January varying from in the northeast part of krai to in southwest part. The record lowest recorded temperature was (in the north). Minerals Perm Krai has an abundance of minerals. Oil, natural gas, gold, diamonds, chromites, peat, limestone and building materials are among the many natural resources extracted. Oil in its area was first discovered in 1929 near settlement Verhnechusovskie Gorodki. Currently there are more than 180 oil and gas fields known. Among them the developed ones are: 89 oil, 2 gas and 18 both oil and gas fields. Most of them are small and based in the central and southern districts of the krai. The northern fields are less developed because the oil lies deep under salt layers. Coal has been mined in Perm Krai for more than 200 years. For a long time it played an important role in the fuel and energy balance in the region. Maximum mining was in 1960 when it reached 12 million tonnes. Mining then decreased and there are no exploration of new fields. The Verkhnekamskoye deposit of potassium salts is one of the largest in the world. It is approx. , and the thickness of the salt layers reaches 514 m. In 1841 the geological Permian Period was named after strata of rocks from that time were found in this area. Flora and fauna Forests cover about 71% of Perm Krai's area. Coniferous forests predominate, with deciduous forests more common in the south. There are 62 species of mammals, more than 270 species of birds, 39 species of fishes, 6 species of reptile and 9 species of amphibians. Three nature reserves are located in Perm Krai: Basegi, Vishera, Preduralie. Politics During the Soviet period, the high authority in the oblast was shared between three persons: The first secretary of the Perm CPSU Committee (who in reality had the greatest authority), the chairman of the oblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the oblast Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Oblast administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside elected regional parliament. The Charter of Perm Krai is the fundamental law of the region. The Legislative Assembly of Perm Krai is the province's standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and