The Republic of Bashkortostan (Russian: Респу́блика Башкортоста́н; Bashkir: Башҡортостан Республикаһы) or Bashkiria (Башки́рия) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is Ufa.
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[edit] Terminology
The direct romanization of the republic's name in Russian is Respublika Bashkortostan or Bashkiriya, and the romanization of the republic's name in Bashkir is Başqortostan Respublikahı.
[edit] History
The first settlements in the territory of modern Bashkortostan were set up in the early Paleolithic period; however, it was the Bronze Age which served as a spur to populate this territory. When people of Abashevo culture started settling here, they possessed high skills in manufacturing bronze tools, weapons, and decorations. They were the first to establish permanent settlements in the Southern Urals.
Bashkortostan is a territory in the Southern Urals and in Cis-Urals, named after its native people - Bashkirs (bashkort). The Russian (Slavonic) name of the country — Bashkiriya — formed at the end of the XVI century. Originally it was used in the form «Bashkir’», «Bashkirda», «Bashkir horde». The first written references to Bashkir tribes were in compositions of Herodotus (fifth century B.C.). The ethnonym Bashkirs first became known in the 9th century. Valuable information is contained in works by Sallam Tardzheman (IX cent.) and Ibn-Fadlan (X cent.); Al-Balkhi (X cent.) wrote about Bashkirs as a people, divided into two groups, one of which inhabited the Southern Urals, the other near the Danube river , close to the boundaries of Byzantium. His contemporary Ibn-Ruste wrote that Bashkirs were «an independent people, occupying territories on both sides of the Ural mountain ridge between Volga, Kama, Tobol and upstream of Yaik river».
After the early-feudal Mongolian state had broken down, the territory of modern Bashkortostan was divided between Kazan, Siberia Khanates and Nogai Horde. The tribes that lived there were headed by bi (tribal heads). After Kazan fell to Ivan the Terrible in 1554–1555, representatives of western and northwestern Bashkir tribes approached the Tsar with a request to voluntarily join the Muscovy.
Starting from the second half of the 16th century, Bashkiria's territory began taking shape as a part of the Russian state. In 1798 the Spiritual Assembly of Russian Muslims was established— an indication that the tsarist Government recognized the rights of Bashkirs, Tatars, and other Muslim nations to profess Islam and perform religious rituals. Ufa Governorate (guberniya), with a center in Ufa, was formed in 1865— another step towards territorial identification.
After the Russian revolution, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) was established, firstly as Little Bashkortostan, but eventually all of Ufa Governorate was incorporated into the newly established republic. During the Soviet period, Bashkiria was granted broad autonomous rights— the first among other Russian regions. The administrative structure of the Bashkir ASSR was based on principals similar to those of other autonomous republics of Russia.
The extraction of crude oil in Bashkiria began in 1932. At the end of 1943, large crude oil deposits were discovered. During World War II, Bashkiria became one of the major regions of the Soviet Union to accommodate plants and factories evacuated from Western Russia, as well as great masses of people, as well as providing the country with weaponry, fuel, and foodstuffs. After the war, a good number of industries were further developed in Bashkiria such as mining, machine building and, especially, oil-refining. Bashkiria's industry became a solid base for the further economic growth of all European outlying territories of Russia.
On October 11, 1990 the Supreme Soviet of the Republic adopted the Declaration on state sovereignty of the Bashkir ASSR. On February 25, 1992 the Bashkir ASSR was renamed the Republic of Bashkortostan.
On March 31, 1992 a Federative Compact "On separation of authorities and powers among federal organs of power of the Russian Federation and the organs of power of the Republic of Bashkortostan" was signed. On August 3, 1994 a Compact "On separation of authorities and mutual delegating of powers among the organs of power of the Russian Federation and the organs of power of the Republic of Bashkortostan" was signed.
[edit] Politics
The head of the government of Bashkortostan is the President, who is appointed by the President of Russia for a four-year term. According to the Constitution, the President of the Republic of Bashkortostan guarantees rights and liberties of the country's people and citizens, protects economic and political interests of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and secures legitimacy, law and order within its territory.
Rustem Khamitov assumed office as president on 19th July 2010. His predecessor was Murtaza Rakhimov, elected on December 17, 1993. Before the elections, Rakhimov was the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic— the highest post at that time. Rakhimov was re-elected in December 2003 in a poll condemned by the OSCE for exhibiting "elements of basic fraud."
The Republic's parliament is the State Assembly—Kurultai, popularly elected every five years. The one-chamber State Assembly has 120 deputies.
