District of Chagoda

General Information

Total area: 2.400 sq km

Total population: 15.626

Administrative centre: settlement of Chagoda

Administrative division: 7 administrative areas

District centre population: 7.432

Foundation: 1926

Distance from Vologda: 319 km

Transportation routes: highway Vologda-Novaya Ladoga, a railway station in Chagoda

Climate: temperate continental with long winters, short warm summers

Inland waters: numerous rivers, more than 20 lakes

Flora and fauna: many species of fish - pike, perch, bream, ide and others; species of birds - wood grouse, hazel grouse, black grouse, willow grouse, wild duck; mammals - bear, wolf, fox, elk, wild boar, marten, lynx, polecat and others. The plant life map looks quite mixed. Woods occupy 63,9 % of the district's territory.

Natural resources: limestone, brick earth, carbonate rock, peat and rubble

Main branches of industry: glass industry, forage growing, food industry

Social infrastructure: 12 schools, 14 day-care centres, a vocational school, a children's home, libraries, clubs, a museum of local lore

District of Chagoda is located in the most western corner of the Vologda Oblast at the confluence of two rivers - the Chagodoshcha and Kabozha, which are affluents of the Mologa River. The district shares borders with the Leningrad Oblast in the north - west, the Novgorod Region in the south - west, district of Babaevo to the north - east and Ustyuzhna to the east. The total square of the district is 2,4 thousand sq.km.

The geographical situation of the westernmost district is very advantageous due to the intersection of highways and railroads and its proximity to Novgorod (380 km) and Vologda (326 km). It is located in between two Russia's major consumption markets - Moscow (600 km) and St.Petersburg (340 km).

The climate of the district of Chagoda is continental as in the whole western part of the Vologda Oblast. The summer, although short, is quite warm. The average temperature in July is between +18 and +20C. The coldest winter month is February, with the average temperature ranging between -12 and -14C.

The majority of the district is lowland. It is a vast wooded area with some 63,9 percent of its total land area covered by forests, both coniferous and deciduous. About 17,4 percent of inland territory are taken by marshes.

The flora in this part of the Vologda Oblast strikes by its diversity. The district abounds with a large amount of rare plants. About 500 species of plantlife can be found there, including 173 species of rare plants and 159 herbs. All in all that makes up 15-20 more species than in the neighbouring districts.

Another point of interest geologically and botanically is a geological monument named Glinnoye - anomalous meandering of the Chagodoshcha river-bed.

The rivers flowing on the territory of the district are branches of the Mologa River and belong to the river-basin of the Volga.

The best known geographic resource of the district of Chagoda is its number of lakes. Chagoda has over 20 lakes, the biggest of them are Chyornoye Lake, Siglinskoye Lake, Uglichnoye Lake and the Konevo.

Forests and groves have an abundance of mushrooms and berries - cloudberries, bilberries, red bilberries, raspberries and strawberries.

There are many species of birds there. The magnetism of this unique area for birdlife rests on its remoteness and abundant food resources. Among hunting species are wood grouses, hazel grouses, black grouses, ptarmigans and ducks.

There are many species of fish in the rivers and lakes - pike, perch, roach, bream, ide and others.

Forests contain an abundance of wilderness and wildlife. Elks, wild boars, brown bears, lynxes, red foxes, martens, squirrels and hares can be found there.