encompasses six republics (Bashkorostan, Chuvashia, Mari El, Mordovia, Tatarstan, and Udmurtia), seven regions (Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg, Penza, Samara, Saratov, and Ulyanovsk), and Perm Territory. The district’s administrative centre is the city of Nizhny Novgorod.
Located in the central and eastern parts of the European Russia the district has an area of 1,038 thousand square kilometres (6.1% of Russia’s territory) and a population of 30.9 million people (22.1% of the nation’s inhabitants).
The district’s main water artery is the Volga River and a large part of the district’s territory lies in its basin.
The VFD’s oil reserves make up 13% of Russia’s total, and its gas reserves account for 2%. The district has major deposits of potassium salt (90% of Russia’s total), phosphates (60%), zinc (20%), copper (16%), silver (16%), and gold (17%).
The Volga Federal District accounts for 23.9% of Russia’s industrial production, which is the highest share among the nation’s districts (the Central Federal District stands in second place). The fuel and energy complex and mechanical engineering are leading sectors within the district’s industrial structure. Agriculture, the chemical sector, and light industry account for a significant share of the Volga Federal District’s output.