Facts for the Visitor

Money

The unit of currency is the “rouble”, which is divided into 100 “copecs”. Currency can be exchanged at the banks and special exchange offices.

Banks

Banks are usually open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm. Most credit cards and traveler's checks are accepted.

Medical Care

Medical care is available at public or private clinics. It is advisable to arrange special insurance before your start your trip.

Pharmacies

Opening hours are 8 am to 8 pm. In larger cities there is at least one pharmacy open 24 hours a day.

Alcoholic Drinks

Beer, wine and spirits can be purchased at the shops, supermarkets and kiosks. The minimum age for the purchase of alcohol is 18 years.

Post and Telephones

Post Offices are open 8/9 am to 8/9 pm. Stamps, post cards and envelopes can be bought there. Telephone cards can be purchased at the telegraph and trunk-call offices.

Business Hours

Office hours are open from 9 am to 6 pm and lunch commences around 12 o’clock. Shops are open from 9/10 am to 7/8 pm on weekdays and from 10 am to 5 pm on weekends.

Electricity

Power is 220v AC, 50 Hz.

Languages

Russian is the official language. The younger generation often speaks English or German.

Tourist Offices

At the Tourist Office you can get free maps and brochures. The staff will answer questions about the city, events, public transport etc.

GEOGRAPHY

Tyumen region is the largest one in Russia; it was formed in August 14, 1944; it consists of two autonomous districts, 38 administrative areas and includes 21 cities; there is a geographical centre of the country within the region. The area of Tyumen region is huge, 1 435 000 square km. Three countries as large as Spain or France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain or Austria taken together could be placed within the territory of the region.

Compare the territory of Tyumen region and some foreign countries.

Great Britain	244 100 km²
Italy	301 200 km²
Finland	337 000 km²
France	551 600 km²

In the north Tyumen region is washed by cold waters of the Kara Sea with gulfs running deep inland, with so-called inlets - Baidaratskaya, Obskaya, Tazovskaya, Gydanskaya. They are separated by peninsulas: Yamal, Tazovsky, Gydansky, Mammoth. The structure of the region includes the isles of the Kara Sea - White, Reindeer, Shokalsky, Vilkitsky and others.

The natural borders of the region are also very clear in the northwest - through the Ural mountains, where the region is in the neighbourhood with Arkhangelsk region, Republic of Komi, and in the east - through the Lower Enisey Hills separating it from Krasnoyarsk region. In the southwest, south and southeast where are no clearly marked natural boundaries, the border with Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Northern Kazakhstan, Omsk and Tomsk regions passes.

TYUMEN REGION

Tyumen region formed in August 14, 1944, is one of the largest regions of Russia, its territory is more than 1.4 million square km (8.4 % of Russian area) that is equivalent to territories of Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain taken together.

Its population is more than 3 million.

The regional centre, Tyumen-city with population of about 600 thousand, is the administrative, scientific and cultural centre of the area. About 5 % of regional volume of industrial production are produced in the city, basic volume of transportation of cargoes and passengers passes through it. Higher and secondary special institutions, research institutes, regional establishments of public health services, culture and education are concentrated in Tyumen.

Two autonomous districts – Khanty-Mansiysky and Yamalo-Nenetsky – are included into Tyumen region. They were formed in December 10, 1930.

1350.3 thousand people live in Khanty-Mansiysky district, its territory is 523.1 thousand square km, the district centre is Khanty-Mansiysk with population of 360 thousand .

The population of Yamalo-Nenetsky district is 500.5 thousand people, its territory is 750.3 thousand square km, the district centre is Salekhard where 31.2 thousand people live.

There are 28 towns on the territory of the region, the large ones are Surgut (272.3 thousand people), Nizhnevartovsk (238.7 thousand), Tobolsk (117 thousand), Nefteyugansk (97.5 thousand), Noyabrsk (105 thousand), Novy Urengoy (101.7 thousand people), Ishim (63.1 thousand people).

Tyumen region occupies a large part of Western-Siberian plain and actually divides the territory of Russia into 2 parts: to the west - Ural and European part of the country, to the east – Asia: Siberia and Far East. The region differs by severe natural climatic conditions on the most part of the territory - 90 % of it refers to areas of the Far North or is equal to them.

The nature of Tyumen land is rich and various. Here there are various natural climatic zones: the Arctic tundra on the Far North changes into the typical tundra and forest-tundra, then into taiga, forest-steppe and steppe in the south.

The territory of the region is washed by waters of the Kara Sea in the north, it differs by the advanced network of deep rivers, universal spreading of lakes and plenty of underground waters, coming up here and there through the earth as springs. The largest rivers of the region, the Ob and the Irtysh, are navigable. The reservoirs of the region are distinguished by rather high fish productivity and valuable ichtyofauna by structure. The reserves of sig and chastic fishes are significant: the Siberian sturgeon, sterlet, white salmon, shchekur, pelyad, ryapushka, muksun, pyzhyan and Sosvinsky herring.

The most part of territory (43 million hectares) is covered with woods where birch, aspen grow in the south, in the forest-steppe; in the north - pine, cedar, larch, silver fir, fir-tree prevail; on bogs - alder, birch, willow. The woods are rich with berries: cowberries, bilberries, cranberries, blueberries and mushrooms. The fur animals (mink, polar fox, red fox, sable, squirrel, muskrat, hare), hoofs (lamb, wild-boar), brown bear, waterfowl (duck, geese) and game-bird (partridge, capercailye, blackcock, hazel grouses) are very important In hunting.

The area has large ground resources: aggregate area of agricultural lands is more than 4 million hectares, besides vast reindeer pastures (53 million hectares).

Agricultural lands are concentrated in the southern part that is most favourable for agriculture, in the northern areas they are mainly presented with pastures and haying. The climatic conditions and agricultural lands of the area allow to grow grain, potatoes, majority of vegetables, rough and juicy forages.