Leningrad

Leningrad, oblast (province), northwestern Russia. It comprises all the Karelian Isthmus and the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland as far west as Narva. It extends eastward along the southern shore of Lake Ladoga and the Svir River as far as Lake Onega. In the north the Karelian Isthmus consists of long, winding morainic hills, separated by hollows with lakes and swamps. In the west-central part of the oblast lies the city of Saint Petersburg (formerly [1924–91] Leningrad). In the centre of the oblast are extensive lowlands, rising in the east to a line of uplands. There are innumerable lakes. The oblast is named after the Soviet leader Vladimir I. Lenin.

The proximity of the Baltic Sea and the activity of Atlantic climatic depressions make the oblast’s climate less cold, but damper and more variable, than that of most of European Russia. Rainfall varies from about 18 to 19 inches (450 to 475 mm) a year in the lowlands to 24 inches (610 mm) on higher ground, with a marked summer maximum. In the oblast’s north, east, and centre is swampy forest, or taiga, largely of spruce, pine, and birch. The west has mixed forest; alder and aspen are widespread in the wetter areas. Swamps of peat bog and grass marsh are everywhere, though many have been drained.

Leningrad oblast’s economy is overshadowed by that of Saint Petersburg city and its suburbs, and much of the oblast’s industry serves that major metropolitan area. Timberworking, paper, and pulp making are highly developed industries. Along the shores of the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, fishing is important, with Vyborg and Primorsk the main centres. The oblast’s agriculture serves Saint Petersburg’s large urban population. Widespread natural pastures form a basis for intensive dairying, many pigs are kept, and poultry farming is carried on throughout the oblast. The arable land is dominated by market gardening and fodder crops. In the north and east, less land is arable, and rye and oats are more widely grown than vegetables. More than 90 percent of the oblast’s population is urban. Area 33,200 square miles (85,900 square km). Pop. (2002) 1,669,205; (2006 est.) 1,643,888.