Founded: 1937

Governor: Alexander Tishanin (appointed August 15, 2005, took office September 7, 2005)

Federation Council Members: Valentin Yefimovich Mezhevich (egislative, term expires October 2009); Dmitrii Fedorovich Mezentsev (executive, term expires August 2005)

Population: 2,581,600 including Ust-Ordynsky Buryatsky Autonomous District; 2,446,300 excluding Ust-Ordynsky Buryatsky AD (2002 census)

Area: 767,900 square km (296,409 sq. miles)

Capital: Irkutsk (population 593,400), 5,042 km from Moscow

Other major cities: Bratsk (259,200), Angarsk (247,100), Ust–Ilimsk (100,600)

Federal district: Siberian

Economic region: East Siberia

Time zone: Moscow +5, GMT +8, EST +13

Geography: Irkutsk Region is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia in the upper basins of the Lower (Nizhnyaya) Tunguska, Angara, and Lena rivers. Lake Baikal is located in the southeastern part of the region.  It borders on the Yakutia in the northeast, Chita Region and the Buryat Republic in the east and south, Krasnoyarsk Territory in the northeast, and the Republic of Tuva in the southwest.  Most of the region is steppe.

Urban population: 80%, Rural population: 20%

Ethnic make-up: more than 100 nationalities including Russians (88.5%), Ukrainians (3.5%) and Buryats (2.7%)

Economy: (Dec. 2006) International rating agency Standard & Poor’s confirmed Irkutsk's long term credit rating as B+/Stable. Foreign currency liabilities are rated at BBB+/Stable/A-2, local currency liabilities A-/Stable/A-2, and national scale rating ruA

Irkutsk Region has large mineral deposits, including coal, and also large oil reserves.  Much of the economy is dedicated to processing minerals. The region generates 6.5% of all power in Russia, produces nearly 20% of all pulp and more than 10% of all cardboard, and refines about 9% of all oil. It has substantial hydroelectric power resources and huge timber reserves. 

Gazprom and Urals Energy PCL, registered in Cyprus, announced in June '07 they would cooperate on gas field and pipeline projects in Irkutsk Oblast, including development of Dulisminskoye oil and gas-condensate field. Urals Energy is developing Dulisminskoye's oil reservoirs, and will develop gas-condensate in 2008-09 and sell the field's gas to Gazprom, which will own the regional gas infrastructure. A memorandum signed this week foresees opportunities to set up gas processing and electricity generating facilities. Gazprom and Irkutsk oblast authorities signed a gas pact in December 2005 that called for comprehensive regional gas development and transmission.Dulisma Oil Co., a subsidiary of Urals Energy, holds the license on Dulisminskoye field 100 miles north of Ust-Kut. Gazprom and ITERA agreed in September 2006 to develop Brastk gas-condensate field just east of Bratsk, and Gazprom and Irkutsk Oil Co. agreed in November 2006 to develop Markovskoye oil and gas-condensate field, 40 miles east of Ust-Kut, and Ayanskoye gas field, between Markovskoye and Dulisminskoye fields.

Contact information
Governor
Alexander Tishanin
1a Ulitsa Lenina
Irkutsk 664027
Tel.: +7 (3952) 20 06 00
Fax: +7 (3952) 24 33 40
Email: obl@admirk.ru

Press secretary
Stanislav Nikolaevich Khazagaev
Tel.: +7 (3952) 24 15 63

Chairman of the Legislative Assembly
Gennady Vasilyevich Istomin
Tel.: +7 (3952) 24 15 83
Fax: +7 (3952) 20 00 93

Representative to the Government of the Russian Federation
Tatyana Ivanovna Rutina
Tel.: +7 (095) 916 17 08
Fax: +7 (095) 915 70 58

Last Updated Jan. 22, 2008