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| General Information |
Geography
Located in eastern Siberia, the Republic of Buryatia covers an area of some 351,400 square kilometers. To the south, it borders Mongolia, to the south-east, the Republic of Tuva, to the north and north-west, the Irkutsk Region, and to the west, the Chita Region. Administratively speaking, the Republic is divided into 21 districts. It has six cities, 29 urban settlements, and 614 settlements.
Population
According to preliminary 2002 census results, the total population in the Republic of Buryatia was 981,000 people. The average population density is 2.8 per square kilometer. The economically active population is 469,000. Official unemployment in 2002 stood at 15.4%.
Demographically speaking, some 61% are of statutory working age, 24% are below the statutory working age, and 15% are beyond the statutory working age.
The Republic’s ethnic mix is 24% Buryat, 70% Russian, 2.2% Ukrainian, and 3.8% other nationalities.
The Republic’s major urban centers are Ulan-Ude with 359,400 inhabitants, Gusinoozersk with 29,000 inhabitants, and Severobaikalsk with 28,000 inhabitants.
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| Population |
|
| |
1992 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
| Total population, '000 |
1,057 |
1,048 |
1,043 |
1,038 |
1,032 |
1,026 |
981 |
|
| Economically active population, '000 |
508 |
443 |
430 |
489 |
491 |
456 |
469 |
| Economic Potential |
1997–2002 Gross regional product (GRP). Industry breakdown
The 2002 gross regional product of the Republic of Buryatia reached $1,258 million, 18.2% up on 2001. The growth was mainly industry driven.
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| GRP trends in 1997–2002 |
* Estimates of the Government of the Republic of Buryatia |
| |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 * |
2002 * |
|
| GRP in current prices, $ million |
1,947 |
1,150 |
689 |
799 |
1,065 |
1,258 |
| GRP industry breakdown in 1997–2002, % of total |
* Estimates of the Government of the Republic of Buryatia |
| |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 * |
2002 * |
|
| GRP |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
| Industry |
25.8 |
24.8 |
22.8 |
24.4 |
24.5 |
25.6 |
|
| Agriculture and forestry |
15.1 |
14.5 |
14.6 |
13.3 |
11.3 |
10.8 |
|
| Construction |
8.9 |
7.8 |
5.6 |
6.7 |
8.3 |
6.8 |
|
| Transport and communication |
10.2 |
12.3 |
17.2 |
17.7 |
20.6 |
19.5 |
|
| Trade and public catering |
12.4 |
12.9 |
14.7 |
13.8 |
12.8 |
11.4 |
|
| Other |
24.3 |
25.9 |
20.0 |
23.6 |
21.6 |
25.0 |
|
| Net taxes on output |
3.3 |
1.8 |
5.1 |
0.5 |
0.9 |
0.9 |
Industrial output in 1997–2002 for major sectors of economy
The Republic’s key industries are: machine engineering and metal processing, energy, non-ferrous metals, and food and beverages, which together account for 84% of total industrial output.
Machine engineering and metal processing. Machine engineering and metal processing account for the lion’s share of the Republic’s industrial output (30.9%). Major enterprises include OAO Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant, ZAO Ulan-Udestalmost, OAO Electrical Machinery Plant, GUP Ulan-Ude Locomotive Plant, OAO Electromashina, and ZAO Bely Lebed.
Energy. Energy sector enterprises account for 30.5% of total industrial output. Buryatia’s energy system is based on the Gusinoozerskaya Hydroelectric Power Station (UES of Russia-owned) and the Ulan-Ude Thermal Power Station 1, an OAO Buryatenergo subsidiary.
Non-ferrous metals. Non-ferrous metals account for 13% of total industrial output. Total gold output in 2001 amounted to 2,000 kilograms. The Republic is home to goldfields with abundant supplies of high-grade placer gold. The Republic’s top gold producer is OAO Buryatzoloto’s Irokinda.
Fuel (coal) industry. The coal industry, the source of raw materials for the Republic’s energy facilities, is represented by open-pit mine Tugnuisky (OAO Vostsibugol) with 90% of total coal output, three minor open-pit mines, the Okino-Klyuchevskoi, Daban-Gorkhonsky (OAO Buryatlestoprom), and Khara-Khurzhinsky (OAO Zakamenskaya PMK), and open-pit mine Orkhon-1.
