Location scouting and filming at Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region of Russia

The Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Area) is one of the key Russian provinces, accounting for about half of the oil produced in Russia.

Geography and Climate

Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, or Yugra, lays in the Urals region of Russia and has the total area of 534,800 km² (332,309 mi²).

The average temperature is 18˚C (64˚F) in June and -20˚C (-4˚F) in January. Due to its northern location, it has harsh, long winters and short summers.

Over a third of the territory is covered in lakes. One of the longest rivers in Russia, Ob, runs through this land.

Nature

Yugra is mostly covered in a taiga, conifer-dominated forests. It has stereotypical Russian wildlife, including bear, wolf, noose and rare species, such as wolverine.

History and Culture

Yugra was colonized by Russia at the end of 15th century by Yermak, a legendary Cossack explorer.

During the early Soviet era (USSR), Yugra was a destination for forced displacement of peasants. In the early 1930s, over 37,400 dispossessed people were moved there.

In 1953, the first oil deposits were discovered there, determining the development of the region for the years to come. Today, the region accounts for more than 50 percent of Russian production of oil — the country’s single most important economic resource.

Cities

The capital of the region is Khanty-Mansiysk with a population of 90,000 people,

The biggest city in the region is Surgut, populated by 321,000 people. It’s known for the oil industry, with the third biggest average salary in Russia, after Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

Population

The total population of the region is 1.6 million people, 91 percent of whom live in cities. Russians are the majority with 70%, the second biggest group are Tatars.

The region is named after Khanty and Mansi, two small indigenous Uralic nations. Now, each of them accounts for less than 1 percent of the population. Their language and ethnicity are close to residents of Finland, Estonia, and Hungary.

Interesting facts

• Maria Sharapova, a worldwide famous tennis player was born in the city Nyagan in Yugra;
• The region is named Khanty-Mansi after two indigenous ethnic groups. There are just 30,000 and 12,000 of them left, respectively;
• One of the biggest treasures of the region, apart from oil and gas, are 4 million hectares of Swiss pine, famous for its very healthy nuts;
• Since the beginning of extraction, over 11 billion tons of oil were produced in Yugra;
• Yugra is one of two regions in Russia with a female governor.