Capital: Samara (population 1,133,754), 1,098 km from Moscow
Other major cities: Togliatti (721,800), Syzran (178,700), Novokuibyshevsk (population 110,400)
Federal district: Volga
Economic region: Volga
Time: Moscow, GMT +3, EST +8
Geography: The Samara region borders Saratov, Ulyanovsk and Orenburg regions and the republic of Tatarstan. Most of the region is steppe and two major rivers, the Volga and the Samara flow through the territory.
Urban population: 81%, Rural population: 19%
Ethnic make-up:The oblast is quite diverse in terms of its ethnic identity, though Russians make up the majority 83,4% of the population?. Other nationalities are represented as follows : Tatars – 3,6%, Mordvinians – 3,6%, Chuvashes – 3,6%, Ukranians – 2,5%, Belorussians – 0,6%, Kazakhs – 0,4%, Germans – 0,3%, Bashkirs – 0,2, Mari – 0,1 %. The Cossak movement, the first outlaws, is presently undergoing a revival in Samara Oblast.
Economy: The economy is mostly based on shipping on the Volga, but engineering and manufacturing sectors are growing. Agriculture in the region is oriented towards grain growing, livestock farming and beekeeping. Other important crops include sunflowers, and hemp.
