BELOKATAYSKY RAION

BELOKATAYSKY RAION, located in the NE of the RB. Established on August 20, 1930 under the name of Staro­Belo­ kataysky Raion, since Sept. 20, 1933 the current name. Between 1963—65, B.r. included the territory of Mechetlinsky Raion. Territory — 3,037 km2. Adm. centre — Selo Novobelokatay, which is located 341 km NE of Ufa and 36 km SW of the Unkurda Railway Station (Chelyabinsk Obl.). Popu­ lation — 18.2 thous. people (2017).

In 2017, the area of agricultural lands amounted to 116,9 thous. ha, including arable lands — 50.2, hayfields — 38, pastures — 28.7; forest area — 164.5, surface waters — 0.98. Agricultural enterprises [6 OOOs, 4 APCs, 63 peasant (farmer) farms] specialize in the cul­ tivation of wheat, rye, oats, barley, meat and dairy cattle breeding, and pigs breeding. Bee­keeping is well­developed. On the territory of the Raion, there are: a hatchery and poultry breeding station, OOO Karllyes, OOO Profit. There are: Urgalinskoye Linear Production Department of the OOO Gazprom Transgaz Ufa main gas pipelines, and Road Construction and Maintenance Administration. The territory of B.r. is crossed by the Yuzhno­Uralskaya Railway [Ber­ dyaush (Chelyabinsk Obl.)—Druzhinino (Sverdlovsk Obl.) section]. Highways: Maloyaz—Verkhniye  Kygi—Novobelokatay—Unkurda (Chelyabinsk Obl.), and Bolshe­ustikinskoye—Novobelokatay.

There are: a vocational school, 12 general education schools, a special (remedial) boar­ ding school, 22 pre­school educational institutions, House of Pioneers and School­ children, a youth sports school; a central hospital and 3 rural hospitals; 29 clubs, 21 libraries and a local history museum.