Much of the area of the district belongs to the basin of the Kubena River. The Kubena crosses the district from east to west, and, in particular, the town of Kharovsk is located on the Kubena. A major tributary of the Kubena within the district is the Sit. The basin of the Sit occupies the northwestern part of the district. The southern part of the district belongs to the basin of the Dvinitsa, a left tributary of the Sukhona. The whole area of the district thus belongs to the basin of the Northern Dvina and to the White Sea basin.
There are several lakes of considerable size in the district. The biggest one, Lake Katromskoye, drains into the Katroma River, which runs northeast and joins the Kubena in the east of the district.
Much of the district is covered by coniferous forests. There are swamps, in particular, in the valley of the Sit and in the south of the district.
Due to its remoteness from the main trade routes connecting Northern Russia with the White Sea, the area was sparsely populated until the end of the 19th century. In 1894, the construction of the railway line between Vologda and Arkhangelsk started. It was decided that the railway should run over the shortest route rather than pass through existing settlements, and it was eventually built through the present territory of the district.
On July 15, 1929, the uyezds were abolished, the governorates were merged into Northern Krai, and Kharovsky District was established among others. It became a part of Vologda Okrug of Northern Krai.[2] In the following years, the first-level administrative division of Russia kept changing. In 1936, the krai itself was transformed into Northern Oblast. In 1937, Northern Oblast was split into Arkhangelsk Oblast and Vologda Oblast. Kharovsky District remained in Vologda Oblast ever since.
In 1931, Syamzhensky District was abolished and split between Kharovsky and Totemsky Districts. In 1935, it was re-established. During the abortive administrative reform of 1962-1965, Syamzhensky District was merged into Kharovsky District. In 1965, it was re-established again.
The economy of the district is based on timber industry.[10]
Agriculture
Agriculture in the district is mostly concentrated on cattle breeding with milk and meat production.[11]
Transportation
The railway connecting Vologda and Arkhangelsk crosses the district from south to north. The main stations within the district are Kharovskaya and Semigorodnyaya. Semigorodnyaya was the starting point of the Semigorodnyaya Narrow Gauge Railroad, built in the 1940s to facilitate transportation of timber. The network was rather extensive and went well into Syamzhensky District, with the total length of about 200 kilometers (120 mi). By the first decade of the 2000s, most of the tracks were demolished.[12]
Roads connect Kharovsk with Syamzha in the east and Sokol in the south.
None of the rivers are navigable within the limits of the district.
Culture and recreation
The district contains twenty objects classified as cultural and historical heritage of local significance.[13] Most of these are churches built prior to 1917.
The only museum in the district is the Kharovsk Museum of Art and History which was founded in 1967 and reopened in 2000. The museum is located in Kharovsk.[14]
Vasily Belov, a Russian author and a representative of the Village Prose movement, was born in 1932 in the village of Timonikha[clarification needed] of Kharovsky District. In 2011, a folkloric and literature festival was held in Timonikha related to the beginning of hay-making season.[15]
Sports
One of the races of the Motocross Cup of Russia is held in July every year in the district close to Kharovsk (in the Cup schedule, it is denoted as the Kharovsk race).[16]
^Сельское хозяйство (in Russian). Администрация Харовского муниципального района. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
^Сенокос в Тимонихе (in Russian). Областной научно-методический центр культуры и повышения квалификации. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
^Информация (in Russian). MX-SPORT.RU. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
Sources
Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №371-ОЗ от 4 июня 1999 г. «О вопросах административно-территориального устройства Вологодской области», в ред. Закона №2916-ОЗ от 7 декабря 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон области "О вопросах административно-территориального устройства Вологодской области"». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №124–125, 29 июля 1999 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Law #371-OZ of June 4, 1999 On the Matters of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast, as amended by the Law #2916-OZ of December 7, 2012 On Amending the Oblast Law "On the Matters of the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Vologda Oblast". Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
Правительство Вологодской области. Постановление №178 от 1 марта 2010 г. «Об утверждении реестра административно-территориальных единиц Вологодской области», в ред. Постановления №686 от 25 июня 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в некоторые Постановления Правительства области». Вступил в силу 20 марта 2010 г. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №29, 20 марта 2010 г. (Government of Vologda Oblast. Resolution #178 of March 1, 2010 On Adopting the Registry of the Administrative-Territorial Units of Vologda Oblast, as amended by the Resolution #686 of June 25, 2012 On Amending Various Resolutions of the Oblast Government. Effective as of March 20, 2010.).
Законодательное Собрание Вологодской области. Закон №1127-ОЗ от 6 декабря 2004 г. «Об установлении границ Харовского муниципального района, границах и статусе муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав», в ред. Закона №3634-ОЗ от 28 апреля 2015 г. «О преобразовании некоторых муниципальных образований Харовского муниципального района, о внесении изменений в Закон области "Об установлении границ Харовского муниципального района, границах и статусе муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав" и изменения в Приложение к Закону области "О некоторых вопросах организации и деятельности органов местного самоуправления на территории Вологодской области"». Вступил в силу через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Красный Север", №242, 11 декабря 2004 г. (Legislative Assembly of Vologda Oblast. Law #1127-OZ of December 6, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of Kharovsky Municipal District, on the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations Comprising It, as amended by the Law #3634-OZ of April 28, 2015 On the Transformation of Several Municipal Formations in Kharovsky Municipal District, on Amending the Law of the Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of Kharovsky Municipal District, on the Borders and Status of the Municipal Formations It Comprises", and on Amending the Appendix to the Law of the Oblast "On Various Issues of Organization and Activity of the Bodies of Local Self-Government on the Territory of Vologda Oblast". Effective as of after 10 days from the day of the official publication.).