Agriculture. Meat and milk cattle rearing, sheep rearing, tillage and vegetables are the mainstays of the Republic’s agricultural sector. The Republic produces the following grain crops: spring wheat, barley, oats, sugar beet and fiber flax. The Republic has some 521,700 hectares of tillage land with grain crops covering 321,200 hectares. Arable lands cover 38.2%, and hayfields, 30%. The largest enterprises are OAO Buryatmyasoprom and OAO Ulan-Ude Macaroni Plant.
Sanatorium and spa facilities. Buryatia is home to the following balneotherapeutic resorts: the Arshan Resort in the Sayany foothills (mineral waters) and the Goryachinsk Resort (radon thermal springs on the shores of Lake Baikal). The Republic’s natural environment is conducive to the promotion of tourism.
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| Industry breakdown of industrial output in 1997–2002, % of total |
* Estimates of the Government of the Republic of Buryatia |
| |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 * |
|
| Industry |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
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| Machine engineering and metal processing |
16.7 |
12.0 |
14.8 |
22.3 |
29.5 |
30.9 |
|
| Energy |
39.0 |
45.9 |
32.1 |
27.0 |
29.3 |
30.5 |
|
| Non-ferrous metals |
4.9 |
6.8 |
12.7 |
14.8 |
11.7 |
13.0 |
|
| Food and beverages |
9.6 |
9.0 |
10.9 |
9.9 |
9.0 |
9.6 |
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| Forestry, timber, and pulp and paper |
7.0 |
7.0 |
11.2 |
9.9 |
7.3 |
7.0 |
|
| Fuel |
11.6 |
9.2 |
6.6 |
5.7 |
5.2 |
3.5 |
|
| Light industry |
2.5 |
2.3 |
3.1 |
3.1 |
2.6 |
2.2 |
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| Construction materials |
4.0 |
3.6 |
2.8 |
3.4 |
2.6 |
2.0 |
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| Chemicals and petrochemicals |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.5 |
0.7 |
0.2 |
1.3 |
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| Flour, cereals, and mixed fodder |
2.1 |
1.8 |
3.4 |
1.8 |
1.3 |
1.0 |
Transport infrastructure
Roads. The Republic has 6,226 kilometers of paved public highway. The main federal highways are: Irkutsk – Ulan-Ude and Ulan-Ude – Chita. Total road freight in 2001 amounted to 296 million kilometer-tons, with passenger bus traffic totaling 146 million passenger-kilometers.
Railroads. The Republic has 1,199 kilometers of railroads. Buryatia has very favorable geographic location at the crossroads of the Trans-Siberian and the Baikal – Amur, which connect the central regions of the Russian Federation with the Far East and East Asia: China, North Korea, and Mongolia.
Airports. Air transport is represented by OAO Buryat Airlines, which provides air links both within the Republic and to other destinations in Russia. The Ulan-Ude International Airport serves Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yakutsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Bratsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, and Omsk.
River transport. The Republic has a well- developed inland waterway transportation sector, with main routes running along the Selenga River and through Lake Baikal. The Republic has some 282 kilometers of navigable waterways. The main goods transported by inland waterway are timber products, sandy gravel, and oil products.
River ports. Major ports on Lake Baikal are Ust-Barguzinsk, Nizhneangarsk, and Severobaikalsk. Ulan-Ude also has a large river port.
Main natural resources: reserves and extraction in 2002
The Republic’s principle natural resources are: minerals, water, and forest resources.
Mineral resources. The Republic is home to six explored molybdenum deposits, five complex ore deposits (48% of nationwide zinc reserves and 24% of nationwide lead reserves), ten fluor spar deposits (reserves over 10 million tons), major uranium-ore deposits, and around 300 auriferous fields. One tin deposit, three beryllium deposits, and three chrysotile asbestos deposits are in production. The Republic’s Cheremshanskoye deposit contains over 40 million tons of quartz sandstone, and seven deposits of grainy quartz have been explored in the Severobaikalsk District.
Water resources. The Republic’s largest reservoir is Lake Baikal (total reserves of 24,000 cubic kilometers). The Republic also has 53 rivers with a total length of 1,200 kilometers, and 176 artesian wells.
