Regional flags and emblems
PROFILE
Established 28 September 1937
Capital Barnaul
The Altai Territory is part of the Siberian Federal District
Area 168,000 sq km
Population 2 115 700 (2024)
Ethnic groups
(2020 National Census, %)
Russian – 95,45
German – 1,3
Other — 3,25
Administrative divisions (2024)
Municipal districts – 56
Municipalities — 4
City districts – 9
Rural towns – 7
Rural districts – 618
Geography and climate
The Altai Territory is situated in the southeast of Western Siberia.
The region is mostly located in the Siberian Plain; the Altai Mountains stretch in the south. At its widest points, the region is 600 km from east to west and 400 km from north to south.
The Altai Territory borders on the Republic of Altai as well as the Kemerovo and Novosibrisk regions, and also has the 843.6-km-long state border with Kazakhstan.
The terrain can be divided into three zones: mountains in the east, an elevated plain in the centre and the steppe in the west and southwest. Almost all Russian natural zones are represented in the region: the steppe and forest steppe as well as taiga, mountains and rich river ecosystems.
The main rivers are the Ob, Biya, Katun, Alei and Charysh. There also are endorheic steppe lakes, with Kulundinskoye being the largest.
The region has a temperate climate and sharp continental on the plain. The Altai Territory is one of the sunniest Western Siberian regions. The average January temperature is –21.9оС. The average July temperature is 19.3оС. The frost-free season lasts up to 120 days.
The region is home to the Belokurikha federal resort, Tigireksky State Nature Reserve, Aya Natural Park and Foothills of Altai Natural Park, as well as 38 regional natural sanctuaries and 32 nature monuments.
Government
The legislative branch is represented by the Altai Territory Legislative Assembly, which is the permanent, representative and only body of legislative authority in the region.
The Altai Territory Legislative Assembly has 68 deputies elected for five years, with 34 of them running in single-mandate constituencies and the other 34 in the territorial electoral district in proportion to the number of votes cast for lists of deputies nominated by electoral associations.
The current Altai Territory Legislative Assembly was elected in September 2021. The term expires in September 2026.
The executive branch of the Altai Territory is headed by the Government, which is the supreme executive authority in the region. The system of executive authorities includes other executive bodies of the Altai Territory.
The Governor of the Altai Territory is the region’s highest-ranking official and the President of the Altai Territory Government, elected for five years by Russian citizens who permanently reside in the region. The term of the incumbent Governor expires in September 2028.
Economy and natural resources
The Altai Territory has a multi/sector economy, with industry, agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, construction, transportation and storage, accounting for the major share of the regional GDP (about 50%).
Industry accounts for about 21% of the regional GDP, with manufacturing facilities having the largest share (over 86%). The main economic sectors include food, machine building (train carriages, boilers, diesel engines, agricultural machinery and electric equipment), charred coal, rubber, plastics and chemical production.
The Altai Territory is one of Russia’s largest agricultural regions, which produces a variety of organic foods. Agriculture plays a key role in the region’s economy and accounts more than 12 % of the regional GDP. The region is the national leader in terms of the total area of farmlands sown to grains and legumes, as well as in the production of flour, cheese and buckwheat; it is second in the production of cereals and butter; and third in terms of pasta production. Prominent areas in livestock breeding are dairy and beef production, poultry, pig, sheep farming and beekeeping.
The Altai Territory is located at the intersection of transcontinental cargo and passenger transit flows. Roads that connect Russia with Mongolia and Kazakhstan as well as a railway that connects Central Asia with the Trans-Siberian Railway, and international air routes cross the region.
The raw materials production includes the explored deposits of gold, silver, brown coal, mineral salts, cement and construction limestone, sand and gravel mixes, manganese, chrome, titanium, nickel, cobalt and tungsten. The Altai Territory is famous for its unique deposits of jasper, porphyrite, marble and granite.
Culture and tourism
The Altai Territory is a region with a rich historical and cultural heritage. It is the homeland of many famous people, including Vasily Shukshin, Mikhail Kalashnikov, German Titov, Ivan Pyryev, Robert Rozhdestvensky and Valery Zolotukhin.
The Altai Territory rates among the top regions in Siberia in terms of the number of cultural landmarks: over 4,900 archeological, architectural, historical and cultural landmarks are protected by the state.
The Altai Days of Shukshin National Festival is the region’s main cultural event, which is held annually in July to commemorate the famous author, actor and director Vasily Shukshin. Thousands of people from various Russian regions and other countries, who love and admire his talent, come to visit his home village.
The Rozhdestvensky Readinds are held here annually to commemorate poet Robert Rozhdestvensky.
In recent years, the Altai Territory has transformed into a rapidly developing tourism and recreation region. The tourism, hospitality and recreation growth dynamics are higher than the average in Russia, which allows tourism to remain a strategic area of development. The region is visited by around 2 million people each year.
The Biryuzovaya Katun special economic area and the Belokurikha tourism and recreation cluster have been created in the region to step up the development of recreation potential.
The salt lakes of the Altai steppes are also very popular for health tourism.
The city of Biysk is the Altai Territory’s historical heart. The Golden Gate tourist cluster, which will offer year-round services to transit tourists, is being established there.
The rich natural heritage provides a wealth of opportunities to develop various kinds of active and environmental tourism.
The Altai Territory has enormous potential for agricultural tourism as well, which is a relatively new and promising area. Fresh air, friendly atmosphere, wilderness, natural products, peace and quiet, and the slow pace of rural life are its most attractive features.