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The Narovlya region is
located in the southern part of Gomel oblast and borders
on the Yelsk, Mozyr and Khoiniki regions of Belarus and
the Narodichi, Ovruch, Polessye and Chernobyl regions of
Ukraine.
The total area –
158882 hectares including:
Lands of agricultural
organizations – 22601 hectares
Lands of the reserve –
63645 hectares
Contaminated lands,
withdrawn from agricultural use – 1450 hectares
Some 85 per cent of
the territory of the region is at the height of 120-140
meters above sea level. The soil fertility is low, with
acid soils prevailing.
The Narovlya region
was thought to be poorly endowed with minerals. Several
oil deposits were discovered there. In 1953 the first
Belarusian oil was extracted at the border with the
Yelsk region. Unfortunately further boring did give any
results. However, the research studies show that the
region has gas and oil deposits.
The prospecting work
in 1954-1956 showed that the sediments of the Pripyat
Cavity contained clay rocks, lignite and coal. The
region has small peat fields. Rock (kitchen) salt was
found on the territory of the region near the villages
of Guta and Zarakitniye. The depth of the deposits
ranges from 300 to 2500 meters. The salt mass capacity
is up to two kilometers. In 1975 a bentonite deposit was
found near the village of Okopy of the Narovlya region
(it is a resettlement zone today). It is one of the most
valuable clays used for petroleum product refining and
production of casting moulds.
Thermal salt brines
were discovered there as well. These are
high-concentration hydrosulphuric and sodium-chloride
Matsesta-type waters. When on the surface they have
temperature of 42 degrees Celsius and can be used to
treat diseases without additional heating.
The climate is
lukewarm, damp with rather warm long summers and cold
winters. The average annual temperature is 7,5 degrees
above zero Celsius. The hottest month is July with the
mean daily temperature of 19 degrees above zero Celsius.
The biggest volume of precipitations – up to 60 per cent
fall during the warm period (April-September). The
average annual number of precipitations – 500-550mm.
The river network is
part of the Black Sea basin and is connected with it by
the Dnepr River. The main river is Pripyat; its length
makes 802km.
There are 10 secondary
schools in the region (4 of them are
schools-kindergartens), 6 pre-school establishments, an
education and rehabilitation center, a children’s
orphanage, educational-production factory, 8 rural
cultural establishments, a regional House of Culture, 7
social services stations, 1 town library, 1 children’s
library, 3 libraries-clubs, an ethnographical museum, a
center of crafts, a film-making company, the central
regional hospital, 2 general practitioner’s clinics, 12
medical and obstetrical stations, a stadium and 11
sports jims. |