NIZHEGOROD (an abbreviation from Nijni-Novgorod), a province of the Russian S.F.S.R., bounded on the east by Vyatka, the Marii autonomous area and the Chuvash Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic, on the south of Ulianovsk, Penza and Ryazan, on the west by Vladimir, Ivanovo-Vosnesensk and Kos troma, and on the north by the North Dwina province. Area 78,208 square kilometres. Pop. (1926) 2,736,221. It is smaller than the pre-1917 province of Nijni-Novgorod. The northern portion consists of a pine forest area lying along each side of the Vetluga river from the point where it curves sharply to the south, though the lower course of the Vetluga, and its junction with the Volga, lie in the Marii area. The forest approaches the left bank closely, but along the right bank there are a series of settlements in the forest free strip. South of the Volga is a fertile black earth area, between the Oka on the west, which forms the boundary of the province in the south-west, and then flows through the province of Vladimir, finally turning sharply to the east and flowing through the Nizhegorod province to its junction with the Volga, and the Sura on the east, which flows through the Chuvash Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic in the south, but forms the boundary between that republic and the Nizhegorod province in the north of its course. This southern part has little forest and consists of high plains, with river valleys entrenching them, and the valley black earth is the most fertile soil in entire area of the province.
The southern part is not favourable to grass and meadow culti vation, so that dairying has not developed. Grain cultivation occu pies 85% of the ploughed land, the chief crops being rye and oats, with a little wheat, millet and buckwheat. Potatoes, flax and a little hemp are grown. Fruit and vegetables are cultivated along the Oka and Volga and find a ready market in Nizhniy Novgorod. Sheep, cattle, horses, pigs and goats are reared. The
province is sparsely peopled, especially in the north ; the popula tion is mainly Great Russian, though there are Mordvinian and Tatar colonies in the south-east. Bog iron ores, sand, salt and phosphorite are found. The province is rich in peat, and the elec tric station opened in 1925-26 at Balakhna, on the Volga, north of Nizhniy-Novgorod, works on peat fuel and has a power of 20,000 kilowatts. Factory industries include the making of ma chinery for railway and river transport, and for local peasant industries, flour-milling, distilling, saw-milling and the manufac ture of cardboard and paper, brewing and the making of leather goods. The poor guarantee for agriculture has led to a great development of koustar (peasant) industry, especially the making of wooden articles (41%) and textiles, including woollen goods and felt (3o%). Special peasant industries are wooden spoons in Semenov, cutlery and locks in Gorbatov, spindles in Balakhna, fancy boxes in Makaryev, and furs and leather goods.
popularly known as Tagil, a Russian town in the Sverdlovsk area, in N., 54' E. Pop. (1933) 126,000. It lies in a valley on the eastern slope of the Ural Mountains, within a few miles of the place where the Tagil escapes to the lowlands to join the Tura, a tributary of the Tobol. The southern part of this valley is occupied by the upper Tagil, and its northern portion by the upper Tura, from which the Tagil is separated by a low watershed. The town is connected by railway (the first in Siberia) with Perm and Sverd lovsk, and with mines to the east and west. It was founded in 1725 by the Russian mine-owner Demidov. Nizhne-Tagilsk is a central foundry for iron-mines and other works. Gold, platinum and copper are mined at Nizhne-Tagilsk, and there is a brick making industry. Wagon works with an output of 5,000 wagons per annum were under construction in 1928.