The Republic's Constitution was adopted on December 24, 1993. Article 1 of the Constitution stipulates that Bashkortostan is a sovereign state within Russia, it has state power beyond the limits of authority of the Russian Federation and the powers of the Russian Federation concerning the aspect of joint authority of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Bashkortostan. The Republic of Bashkortostan is a full-fledged subject of the Russian Federation on equal and agreed bases.
The relations of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Russian Federation are at present based on the articles of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Federative Compact (with amendments), and the Agreement on Separation of authorities and powers and mutual delegating of powers among the organs of state power of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
The judicial power of the Republic is in the hands of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, district Courts, and justices of the peace.
In full accord with universally recognized principles of international law, articles of the European Charter on local self-government and the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Bashkortostan ensures in its Constitution that local self-government is recognized and guaranteed within the republic's territory.
The Republic of Bashkortostan resolves all issues of administrative-territorial structure on its own. The list of districts and towns, municipalities, as well as the order of establishing, amending and changing borders of municipalities and their names are stipulated by the Republic of Bashkortostan law "On administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Bashkortostan and territory of municipalities".
[edit] Economy
Bashkortostan is one of the most developed regions of the Russian Federation in terms of its gross regional output, volume of industrial production, agricultural production, and investment in fixed assets.
The economy of Bashkortostan, being one of the largest industrial centers of Russia, is very diverse. Bashkortostan has a large agricultural sector. But the republic's most important industry is chemical processing; Bashkortostan produces more oil than any other region of Russia, about 26 million tons annually, and provides 17% of the country's gasoline and 15% of its diesel fuel. Other important products manufactured in Bashkortostan include alcohols, pesticides and plastics. The republic's gross regional product in 2007 was 645 billion rubles (over €18 billion).[11] More than half of Bashkortostan's industry is based in Ufa, the republic's capital.
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross regional product | 214.8 | 279.7 | n/a | billion roubles | |
| Industrial production volume | 161.7 | 192.1 | 354 | billion roubles | |
| Construction | 1,408 | 1,471.5 | 1508.4 | th.m.² | |
| Agricultural produce | 50.1 | 52.1 | 57.2 | billion roubles | |
| Investments into fixed capital | 52.1 | 53.7 | 62.4 | billion roubles | |
| Accumulated foreign investments | 71.7 | 97.6 | 157.1 | million US$ | |
| Foreign trade turnover | 2646 | 3045.3 | 3840.6 | million US$ | |
| Export | 2303.4 | 2724.4 | 3525.9 | million US$ | |
| Import | 342.3 | 320.9 | 314.7 | million US$ | |
| Wholesale trade turnover | 117.7 | 118.1 | 151.2 | billion roubles |
[edit] Geography
Bashkortostan contains part of the southern Urals and the adjacent plains.
- Area: 143,600 km² (according to the 2002 Census) or 142,900 km² (according to Bashkortostanstat[12])
- Borders: Bashkortostan borders Perm Krai (N), Sverdlovsk Oblast (NE), Chelyabinsk Oblast (NE/E/SE), Orenburg Oblast (SE/S/SW), Tatarstan (W), and Udmurtia (NW).
- Highest point: Mount Yamantaw (1,638 m).
- Maximum N->S distance: 550 km.
- Maximum E->W distance: over 430 km.
- Average elevation: no data.
Bashkortostan is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
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Rocks
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Katav River
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Lake Talkas
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The Waterfall Atysh
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Landscape
[edit] Rivers
There are over 13,000 rivers in the republic. Many rivers are part of the deepwater transportation system of European Russia; they provide access to ports of the Baltic and Black seas.
Major rivers include:
- Belaya (Aghidhel) River (1,430 km)
- Ufa (Qaraidel) River (918 km)
- Sakmara River (760 km)
- Ik (Iq) River (571 km)
- Dyoma River (556 km)
- Ay River (549 km)
- Yuruzan River (404 km)
- Bystry Tanyp River (345 km)
- Sim River (239 km)
- Nugush River (235 km)
- Tanalyk River (225 km)
- Zilim River (215 km)
- Syun River (209 km)
[edit] Lakes
There are 2,700 lakes and reservoirs in the republic. Major lakes and reservoirs include:
- Asylykül Lake (23.5 km²)
- Qandrykül Lake (15.6 km²)
- Urgun Lake (12.0 km²)
- Pavlovskoye Reservoir (120.0 km²)
- Nugushkoye Reservoir (25.2 km²)
[edit] Mountains
The republic contains part of the southern Urals, which stretch from the northern to the southern border. The highest mountains include:
- Mount Yamantaw (1,638 m)
- Mount Bolshoy Iremel (1,582 m)
- Mount Maly Iremel (1,449 m)
- Mount Arwyakryaz (1,068 m)
- Mount Zilmerdaq (909 m)
- Mount Alataw (845 m)
- Mount Yurmataw (842 m)
[edit] Natural resources
The Republic of Bashkortostan is one of the richest territories of Russia in mineral resources with deposits of some 3,000 mineral resources. Bashkortostan is rich in crude oil reserves, and was one of the principal centers of oil extraction in the Soviet Union. Other major resources are natural gas, coal, ferrous metal ores, manganese, chromite, iron ores, non-ferrous metals ores (lead, tungsten), non-metallic ores (rock crystal, fluorite, iceland spar, sulfide pyrites, barite, silicates, silica, asbestos, talcum), deposits of precious and semi-precious stones and natural stones (malachite, jade, granite).
