Perm Krai (, ; ) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is Perm. The population of the krai was 2,532,405 (2021 Census).
The krai was formed on 1 December 2005 as a result of the 2004 referendum on the merger of Perm Oblast and Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug. Komi-Permyak Okrug retained its autonomous status within Perm Krai during the transitional period of 2006–2008. It also retained a budget separate from that of the krai, keeping all federal transfers. Starting in 2009, Komi-Permyak Okrug's budget became subject to the budgeting law of Perm Krai. The transitional period was implemented in part because Komi-Permyak Okrug relies heavily on federal subsidies, and an abrupt cut would have been detrimental to its economy.
Geography
Perm Krai is located in the east of the East European Plain and the western slope of the Middle Ural Mountains. 99.8% of its area is in Europe, 0.2% in Asia. length from north to south – length from west to east –
The krai borders the Komi Republic in the north, Kirov Oblast in the northwest, the Udmurt Republic in the southwest, the Republic of Bashkortostan in the south, and Sverdlovsk Oblast in the east.
The krai borders stretch for over . The highest point is Mount Tulymsky Kamen at .
Rivers
Rivers of Perm Krai belong to the Kama River Basin, the largest tributary of Volga River. There are more than 29,000 rivers in Perm Krai. The total length of all rivers is more than .
Only two rivers in Perm Krai have lengths exceeding . They are the Kama River at and the Chusovaya River, .
There are about 40 rivers with lengths from . The longest of them are: Sylva River — 493 km (306 mi) Kolva River — 460 km (285 mi) Vishera River — 415 km (258 mi) Yayva River — 403 km (250 mi) Kosva River — 283 km (176 mi) Kosa River — 267 km (165 mi) Veslyana River — 266 km (165 mi) Inva River — 257 km (159 mi) Obva River — 247 km (153 mi)
There are also many small rivers, but some of them have historical significance, for example Yegoshikha River, at the mouth of which the city of Perm was founded.
Climate
Perm Krai has a continental climate. Winters are long and snowy, with average temperatures in January varying from in the northeast part of krai to in southwest part. The record lowest recorded temperature was (in the north).
Minerals
Perm Krai has an abundance of minerals. Oil, natural gas, gold, diamonds, chromites, peat, limestone and building materials are among the many natural resources extracted.
Oil in its area was first discovered in 1929 near settlement Verhnechusovskie Gorodki. Currently there are more than 180 oil and gas fields known. Among them the developed ones are: 89 oil, 2 gas and 18 both oil and gas fields. Most of them are small and based in the central and southern districts of the krai. The northern fields are less developed because the oil lies deep under salt layers.
Coal has been mined in Perm Krai for more than 200 years. For a long time it played an important role in the fuel and energy balance in the region. Maximum mining was in 1960 when it reached 12 million tonnes. Mining then decreased and there are no exploration of new fields.
The Verkhnekamskoye deposit of potassium salts is one of the largest in the world. It is approx. , and the thickness of the salt layers reaches 514 m.
In 1841 the geological Permian Period was named after strata of rocks from that time were found in this area.
Flora and fauna
Forests cover about 71% of Perm Krai's area. Coniferous forests predominate, with deciduous forests more common in the south. There are 62 species of mammals, more than 270 species of birds, 39 species of fishes, 6 species of reptile and 9 species of amphibians.
Three nature reserves are located in Perm Krai: Basegi, Vishera, Preduralie.
Politics
During the Soviet period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Perm CPSU Committee (who in reality had the greatest authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament.