Khabarovsk Territory

Khabarovsk Territory, administrative division (1989 est. pop. 1,800,000), 305,000 sq mi (789,950 sq km), Russian Far East. Situated in the eastern and northeastern extremity of Siberia, the territory is bounded by the Sea of Okhotsk in the east, the Maritime Territory and China (Heilongjiang prov.) in the south, and the Kolyma range in the north. It includes the Jewish Autonomous Region. The mountainous territory is crossed by the Dzhugdzhur and Bureya ranges, where gold, oil, tin, and coal are extracted. Grain and potatoes are grown in the Amur valley, and in the north there are reindeer herds and fur trappers. Herring, flounder, and salmon are caught along the coast. Major cities are the capital, Khabarovsk, the industrial center Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and the ports Sovetskaya Gavan and Nikolayevsk-on-Amur; 75% of the total population (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Jews, Tatars, and Yakuts) is concentrated in the cities. The territory was founded in 1938 and reorganized in 1953 and 1957. For history, see Russian Far East.