ATLAS OF THE KHANTY-MANSI AUTONOMOUS OKRUG-YUGRA: PRESENT-DAY SOCIETY, ECONOMY, NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT

N.S. Kasimov¹, T.V. Kotova¹, V.S. Tikunov¹, V.A. Dikunets², V.N. Makeev², N.N. Moskvina²

1 - M.V.Lomonosov Moscow State University

2 - “Monitoring” Research and Production Centre

tikunov@geogr.msu.su

The Faculty of Geography of the Moscow State University in cooperation with the Monitoring RPC (Khanty-Mansijsk) has completed the complex atlas of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra in two volumes: I. Present-Day Society and Economy and II. Nature. Environment. It is the first large project in the history of integrated investigation and mapping of the okrug which has been initiated by the Administration in relation to the plans of the integrated development of the territory and the need of its system organization basing on the principles of sustainable development.

The Atlas of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra includes 27 large sections and more than 50 subsections. The total number of maps is about 500. The maps are supplemented with illustrations and explanatory texts. The Atlas numbers nearly 250 pages. The content of the Atlas is represented in its structure.

Volume I. Present-day society and economy. Sections: 1. Introduction (3 maps), 2. History. Historical-cultural heritage (32), 3. Population and labor resources (31), 4. Medical-geographical situation and population health (14), 5. Social situation (32), 6. Electoral situation (11), 7. Industrial and construction complexes (50), 8. Agriculture (9), 9. Services and cultural-communication development (30), 10. Budget and financial system (15), 11. Investments (8), 12. Infrastructure complex (20), 13. Small indigenous peoples of the North (19), 14. External relations (3).

Volume II. Nature. Environment. Sections: 1. Geographical location. Natural features (20), 2. Geological structure and mineral resources (11), 3. Relief (5), 4. Climate (58), 5. Permafrost (14), 6. Surface waters (40), 7. Soils (4), 8. Vegetation (36), 9. Animals (23), 10. Natural disasters (12), 11. Landscapes (5), 12. Land use and land resources (21), 13. Environment (8).

The concept of the project suggested the representation of okrug specific features at regional, national and global levels; assessment of the present-day situation in a number of aspects; identification of problems which are of principal importance for the prospects of the okrug. Among the objectives stated in the concept of the project was the orientation on sustainable development issues. The content of maps has been elaborated using the advanced scientific approaches, namely system, dynamic, historic and other ones. Mapping has been carried out at three levels of information generalization, i.e. analytic, complex and synthetic ones.

The Atlas accumulates integrated information about social, economic and natural resource potential of the okrug. It provides the basis for the elaboration of an atlas information system for decision-making and elaboration of the okrug development scenarios.

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