Novosibirsk Oblast is located in the south of the West Siberian Plain, at the foothills of low Salair ridge, between the Ob and Irtysh Rivers.

[14] The oblast has 4,531,800 hectares or 45,318 square kilometres of forests, with 509.88 million cubic meters of timber reserves.

Coniferous forests - located mostly near the Ob River and the Salair Ridge - cover an area of 1,011,900 hectares or 10,119 square kilometres with timber reserves of 121.39 million cubic meters.

The economic potential of the forests is reduced by the fact that most of them are located in the north of the region, in areas that are difficult to access.

[14] During the Middle Ages the region was populated by Siberian Tatar tribes (Baraba and Chat).

Being constantly raided by Kalmyk nomads throughout the first centuries of the exploration of Siberia future Novosibirsk Oblast did not attract many Russian colonists, who preferred to settle around more northerly Tomsk.

In 1716, officer Ivan Butkeyev built the Berd fortress that later became the city of Berdsk, the main center of future colonization and development of the region.

Like many other parts of Siberia, the Berd lands became a safe haven for political dissents, fugitive serfs and religious sects from all across Russia.

Founded in 1893, Novosibirsk, then Novonikolayevsk, became a transport hub of sub-regional importance and surpassed other major Siberian cities like Omsk and Tomsk in mere decades.

Since 1991, CPSU lost power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually governor were appointed/elected alongside the elected regional parliament.

According to the 2021 Census,[17] the ethnic composition of the oblast was 94.2% Russians; 0.7% Tatars; 0.7% Germans; 0.4% Tajiks; 0.4% Ukrainians; 0.4% Kazakhs; 0.4% Uzbeks; 0.3% Kyrgyz; 0.2% Armenians and 0.2% Azerbaijanis.

[20] Vital statistics for 2022:[21][22] Total fertility rate (2022):[23] 1.49 children per woman Life expectancy (2021):[24] Total — 69.19 years (male — 64.37, female — 73.98) Vital statistics since 1990 (per 1000) (per 1000) (per 1000) Major urban centers in 2021 were Novosibirsk (with a population of 1,633,595), Berdsk (102,850), Iskitim (57,147), Kuybyshev (41,946).

Immigrants already working in Novosibirsk Oblast have to leave after the next three months by the time the ban takes effect in December 2016.

In addition, 32% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 25% is atheist, and 11.1% follows other religions or did not give an answer to the question.

[14] One of the largest companies is the aircraft-maker Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association, which assembles Su-34 fighters, among others.

During the summer, 30% of the region's electricity needs is satisfied by the Novosibirsk Hydroelectric Station, which has a capacity of 455 MW.

[14] In the 2005/2006 ranking "Best Legal Conditions for Investment"–conducted by the Expert RA rating agency–Novosibirsk Oblast received the third place among all 89 federal subjects of Russia.