Samara lands have always been noticeable in history, science, economy and culture of Russia. Samara region is situated in the South-East of RF, in the middle flow of the Volga. If we have a look at the map of Samara region, we’ll see that it looks like a heart. That’s why it is often said that Samara is the heart of Russia. Samara region borders with the republic of Tatarstan, Saratov region, the republic of Kazakhstan, Orenburg and Ulyanovsk regions. It occupies the territory of about 54 km2. More than 3mln people live in Samara region. Samara is a multinational region of the Russian Federation. More than 20 nations and ethnic groups live here. A unique peculiarity of our region is that during many centuries, people of different nationalities, religion, lifestyle and culture live in a very close neighborhood. Nature generously endowed Samara region which is situated in the center of the Volga, extending across the both banks of the river. Owing to the advantageous geographical position Samara has a very effective transport system. From east to west it is crossed by a railway connecting the center of Russia with the Urals, Siberia, Middle Asia.
The region has considerable and varied natural resources: oil and natural gas, salt, chalk and moulding sands. Samara is one of the most industrially developed among Russian cities. The industrial complex includes major and small enterprises. The machine engineering is represented in all sectors; the leading one is the automobile industry. There is a major space complex in Samara. The oil extraction and oil refining industries make up the second largest sector. Oil chemistry companies are the major suppliers of synthetic rubber and plastic products.
Owing to the rich mineral resources, oil and gas, electric power, Samara region has a well-developed construction industry. Most of the investments go towards the construction of industrial plants. Chocolate, confectionary, famous Zhiguli beer is delivered not only in Russia, but abroad as well.
Banking and finance system is represented by nearly 100 banks, more than 20 insurance companies, several stock exchange offices, as well as investment companies, state tax inspection agency and other finance bodies. Most banks have a wide correspondent network, use modern bank technologies and offer a wide range of services to the customers.
Samara region has one of the strongest economies in the RF. It is characterized by a well-developed foreign trade activity. Taking into account the fact that Samara was a closed city, a great advance of the region at the world market is even more impressive. At present Samara has foreign trade relation with more than 50 countries of the world. More than half of the total production is exported. Main exported products include car and spare parts, oil and refined products, alcoholic beverages.
