Editing Irkutsk Oblast

{{short description|First-level administrative division of Russia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox Russian federal subject
|en_name=Irkutsk Oblast
|ru_name=Иркутская область
|image_map=Map of Russia (2014–2022) - Irkutsk Oblast (Crimea disputed).svg
|coordinates = {{coord|57|22|N|106|00|E|type:adm1st_region:RU|display=inline,title}}
|image_coa=Coat of arms of Irkutsk Oblast.svg
|coa_caption=[[Coat of arms of Irkutsk Oblast|Coat of arms]]
|image_flag=Flag of Irkutsk Oblast.svg
|flag_caption=[[Flag of Irkutsk Oblast|Flag]]
|anthem=
|anthem_ref=
|holiday=September&nbsp;27
|holiday_ref=<ref name="Holiday">Charter of Irkutsk Oblast, Article&nbsp;2</ref>
|political_status=Oblast
|political_status_link=Oblasts of Russia
|federal_district=[[Siberian Federal District|Siberian]]
|economic_region=[[East Siberian economic region|East Siberian]]
|adm_ctr_type=Administrative center
|adm_ctr_name=[[Irkutsk]]
|adm_ctr_name_ref=<ref name="AdmCtr">Charter of Irkutsk Oblast, Article&nbsp;14</ref>
|pop_density
|pop_density_as_of
|pop_density_ref
|pop_2021census=2370102
|pop_2021census_rank=20th
|urban_pop_2021census=77.6%
|rural_pop_2021census=22.4%
|pop_2021census_ref=<ref name=2021census>{{cite web|title=Оценка численности постоянного населения по субъектам Российской Федерации|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/tab-5_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|accessdate=1 September 2022}}</ref>
|area_km2=774846
|area_km2_rank=4th
|established_date=September&nbsp;26, 1937
|established_date_ref=<ref name="Established">Resolution of September&nbsp;26, 1937</ref>
|license_plates=38, 85, 138
|ISO=RU-IRK
|gov_as_of=July 2015
|leader_title=[[Governor of Irkutsk Oblast|Governor]]
|leader_title_ref=<ref name="HeadLegis">Charter of Irkutsk Oblast, Article&nbsp;9</ref>
|leader_name=[[Igor Kobzev]]
|leader_name_ref=<ref name="HeadName">Official website of the Government of Irkutsk Oblast. [http://irkobl.ru/government/sergey-levchenko/ Sergey Levchenko, Governor of Irkutsk Oblast] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016013248/http://irkobl.ru/government/sergey-levchenko/ |date=October 16, 2015 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>
|legislature=[[Legislative Assembly of Irkutsk Oblast|Legislative Assembly]]
|legislature_ref=<ref name="HeadLegis" />
|website=http://www.irkobl.ru
|website_ref
|date=October 2015
}}

'''Irkutsk Oblast''' ({{langx|ru|Ирку́тская о́бласть|Irkutskaya oblastʹ}}; {{langx|bua|Эрхүү можо|Erkhüü mojo}}) is a [[federal subjects of Russia|federal subject]] of Russia (an [[oblast]]), located in southeastern [[Siberia]] in the basins of the [[Angara River|Angara]], [[Lena River|Lena]], and [[Nizhnyaya Tunguska River]]s. The [[administrative center]] is the [[types of inhabited localities in Russia|city]] of [[Irkutsk]]. It had a population of 2,370,102 at the [[Russian Census (2021)|2021 Census]].<ref name=2021census> </ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Bgisu P5200477 ss.jpg|thumb|left|Spring at the [[Botanic Garden of the Irkutsk State University|Irkutsk Botanic Garden]]. The pink blooming bushes in the middle are a relic plant, ''[[Prunus pedunculata]]''. ''[[Picea pungens]]'' trees are in the backdrop.]]

Irkutsk Oblast borders the [[Republic of Buryatia]] and the [[Tuva Republic]] in the south and southwest, which separate it from [[Khövsgöl Province]], [[Mongolia]]; [[Krasnoyarsk Krai]] in the west; the [[Sakha Republic]] in the northeast; and [[Zabaykalsky Krai]] in the east. 

