Omsk region

The Omsk region is included in Siberian federal district and borders on the Tyumen, Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions, and also on Kazakhstan. The total size of the territory makes 141.1 thousand sq.km what is a 1/15 part of Western Siberia. The Omsk region is the 25th most populous among the subjects of Russian Federation.

Administrative center of the region is the city of Omsk where more than one million inhabitants live. Other large towns of the region are Tara (with a little more than 27 thousand persons), Isilkul (24.4 thousand persons), Kalachinsk (23.3 thousand persons).

In Omsk region both the industry and agriculture are well developed.

T here are 100 nature sanctuaries in Omsk region. Most interesting of them is the "Bird's Harbour" reserve. It’s worthy of note that this reserve is located in the very heart of the city. There are more than 130 bird species, mammals (beaver-rat, alpine hare and many others), some fish species, more than 250 species of insects here. "The bird's harbor" reserve granted the nature sanctuary status in 1979.

There is the Achairsky monastery in fifty kilometers from Omsk; it attracts a large number of tourists. The female community appeared here at the end of the 19th century. The monastery was closed in Soviet period; one of GULAG colonies had been organized in its territory where the great number of people was lost. The colony was disbanded after Stalin's death, all buildings was destroyed. A construction of Achairsky female monastery began at this place in 1991; it has today 7 temples, 3 chapels, Northern, East, Western and Irtysh Gate.

One more place of interest of Omsk region is Znamensky regional museum of local lore founded in 1988. Such excursions as "Country life and clothes of Siberian people of the 19th century", "Settlement of the land", "Znamensky district during the setting of the Soviet authority", "Feat of arms of people during the Great Patriotic War" are arranged in the museum.