Economy of the Irkutsk region

The Baikal area continues to be the base of Russian economic ex­pansion towards the Far East. Any Russian territory north or east of the Irkutsk region is less industrially advanced. Moreover, a number of cit­ies, namely Irkutsk, enjoy rich cultural tradition and massive scientific and educational potential.

Major resources include forests, coal, gold and other precious met­als, rare metals (niobium, tantalum etc.), precious and semi-precious stones (lazurite, charoite etc.), common salt, iron ore, and large oil and gas deposits. Eighty percent of the area's resources are exported.

The key industries include wood processing (paper in particular), chemicals, oil-refinery products (31 percent of the regional production is processed by the Angarsk Oil and Chemical Plant), machinery, and aluminum.

About 76 percent of the territory is covered with forests. The re­gion is unique in its quality of timber: a large number of different types of trees are located in concentrated, easily accessible areas. The largest enterprises are Bratskkomplexholding, Ust-Ilimskiy Concern, and the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Plant.

The main chemical enterprises are Usoliekhimprom, Say-anskkhimprom, and Angarskkhimreaktiv.

The Baikal area produces almost a quarter of Russia's aluminum. Two large aluminum producers are located in Irkutsk and Bratsk.

The region is one of the largest producers of electrical and thermal power in Siberia. There are three hydro-electric power plants on the Angara River: in Irkutsk, Bratsk and Ust-Ilimsk. Irkutsk is the main ex­porter of electric power to Mongolia.

In addition, Irkutsk is developing a successful tourism industry around nearby Lake Baikal.

Ex. 3 Comprehension Questions:

1. Is the Irkutsk region economically and industrially developed?

2. Are there many natural resources in this area? What are they?

3. What are the main industries?

4. What is the main producer of oil-refinery products in the region? (Do you know of any large local oil and gas deposits?)

5. What are the main chemical enterprises of the Irkutsk region?

6. What do you know about local timber industry? (What kinds of trees are industrial?)

7. Does the Irkutsk region have problems with electric power compared to other regions? Why?

Ex. 4 Complete the sentences using the text:

1. Irkutsk is the largest cultural,..., and ... center in the region.

2. Forests, coal, precious and rare metals, ..., ..., ..., and ... are major regional nature resources.

3. The key industries of the region include ..., ..., ..., ... and ....

4. Bratskkomplexholding, Ust-Ilimsk concern, and the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Plant are …

5. Angarskkhimreaktiv, Usoliekhimprom, and Sayanskkhimprom are ...

6. There are three….. on the Angara River.

Vocabulary

Ex. 1 Give the Russian equivalents:

exhausting; a dark, frozen place of exile; otherwise; average; due to smth.; surrounding scenery; fresh water; depth; highway; the base of Russian economic expansion; less industrially advanced; precious met­als; iron ore; oil and gas deposits; oil-refinery products; machinery; eas­ily accessible areas; electrical and thermal power

Ex. 2 Give the English equivalents:

бескрайние зеленые леса; невыносимый; смешанный лес; Дальний Восток; полудрагоценные камни; основные виды промышленно­сти; химические препараты; Ангарский нефтехимический завод; качество древесины; производители алюминия; гидроэлектростан­ция; Байкальский целлюлозно-бумажный комбинат

Ex. 3 Match the words on the left with the words on the right to make up word-combinations as they are used in the dialogue and in the text:

summer economic educational rare exchange cultural deciduous regional major average freshwater tourism

a. population b. tradition c. resources d. cottages e. lake f. temperature g. expansion h. metals i. student j. industry k. potential l. trees

Ex. 4 Match the terms with their definitions:

1. population (n); a. an organization or a business firm;

2. industry (n); b. to send goods etc. out of a country for sale;

3. resource (n); c. a person, society or a region that buys and uses goods and services;

4. export (v); d. the number of people living in a particular area;

5. timber (n); e. a person, company or a country that manufactures goods, foods or materials;

6. enterprise (n); f. the production of goods or of materials that can be used in the production of goods

7. producer (n); g. smth. that a person, an organization or a country possesses;

8. consumer (n). h. growing trees, considered as a supply of wood for building.

Ex. 5 Find the synonyms for the following words in the dialogue or in the text:

1. manufacture (n); 6. company, firm (n);

2. tiring (adj); 7. inhabitants (n);

3. intolerable (adj); 8. animals (n);

4. space (n); 9. land (n).

5. lumber (n);

Ex. 6. From the list below choose the necessary word to fit each blank:

oil-refinery; ecology; enterprise; scientific; exile; exhausting; attract; consumers; educational; territory; deposit.

1. Irkutsk is one of the largest... and ... centers in East Siberia.

2. It is rather ... to travel form Irkutsk to Vladivostok by train.

3. Around Lake Baikal there are several national parks and reserves to protect the lake and its ....

4. Angarsk Oil and Chemical plant produces 31 % of the regional ... products.

5. Kovykta is considered to be the greatest gas ... in Irkutsk region.

6. Mongolia is one of the ... of electric power produced in Irkutsk re­gion.

7. Irkutsk aircraft building plant is a very prospective ...

8. The area of the Irkutsk region comprises 4.6% of the Russian ....

9. Industrial development and political stability of this region ... for­eign investors.

10. In the first half of the 19 century the Decembrists lived here in ... .

Ex. 7 Insert the necessary preposition:

1. The Baikal area is the base ... Russian economic expansion ... the Far East.

1. What is the population ... this region?

2. Every year we try to spend a week or two ... Lake Baikal.

3. We hired a boat and spent 2 hours ... the lake.

4. I'll take you ... a one-day trip ... the lake.

5. The lake is 70 km Irkutsk.

6. I think it's better to go there ... Saturday.

7. The highway goes ... taiga forest.

8. The Sakha Republic is north ... the Irkutsk region.

2. Irkutsk region sells consumer goods, building products and pharmaceuticals ... the export market.

3. Almost a quarter ... Russian aluminum is processed ... two large aluminum producers ... Irkutsk and Bratsk.

Ex. 8 Work in pairs. Reproduce the dialogue (ex.3) by heart.

Ex. 9 Translate the sentences into English:

1. Каково население города, в котором вы живете?

2. Во время нашего путешествия на поезде я наслаждался пре­красным видом из окна.

3. Иркутск был одним из мест ссылки декабристов.

4. Какой климат на Дальнем Востоке?

5. В некоторых местах байкальская вода такая чистая, что ее мож­но пить прямо из озера.

6. Самая глубокая точка озера Байкал - 1637 метров.

7. Площадь поверхности озера составляет 31.500 кв. км.

8. Среди диких животных Прибайкалья есть медведь, лось, олень, волк, рысь, лиса, соболь, норка и другие.

9. Иркутск является крупным научным и образовательным цен­тром с богатыми культурными традициями.

10. Индустрия туризма в будущем может стать весьма перспектив­ной для Байкальского региона.

a) NOUN region conifer ……… science electricity power		ADJECTIVE ……… ………. cultural ………. … .… ……….
b) VERB exile …….. surround continue export produce develop ……		NOUN ………. container ……… ………. ………. ………. ………. expectation
c) VERB deepen ….. ….. access ….. succeed …….. expand	NOUN ….. ….. …... ….. . …… …… change ……		ADJECTIVE …… mixed attractive …… educational ….. ….. …...

Ex. 10 In each column write the missing part(s) of speech that has (have) the same stem as the given word. You may refer to the dialogue and the text or consult a dictionary:

Ex. 11 Retell the text "Economy of the Irkutsk Region"

Language focus