[[Lake Baikal]], the oldest<ref name="touchstone">{{cite web|url= http://marine.usgs.gov/fact-sheets/baikal/|title= Lake Baikal – A Touchstone for Global Change and Rift Studies|publisher= [[United States Geological Survey]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120629180319/http://marine.usgs.gov/fact-sheets/baikal/|archive-date= 29 June 2012|access-date= 3 January 2016}}</ref> and deepest<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-07-26 |title=Deepest lakes in the World 2024 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/deepest-lakes-in-the-world-2024/articleshow/111843110.cms |access-date=2025-03-13 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> lake in the world (containing over a fifth of Earth's fresh liquid surface water),<ref>{{cite book|author1= Schwarzenbach, Rene P. |author2= Philip M. Gschwend |author3= Dieter M. Imboden | title= Environmental Organic Chemistry | year= 2003 | publisher= Wiley Interscience | edition= 2 | page= 1052 | isbn= 978-0-471-35053-8}}</ref> is located in the southeast of the region. It is drained by the [[Angara River|Angara]], which flows north across the province; the outflow rate is controlled by the [[Irkutsk Dam]]. The two other major dams on the Irkutsk Oblast's section of the Angara are [[Bratsk Dam|at Bratsk]] and [[Ust-Ilimsk Dam|Ust-Ilimsk]]; both forming large reservoirs. The [[Lena River|Lena]] has its source in Irkutsk Oblast as well, and flows north-east into the neighboring Sakha Republic.

Irkutsk Oblast consists mostly of the hills and broad valleys of the [[Central Siberian Plateau]], with the [[Lena-Angara Plateau]]. The [[Primorsky Range]] and the [[Baikal Mountains]] stretch along Lake Baikal, and in the northeast rise the [[North Baikal Highlands]] and the [[Patom Plateau]]. [[Pik Tofalariya]] is the highest point of the oblast.

===Climate===
The climate varies from warm summer [[Continental climate|continental]] in the south to continental-subarctic in the northern part ([[Köppen climate classification#Group D: Continental/microthermal climates|Köppen climate classification]]: ''Dwc''). For almost half the year, from mid-October until the beginning of April, the average temperature is below {{convert|0|C}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icc.ru/fed/climat.html |title=WWW Irkutsk: The climate of Irkutsk |access-date=2006-09-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827213235/http://www.icc.ru/fed/climat.html |archive-date=August 27, 2006 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Winters are very cold, with average high temperatures in Irkutsk of {{convert|-14.9|C}} and average lows of {{convert|-25.3|C}} in January. Summers are warm but short: the average high in July is {{convert|+24.5|C}} and the average low is {{convert|+11.2|C}}. However, by September, the weather cools down significantly to an average daily high of {{convert|+15.3|C}} and an average daily low of {{convert|+2.5|C}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N52E104+1200+0048321G2|title=IRKUTSK, Weather History and Climate Data|access-date=December 5, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122450/http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N52E104+1200+0048321G2|archive-date=March 4, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N52E104+1204+0048321G2|title=IRKUTSK, Weather History and Climate Data|access-date=December 5, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190149/http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N52E104+1204+0048321G2|archive-date=March 4, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  More than half of all [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] falls in the [[summer]] months, with the wettest month being July, with {{convert|96.2|mm|sp=us}} of rain. January is the driest month, with only {{convert|11|mm|sp=us}} of precipitation. Annual precipitation averages {{convert|419.8|mm|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N52E104+2100+30710W|title=IRKUTSK, FORMER UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS Weather History and Climate Data|access-date=December 5, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191608/http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N52E104+2100+30710W|archive-date=March 4, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==History==
{{refimprove|date=January 2025}}
===Pre-history===
Mongolic-related [[Slab Grave Culture|Slab Grave]] cultural monuments survive in [[Lake Baikal|Baikal]] territory.<ref>History of Mongolia, Volume I, 2003</ref>{{qn|date=January 2019}} The territory of [[Buryatia]] came under the control of the [[Xiongnu]] Empire (209 BC – 93 CE), of the Mongolian [[Xianbei state]] (93–234), of the [[Rouran Khaganate]] (330–555), of the [[Göktürk Khaganate]] (555-603), of the [[Eastern Turkic Khaganate]] (603-744), of the [[Uyghur Khaganate]] (744-847), of the [[Yenisei Kyrgyz]] (847-1219), of the [[Mongol Empire]] (1206–1368) and of the [[Northern Yuan]] (1368–1691).<ref name="HM">History of Mongolia, Volume II, 2003</ref> 
Medieval Mongol tribes like the [[Merkit]], [[Bayads]], [[Barga Mongols]] and [[Tümed]]s inhabited Buryatia.<ref name="HM"/> Today [[Buryats|Buryat-Mongols]] remain in the territory of the oblast.

[[Russian conquest of Siberia|Russian presence]] in the area dates from the 17th century: the [[Russian Tsardom]] expanded eastward following the [[conquest of the Khanate of Sibir]] in 1582. By the end of the 17th century, Irkutsk had become a small town, monasteries were being built, and suburbs and agricultural settlements had started to form.
===18th century===
From the 18th century trades and crafts began to develop, and gold- and silver-smiths appeared. As the Russian state expanded to the east of Irkutsk, the city became the capital of enormous territories from the [[Yenisey River]] to the [[Pacific Ocean]], and played an important role in the exploration and securing of vast Eastern-Siberian and Far-Eastern territories for Russia. Gradually, Irkutsk gained more importance as the main transportation- and trade-center of Eastern Siberia; it became a center of trade routes from [[Kamchatka]], [[Chukchi Peninsula|Chukotka]], [[Sakha Republic|Yakutia]] to [[Mongolia]], and [[China]]. The administrative importance of the city also increased, and it became a center of a fifth of the [[Governorate (Russia)|province]]s of Siberia; in 1764 it became the center of an independent province, the [[Irkutsk Governorate]].

For Irkutsk the 18th century was a time of research expeditions. Some of the organization of [[Vitus Bering]]'s [[First Kamchatka expedition|first]] (1725–1730) and [[Great Northern Expedition|second]] (1733-1743) expeditions to the shores of Kamchatka took place in Irkutsk.

A merchant class developed in the city of Irkutsk. In the second half of the eighteenth century, the Irkutsk industrial and merchant companies of [[Shelikhov-Golikov Company|Golikov]], Trapeznikov, {{ill|Ivan Stepanovich Bechevin|ru|Бечевин, Иван Степанович}}, {{ill|Nikolai Prokofevich Mylnikov|ru|Мыльников, Николай Прокофьевич}}, {{ill|Sibirakovy|ru|Сибиряковы}} began to explore the [[Aleutian Islands]] and later [[Alaska]]. In 1799 the merchant companies came together in a [[Russian-American Company]] "for the trades on the territory of the Aleutian and [[Kuril islands]] and the rest of the [[Bering Sea|North-Eastern sea]], belonging to Russia by the right of discovery". [[Grigorii Ivanovich Shelikhov]], an outstanding seafarer, played an important role in controlling enormous spaces of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. He founded the first colonies of [[Russian America]] through the [[Shelikhov-Golikov Company]]. In 1727 the Russian Orthodox Church established the Irkutsk [[Eparchies and Metropolitanates of the Russian Orthodox Church|Eparchy]].

During the 18th century, schools, professional-technical education colleges, science museums, libraries, theaters, and book-printers developed in Irkutsk. Educational and cultural organizations opened. In 1725 the first school in Eastern Siberia, attached to the {{ill|Voznesensky monastery|ru|Вознесенский монастырь (Иркутск)}} (founded in 1672), opened, and in 1754 sea (navigation) schools and secondary schools opened throughout the Irkutsk area. The 1780s saw the opening of the second public library in provincial towns in Russia, as well as a regional museum and an amateur theater. In Irkutsk outstanding citizens appeared, still remembered today. These included the architect, geographer and historian {{ill|Anton ivanovich Losev|ru|Лосев, Антон Иванович}} (1765–1829), the writer {{ill|Ivan Timofeevich Kalashnikov|ru|Калашников, Иван Тимофеевич}} (1797–1863), and the teacher Semyon Semyonovich Schukin (1789—1863). Siberian science buildings opened. A.G. Laxman, [[Mikhail Lomonosov|Lomonosov's]] apprentice, one of the first Siberian mineralogists, worked in Irkutsk.

The city landscape of Irkutsk was changing. The {{ill|Irkutsk Spassky church|ru|Спасская церковь (Иркутск)}} of 1706 (one of the oldest stone buildings in Eastern Siberia), the unique {{ill|Irkutsk Krestovozdvizhenskaya church|ru|Крестовоздвиженская церковь (Иркутск)}} (1747), the "[[Prikaz]]naya izba" (order house), the first stone construction, and the Triumph gate were built.
===19th century===
[[File:Ferroviacircolarebaikal.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Circum-Baikal Railway]] skirts the southwestern tip of Lake Baikal]]
In the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century, Irkutsk Province gradually increased in importance as a center of trade, craft, and culture. It became the center of Russian trade with China and, from the 1830s, a gold-manufacturing center of Eastern Siberia. In 1803 Irkutsk became the center of the Siberian [[Governorate-General (Russian Empire)|Governorate-General]], and in 1822 it became the center of the [[East-Siberian Governorate-General|Eastern Siberian Governorate-General]]. The Governors-General of Eastern Siberia greatly influenced the development of the city.

Irkutsk merchants explored the [[Yeniseysk Governorate|Yeniseysky]] and [[Vitim River|Leno-Vitimsky]] gold regions and substantially increased their capital, which made them the richest merchants in Siberia. The Irkutsk merchant class began to play a major role in the city's development. Intensive city construction took place. Private residences, hospitals, orphanages, and schools were built, while significant funds went towards education and the development of science in the region.

The architecture of the city of Irkutsk underwent change. The {{ill|Irkutsk White House|ru|Белый дом (Иркутск)}}, done in Russian classic style in 1800–1804, and the {{ill|Moscow Triumphal Gates of Irkutsk|ru|Московские ворота (Иркутск)}} – a monument of the nineteenth century, were built in honor of the tenth anniversary of [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I's]] reign.

[[File:Церемония закладки часовни Христа Спасителя. Фото А. К. Гофмана. 1866..jpg|thumb|right|1866 ground-breaking ceremony for the Chapel of Christ the Savior in Irkutsk]]
In the second half of the nineteenth century the printing art developed in Irkutsk, the first newspapers being, “Irkutsk province news” and “Amur”. The names of A.P.Schapov, M.B.Zagoskin, V.I.Vagin were connected with the newspaper “Siberia”. In 1851, the first scientific organization in Eastern Siberia – the Siberian branch of Russian geographical society, was opened. In 1877, it was called the Eastern-Siberian branch. V.I.Dybovskii, A.L.Chekanovskii, I.D.Cherskii, V.A.Obruchev, geologists, geographers and researchers of Siberia, worked in Irkutsk Oblast on exploring [[Lake Baikal]] and the [[Lena River]].

The summer of 1879 could be considered to be a dramatic period in the city of Irkutsk's history. During a July 22–24 fire almost all the central parts of the city were burnt, and more than two thirds of city buildings and 75 city districts were destroyed. The city began to revive, getting a new look. Stone and wooden constructions built after the fire have been preserved up to the present day. In 1898 the arrival of the first train via the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] to Irkutsk Oblast was a major event. The construction of the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] contributed to further city development.

Several politically exiled figures were connected with Irkutsk city. Among the first of the exiled was A.N. Radischev, who lived in Irkutsk for more than 3 months. Since the 1830s, the Decembrists lived in settlements and in colonies in the Irkutsk Oblast. The exiled houses of Volkonsky and Trubetskoy later became house-museums. N. A. Panov, I. V. Podzhio, A. Z. Muravyov, P. A. Mukhanov, A. P. Yushnevsky, V. A. Bechasnov, the wife of Trubetskoy and their children stayed in Irkutsk for the rest of their lives. In the late 1850s, the Petrashevtzy appeared in Irkutsk. The exiled historian-democrat, A.P. Schapov, lived here until his last days, and the Polish rebels and revolutionaries (including the ''narodnik'') also lived here.

[[File:Иркутск. Часовня Спасителя и Медведниковский Банк, ф.1897г..JPG|thumb|right|Chapel of the Savior and Medvednikovsky Bank, 1897]]
A well-known Russian publicist of the nineteenth century, N. Shelgunov, wrote about Irkutsk: “Irkutsk is the only Siberian city, which has the city character. ...As England created London, France - Paris, Siberia – created Irkutsk. Siberia is proud of Irkutsk, “not to see this city” means “not to see Siberia”.

In the early nineteenth century the city was considerably changed, especially its center. Large buildings were being built, mason streets were being made, cab drivers and street lights appeared. The water supply and the first electrification stations were built. The Irkutsk Regional museum was stamped with the names of Siberian researchers on its walls (1883), the building of the first public community, city theater (1897), Kazan' cathedral, made in new Byzantine style (1893), and the Roman Catholic cathedral (1895) completed an architectural style of the city. In 1908 a monument to [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]] was opened on the Angara embankment.

===20th century===
[[File:Иркутск. Часовня Святителя Иннокентия.jpg|thumb|right|Irkutsk. Chapel of St. Innocent, c. 1910]]
[[File:ИрГСХА.JPG|thumb|right|The orphanage of E. Medvednikova is the first women's educational institution in Siberia. Irkutsk, Timiryazeva street, 59]]
[[File:ЛД Байкал.jpg|thumb|right|Ice hockey arena in Irkutsk]]
The city was damaged and influenced by the political events of the twentieth century – the Russian revolution, the 1917 [[October Revolution]], the Civil war and the [[Great Patriotic War]] (as the Soviet Union's part in WW2 is commonly referred to in Russia. This is distinct from WW2, in that it began with 1941 [[Operation Barbarossa]], whereas WW2 began with the September 1939 [[invasion of Poland]]).

Since the 1930s the industrial construction of the city had begun. Mechanical engineering plants, the air plant, brick and concrete plants, tea fabric, and food industry plants were being built. Economic development of the city contributed to scientific, educational and cultural development. The first Higher education in Eastern Siberia, [[Irkutsk State University]] was founded in 1918. Its departments were developing as independent institutes: medical, pedagogical, finance-economical. In 1930 the metallurgic institute was opened, in 1934 the agricultural institute was organized.

The early Soviets educated women in traditional professions like nursing and primary education. At right is the Irkutsk orphanage named for E. Medvednikova, which served both as an eleemosynary institution and educational facility.

Since the 1950s a rapid development of the city of Irkutsk took place. In 1947 streetcar routes were opened in the city and trolleybus routes were opened in 1972. In 1958 a TV center was established. The city's larger districts and micro regions construction period began. New districts such as Baykalsky, Solnechny, Yubileyny, Primorsky, Akademgorodok and others were created.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manus.baikal.ru/eng/essay.htm|title=Essay about Irkutsk|access-date=December 5, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222053/http://www.manus.baikal.ru/eng/essay.htm|archive-date=March 3, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Irkutsk Oblast}}

==Politics==
[[File:Иркутск. Здание правительства..JPG|thumb|Building of the Government of Irkutsk Oblast]]
===Soviet era===
During the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Irkutsk CPSU Committee (who in reality had the biggest authority),{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). After the abolition of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR in March 1990, the CPSU lost its monopoly on power. The head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected [[Regional parliaments of Russia|regional parliament]].
===Russian Federation===
The Charter of Irkutsk Oblast is the fundamental law of the region. The [[Legislative Assembly of Irkutsk Oblast]] is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body is the Oblast Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the oblast Charter in accordance with the [[Constitution of Russia]].

==Demographics==
[[File:Центр Плавания "Спартак" г. Иркутск (чаша бассейна).jpg|thumb|right|Swimming Center "Spartak" Irkutsk in [[Novolenino]]. Opened to visitors on 14 November 2014. There is a kayaking school in the swimming center.]]
The oblast is very thinly populated, with a population density of 3 people per square kilometer, compared to a national average of 8.4. [[Irkutsk]] is the administrative center and largest city, with 612,973 residents. Other large cities are [[Bratsk]] (238,825 people), [[Angarsk]] (229,592 people), [[Ust-Ilimsk]] (83,635 people), and [[Usolye-Sibirskoye]] (80,331 people).

