The Kirov Region is located among dense forests and shares borders with the Perm Territory, the Republics of Udmurtia and Komi, and the Arkhangelsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Kostroma Regions.  The Trans-Siberian Railway passes through the region.

  The administrative centre of the region is the city of Kirov which still bears its Soviet name, it was previously known as Vyatka.  The city is famous for the famous Dymkovo toys and is referred to as the peat and fur capital of Russia.  During the Soviet era the city was closed to foreigners in connection with the military factories here.   The most popular natural sight in the region is Lake Shaitan famous for its ‘floating islands’.