Contacts
ru en de Print

    General Information

    Novosibirsk is the largest municipal entity in the Russian Federation with the third largest population count of all Russian cities. The resident population as of January 1, 2017, is 1,602.9 thousand (57.7% of the total Novosibirsk Region population). As of January 1, 2017, the city spans an area of 502.7 sq. km and has a population density of 3.2 thousand people per 1 sq. km.

    Skyline

    Novosibirsk is situated at the junction of the forest-steppe and forest natural zones, on the Priobsk plateau, adjacent to the Ob river valley, and at the intersection of key transportation corridors, traditionally used for economic connections between Russian regions, both in the east-west direction (M-51 Baikal federal highway) and in the north-south direction (M-52 Chuisky Tract federal highway and navigable Ob River). The distance from Novosibirsk to Moscow is 3,191 km.

    The natural conditions in the area are favorable for the city development. The natural forest areas, Ob water-storage basin, and small rivers and lakes which lie adjacent to the city together form a diverse complex of recreational resources.

    The climate in Novosibirsk and its suburbs is continental. According to agro-climatic zoning, Novosibirsk is a moderately warm and insufficiently humid agro-climatic subregion. The average annual air temperature is +0.2ºC, with the average temperature in July being +19ºC and in January, −19ºC.

    Novosibirsk was originally established in 1893 as a settlement for builders working on the railway bridge across the Ob River. The impetus for its development was the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

    In less than 70 years, Novosibirsk’s population reached over a million. It remains the fastest growing city in the world to this day, for which it has been included in the Guinness Book of Records.

    City scape

    Novosibirsk has been the administrative center of the Novosibirsk Region since September 28, 1937, and the center of the Siberian Federal District since May 13, 2000.

    Present-day Novosibirsk is the business, trade, financial, scientific, production and cultural center of the Asian part of Russia. It accommodates the residency of the authorized representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Siberian Federal District, the representative office of the Russian Federation Ministry of External Affairs, the Siberian Customs Administration, representative offices of other federal authorities and agencies, and headquarters of interregional organizations.

    The city is divided into eight administrative districts — Dzerzhinsky, Kirovsky, Kalininsky, Leninsky, Oktyabrsky, Pervomaisky and Sovetsky districts and Central Borough. The largest of these in terms of population are Leninsky district — 301 thousand people (18,8% of the city population) and Central Borough — 292 thousand people (18,2%). In terms of territory the largest ones are Sovetsky District (87,5 sq.km) and Central Borough (84,2 sq. km)

    Novosibirsk is the center of the Novosibirsk Agglomeration, which incorporates settlements that are economically, socially, and territorially interrelated with Novosibirsk and located up to an hour and a half away from its downtown district. The agglomeration’s population exceeds 2 million and accounts for more than three-quarters of the Gross Regional Product of the Novosibirsk Region. It also sets virtually all development trends of the regional economy. The following settlements are part of the agglomeration in the economic sense: cities of regional significance-Berdsk and Ob, urban-type settlements-Koltsovo and Krasnoobsk, the Novosibirsk rural district, as well as a number of other regional districts adjacent to Novosibirsk, including Ordynsky, Toguchinsky, Iskitimsky, Kolyvansky, and others.

    The social aspect of the Novosibirsk Urban Agglomeration settlements’ interaction is characterized by low territorial segmentation of the labor market and by objective trends of a single labor market formation in adjacent territories. In this regard, a significant role is played by the commuting that takes place between the regional center and the agglomeration settlements due to labor relations as well as cultural, trade, educational, and other connections. Through commuting, Novosibirsk’s population daily increases by at least 80 to 100 thousand people.

    There are people of over 120 nationalities residing in Novosibirsk, with Russians accounting for most of the population (around 93%). The largest ethnic groups are Ukranian, Uzbec, Tatar, German and Tajic. In addition, the city is home to Armenians, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis, Belarusians, Kazakhs, Koreans, Yezidis, Jews, Chinese, Gypsies, Tuva, Buryatia, Chuvash, Georgians and representatives of other nationalities. The city has over fourty registered national and cultural organizations.

    The political situation in the city is stable. The municipal government authorities operate in close cooperation with the city’s business community and general public.

    International Relations of Novosibirsk

    Sister Cities Presentation

    There are numerous representative offices and economic missions of foreign states operating in the city, including the Consulates General of Germany, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine, the Vice-Consulate of Kirghizia, the Embassy Department of the Republic of Belarus, Commercial Section of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Novosibirsk Department of the Institute for Foreign Trade under the auspices of the Italian Embassy in the RF (ICE), as well as visa application centers of most European Union member states. Over 80 thousand foreign citizens visit Novosibirsk annually for business and personal purposes, and this number grows every year.