Most of the population are [[Russians|ethnic Russians]]. A minority group, the [[Buryats]], have a special [[Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug]] inside the oblast. Russians and other Slavic/Germanic groups make up 92.9% of the population, according to the 2021 Census, while Buryats are 3.6%. [[Tofalars]] number 659, a decrease from 722 in 1989.<ref name=census2021>{{cite web|title=Национальный состав населения|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/Tom5_tab1_VPN-2020.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|accessdate=30 December 2022}}</ref>
{|
| valign="top" |
{| class="standard"
|-
!Ethnic group
!Population
!Percentage
|-
|Russians
| align="right" |1,917,265
| align="right" |92.2%
|-
|[[Buryats]]
| align="right" |74,746
| align="right" |3.6%
|-
|[[Tatars]]
| align="right" |12,130
| align="right" |0.6%
|-
|[[Ukrainians]]
| align="right" |9,506
| align="right" |0.5%
|-
|Other
| align="right" |65,640
| align="right" |3.2%
|-
|}
|}

One small ethnic group, concentrated in three villages (Pikhtinsk, Sredne-Pikhtinsk, and Dagnik) in [[Zalarinsky District]] is the so-called "Bug Hollanders": descendants of Polish-speaking [[Lutheran]] farmers who had moved to Siberia from the then Russian [[Volhynia]] in 1911–1912 in search of affordable land.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}  Although they had long lost German (or Dutch) language of their ancestors (even in the early twentieth century they spoke Ukrainian and read Polish), they were still considered [[History of Germans in Russia and the Soviet Union|ethnic Germans]], and during [[World War II]] were usually drafted for work in labor camps, instead of front-line military service.<ref>Olga Solovyova (Ольга Соловьева) [http://www.strana-oz.ru/?numid=27&article=1189 "Bug 'Hollanders'" (БУЖСКИЕ ГОЛЕНДРЫ)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927003527/http://www.strana-oz.ru/?numid=27&article=1189 |date=September 27, 2007 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Bar box
|title=Religion in Irkutsk Oblast as of 2012 (Sreda Arena Atlas)<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas">[http://sreda.org/en/arena "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922230056/http://sreda.org/en/arena |date=September 22, 2015 }}. Sreda, 2012.</ref><ref name="2012Arena-religion-maps">[http://c2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PHOTO/OGONIOK/2012/034/ogcyhjk2.jpg 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps]. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017. [https://web.archive.org/web/20170421154615/http://c2.kommersant.ru/ISSUES.PHOTO/OGONIOK/2012/034/ogcyhjk2.jpg Archived].</ref>
|float=right
|bars=
{{Bar percent|[[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodoxy]]|DarkOrchid|28.1}}
{{Bar percent|Other [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]]|MediumOrchid|5.7}}
{{Bar percent|Other [[Christianity in Russia|Christians]]|DeepSkyBlue|6.7}}
{{Bar percent|[[Islam in Russia|Islam]]|Green|1.2}}
{{Bar percent|[[Rodnovery]] and other native faiths|Red|2.2}}
{{Bar percent|[[Spiritual but not religious]]|DarkSlateGray|37.2}}
{{Bar percent|[[Atheism]] and [[irreligion]]|Black|17.5}}
{{Bar percent|Other and undeclared|Gray|1.4}}
}}

According to a 2012 survey<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas"/> 28.1% of the population of Irkutsk Oblast adheres to the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], 7% are [[nondenominational Christianity|unaffiliated]] generic [[Christians]], 6% are Orthodox Christian believers without belonging to any church or are members of other (non-Russian) [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox church]]es, 2% of the population adheres to the [[Slavic native faith]] (Rodnovery), and 1% to [[Islam]]. In addition, 37% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 17% is [[atheism|atheist]], and 1.9% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.<ref name="2012ArenaAtlas"/>

===Population===
{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote = Source: Census data, estimate<ref name=2025Estimate>{{cite web|title=Предварительная оценка численности постоянного населения  на 1 января 2025 года|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/PrPopul2025_Site.xlsx|publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service]]|accessdate=3 February 2025}}</ref>
|[[Russian_Empire_census|1897]] | 514267
|[[1959 Soviet census|1959]] | 1976453
|[[1970 Soviet census|1970]] | 2313410
|[[1979 Soviet census|1979]] | 2559522
|[[1989 Soviet census|1989]] | 2830641
|[[2002 Russian census|2002]] | 2581705
|[[2010 Russian census|2010]] | 2428750
|[[2021 Russian census|2021]] | 2370102
|2025 | 2316571
}}

