Overview of the Tomsk Region

Additional information

Status: constituent entity of the Russian Federation, part of the Siberian Federal District

Date of foundation: August 13, 1944

Governor of Tomsk Region: Wladimir Mazur (since 2022)

Chairman of Tomsk Region Legislative Duma : Oksana Kozlovskaya (since 2011)

Region center: Tomsk (founded in 1604) – 56º30'N 84º58'E; population over 500,000 people; distance to Moscow by rail 3,500 km. Founded in 1604

In Tomsk…

• The first in Asian part of Russia university and the first technological institute
• The first in Siberia power station and the first television station
• The first in Siberia public library and Botanic garden
• The first in Siberia symphony orchestra
• The first in the USSR Technopark and the first in Russia student business incubator
• The first in Russia regional innovative strategy
• The first in Russia innovation forum

Administrative division: Tomsk Region consists of 4 urban districts (Tomsk, Strezhevoy, Kedrovy, closed administrative-territorial formation Seversk) 16 municipal entities (districts) including 3 urban and 115 rural settlements, 571 villages

Area: 314.4 thousand km2 (1.8% of the Russian territory). Magnitude from North to South about 600 km, from west to East - 780 km.

Population: population as of January 1, 2022 is 1,068.3 thousand people. Urban population accounts for 72.4%. There are over 80 nationalities, including ethnic minorities of Chulyms and Kets which number less than 100 people.
Tomsk Region’s population density is 3,4 people per 1 km².
Average age of the population: 38 years.

Climate: Tomsk Region almost entirely lies within the taiga zone. It has moderately continental cyclic climate with large diurnal and annual temperature ranges and a longer winter season. Mean annual temperature is -0.7°C, average temperature in July is +24°C, average temperature in January is - 16°C. The frost-free season lasts 100-105 days. Mean annual precipitation is 435 mm.

There are significant differences in the weather conditions between the north and the south of Tomsk Region due to a significant distance between its northern and southern boundaries – 600 km. The climate in the north of Tomsk Region is more severe with longer winters.
The highest point is 274 m above sea level. The lowest point is 34 m above sea level.
The land is mainly swamps. The Ob River flows from southeast to northwest and divides Tomsk Region into two almost equal parts. The highlands on the right bank are less wet and more densely populated. River valleys occupy 20% of the territory of Tomsk Region. The three main biomes are middle taiga, southern taiga, and forest steppe.

Principal natural zones:  middle taiga, southern taiga and forest-steppe.

Natural resources: Forest estate land accounts for 85% of the land of Tomsk Region. The total woodland area is 26.7 mln hectares. Softwood species cover the area more 10 mln hectares. The total standing volume is 2,602.8 mln m3. Forests cover 60% of the territory of Tomsk Region. Commercial forests occupy most of the forested area of the region. Valuable softwood species such as Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), spruce, fir, and larch account for a half of the commercial forest stand.
Tomsk Region is rich in mineral deposits and raw materials. About half of the oil and gas reserves are proven. Tomsk Region has the second largest peat reserves in Russia. There are 12 discovered deposits of metallic ore: iron, titanium, zirconium, scandium, kaolin, copper, bauxite, zinc, etc. The probable reserves of the Bakcharskoye iron ore deposit are 110 billion tons. Potential hydrocarbons in place are 5.47 billion tons, peat – 28.7 billion tons. There are deposits of high-melting clay, glass sand, ilmenite and zircon sand, fresh groundwater, thermal water, and mineral water. There are occurrences of gold, platinum, titanium, and zirconium.

Transport: intraregional freight traffic by air, roads, railway and water.
Air traffic in the Tomsk region is exercised by regional company (Tomsk Avia), as well as Russian airlines. Spring 2010 Order of Government of the Russian Federation on the “Tomsk” airport opening was out for international flights and establishment of air cargo and passenger all around checkpoint across the state border of the Russian Federation for the period of special technology development economic zone. Airport “Tomsk” has been reconstructed and modernized and opened for international flights in April 2013. Tomsk airport complies with international quality, safety and navigation standards.
The mileage of internal Ob navigable waterways and its confluents is around 5 thousand km. Water transport is servicing more than half of 700 Tomsk region locations, there is massive freight traffic to Northern areas, as well as pickup of wood cargo and mineral construction materials.
Mileage of hard surface community roads is 4 204 km. Railroads density is 20 km of roads per 1000 km². In 2010 - 2030 a range of new international and interregional routes are planned to be built, including Northern latitudinal corridor (Perm - Ivdel - Khanty-Mansiysk - Tomsk). In 2016 - 2030 federal roads network will include new routes to integrate disconnected road network of specific regions into a unified Russian transport system: “North-West-Siberia” (Saint Petersburg - Kotlas Syktyvkar - Perm - Khanty-Mansiysk - Tomsk).
At the moment railway mileage in the region is 346 km. The main road is Bely Yar - Tomsk - Taiga. There are six railway routes. Direct railway trains take you to five end stations - from Adler to Vladivostok.  For the development of railway transport for 2015 Federal target program seeks to design North-Siberian railway in segment Nizhnevartovsk-Bely Yar and Bely Yar-Lesosibirsk.
In November-March ice bridges or “winter roads” are used to carry freight to Northern districts of the Tomsk region.

Time zone: Moscow +4 hrs, UTC/GMT +7 hrs

Dialing code: +7 382 2 (** ** **).

Communication: the public switched telephone network in Tomsk Region is 95% digital. All cities and district centers are connected to a network of modern fiber optic lines, and Strezhevoy is connected with the Aleksandrovo village via a digital radio relay line.
There are over 200 communication service providers in Tomsk Region, including five mobile network operators: Megafon, Vympelkom, MTS, Kemerovo Mobile Communications (TELE2) (GSM), and Rostelekom (IMT-MC-450).

Mains voltage: 220 V, 50 Hz.