NATURAL RESOURCES



Krasnodar Region is the most fertile region of Russia. Here one of the best black earths is situated (more than 4 per cent of Russian and about 2 per cent of world black earth resources).

Krasnodar Region possesses a comparatively potent raw material base that supplies raw materials to several industry branches and enterprises of the Region for a long-term prospect (15-40 years). There are sufficiently large resources of cement, gypsum and calcareous stone, building stone, sandy-gravel materials and clays for production of brick and tile. More than 60 types of minerals are surveyed in the interior of the Earth in Krasnodar Region. Minerals are mainly deposited in submountain and mountain districts. Reserves of oil, natural gas, marl, iodide-bromine water, marble, limestone, sandstone, gravel, silica sand, iron and apatite ores and rock salt exist in the region.

Construction materials (marble, gypsum, clays, sand, limestone, marls, dolomite), copper, iron and apatite ores represent the other type of resources which are also of great importance.

Krasnodar Region is the oldest oil-extraction district of Russia. Production of oil here began in 1864. There is a good potential in the Region for creation of own production of main components for glass industry (silica sands, lime-stones) and rock wool (basalts).

Azov-Kuban sweet groundwater basin with considerable reserves of thermal and mineral waters, the largest in Europe, is also located on the territory of Krasnodar.

Curative mud widely used in the Region is a valuable natural resource (near city Anapa) as well as mineral (iodide-bromine, hydrosulfuric and others) and thermal waters (Matsesta, Goryachy Klyuch, Apsheronsk and Belorechensk districts).

Forests, of great economic and nature conservation importance, are among the resources of Krasnodar Region. Total area of forests constitutes more than 1.8 million hectares. Oak and beech forestlands occupying 49 and 19 per cent of the whole forests area of the Region are the resources of finewood for Russia.