Irkutsk Oblast registered natural population growth in 2008, the first time after 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stat.irtel.ru/soc.php |title=Иркутскстат |access-date=2008-11-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303180717/http://www.stat.irtel.ru/soc.php |archive-date=March 3, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Still, the future prospects for population growth in Irkutsk seems bleak. In 2007, women in Irkutsk were having an average of 1.602 children each. Fertility rate was extremely low in urban areas, where women were having just 1.477 children each. In rural areas however, the fertility rate was slightly above replaceable levels. In rural areas of Irkutsk Oblast, women were having an average of 2.165 children each. (Figures are not available for 2008, although for Russia as a whole fertility rates for 2008 were approx. 6% higher than that in 2007, and for Irkutsk 9% higher).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gks.ru/doc_2008/family.zip |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-12-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723095742/http://www.gks.ru/doc_2008/family.zip |archive-date=July 23, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

'''Vital statistics for 2024:<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 February 2025 |title=Естественное движение населения в разрезе субъектов российской федерации за декабрь 2024 года |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/storage/mediabank/EDN_12-2024.htm |url-status=live |access-date=25 February 2025 |website=Rosstat}}</ref>'''
*Births: 22,304 (9.6 per 1,000)
*Deaths: 32,158 (13.8 per 1,000)

'''Total fertility rate (2024):<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-25 |title=Рейтинг рождаемости в регионах: кто в лидерах, а кто в аутсайдерах {{!}} Москва |url=https://fedpress.ru/article/3365231 |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=ФедералПресс |language=ru-RU}}</ref>'''<br />
1.62 children per woman

'''Life expectancy (2021):'''<ref name="rosstat">{{cite web|url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/folder/210/document/13207 |title=Демографический ежегодник России |publisher=[[Federal State Statistics Service (Russia)|Federal State Statistics Service of Russia]] (Rosstat) |access-date=2022-06-01 |language=ru |trans-title=The Demographic Yearbook of Russia}}</ref>  <br />
Total — 66.80 years (male&nbsp;— 61.90, female&nbsp;— 71.69)

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
!'''District in 2007'''
!'''Type'''
!'''Birth Rate<ref>{{cite web |url=http://irkutskstat.gks.ru/digital/region1/default.aspx |title=Территориальный орган Федеральной службы государственной статистики по Иркутской области - Население |access-date=2009-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903040247/http://irkutskstat.gks.ru/digital/region1/default.aspx |archive-date=September 3, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>'''
!'''Death Rate'''
!'''NGR'''
|----
|'''Irkutsk Oblast'''
|'''Obl'''
|'''13.8'''
|'''14.0'''
|''' -0.02%'''
|----
|[[Bratsk]]
|Urb
|11.8
|13.0
| −0.12%
|----
|[[Zima (town)|Zima]]
|Urb
|17.4
|17.2
|0.02%
|----
|[[Irkutsk]]
|Urb
|13.5
|12.6
|0.09%
|----
|[[Sayansk]]
|Urb
|12.9
|11.8
|0.11%
|----
|[[Svirsk]]
|Urb
|14.3
|21.7
| −0.74%
|----
|[[Tulun]]
|Urb
|13.9
|15.3
| −0.14%
|----
|[[Usolye-Sibirskoye]]
|Urb
|13.1
|16.3
| −0.32%
|----
|[[Ust-Ilimsk]]
|Urb
|10.5
|9.4
|0.11%
|----
|[[Cheremkhovo]]
|Urb
|15.1
|20.6
| −0.55%
|----
|[[Angarsk|Angarsky]]
|Rur
|11.0
|13.5
| −0.25%
|----
|[[Balagansky]]
|Rur
|15.9
|14.1
|0.18%
|----
|[[Bodaybinsky District|Bodaybinsky]]
|Rur
|13.6
|13.9
| −0.03%
|----
|[[Bratsky District|Bratsky]]
|Rur
|13.5
|14.7
| −0.12%
|----
|[[Zhigalovsky]]
|Rur
|18.8
|16.7
|0.21%
|----
|[[Zalarinsky]]
|Rur
|16.0
|15.9
|0.01%
|----
|[[Ziminsky District|Ziminsky]]
|Rur
|14.7
|16.4
| −0.17%
|----
|[[Irkutsky District|Irkutsky]]
|Rur
|16.1
|13.1
|0.30%
|----
|[[Kazachinsko-Lensky]]
|Rur
|15.3
|11.8
|0.35%
|----
|[[Katangsky]]
|Rur
|12.8
|14.6
| −0.18%
|----
|[[Kachugsky]]
|Rur
|17.3
|15.4
|0.19%
|----
|[[Kirensky District|Kirensky]]
|Rur
|13.6
|14.7
| −0.11%
|----
|[[Kuytunsky]]
|Rur
|16.0
|17.0
| −0.10%
|----
|[[Mamsko-Chuysky]]
|Rur
|9.9
|19.3
| −0.94%
|----
|[[Nizhneilimsky]]
|Rur
|14.3
|15.0
| −0.07%
|----
|[[Nizhneudinsky District|Nizhneudinsky]]
|Rur
|14.2
|19.9
| −0.57%
|----
|[[Olkhonsky]]
|Rur
|18.6
|13.0
|0.56%
|----
|[[Slyudyansky District|Slyudyansky]]
|Rur
|16.4
|15.6
|0.08%
|----
|[[Tayshetsky District|Tayshetsky]]
|Rur
|13.6
|16.4
| −0.28%
|----
|[[Tulunsky]]
|Rur
|15.8
|15.9
| −0.01%
|----
|[[Usolsky]]
|Rur
|14.1
|14.0
|0.01%
|----
|[[Ust-Ilimsky]]
|Rur
|14.4
|12.3
|0.21%
|----
|[[Ust-Kutsky District|Ust-Kutsky]]
|Rur
|16.5
|14.5
|0.20%
|----
|[[Ust-Udinsky]]
|Rur
|19.0
|15.4
|0.36%
|----
|[[Cheremkhovsky]]
|Rur
|18.1
|16.1
|0.20%
|----
|[[Chunsky District|Chunsky]]
|Rur
|14.4
|16.4
| −0.20%
|----
|[[Shelekhovsky District|Shelekhovsky]]
|Rur
|13.7
|12.3
|0.14%
|----
|[[Alarsky]]
|OAO
|15.5
|11.7
|0.38%
|----
|[[Bayandayevsky]]
|OAO
|18.2
|14.0
|0.42%
|----
|[[Bokhansky]]
|OAO
|16.1
|12.9
|0.32%
|----
|[[Nukutsky]]
|OAO
|21.2
|12.6
|0.86%
|----
|[[Osinsky District, Irkutsk Oblast|Osinsky]]
|OAO
|17.9
|12.3
|0.56%
|----
|[[Ekhirit-Bulagatsky]]
|OAO
|20.8
|11.5
|0.93%
|----
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Russia|Siberia}}
*[[Music of Irkutsk]]
*[[List of Chairmen of the Legislative Assembly of Irkutsk Oblast]]

