Object – is a countryside of administrative (Kirovograd) region; the purpose – is revealing of the general and intraregional features of complex development of the Kirovograd countryside and definition of prospects and directions of its functioning; methods - general scientific and special: the system approach, historical, statistical and mathematical methods, abstract-logical, the analysis, synthesis, method of analogies, the rating analysis, comparative-geographical, method of district dividing, cartographical; classification and typification; novelty - social-geographical research of the Kirovograd countryside, based on the analysis of a level of development of the basic functions, was held for the first time and it gave a possibility to reveal the general and intraregional features of complex development of a countryside; system of factors which noticeably influence development of a countryside, was analyzed, the special attention was given to the factor of a social infrastructure, it was held thedivision into districts of a countryside grounded on a level of the basic functions development in order to allocate and characterize three types of a countryside; the social-geographical concept "countryside" was improved, in particular, specificity of the way of life of agricultural population that defines distinctive features and value of a countryside in the territorial organization of a society; a methodology of research of a countryside which is based on definition of a level and efficiency of development of the basic functions nowadays; the list of functions which countryside carries out in the territorial organization of a society, in particular, social function with the chief component of it – educational function, which is the most developed in the countryside; structure of group of social-economic factors of countryside development where, in particular, were added some contemporary ones, such as: change of ownership forms, investments; principles and the basic directions of perspective developmentof different types of the countryside received the further development which would enable to level intraregional disproportions in their functional development.