    The city has established and is actively developing economic and cultural relations with China, Japan, South Korea and other countries, as well as with the following sister cities: Minneapolis and Saint Paul in the USA, Sapporo in Japan, Mianyang and Shenyang in China, Daejeon in the Republic of Korea, Varna in the Republic of Bulgaria, Osh in the Kyrgyz Republic, Kharkov in the Ukraine, Minsk in Belarus, Yerevan in Armenia and Sevastopol in Russia.

    The following organizations operate in the city: Israeli Culture Centre, Confucius Institute (China) at the Novosibirsk State Technical University, German Cultural Center Goethe in Novosibirsk, the American Corner USA Information Centre, the Novosibirsk Russian-German House, Sibir-Hokkaido Municipal Cultural Centre, Alliance-Française-Novosibirsk French Cultural Centre, and the Russian-Korean Science and Technology Centre.

    There are several dozen foreign companies’ representative offices accredited and operating in Novosibirsk.

    Economy

    Novosibirsk’s economy is based on industry, trade, services, transport, construction, science, and scientific services. The city is undergoing successful development despite the absence of large resource-extraction enterprises in the region, making it unique among most large Siberian cities.

    There are about 108.4 thousand enterprises and organizations and over 45.1 thousand individual entrepreneurs operating in the city. Close to 800 thousand people are engaged in the city’s economy, over half of which are employed at large and medium enterprises and city organizations, and about quarter at small and micro-sized enterprises.

    Industry

    The city’s production system is based on over 220 large and medium production enterprises which account for 60% of the regional output of industrial products and services, as well as on over 400 small industrial enterprises. Every sixth employee of enterprises and organizations of the city works in industrial production.

    Novosibirsk’s industrial complex is targeted at processing and science-intensive industries. The key industrial branches include the aircraft industry, nuclear industry, engineering industry, power industry, metal working, and pharmaceutics. Novosibirsk is currently one of the leading suppliers of nuclear fuel to the world power markets.

    Transport

    Novosibirsk is the largest transport hub in Western Siberia, situated at the intersection of major traffic arteries, including the Trans-Siberian Railway. It also has railway access to Central Asia.

    The city has four railway stations, including Novosibirsk-Glavny — the largest station east of the Urals. Novosibirsk accommodates the largest Russian sorting depot where a record number of cargoes may be received and handled.

    Main Railway Station

    Airlines link Novosibirsk to more than 80 cities in Russia and worldwide. Tolmachevo Airport, being one of largest airports in the country and the largest airport in Siberia is located in the Urban Agglomeration (17 km from Novosibirsk’s center, in the territory of Ob City, Novosibirsk Region). Tolmachevo Airport’s technical facilities enable it to service all types of modern passenger and cargo aircraft of domestic and foreign manufacture. This high-class airport provides a dynamic link between our city and the world’s largest megacities, making it convenient to hold international business trips and tourist visits.

    There are three motor roads of federal significance passing through Novosibirsk: R-254 Irtysh (from Chelyabinsk through Kurgan and Omsk, to Novosibirsk), and R-255 Siberia (from Novosibirsk through Kemerovo and Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk) and R-256 Chuisky Tract (from Novosibirsk through Novoaltaisk, Biysk, Maima to the Mongolian border). There is a motor-coach terminal in the city which provides bus service to the districts of the Novosibirsk region and nearby towns of neighboring regions of Siberia and the Republic of Kazakhstan.

    The urban passenger transport includes buses, trolleybuses, trams, taxicabs, shuttle taxicabs and a subway. All types of public passenger transport are equipped with an automated accounting and cashless fare system.

    Novosibirsk’s subway, being the first and only subway in the eastern part of the country, was opened at the end of 1985. Currently, it has two active lines with 13 stations and a total length of 15.9 km. The metro bridge is the longest of its kind in the world.

    Construction

    In 2007, the General Urban Plan and local town-building design norms were approved. These documents helped to enhance the efficiency of urban area use significantly. In 2009, the Urban Land Use and Development Rules were approved.

    In recent years, Novosibirsk has been making considerable progress in housing construction. The city is one of the leaders in Russia for providing the greatest volume of new housing. In 2016, the total area of new housing was 1,527.9 thousand sq. m, including 144 thousand sq. m of individual residential houses. To implement the Affordable and Comfortable Housing for Russian Citizens national project and to shift to integrated territory development, vast areas of the city were allocated for integrated housing construction.

