Perm Krai

   An administrative province of the Russian Federation. Perm Krai came into existence on 1 December 2005 as a result of a 2004 referendum in the former Perm Oblast and Permyakiya on merging the two federal subjects. The province is bordered by Kirov, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk, Bashkortostan, Udmurtiya, and the Komi Republic. It is part of the Volga Federal District and the Urals Economic Region. It covers 160,600 square kilometers of territory, and has a population of slightly less than 3 million.

   Ethnic Russians make up a majority (83 percent), with minority communities of Tatars (5 percent), Komi (4 percent), and other nationalities also comprising the population. Perm is known both for its artistic traditions, particularly ballet, and as a gateway to the gulag (Perm-36 was one of the Soviet Union’s most infamous detention facilities). Situated on the western slopes of the Urals with a population in excess of 1 million, the regional capital, Perm, is considered to be the easternmost city on the European continent. Known as Molotov during the late Stalin era, the city was restricted to foreigners until 1989.

   The region is heavily industrialized, focusing on artillery, shipbuilding, aviation, and chemicals. Other sectors include coal, petroleum, natural gas, and forestry. The province is attractive to foreign investors and enjoys a good number of small businesses. The province is bisected by the Kama River, which enables shipping to ports on the Baltic, Black and Caspian seas without off-loading. In 2000, Perm’s mayor, Yury Trutnev, won election as the regional governor; he quickly announced plans to merge the oblast with the autonomous okrug of Permyakiya. In 2004, Vladimir Putin appointed economist Oleg Chirkunov as acting governor, with Trutnev taking the position of minister of natural resources of the Russian Federation. Chirnokov was confirmed as the governor of the krai in 2005 after the merger; he is touted as Russia’s most Internet-savvy governor.