| Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Civilian medal |
| Awarded for | Development of virgin and fallow lands in Kazakhstan, Siberia, the Ural, the Volga and the North Caucasus. |
| Presented by |  Soviet Union |
| Eligibility | Soviet citizens |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Established | October 26, 1956 |
| Total | 1,345,520 |
 Ribbon of the Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" | |
The Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" (Russian: Медаль «За освоение целинных земель», romanized: Medal' "Za osvoyeniye tselinnykh zemel'") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union established on October 26, 1956 by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR[1] to recognise individuals who displayed superior performance in labour over two years connected with the Virgin Lands Campaign started in 1954 by Nikita Khrushchev to cultivate 36,000,000 ha (89,000,000 acres; 360,000 km2) of previously uncultivated lands in Kazakhstan, Siberia, the Urals, the Volga area and the northern Caucasus, it was intended to serve as an example for good achievements in the performance of civic duties.[1]
- ^ a b "Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 26, 1956" (in Russian). Legal Library of the USSR. 1956-10-26. Retrieved 2012-04-20.