Map of Vologda

History

The area of Vologda Oblast was settled by Finnic peoples in prehistory, and most of the toponyms in the region are, in fact, Finnic. Vepsians, who still live in the west of the oblast, are the descendants of that population. Subsequently, the area was colonized by the Russians. Belozersk was mentioned in chronicles in 862 as one of the oldest towns in Russia. Much of the area was controlled by the Novgorod Republic, in particular, Totma was founded in 1152. Veliky Ustyug and the west of the current territory of the Oblast, with Belozersk and Ustyuzhna, belonged to the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality and were constantly threatened by Novgorod. Not later than in the 13th century, the Novgorod merchants already reached the White Sea. They reached the area by using the waterways.

Geography

Vologda Oblast borders with Arkhangelsk Oblast in the north, Kirov Oblast in the east, Kostroma Oblast in the southeast, Yaroslavl Oblast in the south, Tver and Novgorod Oblasts in the southwest, Leningrad Oblast in the west, and the Republic of Karelia in the northwest.

Vologda Oblast is located on the East European Plain, and most of it represents forested hilly landscape. The southwest of the oblast, along the Sheksna and the Mologa, is flat. The northwestern part is mostly of glacial origin, with the Andoma Hills, the Veps Hills, and a number of minor hill chains. The highest point of the oblast is 304 metres (997 ft) high Malgora hill. In the east of the oblast, the valleys of the Vaga, the Sukhona, and the Yug are cut through the hills.

Economy

The biggest industrial enterprise of Vologda Oblast is the Severstal steel plant located in the city of Cherepovets. The metallurgical industry is responsible for approximately 50% of the total industrial production of the oblast. it is followed by chemical (also based in Cherepovets), food, and timber industries, and the machine building industry.

Metallurgy was a traditional industry developed in the region since the 16th century, when its center was located in Ustyuzhna. Another traditional industries were salt production (around Totma) and glass making (in what is currently Chagodoshchensky District). In the 18th century, timber production started to grow rapidly. In the 19th century, the textile industry enterprises making flax textiles started to proliferate.

Demographics

Population: 1,142,827 (2021 census); 1,202,444 (2010 census); 1,269,568 (2002 census); 1,353,870 (1989 Soviet census).

58,511 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.

Babayevsky and Vytegorsky District in the northwest of the oblast belong to the areas traditionally populated by Vepsians.