ABSTRACT
This chapter provides all basic political, economic, and demographic data on every territorial unit of the Russian Federation, its local government structure, regional politics and electoral history through the spring 2000 elections and the summer 2000 reorganization of the Ryazan Oblast. The first state outpost on the territory of modern Ryazan Oblast was founded in the first half of the 12th century, before the founding of Moscow, and was called Ryazan Principality. The oblast is located in the middle of the European Russia, southeast of Moscow, and borders Moscow, Tula, Lipetsk, Tambov, Penza, Vladimir and Nizhnii Novgorod oblasts and the Mordovian Republic. The oblast is rich in mineral resources, including sands, clays, limestones, and peat; a quarter of its territory is covered with forests. Most of the other elected officials in the region are also Communists, including the Chairman of the Oblast Duma, Vladimir Fedotkin, who was elected to office in April 1997.
