Altay territory

Geographical location
Altay territory is situated in the south-east of the West Siberia. Its area is 167.85 thousand square km (its length from west to east-600 km, from north to south-400 km). On the territory of Altay there are 60 administrative districts & 11 towns.
Administrative centre is Barnaul. Main towns: Barnaul, Byisk, Rubtsovsk, Zarinsk, Novoaltaisk. Population - 2.7 million people.
Difference in time with Moscow is 3 hours. Position between the West-Siberian plain & mountains causes the difference of climate, diversity of natural conditions & landscapes of the region. There are almost all natural zones of Russia: steppe, forest-steppe, taiga & mountains, rich river ecosystems.

Natural resources
Minerals: salt, soda, coal, nickel, iron ore, precious stones. There are unique fields of marble, granite, mineral & drinking waters, natural mud-cure. Resources are located closely to each other, not far from mines in Altay & metallurgical plants in Kazakhstan. In perspective Altay will become the leading provider of ferrous metals for all Russia. Coal stocks of Altay are estimated as 1750 million tons. Between regional administration & foreign company there is an agreement about reclamation of iron-ore fields. In Altay there are stocks of different salts for chemical industry. The state gives license for land, working up of the depths & also collects a special payment for exploitation of the depths.

Culture
Altay region possesses great scientific potential, on its territory a lot of researches are done. There are several Universities, Institutes & other educational establishments. 48 488 thousand students study on 40 scientific directions. In the region there are specialized health scientific centers, equipped with modern apparatus. Due to diversity of natural conditions resort business is developed. Resort "Belokurikha" is very popular.