments in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Nuclear technology in Russia]]
[[Category:Uranium mining]]
[[Category:Far Eastern Federal District]]