The city of Kursk is one of the most important economic and transport centers of Russia. It is located 530 km south of the capital. The main attraction of the city is its industrial complex, which is accompanied by a dozen research institutes. Today, Kursk is the most important transport hub of the entire central region of the country. The city received its name in honor of the Chur River.
Settlement history
The first communities in the city began to form at the beginning of the 5th century. A few hundred years later, a large settlement appeared on the banks of the Chur River. Locals predominantly engaged in trade. Even then, Kursk was an important economic center of the region, which is why it so attracted thousands of new settlers.
In 1095, the principality of the same name was founded here. During the reign of Izyaslav Monomakh, a powerful fortress appeared at the gates of the settlement. Since the beginning of the 12th century, the city has been the most important outpost of all Kievan Rus. Craftsmen and merchants from all principalities came here. With this, the urban population increased significantly. The population of Kursk in those days reached several thousand people.
In the middle of the 13th century the city was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars. The remains of the principality were ruled by subjects of the Golden Horde. Gradually, the ethnic group of the Slavs began to be diluted with the Mongoloid race. At the end of the 14th century, the region passed to the Principality of Lithuania. However, until the 16th century, the settlement was subjected to numerous raids by Nogais and Tatars. The date of the revival of the city is considered to be 1586.
Administrative separation
Modern Kursk consists of 3 districts: Central, Seym and Railway. It is noteworthy that until the spring of 1994 they bore the names of the Lenin, Industrial and Kirov regions, respectively.
The largest population of Kursk is concentrated in the Central District. The number is about 214 thousand people. Back in the early 2000s, similar indicators barely reached 180 thousand inhabitants. One of the main reasons for population growth is the expansion of the territory. Now the area covers an area of 85 square meters. km The share of children and adolescents here is about 35%.
The number of the Sejm okrug varies within 150 thousand inhabitants. Unlike the Central region, here the population is gradually decreasing. Compared to 2000, there are now almost 25 thousand less inhabitants in the okrug. A quarter of the property is occupied by park areas.
The population of the Railway District is about 70 thousand people. This is the smallest area of the city. Only in recent years has its demographic strength begun to grow.
Kursk population
At the moment, the number of local residents is about 435 thousand. According to this indicator, the city takes 41 place in the country. Annually, the mortality rate prevails over the birth rate by about 15%. Recently, both indicators have increased markedly. As for the average life expectancy in the region, it is at around 70 years old.
Today, the population of Kursk is growing every day, but this was not always the case. At the beginning of the 19th century, the population of the city was 23.5 thousand people. A century later, the population of Kursk was already equated to 88 thousand. Nevertheless, in the early 1920s there was a systematic decline in demographic indicators. Almost 50% of its inhabitants left the city. Most moved to the main cities of the country.
In the 1960s, the population of Kursk was about 250 thousand people, and by the end of the 1990s - almost 2 times more. Decrease in indicators began to be noted with the onset of the new millennium. By 2008, the number fell by 12%. And only from the beginning of the 2010s the demographic situation of the city began to improve.
Today, mainly Russians live in Kursk, but such nationalities as Ukrainians, Armenians, Belarusians, Gypsies, Tatars, Turks, Lithuanians, Georgians, etc. also take place.
Population growth
In recent years, the population of the city of Kursk has been growing inexorably. A positive trend is observed throughout the region. Since 2009, the population of Kursk has grown by 25 thousand inhabitants. At the end of 2012, the number reached 423 thousand people. Thus, the population growth per year is about 1%.
A large share of the positive trend belongs to migrants. Mortality continues to outpace birth rates. However, visiting people support the growing dynamics. Annually, more than 10 thousand new residents are registered in the city. At the same time, it leaves 45% less from Kursk. Thus, the migration growth every year is about 5.5 thousand people.
By January 2017, record numbers are expected. The maximum number of residents in the entire history of the city was noted in 1998 - 441 thousand people.
