[9] The black soil of the district supports agriculture, and there are deposits of limestone and other minerals in the area.

This climate is characterized by large swings in temperature, both diurnally and seasonally, with mild summers and cold, snowy winters.

As with much of the north Tambov region, significant settlement began in 1635, with the building of the Belgorod Line, and the expansion of the fort as Kozlov (now the town of Michurinsky, 20 km to the west) [12] The line of fortifications from Belgorod to Simbirsk ran through what is now the Nikiforovsky District, leaving many sites of archaeological and cultural significance.

[13] In 1869, the South East Railway laid tracks through the district, on which the Nikiforovko station was built.

During the Great Patriotic War, over 14,000 citizens of Nikiforovsky District were enlisted in the Red Army; 6,436 did not return.

Detailed route map of South East Railway (in Russian) An E119 highway, from the north to Tambov, runs west-east across the middle of the district.

The Catherine Arboretum and experimental plant institute displays 230 species of trees and shrubs; it was founded in the 19th century by a local landlord, AA Ushakov.