Ivanovo area

Geographical location
The region is located in joint of two zones: European taiga and mixed forests. Forests occupy approximately 30% of the region`s territory, meadows-about 10%. Climate is temperate continental. In the region there are about 2000 rivers and 200 lakes. The largest river is the Volga.
Advantageous geographic position favours the development of home and foreign economic and cultural communications. Through Ivanovo region important high-, rail- and waterways go, connecting Moscow and the Western regions with the Eastern and South-Eastern areas of the RF. The developed transport network creates conditions for conveyance of raw materials and goods.

Natural resources
Despite the high rate of production the region has quite high ecological rating, that is very important in present days. Ivanovo region is on of the most ecologically favourable regions of Russia and is rich in water and forest resources, landscapes and healing springs. Reserves of minerals are not very large. There are supplies of clays and loams for production of building materials. In the central part of the region in depth of 150-200 meters there are deposits of medical mineral waters.

Science and education
The region fulfils complicated research elaborations, development of technology, production of new equipment. In Ivanovo there are 9 higher educational establishments, scientific and research Institutes. Scientific complex has high rate of researches in sphere of program production, means of communication, textile and chemical industries, some branches of machine-building.

Culture
Ivanovo region is a constituent of the Gold Ring of Russia. On its territory there are a lot of historical and cultural monuments.
Life and activity of many outstanding people are connected with Ivanovo region: scientist F. A. Bredikhin, playwright A. N. Ostrovsky, artists I. I. Levitan, A. K. Savrasov, I. E. Repin, V. V. Vereshchagin, writers P. A. Zarubin, A. A. Potekhin, V. G. Korolenko, composers A. P. Borodin, S. V. Rakhmaninov and others.