Encyclopedia
The
Republic of Tatarstan or, unofficial,
Tataria is a
federal subject of
Russia . The unofficial Tatarstan motto is:
Buldirabiz! .
Terminology
The direct transliteration of its name from Russian is
Respublika Tatarstan. Another Tatar version of the name reads
Tatarstan Cömhüriäte , but it is not official. Another version of Russian name is
????´??? and was official among with
Tatar ASSR during Soviet rule.
Geography
The Republic is located in the center of the East European Plain, approximately 800 km east of
Moscow. It lies between the
Volga River and the
Kama River , and extends east to the
Ural mountains.
- Area: 67,836.2 km²
- Highest point: 343 m
- Maximum N->S distance: 290 km.
- Maximum E->W distance: 460 km.
Time zone
Tatarstan is located in the Moscow Time Zone .
UTC offset is +0300 /+0400 .
Rivers
Major rivers include :
Lakes
Major reservoirs of the republic include :
- Kuybyshevskoye Reservoir
- Nizhnekamskoye Reservoir
The biggest lake is
Qaban.
Natural resources
Major natural resources of Tatarstan include
oil,
natural gas,
gypsum, and more. It is estimated that the Republic has over one billion tons of oil deposits.
Climate
- Average January temperature: -16°C
- Average July temperature: +19°C
- Average annual precipitation: up to 500 mm
Administrative divisions
- Main articles: Administrative divisions of Tatarstan
...
, Counties of Tatarstan .
Demographics
According to the 2002 Census, ethnic
Tatars at 2,000,116 make up 52.9% of the republic's population. Other groups include
Russians , Chuvash , Udmurts ,
Ukrainians , Mordvins , Mari , and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
Official languages are
Tatar and
Russian. According to the 2002 Russian Federal Law , the official script is
Cyrillic. Tatarstan's government as well as human rights groups and some Russian intellectuals are strongly opposed to this law.
- Population: 3,779,265
- Urban: 2,790,661
- Rural: 988,604
- Male: 1,749,050
- Female: 2,030,215
- Females per 1000 males: 1,161
- Average age: 36.5 years
- Urban: 35.7 years
- Rural: 38.7 years
- Male: 33.8 years
- Female: 38.8 years
- Number of households: 1,305,360
- Urban: 970,540
- Rural: 334,820
History
The main article is History of TatarstanMiddle Ages
The earliest known organized state within the boundaries of Tatarstan was
Volga Bulgaria . The
Volga Bulgars had an advanced mercantile state with trade contacts throughout Inner
Eurasia, the
Middle East and the
Baltic, which maintained its independence despite pressure by such nations as the
Khazars, the
Kievan Rus and the
Kipchaks.
Islam was introduced by missionaries from
Baghdad around the time of ibn Fadlan's journey in 922.
Volga Bulgaria finally fell to the armies of the
Mongol prince Batu Khan in the late 1230s The inhabitants, mixing with the
Golden Horde's Turco-Mongolian,
Kipchak-speaking troops and settlers, became known as the "Volga Tatars." In the
1430s the region again became independent as the base of the
Khanate of Kazan,
Kazan having been founded close to the ruined capital of the Bulgars.
Tatarstan was conquered by the troops of Tsar
Ivan IV the Terrible in the 1550s, with Kazan being taken in 1552. Some Tatars were forcibly converted to Christianity and cathedrals were built in Kazan; by 1593 all mosques in the area were destroyed. The Russian government forbade the construction of mosques, a prohibition that was not lifted until the
18th century by
Catherine II. The first mosque to be rebuilt under Catherine's auspices was constructed in 1766-1770.
Modern times
In the
19th century Tatarstan became centers of
Jadidism, an Islamic sect that preached a tolerance to other religions. Under the influence of Tatarstan Jadidist theologians, the Tatars were renowned for their friendly relations with other peoples of the
Russian Empire. However, after the October Revolution religion was largely outlawed and all theologians were repressed.
During the
Civil War of 1918-1920 Tatar nationalists attempted to establish an independent republic . They were, however, put down by the
Bolsheviks and the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established on May 27 1920. The boundaries of the republic did not include the majority of the Volga Tatars.
Tatarstan today
Tatarstan declared independence on August 30, 1990 as a sovereign state and no longer a subject of
USSR or
Russian Federation.
During 1991-1994 Tatarstan was de facto independent state .
On February 15, 1994 Treaty
On Delimitation of Jurisdictional Subjects and Mutual Delegation of Authority between the State Bodies of the Russian Federation and the State Bodies of the Republic of Tatarstan and Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan were signed. These agreements may be considered as temporary recognition of Tatarstan's independence by Russian Federation, because it mentions the
Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan.According to this agreements and own law of republic Republic of Tatarstan in 1994-2000 was a sovereign state, subject of international law, associated with Russia as confederal relationship.
