Krasnoyarsk, also spelled Krasnojarsk, or Krasnoiarsk, kray (territory), east-central Russia. It occupies an area of Central Siberia and extends from the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean to the Sayan Mountains in the south. In 2007 the autonomous okruga (districts) of Evenk and Taymyr (Dolgano-Nenets) were merged with Krasnoyarsk. The kray, which has its headquarters at Krasnoyarsk city, occupies almost all the Yenisey River basin; tributaries of the Yenisey River include the Angara, Podkamen Tunguska, Kureyka, and Turukhan rivers. The kray is also drained by the Chulym and Ket rivers of the Ob River basin. Much of Krasnoyarsk kray covers the Central Siberian Plateau, which reaches its highest point in the Putoran Plateau of the northwest. In the far south the Vostochny (East) and Zapadny (West) Sayan Mountains enclose the Minusinsk Basin. In the north the North Siberian Lowland separates the Byrranga Mountains of the Taymyr Peninsula from the plateau.
The kray’s vast area embraces a wide range of soils and vegetation, from the barren tundra of Taymyr to the steppe and rich soils of the Minusinsk Basin. The greater part of the kray consists of swampy forest, or taiga, of larch, pine, and birch, which becomes sparser and more stunted in the north. The climate is continental, with very cold winters, especially in the north. Permafrost is common in much of the kray.
The population, which consists of Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, and indigenous peoples, is concentrated in the south, along the Trans-Siberian Railroad and in the Minusinsk Basin; the remaining area is nearly uninhabited. The economic importance of the kray is threefold: its vast timber resources, which are exploited chiefly along the Trans-Siberian Railroad; its mineral wealth; and its hydroelectric potential. Its extensive drainage system makes possible the Krasnoyarsk and Sayan hydroelectric stations, among the largest in the world. Much lignite (brown coal) is mined at Kansk and Achinsk; nickel, cobalt, platinum, and copper at Norilsk; and gold in the southwestern plateau. Heavy industries of the region include machine building, metalworking, and smelting. Textiles, footwear, and leather are also produced. Meat and dairy cattle are raised, as are reindeer, sheep, horses, goats, and pigs. Hunting and fishing are important in the far north. Agriculture, chiefly wheat growing, is confined to the south. The kray is also a popular tourist area of Siberia. Area 903,400 square miles (2,339,700 square km). Pop. (2006 est.) 2,906,181.