Features of the population settlement system in the regions of the China – Mongolia – Russia economic corridor

Abstract

Abstract The article presents an analysis of the existing objective conditions and patterns of population distribution on the territory of the China – Mongolia – Russia economic corridor. The study area covers the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China (Inner Mongolia), the central aimags of Mongolia and the Baikal region (Russia). The settlement system of adjacent regions is highly differentiated in terms of natural and geographical conditions, the level of production development, socioeconomic development, and the state of infrastructure. The average population density of the study area is 10.1 people per km2: there are relatively low indicators in the Baikal region, 2.8 people per km2; 4.2 people per km2 are in the central regions of Mongolia, and 21.2 people per km2 are in Inner Mongolia. The highest population density is observed in areas where highways and railways pass. During the period under review (from 2000 to 2018), the indices of population change in adjacent regions amounted to 93.7% in Russia, 129.0% in Mongolia and 106.7% in China. In the study regions, the population lives mainly in cities and large settlements. In the Baikal region, the level of urbanization is 68.6%, in Mongolia – 67.8% and in Inner Mongolia – 62.7%. The growth of cities is mainly due to internal migration, especially in the Russian and Mongolian territories; the process of depopulation of the countryside is taking place.