    In addition, the city is implementing programs to reconstruct and upgrade the housing stock and resettle citizens from slums and unsafe housing.

    There is an active construction of social and administrative, sports and recreation, entertainment facilities and shopping malls in the city.

    Office Building

    Trade and Service

    Trade is one of the most significant elements of Novosibirsk economy. In May 1993, Novosibirsk was admitted to the International Association of World Trade Centers. Trade network of the city includes more than 8 thousand companies, including more than 4.6 thousand stationary retail facilities. International trading networks such as Ikea, Leroy Merlin, Auchan, Metro Cash & Carry, and Media Markt have been successfully operating in Novosibirsk for many years. Average provision of the population with retail space is 2,090.7 square meters per 1,000 residents.

    Siberian Fair, a large international exhibition center that is now a member of the ITE Group, has been operating in the city for over 20 years. Exhibitions are held at the facilities of the largest Siberian exhibition complex, the Novosibirsk Expocenter, which meets the highest world standards and currently ranks among the most advanced centers in the country.

    Sibir Hotel

    Novosibirsk is one of the largest regional wholesale hubs in Russia. An industrial and logistics park with a total area of 2,000 ha has been set up within 12 kilometers of Novosibirsk. Major investment projects are implemented in the park.

    Consumer service sector is composed of more than 3.3 thousand companies with collection outlets and affiliate offices.

    The city has a developed financial infrastructure: 50 credit institutions, including branches of out-of-town banks; over 300 investments and finance, insurance and leasing companies; «Stock Market School» (Siberian Stock Exchange) and the Siberian Branch of Moscow Exchange OJSC. There is an extensive network of organizations that provide audit, consulting and legal services.

    Telecommunications

    In Novosibirsk, there are about three dozen companies, which provide fixed and mobile communications.

    The city’s main provider of regular telephone communication is the Novosibirsk Branch of Rostelecom, with a base of about 480 thousand subscribers. Since 2013 «Rostelecom»; started to provide mobile services for owners of smartphones and tablets who are actively using mobile Internet.

    The largest providers of mobile communication services in Novosibirsk are: Novosibirsk Branch of Rostelecom, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), VimpelCom (Beeline brand) and MegaFon, Tele2 Russian Holding AB (TELE2). In December 2014, Yota mobile operator announced the launch of mobile services to the population in Novosibirsk.

    More and more mobile operators offer their customers access to the fourth generation mobile communication (4G), which provides high-speed mobile Internet access at up to 100 Mb/sec.

    There are about 80 operators available in the ISP market. Many Novosibirsk houses are connected to several ISPs and, therefore, the ISPs’ activity is focused on expanding the additional services range (IP-telephony, cable and HD-TV). Provision of Internet access via Wi-Fi becomes more and more widespread.

    Operators continue to develop and improve TV services. About 20 operators in Novosibirsk offer cable TV services.

    Science

    Novosibirsk is the largest academic and applied science center in the Asian part of Russia. Over a hunderd institutions in Novosibirsk carry out scientific research and development. More than 1.5 thousand doctors of science along with 3.5 thousand PhD’s live and work in the city. The Novosibirsk Science Center of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is the largest one in the whole of the Siberian Branch of the RAS — it accumulates close to 50% of the Branches scientific capacities. Novosibirsk is also home to the Siberian Branch of Medical Sciences Federal State Budgetary Institution. The Novosibirsk aglomeration also accommodates the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Agriculture and the Vektor Scientific Production Association.

    Since 2001, Novosibirsk has been a full member of the World Technopolis Association (WTA), being its first Russian member city (second Russian member is Skolkovo).

    Our scientific schools have gained wide recognition in the world and carry out applied developments in a wide range of ‘critical technologies,’ including microelectronics and nanoelectronics, ray and laser technologies, catalysis technologies, advanced materials, information technologies, and biotechnologies. Scientists and engineers from the Novosibirsk Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences took an active part in assembling and launching the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, supplying equipment, and they still are a part of this project.

    In 1996, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation the «Novosibirsk» Technopark (one of the first ones in Russia) was established as a state scientific budgetary institution of innovative infrastructure of distributed type. In its activities the Technopark aims at supporting innovative businesses in the industrial sector of the city and utilizes the potential of technical universities, sectoral and academic institutions.Technopark of the Novosibirsk Academgorodok (Akadempark) is actively developing as an infrastructure complex, which creates favorable conditions for the development of high-tech businesses and their cooperation with scientific organizations, educational institutions and industry. Technopark has a cluster structure: business incubator; technology services; office, laboratory and production facilities, as well as specialized engineering infrastructure.

