VOLOGDA, a province of the Russian S.F.S.R., very much smaller than the pre-I917 province of that name. Area 110,365 sq.km. Pop. (1926) 1,052,645. The provinces of North Dwina, Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Cherepovetz fringe it, as does the Lenin grad Area and the Karelian A.S.S.R.
Much of it was under ice during the glacial epoch, and it is a region of boulder clay, marsh, lakes and numerous streams. The largest lakes are Kubensk and Lacha, and the rivers include the Sukhona, flowing north-west from Lake Kubensk, and the upper course of the Onega and of the Vaga, both flowing northward, the former into the Arctic Ocean and the latter joining the northern Dwina. Nearly half of the province is covered with coniferous forest, densest in the north, and there are vast marshes.
The south has been largely cleared of forest and in spite of the poor soil and difficult climatic conditions, crops are raised. The climate is continental and the winter long. Average January tem perature at Vologda 10.7° F, July 63.5° F. The climate is variable from year to year, and early autumn frost or unduly prolonged spring frost may ruin the crops. The rainfall is mainly in July and August and the dry spring and rainy summer are unfavour able to grain crops; it varies from 30o to 500 mm. per annum.
The chief crops are winter rye (37.9%) and oats (38.4%). Barley, flax, potatoes, summer wheat, grasses, peas and hemp are also grown in small quantities. The poor soil and need for careful manuring and preparation mean that so working days must go for soil preparation as against 25 days in the Kuban— Black Sea district. Cultivation provides 3o% of the income of the province, and stock-raising and its dependent industries, 4o%. Dairy cattle, of the Kholmogory breed in the north and the Yaro slavl breed in the south, are raised and dairying has developed rapidly since the railway provided an outlet for butter. There are about 400 dairy artels which co-operate for the purchase of separators and butter coolers and for sales, and refrigerators, new factories and small electric stations are under construction. Horses, sheep and pigs are also raised, the latter are increasing in dependence on the dairy industry. Poultry•keeping is slowly
developing. The timber industry is not well developed, owing to lack of capital, though there is some saw-milling. It diminished markedly in the disturbed conditions of the civil war following 1917, and in 192o was only 4% of the pre-war product. It is slowly recovering. In dependence on it there are paper manufac tures and two cellulose and wood pulp factories.
The railway from Moscow to Archangel goes northwards through Vologda and in 1916 the single track was made double, thus much increasing its usefulness, and there are railway links from the town of Vologda to Leningrad and to the Vyatka-Perm railway. The Sukhona is a navigable water-way linking with the northern Dwina, and there is a canal linking Lake Kubensk with the Sheksna, a tributary of the Volga. Except for Vologda (see below) no town reaches a population of 6,000. The popula tion is mainly Russian.
Vologda, the chief town of the above province, situated on the Vologda river above its confluence with the navigable Suk hona river, in 59' 14' N., 43' E. PoP. (1933) 72,40o. The town is a railway junction, and has railway and steamer repair yards, and manufactures agricultural implements, leather and beer. Pottery, glass and cement factories are under construction (1928), and there is a municipal electricity and water supply. It has grown rapidly as the railway developed, and has numerous trading enterprises, collecting local products for export to Arch angel, Leningrad and Moscow.
Its trade is very ancient ; it was founded as a colony of Nov gorod in 1147, when the fur trade was at its height. The Tatars, in alliance with the Prince of Tver, plundered it in 1273, but it soon recovered. Moscow and Novgorod disputed possession of it until 1447, when it was definitely annexed to the former. The opening of Archangel as a port in 1553 made it the chief depot for goods for the north. It was devastated by the Poles in 1613 and by plague in 1648. With the foundation in 1703 of St. Peters burg (Leningrad) trade went via the Baltic, and Vologda declined, but developed again after the building of the railway to Archangel.