Forest resources. Forests are one of the Republic’s principal natural resources, with forest coverage totaling some 27.2 million hectares. The Republic’s forests are exclusively upland. Hardwood (65%), pine (21%), and dark softwood (10%) prevail.
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| Trade Opportunities |
Main goods produced in the region
Energy. In 2002, the Republic produced 4.6 billion kWh of electricity.
Coal. In 2002, the Republic produced 3.7 million of coal.
Electric motors. In 2002, the Republic produced 914 AC motors.
Industrial timber. In 2002, the Republic produced 556,000 cubic meters of industrial timber.
Vacuum cleaners. In 2002, the Republic produced 16,900 vacuum cleaners.
Exports, including extra-cis
In 2000, extra-CIS exports amounted to $113.3 million, and CIS exports reached $3.2 million. The figures for 2001 were $139.7 and $2.1 million respectively, and for 2002 – $202.1 million and $10.3 million.
The main goods exported from the Region are industrial timber, machinery, and fuel and energy products. The Republic’s main export destinations are China (64% of exports – timber, machinery, ferrous and non-ferrous metals), Mongolia (12% – food, fuel and energy products, and machinery), Iran (11% – machinery), and Japan (7% – coal). CIS countries account for 5% of exports: Kazakhstan imports paper and paper-board, while Ukraine imports woolen fabrics.
Imports, including extra-cis
In 2000, extra-CIS imports amounted to $24.5 million, and CIS imports reached $5.2 million. The figures for 2001 were $21 million and $9.2 million, respectively, and for 2002 – $24.6 million and $13.9 million.
The Republic’s main imports are food and machinery. Its main trading partners for imports are Mongolia (26% of total imports – beef), the USA (14% – rice, flour, beans, buckwheat, and vegetable oil); China (13% – fruit), Italy (5% – drilling machinery), and Germany (4% – meat and poultry processing equipment). CIS imports account for over 36% of the total, including Ukraine (28% – turboprop engines for civilian aircraft) and Uzbekistan (7.3% – vegetables, fruit and wool).
Major regional export and import entities
Owing to the specific nature of export and import transactions in the Republic of Buryatia, export and import activities are carried out mainly by industrial enterprises.
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| Investment Opportunities |
Capital investment
In 2002, industrial enterprises and transportation companies accounted for the lion’s share of capital investment.
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| Capital investment by industry sector, $ million |
| |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
Total capital investment
Including major industries (% of total) |
309.9 |
171.3 |
96.2 |
116.8 |
173.2 |
146.6 |
|
| Industry |
33.8 |
25.9 |
25.4 |
31.8 |
20.8 |
37.8 |
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| Agriculture and forestry |
2.6 |
1.7 |
2.1 |
3.1 |
1.6 |
2.0 |
|
| Construction |
2.0 |
1.4 |
2.1 |
3.0 |
3.6 |
0.7 |
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| Transport and communications |
36.6 |
50.8 |
52.0 |
45.6 |
59.8 |
43.3 |
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| Trade and public catering |
0.9 |
2.3 |
3.9 |
2.0 |
0.4 |
1.0 |
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| Other |
24.1 |
17.9 |
14.5 |
14.5 |
13.8 |
15.2 |
| Foreign investment trends in 1997–2002 |
| |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
|
| Foreign investment, $ million |
0.2 |
13.0 |
0.8 |
0.2 |
- |
9.2 |
|
| Including FDI, $ million |
0.2 |
2.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
- |
0.1 |
Major enterprises (including enterprises with foreign investment)
The Republic hosts 258 large and medium-sized enterprises, including 65 with foreign investments.
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| Largest enterprises of the Buryat Republic |
| Company |
Sector |
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| OAO Buryatenergo |
Energy |
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| OAO Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant |
Machine engineering |
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OAO Ulan-Ude Instrument
Production Association |
Machine engineering |
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| ZAO Ulan-Ude Fine Fabrics Plant |
Light industry |
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| OAO Ulan-Ude Amta Confectionery |
Food industry |
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| OAO Buryatzoloto |
Jewelry |
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| OAO Ulan-Ude Macaroni Factory |
Food industry |
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| OAO Ulan-Udestalmost |
Machine engineering and metals processing |
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