The republic has enough mineral resources to provide its power and fuel complex as well as petro-chemical, chemical, agro-industrial complex, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, glass-making and ceramic branches with raw materials.
Bashkortostan is one of the major raw materials bases for Russia non-ferrous metallurgy. The republic has good deposits of lignite with a high degree of bitumenosity. This lignite can be used for obtaining a variety of different chemical products like resins, surface-active substances, gummy fertilizers, and other stimulants for plants growth. Mining-chemical raw materials (rock salt, lime, phosphorites, barytes, etc.) are quite substantial, and are utilized in the republic economy.
Bashkortostan is also rich in woods. The total territory covered with forests is about 62,000 square kilometers (24,000 sq mi). More than one third of the republic territory is covered with woods. The following types of trees dominate: birch tree, conifers, lime, oak, and maple. The general stock of timber according to some evaluation is 717.9 million m³. Bashkortostan forests have special sanctuaries and national parks. They cover more than 10,000 square kilometers (4,000 sq mi).
Bashkortostan is also rich in springs and sources of mineral, medicinal, and drinking water.
[edit] Climate
- Average annual temperature: 0.3 °C (mountains) to 2.8 °C (plains)
- Average January temperature: −16 °C (3.2 °F)
- Average July temperature: +18 °C (64.4 °F)
[edit] Administrative divisions
[edit] Demographics
- Population development
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1897 | 1,991,000 |
| 1913 | 2,811,000 |
| 1926 | 2,547,000 |
| 1939 | 3,158,000 |
| 1959 | 3,340,000 |
| 1970 | 3,818,000 |
| 1979 | 3,849,000 |
| 1989 | 3,950,000 |
| 2002 | 4,104,000 |
| 2005 | 4,078,800 |
- Population: 4,104,336 (2002)
- Urban: 2,626,613 (70.8%)
- Rural: 1,477,723 (29.2%)
- Male: 1,923,233 (46.9%)
- Female: 2,181,103 (53.1%)
- Females per 1000 males: 1,134
- Average age: 35.6 years
- Urban: 35.2 years
- Rural: 36.4 years
- Male: 33.4 years
- Female: 37.7 years
- Number of households: 1,429,004 (with 4,066,649 people)
- Urban: 931,417 (with 2,592,909 people)
- Rural: 497,587 (with 1,473,740 people)
- Vital statistics
| Births | Deaths | Birth rate | Death rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 63,498 | 28,004 | 16.6 | 7.3 |
| 1975 | 63,096 | 31,802 | 16.5 | 8.3 |
| 1980 | 67,743 | 36,067 | 17.6 | 9.4 |
| 1985 | 76,839 | 39,101 | 19.9 | 10.1 |
| 1990 | 63,899 | 38,157 | 16.2 | 9.7 |
| 1991 | 58,240 | 39,638 | 14.7 | 10.0 |
| 1992 | 53,271 | 43,539 | 13.3 | 10.9 |
| 1993 | 46,772 | 50,738 | 11.6 | 12.6 |
| 1994 | 47,296 | 54,267 | 11.7 | 13.4 |
| 1995 | 45,622 | 51,734 | 11.2 | 12.7 |
| 1996 | 45,228 | 49,600 | 11.1 | 12.1 |
| 1997 | 43,776 | 49,354 | 10.7 | 12.0 |
| 1998 | 44,465 | 48,470 | 10.8 | 11.8 |
| 1999 | 41,368 | 52,608 | 10.0 | 12.8 |
| 2000 | 41,642 | 53,550 | 10.1 | 13.0 |
| 2001 | 42,793 | 55,001 | 10.4 | 13.4 |
| 2002 | 45,481 | 57,836 | 11.1 | 14.1 |
| 2003 | 45,583 | 58,237 | 11.1 | 14.2 |
| 2004 | 45,733 | 57,726 | 11.2 | 14.1 |
| 2005 | 44,094 | 57,787 | 10.8 | 14.2 |
| 2006 | 45,055 | 55,319 | 11.1 | 13.6 |
| 2007 | 51,453 | 55,144 | 12.7 | 13.6 |
| 2008 | 54,493 | 55,568 | 13.4 | 13.7 |
- Ethnic groups
According to the 2002 Census the ‘national composition’ was • Russian 36.32% • Bashkir 29.76% • Tatar 24.14% • Chuvash 2.86% • Mari 2.58% • Ukrainian 1.35% • Mordovian 0.63% • Udmurt 0.55% • Belarusians 0.42% • Armenian 0.21% • German 0.20% • Uzbek 0.13% • Azeri 0.12% • Kryashen 0.11% • Kazakh 0.10% • Tajik 0.07% • Jewish 0.06% • and various other groups of less than two thousand persons each. An additional 0.11% of the inhabitants declined to state their nationality on the census questionnaire.[13] Historical figures are shown below:
| census 1926 | census 1939 | census 1959 | census 1970 | census 1979 | census 1989 | census 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bashkirs | 625,845 (23.5%) | 671,188 (21.2%) | 737,744 (22.1%) | 892,248 (23.4%) | 935,880 (24.3%) | 863,808 (21.9%) | 1,221,302 (29.8%) |
| Russians | 1,064,707 (39.9%) | 1,281,347 (40.6%) | 1,418,147 (42.4%) | 1,546,304 (40.5%) | 1,547,893 (40.3%) | 1,548,291 (39.3%) | 1,490,715 (36.3%) |
| Tatars | 621,158 (23.3%) | 777,230 (24.6%) | 768,566 (23.0%) | 944,505 (24.7%) | 940,436 (24.5%) | 1,120,702 (28.4%) | 990,702 (24.1%) |
| Chuvash | 84,886 (3.2%) | 106,892 (3.4%) | 109,970 (3.3%) | 126,638 (3.3%) | 122,344 (3.2%) | 118,509 (3.0%) | 117,317 (2.9%) |
| Mari | 79,298 (3.0%) | 90,163 (2.9%) | 93,902 (2.8%) | 109,638 (2.9%) | 106,793 (2.8%) | 105,768 (2.7%) | 105,829 (2.6%) |
| Ukrainians | 76,710 (2.9%) | 99,289 (3.1%) | 83,594 (2.5%) | 76,005 (2.0%) | 75,571 (2.0%) | 74,990 (1.9%) | 55,249 (1.3%) |
| Others | 113,232 (4.2%) | 132,860 (4.2%) | 129,686 (3.9%) | 122,737 (3.2%) | 115,363 (3.0%) | 111,045 (2.8%) | 123,222 (3.0%) |
Spoken languages: Russian (~100%), Tatar (34%), Bashkir (26%).[14]
[edit] Religion
Adherents of Islam account for the majority of Bashkir and Tatar. Most Russians, Chuvash, Mari and Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians. Non-religious people form a substantial part of any ethnic group in Bashkortostan. There are 13,000 Jews in the republic, with a historic synagogue in Ufa, and a new Jewish Community Center built in 2008.[15]
[edit] Education
About 60 scientific organizations are active in Bashkortostan. Fundamental and applied scientific research is under way at 12 Institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 29 Institutes of different branches of industry, as well as numerous design bureaus and organizations, universities, and colleges.
The country's system of popular education took shape over many centuries and reflects the Bashkir people's folklore, national customs, and traditions. When Islam spread in Bashkiria in the 10th century, an educational system began to emerge gradually— primarily religious schools operated under the supervision of mosques (maktabeh and madrasah).
In addition, many institutions of higher education operate in the republic, including branches of 16 leading Russian universities and colleges. Specialists graduate with degrees in about 200 trades and professions.
Education is primarily in Russian, Bashkir, and Tatar.
[edit] Culture
Bashkortostan is one of the largest cultural centers of Russia. The republic is located on the border of Europe and Asia and inhabited by peoples of more than a hundred nationalities.
In addition, Bashkortostan is home to song and dance companies, a network of national theaters, museums, and libraries, and a number of annual folk festivals. The republic has seven Bashkir, four Russian, and two Tatar State Drama Theaters, a State Opera and Ballet Theater, a National Symphony Orchestra, "Bashkortostan" film studio, thirty philharmonic collectives, and the Bashkir State Folk Dance Ensemble.
The Bashkir School of Dance is well respected, with many students receiving international awards at competitions in Russia and other countries. World-renowned ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, as a child, was encouraged to dance in Bashkir folk performances, and began his dancing career in Ufa.
Three state programs in the cultural sphere have been adopted:
- the program for further development of art and culture up to 2005;
- "People of Bashkortostan" Program for the years 2003–2012;
- the Program for further study, revival and growth of folklore of Bashkortostan peoples.
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