Mogilev region is the easternmost region of Belarus, bordering on the Russian Federation. In the north it borders on Vitebsk, in the south - on Gomel, in the west - on Minsk. Eastern neighbors are the Bryansk and Smolensk regions of Russia. More than 37 percent of the territory is occupied by forests, 50 percent is agricultural land. The map of the Mogilev region given in the article clearly demonstrates the outlines of this region of Belarus.
History of the region
According to archaeological data, the first people lived near the Ola River since the Stone Age. And near the village of Bolshie Bortniki, archaeologists managed to find perfectly preserved household items and tools made of bone and horn in peat deposits. This gives historians an idea of how people lived four to five thousand years ago. During the time of Kievan Rus in the Mogilev region (it was part ofcomposition of this state) on the banks of the Dnieper appeared the first cities that still exist today: Mstislavl (founded in 1135), Krichev (1136), Propoisk, the modern name is Slavgorod (1136), Mogilev (1267). In the period from the 12th to the 16th century, this region was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Russian and Zhemoytsky. At this time, the cities grew significantly, they became major centers of trade. The warriors of the Mstislavl banner forever inscribed their names in the history of Europe, having survived in 1410 in a bloody battle against the knights of the Teutonic Order near Grunwald. Starting from the middle of the 16th century, these lands became part of the Commonwe alth. During the Russian-Polish war, the population of the region was halved. And during the confrontation with the Swedes in the area of the village of Lesnaya, an important battle took place, which ended in the victory of the Russian army. When the Commonwe alth was divided, these lands became the possession of Russia. Empress Catherine II presented the city of Krichev to Prince Potemkin, and the city of Propoisk to Golitsyn. During the Russian-French war, Mogilev region became the scene of hostilities, and during the First World War, the headquarters of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II was located here.
Mogilev region was formed in January 1938. During the Second World War, Soviet soldiers held Mogilev from the onslaught of German invaders for 23 days. The area lost a quarter of its population in this war.
Population of the region
1 million 76 thousand people live in the Mogilev region. Of these, more than 75 percent - in cities and towns, the rest- in villages and villages. Almost 90 percent of the population are Belarusians. The following national minorities live in the region: Russians (132 thousand people), Ukrainians (21.1 thousand), Jews (3.5 thousand), Poles (2.8 thousand), Armenians (1.1 thousand). And also Tatars, Gypsies, Lithuanians, Azerbaijanis, Germans and Moldovans.
Religion
17 religions are practiced in the region, the main one is Orthodox Christianity. In general, Belarus (the Mogilev region is no exception) is characterized by loy alty and tolerance towards various religious denominations. Mosques, churches, Christian temples and many others coexist here with ease. Thus, there are 157 different religious communities in the region. Of these, 69 - Orthodox Christian Church, 29 - Evangelical Baptist Christians, 17 - Roman Catholic Church, 6 - Old Believer Church, as well as other Christian movements. In addition, there are Jewish, Muslim, Hare Krishna communities.
Settlements and districts of the Mogilev region
This region (total area is 29.1 thousand km2) is divided into administrative regions. There are 21 of them: Belynichsky (area 1419 square kilometers), Bobruisk (1599), Bykhovsky (2263), Glussky (1335), Goretsky (1284), Dribinsky (767), Kirovsky (1295), Klimovichsky (1543), Klichevsky (1800), Krasnopolsky (1223), Krichevsky (778), Kruglyansky (882), Kostyukovichsky (1494), Mogilevsky (1895), Mstislavsky (1333), Osipovichsky (1947), Slavgorodsky (1318), Khotimsky (859), Chaussky (1471), Cherikovsky(1020), Shklovsky (1334).
Osipovichi, Bobruisk, Kirovsk, Mogilev, Shklov, Bykhov, Gorki, Chausy, Slavgorod, Cherikov, Mstislavl, Krichev, Kostyukovichi, Klimovichi are the cities of the Mogilev region. The administrative centers of the region are fifteen cities, six urban-type settlements. In addition, it includes three workers' settlements, 194 village councils. In total, the villages and villages of the Mogilev region have 3120 settlements.
Transportation
Belarus is an important transit route between Europe and the Russian Federation, and the Mogilev region is characterized by a developed road infrastructure. Railway junctions directly connect it with all regions of Belarus, with Moldova, Ukraine, the B altic countries, as well as with a number of regions of Russia. In addition, the region is connected by direct bus connections with Novogrudok, Gomel, Vitebsk, Orsha, Minsk, Novopolotsk, St. Petersburg, Smolensk, Moscow and others. In addition, this region is crossed by the middle reaches of large European waterways, such as the Sozh, Berezina and Dnieper.
Industry
Mogilev region is one of the main industrial regions of Belarus. It is represented by more than 240 enterprises. The region occupies the first positions in the production of underground trains and self-propelled scrapers, passenger elevators, trailed agricultural machinery in the CIS countries. In Belarus, the Mogilev region is the main producer of tires, centrifugalpumps, cement, electric motors, soft roofing, textile haberdashery, dressings, silk fabrics, rubber shoes and more. The main industrial centers are Bobruisk and Mogilev. The latter houses the Mogilev technopark and the free economic zone.
Natural resources
Mogilev region is very rich in minerals and natural resources. More than 1800 deposits are known here, including cement raw materials (the country's largest reserves of marl, clay, chalk and cement loam), phosphorites (unique for Belarus), sand and gravel mixtures, building and silicate sands, peat, sapropels, mineral waters, tripoli (the largest in the country) and oil.
Agriculture
Agricultural lands of the region occupy more than 50 percent of the territory, including arable land (33.1 percent), pastures (9.1 percent), hayfields (8.1 percent). Crop production plays a leading role in the agrarian complex of the region. Legumes and grain crops are ubiquitous. On 70 percent of the area they produce fodder grain and on 30 percent - food grain. Animal husbandry is mainly dairy and meat. A number of districts of the region contain specialized farms that are engaged in breeding fur-bearing animals, horses, and fish production. One of the most important environmental problems here is radioactive contamination after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986. In total, about 35 percent of the territories are classified as contaminated.
Culture
The rich history and artistic culture of the region is reflected in many monuments of archeology, arts and crafts and monumental art, original architectural heritage. Among the main attractions are 27 museums, three professional theaters and a philharmonic society. Several international theater and music festivals are held annually in the Mogilev region. Three regional and 21 local newspapers are published in the region. There are city and regional TV and radio channels.
