 Kostromskaya Oblast is situated in the central part of the East European plain. In the south it borders upon Ivanovskaya Oblast, in the west - upon Yaroslavskaya Oblast, in the northwest and the north - upon Vologodskaya Oblast, in the northeast and the east - on Kirovskaya Oblast and in the southeast lies Nizhegorodskaya Oblast. In the centre of the oblast lies the Galich height (292 m high). The main rivers are the river of Volga with its tributaries (Kostroma, Uzhnya, Vetluga). There is a great number of lakes in the territory of Kostromskaya Oblast.
The climate is moderate continental; the average temperature of January is -12 degrees centigrade, the average temperature of July is +18 degrees. Precipitations are about 600 mm. a year. The oblast was formed on August 13, 1944. The area makes 60,1 thousand sq. km. (0,35 % of the total area of the Russian Federation).
The regional centre is the city of Kostroma founded in 1152. The distance to Moscow makes 372 km. The population of the city in 1994 was 303,8 thousand people. The city includes 3 districts: Dimitrovsky, Leninsky, Sverdlovsky.
Kostromskaya Oblast was formed on August 13, 1944 being separated from Yaroslavskaya Oblast. From 1929 till 1936 Kostromskaya Oblast was a part of Ivanovskaya one. From 1778 till 1918 there was the Kostroma province. The historical predecessor of the province was the Kostroma appanage princedom that existed in XIII century and was included in the middle of XIV c. into the Moscow State.
The Kostroma region is famous for the standard Russian landscape. There is a plenty of unique historical monuments. The region is famous for its original culture and life style. That is why Kostromskaya Oblast is attractive for tourists. Such ancient cities of the Kostroma territory as Galich, Makariyev, Kologriv, Nerekhta are picturesque and unique. The regional centre with its fine architectural monuments is included into the world famous tourist route "The Gold Ring".
What is the culture of the Kostroma territory? These are Grigory Ostrovsky and Efim Chestnyakov's masterpieces, palaces of boyars Romanovs in the Ipatiyevsky monastery and the linen towel embroidered by good hands of a Nerekhta woman. These are ancient manuscripts and modern editions, professional creative collectives and amateur and folk arts.
In the Kostroma land the ancient spiritual traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church are being restored to life. Here were again opened temples and monasteries, where one can get acquainted with life of monks. To the sanctuaries of the Kostroma land belongs the Feodorskaya Icon of Mother of God kept in the Bogoyavlensky-Anastasiinsky nunnery. Church of Resurrection on Debra, a masterpiece of the Kostroma architecture of XVII c., is considered a pearl of the Upper Volga region.
The museum Shelykovo is in favour with tourists. It is the museum of the great Russian playwright A.N.Ostrovsky and a "native land" of the Snow Maiden. Jewels of gold and silver made in Krasnoye village are well-known in Russia and abroad.
The region is characterized by its clean environment, large forests, rich mineral resources and therapeutic muds. All this contributes to development of all kinds of tourism in Kostromskaya Oblast.
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