    Alley in Science Town

    Education

    Novosibirsk has a wide network of educational institutions. There are over 30 higher education institutions in the city, including branches of higher education institutions based in other cities. There are over 110 thousand students, postgraduates, and doctoral students studying at all of these institutions, of which over 20% come from other regions of the country. Thus, Novosibirsk trains professionals for all of Siberia and the Far East. In addition, the number of foreign students has been on a steady rise in recent years. Moreover, there are more than 40 specialized secondary schools in the city.

    For the younger generation, Novosibirsk has over 231 educational institutions — secondary schools, lyceums, grammar schools (with over 163 thousand students) and 267 preschool facilities (with more than 84 thousand attending children).

    Information technologies have been widely implemented in the educational process. Computer availability at Novosibirsk schools is much higher than the average level in Russia.

    Healthcare

    The city has a sound network of healthcare institutions, which includes 60 hospitals with 18.3 thousand hospital beds and over 150 outpatient and polyclinic institutions with a capacity of over 41 thousand visits per shift.

    The city accommodates a number of federal and departmental healthcare institutions, including FGBI «Novosibirsk Scientific Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics Tsivyan» (with a clinical unit), which is one of the leading industry research centers in the country providing highly specialized care for patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal system, central and peripheral nervous system; Research Institute of Blood Circulation Pathology named after academician E. N. Meshalkin (with a clinical unit) — one of the largest national cardio-surgical institutions, Novosibirsk Branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Interbranch Scientific and Technical Complex Eye Microsurgery named after academician S. N. Fedorov, Road Clinical Hospital and others.

    There are over 11 thousand doctors specializing in all fields and 18.1 thousand paramedical personnel providing medical care services to the city residents.

    Culture

    Today, Novosibirsk is considered the cultural center of Siberia and one of the cultural centers of Russia. There are numerous creative unions and associations operating in the city and a developed network of cultural institutions. These institutions include more than dozen theatres, including the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre - the historical and architectural symbol and hallmark of not only Novosibirsk, but all of Russia and Siberia; the Red Torch Academic Theatre; the Globe Academic Youth Theater, and City Drama Theatre led by S. Afanasyev.

    The city’s musical life is led by the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Society, which has been operating since 1937 and unites about two dozen communities, many of which are well-known outside of Russia. These include the Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra, Russian Academy Orchestra, chamber choir, chamber orchestra, Filarmonica quartet, Vocal Ensemble of Pavel Sharomov, Insula Magica Early Music Ensemble, Markell’s Voices choir, concert brass band, Siberian Dixieland jazz band, Vladimir Tolkachev’s Big Band, and others.

    Opera and Ballet Theater

    In 2016, the Novosibirsk State Conservatory named after M. Glinka celebrates its 60th anniversary. Over the years of its existence, the Conservatory has trained several thousand musicians, including performers, composers, and music experts. Today, it is one of the leading conservatories in the country and is recognized internationally.

    The city has 76 public libraries with a library stock of 4.8 million items. The State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, being the largest in Siberia, has been operating in Novosibirsk since 1966.

    The city’s points of interest include more than dozen museums, the Novosibirsk Art Gallery, Botanic Garden, and a unique scientific institution for educational, cultural and recreation purposes -  "Zoological Park Shilo", that has no analogues in the Siberian region. In 201 the Novisibirsk Zoo celebrates its 70th anniversary.

    Novosibirsk Zoo

    Currently, the Novosibirsk Zoo accommodates about 11,000 specimens of 770 animal species. The Zoo has one of the world’s best collections of felines and weasels. Over 350 of its species are included in the International Red Book, the Red Data Book of Russia, and the Red Data Book of Novosibirsk Region. 110 species are registered in international herdbooks. The Zoo’s team takes part in 77 international programs for the preservation of rare and endangered animal species and is a member of three international unions: EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria), EARAZA (Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums), and WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums). The Zoo participates in the ISIS international computer program and is in contact with over 150 zoos in 44 countries.

    In 2012, Novosibirsk gained a new point of interest. On February 8, 2012, on the Day of Russian Science, the Planetarium Children’s and Youth Center was opened. This Novosibirsk Center for Astrophysics is the biggest of its kind in the Asian part of Russia.

    In 2016,Aquapark "Aquawolrd" was opened - the biggest indoor water park in Russia.

    Globe Youth Theater