Irkutsk Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in south-eastern Siberia in the basins of Angara, Lena, and Nizhnyaya Tunguska rivers, and occupies an area of 767,900 km² (4.6% of Russia's territory). As of the 2002 census, 2,581,705 people lived in the oblast. The administrative center is Irkutsk.
Geography
Irkutsk Oblast borders with the
Buryat and
Tuva Republics in the south and south-west, the
Krasnoyarsk Krai in the west, the
Sakha (Yakutia) Republic in the northeast, and the
Chita Oblast in the east. A unique and world-famous lake,
Lake Baikal, is located in the southeast of the region. It contains the autonomous district of
Ust-Orda Buryatia.
Time zone
Irkutsk Oblast is located in the
Irkutsk Time Zone (IRKT/IRKST).
UTC offset is +0800 (IRKT)/+0900 (IRKST).
Climate
The climate is continental. Almost half the year the temperature is below 0°C. Winter is frosty, and the temperature is generally from -17°C to -33°C. Summer is hot, short, and dry in the first half, and humid in the second. The temperature is generally between +17°C and +33°C.
Administrative divisions
Demographics
The population of the region is 2.77 million, from which 79.6% are urban, and 20.4% are rural. The density of the population is 3.5 people per square kilometer, whereas the average density for Russia is 8.7.
Irkutsk is the administrative center, with a population of 594,500. Other large cities are
Angarsk (267,000 people),
Bratsk (253,600 people),
Usolye-Sibirskoye (104,300 people), and
Ust-Ilimsk (107,200 people).
See also
Irkutsk Oblast
Иркутска област | Província d'Irkutsk | Oblast Irkutsk | Irkutski oblast | Óblast de Irkutsk | Irkutska provinco | استان ایرکوتسک | Oblast d'Irkoutsk | 이르쿠츠크 주 | Irkutsko sritis | Oblast Irkoetsk | イルクーツク州 | Obwód irkucki | Иркутская область | Irkutskin alue | 伊尔库茨克州