|
 Olonets is one of the most ancient settlements in the north Russia.
In 1999 the city has celebrated its 350-th anniversary (since the rank of the city the settlements has got from the moment of construction of the fortress in 1649). But the first written mention of the place concerns to 1137.
It has the status of a "historical city". The huge Olonetsky province derives its name from it.
Olonets under the right can be considered as the centre of national culture of Karelia, since it is unique among the cities of the republic where Karelians make more than 60% of the population.
Olonets has a favourable geopolitic position, it is "the southern gate" of the Republic of Karelia, the sort of "crossroads" of roads to Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Petrozavodsk, Murmansk, and Finland.
Olonetsky district is located in the far south of the Republic of Karelia, it has the outlet to Ladoga lake. It borders with Pryazhinsky and Pitkyarantsky districts in the north and northwest, and with Leningrad region in the south and southeast.
The general area of the district makes 3988sq.km.
The total number of population of Olonetsky district makes 29,3 thousand persons.
Average population density is 7.5 persons per 1sq.km.
There is one city, and 64 rural settlements.
The regional center is the city of Olonets (11.4 thousand persons).
General extent of transport ways (railway and motorways with firm covering) makes about 800 kms.
Remoteness of the regional center from the Russian-Finnish border is about 220 kms., 90% of the territory is occupied with woods and bogs. Woods are basically coniferous and make 80% of all afforestations.
There are the following natural resources:
- peat, the reconnoitered stocks - 34,5 thousand tons (bogs of Sarmyagi and Kukshegora);
- sand, the reconnoitered stock - 1019 thousand cube. M (deposits of Lambero-1, Lambero-2, Lando-Jarvi);
- sandy-gravel material, 3355 thousand cub.m. (deposit of Sarmyagi);
- mars-umber (painting raw material) - 29,6 thousand tons (deposit of Pogran-Kondushskoye-1, Raudo-Suo, Chedozerskoye).
The area is rich with water resources, there are 49 lakes and 11 rivers, fish stocks make up to 150-200 tons.
Timber cutting and woodworking makes the basic course in economy of the district.
The timber industry complex occupies the leading place in the structure of industrial production of the district. The calculated cutting area makes 331,9 thousand cub.m. These are logging enterprise joint-stock company "Olonetsles" and woodworking joint-stock company "Ilyinsky timber mill". Open Society "Olonetsles" is the basic forest exploitator in the district, it has 174,3 hectares or 199,8 тыс.cub.m in rent. Open Society "Ilyinsky timber mill" works stably, increases volumes of manufacture of saw-timbers, of which more than 70% are for export. It is made 82 thousand cub.m. of saw-timbers.
From the enterprises of food and processing branch in the district there is Open Society "Olonetsky bakery" and Joint-Stock Company "Olonetsky dairy factory". The basic course of agriculture is plant growing, meat and milk cattle breeding and fur farming. Total there are 27,7 thousand hectares of farmland, from them there are 16,3 thousand hectares of arable land. There are 8 economies in the district.
By state farms of area it is made 12 993 tons of milk and tons of meat 696.
Agricultural productions of the district possess 8 706 heads of livestock population.
In the field of motor transport the volumes of freight traffic have made 32,7 thousand tons.
The large and average enterprises have rendered paid services to the population of the district at the rate of 23,8 million roubles, 18 large and average enterprises and organizations are engaged in rendering of household servicesto the population of the district. The trading network of Olonetsky district totals 84 shops.
There are 18 comprehensive schools and 13 children's preschool institutions in the district, the number of schools students makes 5 000 persons. Rendering of medical aid to the population of area is carried out by a network of medical institutions. There are 353 medical workers working in the district. The network of institutionsof culture of the district includes 17 institutions of cultural and leisure type, 17 libraries, children's musical schools, children's art school, and the national museum function.
| 
