Why is Russia so sparsely populated?
Most of the countrys territory, that is. Some parts are, on the contrary, overpopulated. Russia is the biggest country on Earth in terms of territory, yet only ninth in terms of population size. Curiously, Russias vast territory remains largely unpopulated, while most of the countrys 146 million people have settled in densely populated urban areas. Climate  This map showing population density in Russia gives an observer a rough estimate as to how unevenly the population is scattered across the countrys vast territory. Irina Baranova Irina Baranova  In essence, roughly 68 percent of people in Russia live in the European part of the country, which makes up only 20 percent of the whole territory. The rest of the land accommodates the remaining 32 percent, lowering the population density dramatically compared to the overpopulated urban areas. One of the key reasons for this is the harsh climate in some of Russias remote regions. Kamchatka. Marina Lystsiva/TASS Marina Lystsiva/TASS  In Russia, people traditionally settled in regions where the climate supported land cultivation and offered comfortable weather conditions. Generally, the southern part of Russia is more densely populated than regions in the Russian North and Far East. Vast regions in the Russian North and Siberia  known for the harsh climate and relative inaccessibility  are also among the least populated in the country. The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, Kamchatka in Russias Far East, Sakha in the Russian North and remote regions of Magadan and Chukotka all have population density below one person per one square kilometer, with a relatively large region of Chukotka setting the anti-record of 0,07 person per one square kilometer. The Murmansk Region. Lev Fedoseev/TASS Lev Fedoseev/TASS  Only one in five Russians live in the Asian part [of Russia], which comprises almost three-thirds of the country's territory. The regions of the Far North and the areas [] with severe climatic conditions, which account for about 70 percent of Russias territory, are especially poorly populated, says Ekaterina Shcherbakova, Senior Researcher at the HSE Center for Demographic Research (Project 5-100 participant). Economy & politics  Economic prosperity plays its role, too. Two of Russias most prosperous cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, are also the most densely populated (link in Russian). The population density in Moscow is 4,941 people per one square kilometer  the highest number in the whole of Russia  while, in St. Petersburg, this index equals 3,837. Passengers in the Moscow Metro. Ramil Satdikov/Sputnik Ramil Satdikov/Sputnik  On the opposite end of the spectrum, some of Russias regions named as the least prosperous by the same recent survey  like Tuva, Kalmykia, or the Jewish Autonomous Region in Russias Far East  are also the least populated: 1.96, 3.61, 4.31 persons per square kilometer, respectively. Nevsky Prospect. Legion media Legion media  At times, population density in poorly inhabited regions of Russia has grown around locally based industrial areas and, sometimes, even at the governments whim. In the 20th century, the dominant trend of settlement in Russia was a regulated  sometimes via very strict measures  shift of the population to the north and east and, to a lesser extent, to the south. This was due to the need to develop natural resources, develop the economy of the territories and strengthen the eastern borders. An important role was played by the evacuation of many industrial enterprises from the European part of the country during the Great Patriotic War, says Shcherbakova. Click here to find out why Russias population is (relatively) small and declining. If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.