Post-Soviet timeline
- 30 August 1990: Declaration of Sovereignty was proclaimed.
- 1991-1994: Tatarstan was de facto independent state.
- 12 June 1991: The first elections for President of Tatarstan. Mintimer Shaymiev was elected.
- 21 March 1992: Referendum held regarding Tatarstan's status. The majority of the population support Tatarstan's independence.
- November 1992: The Constitution of Tatarstan accepted by parliament.
- 15 February 1994: The Treaty On Delimitation of Jurisdictional Subjects and Mutual Delegation of Authority between the State Bodies of the Russian Federation and the State Bodies of the Republic of Tatarstan was signed.
- 1994-2000: Tatarstan was associated state with Russian Federation on confederal status.
- 1995 and 1999 elections held for the Parliament of Tatarstan.
- 2000 and then 2002: Numerous amendments to Tatarstan's Constitution.
- since 2000: Tatarstan is the subject of Russian Federation.
Politics
The head of the government in Tatarstan is the President.
As of 2006, the President is
Mintimer Shaeymiev . Tatarstan's unicameral National Parliament has 100 seats: 50 are for representatives of the parties, other 50 are for deputies from the republic's localities. The speaker of the National Parliament is Farit Mukhametshin .
According to the Tatarstan Constitution, the President can be elected only by the people of Tatarstan, but due to Russian federal law this law was suspended for an indefinite term. The Russian law about election of governors says they should be elected by local parliaments and that the candidate can be presented only by the president.
On March 25 2005 Shaymiev was re-elected for his fourth term by Parliament. This election was held after changes in electoral law and doesn't contradict the Tatarstan and Russian Constitutions.
Political status
The Republic of Tatarstan is a constituent republic of the Russian Federation. Most of the Russian federal subjects are tied with the Russian federal government by the uniform Federal Treaty, but relations between the government of Tatarstan and the Russian federal government are more complex, and are precisely defined in the Tatarstan Constitution of 2000. The following passage from the Tatarstan Constitution defines the republic's status without contradicting the Constitution of the Russian Federation:
The Republic of Tatarstan is a democratic constitutional State associated with the Russian Federation by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan On Delimitation of Jurisdictional Subjects and Mutual Delegation of Powers between the State Bodies of the Russian Federation and the State Bodies of the Republic of Tatarstan, and a subject of the Russian Federation. The sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan shall consist in full possession of the State authority beyond the competence of the Russian Federation and powers of the Russian Federation in the sphere of shared competence of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan and shall be an inalienable qualitative status of the Republic of Tatarstan.
External links
Economy
Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed federal subjects of Russia; it is also the second most industrialized federal subject after
Samara Oblast. Industrial production constitutes 45% of the Republic's
gross regional domestic product. The most developed branches are chemical and oil processing, machine building, and wood processing industries.
Culture
Main article: Culture of TatarstanMajor libraries include the Science Library of Kazan State University and the National Library of the Republic of Tatarstan. There are two museums of republican significance, as well as 90 museums of local importance. In the past several years new museums appeared throughout the Republic.
There are 16 theaters in Tatarstan.
Education
The most important facilities of higher education include
Kazan State University, Kazan State Medical University, Kazan State Technical University and Russian Islam University, all located in the capital Kazan.
Religion
The most common faiths include Sunni Islam and
Russian Orthodox Church. As of 2004, there were 1,208 buildings used for religious purposes in Tatarstan; 1,014 of which were Islamic, and 176 Russian Orthodox.
Miscellaneous
The people of ethnic majority of Tatarstan are usually offended when called
Tartars. The preferred name is
Tatars. Inhabitants of Tatarstan regardless of ethnicity are usually called
Tatarstaners .
The name
Tatarstan derives from the Tatar and
Persian stan . Other variants of the republic's name are Russian
Tataria and Turkish
Tataristan.
Some Tatarstaners wish for their state to be renamed
Bulgaristan , claiming that the region was called
Bulgaristan by its inhabitants until 1922 in tribute to the early settlers.
See also
- Tatars
- List of Tatars
- Music of Tatarstan
- Tatarstan Airlines
Further reading
- Lost Cosmonaut: Observations of an Anti-tourist Daniel Kalder
- The Model of Tatarstan: Under President Mintimer Shaimiev Ravil Bukharaev
- The Volga Tatars: A Profile in National Resilience Azadeayse Rorlich
References
External links
