Settlement pattern formation and sociodemographic security of Jewish Autonomous Oblast

Abstract

The paper presents a retrospective analysis of the settlement pattern formation in Jewish Autonomous Oblast (JAO) from the 1930s to the present. The current (1990–2010) geo-demographic situation in the municipal districts of the region is studied and three types of districts are identified. The values of the integral index of sociodemographic security of the municipal districts in the dynamics are calculated. It is concluded that since the end of the 20th century the municipal districts that concentrate more than 70% of the region’s population belong to the zone of social tension. It is shown that the function of social control over territories is essential for JAO in connection with its border position and weak development of the territory. The difference between the border territories of JAO and China in terms of the nature and intensity of use of the territory is analyzed and presented on a schematic map.