==References==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|2}}

===Sources===
*{{RussiaBasicLawRef|irk}}
*{{Cite Soviet law
|ru_entity=Центральный исполнительный комитет СССР
|ru_type=Постановление
|ru_date=26 сентября 1937 г.
|ru_title=О разделении Восточно-Сибирской области на Иркутскую и Читинскую области
|ru_effective_date=
|ru_published_in=
|ru_published_date=
|ru_url=
|en_entity=[[Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union|Central Executive Committee of the USSR]]
|en_type=Resolution
|en_date=September&nbsp;26, 1937
|en_title=On Splitting East Siberian Oblast into Irkutsk and Chita Oblasts
|en_effective_date=
|en_url=
}}

==Further reading==
*Brumfield, William. ''Irkutsk: Architectural Heritage in Photographs''  (Moscow: Tri Kvadrata Publishing, 2006) {{ISBN|978-5-94607-061-4}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Irkutsk Oblast}}
*[http://www.irkobl.ru Official website of Irkutsk Oblast] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114110707/http://www.irkobl.ru/ |date=January 14, 2021 }} {{in lang|ru}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080313110707/http://www.kommersant.com/p-41/r_384/Irkutsk_Region/ Kommersant.com]. Information about Irkutsk Oblast.
*{{Cite NIE|wstitle=Irkutsk (government)|display=Irkutsk.  A governor-generalship and a government of Eastern Siberia|short=x}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Irkutsk (government) | volume= 14 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch |author1-link= Peter Kropotkin| last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas| pages = 795&ndash;796 |short= 1}}


{{Subdivisions of Russia}}
{{Irkutsk Oblast}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Irkutsk Oblast| ]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1937]]
[[Category:Oblasts of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]]
[[Category:Oblasts of Russia]]