Regional flags and emblems
PROFILE
Established 19 January, 1943
Capital Ulyanovsk
The Ulyanovsk Region is part of the Volga Federal District
Area 37,200 sq km
Population 1 173 300 (2024)
Ethnic groups
(2020 National Census, %)
Russian – 77,49
Tatar – 11,06
Chuvash – 5,78
Mordvin – 2,23
Other – 3,44
Administrative divisions (2024)
Municipal districts – 21
City districts – 3
Rural towns – 31
Rural districts – 112
Geography and climate
The region is located in the south of the Volga-Kama area. It borders on the republics of Mordovia and Tatarstan, the Chuvash Republic and the Samara, Saratov and Penza regions.
The region has 2,030 rivers, over 1,000 springs, 1223 lakes and 909 ponds, including the Kuibyshev and Saratov reservoirs. The main rivers are the Volga with its tributaries the Sura and Sviyaga. The largest lakes are Belolebyazhye, Beloye, Kryazh, Peschanoye, and Yaik.
The region has a moderate continental climate. The average temperature in January is −10.6°C, while the average temperature in July is 18.8°C. The monthly precipitation is 31 mm in January and 118 mm in July. The vegetation period is 174 days.
Vegetation: mixed and pine forests (pine, fir, larch, oak, ash, maple, birch, asp, alder, linden, poplar and willow) passing into grassland steppes. The main type of soil is chernozem (black soil).
The region has two federal state nature sanctuaries, Sursky and Starokulatkinsky, as well as 17 regional nature sanctuaries.
Government
The legislative branch is the Legislative Assembly of the Ulyanovsk Region, which is the permanent, representative and only legislative body in the region.
The Legislative Assembly of the Ulyanovsk Region has 36 deputies, with 18 of them running in single-mandate constituencies and the other 18 in the single electoral district in proportion to the number of votes cast for lists of candidates nominated by electoral associations.
The current Legislative Assembly was elected in September 2023. Its term expires in September 2028.
The executive branch in the Ulyanovsk Region is represented by the Governor of the Ulyanovsk Region, the Government of the region and other executive agencies of the Ulyanovsk Region. The Government of the Ulyanovsk Region is the supreme, permanent and collegiate body of executive authority in the region.
The Governor of the Ulyanovsk Region is the region’s highest-ranking official, who heads the executive branch and forms the Government of the Ulyanovsk Region. The Governor is elected for five years by Russian citizens who permanently reside in the region. The term of office of the current incumbent expires in September 2026.
Economy and natural resources
The Ulyanovsk Region’s main socioeconomic indexes are growing. The economy is characterised by a high level of industrial development. Industrial output accounts for over 30% of the regional GDP.
Machine-building is the main industrial sector in the Ulyanovsk Region (over 50% of the manufacturing sector). This is mostly aircraft, automotive and transport manufacturing, as well power engineering.
Aviastar-SP is the largest aviation plant that specialises in production of IL-76 heavy cargo planes and fuel tankers as well as Tu-204 aircraft and provides service maintenance for the An-124 Ruslan. The plant assembles the interiors and tests the systems in Sukhoi Superjet 100 planes. Aviastar-SP is a key participant in manufacturing the new MS-21 short-medium haul aircraft and the IL-112V light transport aircraft.
UAZ is the largest manufacturer of off-road vehicles in Eastern Europe. In August 2005, the plant launched production of a new full-sized off-road comfort class SUV – UAZ Patriot. During 80 years of its history, the plant has manufactured millions of cars that run across Russia and abroad. The Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant produces world-renowned air anti-aircraft systems. The Ulyanovsk Motor Plant is a large Russian machine-building plant that produces various power units for cargo, passenger and multi-purpose GAZ off-roaders.
The second largest city of the region, Dimitrovgrad, has opened a nuclear innovative cluster, which includes SSC RIAR (the largest European research centre for nuclear technology and various nuclear energy issues), the construction of the Federal High-Tech Nuclear Medicine Center, a radiopharmaceutical plant and a specialised technology park.
A Russian-Chinese cluster of medical equipment manufacturers is being built in the special economic zone of the region.
The agro-industrial complex is an important element in the region’s economy. The sector accounts for over 5% of the regional GDP. It unifies all industries that produce and process agricultural products and distributes them. The region has formed a mixed agricultural economy. There are about 300 agricultural companies. Agriculture focuses on grain production and dairy and beef cattle farming.
Grain production is one of the most important areas. The region cultivates cereal grains such as wheat, barley, rye, buckwheat, millet and corn, as well as legumes: pea, soy and lentils, mainly produced for grains and vegetable oil. Fruits and vegetables are mostly grown on irrigated lands near cities and towns. Cabbage, carrots, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes are the most popular in the region.
Livestock breeding meets local demand for some foods (milk, beef, lard and eggs) and raw materials (wool, leather, fur, feather and hog hair). The most popular are dairy and beef cattle breeding. The Ulyanovsk Region is the birthplace of the Bestuzhev dairy and meat cattle breed (named after the Bestuzhev, who owned the Repyevka village, Syzran Province of the Simbirsk Governorate, where these cattle were first bred). The Ulyanovsk Livestock Breeding Station and farms in the Radishchev and Novospassky districts are the main suppliers of the Bestuzhev breed.
The region has a specialised co-op of pig breeding companies. The Roshchinsky pig breeding complex (Zelyonaya Roshcha village) is the largest Russian pig breeding and pork processing enterprise.
Culture and tourism
There are several types of tourism in the Ulyanovsk Region: medical, historical and cultural, as well as event tourism.
Ulyanovsk is primarily known as the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin and includes the Lenin Memorial, the largest museum dedicated to the leader’s life. The historical center of the city houses 17 museums that are part of Lenin’s Homeland State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve.
The region hosts a large number of local and interregional events that might be interesting for tourists, such as the Volga Way, Volga Quest, the Stachka IT Forum, the Valentina Leontyeva Cinema Festival “With all my heart” and the Plastov Autumn festival.
The Red Route and the Museum of the USSR Era are among the main tourist projects. The Ulyanovsk Region is also famous for its Civil Aviation Museum, Paleontological Museum, the Museum Estate of Merited USSR’s Artist Arkady Plastov, as well as Goncharov Sights.
Undorovsky mineral springs are also located on the territory of the region. The regional health resorts such as Dubki, Vladimir Lenin, Pribrezhny and Bely Yar have successfully developed specialised treatment programmes for various diseases using unique mineral waters with high concentrations of organic matter.