Tuva (; russian: Тува́) or Tyva ( tyv, Тыва), officially the Republic of Tuva (russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, r=Respublika Tyva, p=rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva; tyv, Тыва Республика, translit=Tyva Respublika ), is a
federal subject of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
(a
republic
A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
, also defined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation as a state).
The Tuvan Republic lies at the geographical center of
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, in southern
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
. The republic borders the
Altai Republic
The Altai Republic (; russian: Респу́блика Алта́й, Respublika Altay, ; Altai: , ''Altay Respublika''), also known as Gorno-Altai Republic, and colloquially, and primarily referred to in Russian to distinguish from the neighbour ...
, the
Republic of Khakassia,
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Si ...
,
Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast (russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast; bua, Эрхүү можо, Erkhüü mojo) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and N ...
, and the
Republic of Buryatia
Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia (russian: Республика Бурятия, r=Respublika Buryatiya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə bʊˈrʲætʲɪjə; bua, Буряад Улас, Buryaad Ulas, , mn, Буриад Улс, Buriad Uls), is ...
in Russia and
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
to the south. Tuva has a population of 307,930 (
2010 census).
Its
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
is the
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of
Kyzyl.
From 1921 to 1944, Tuva constituted a sovereign, independent, but
partially recognized nation, acknowledged only by its neighbors the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
and
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
. It was known officially as
Tannu Tuva until 1926 and thereafter as the
Tuvan People's Republic. A majority of the population are ethnic
Tuvans
The Tuvans ( tyv, Тывалар, Tıvalar) are a TurkicOtto Maenchen-Helfen, Journey to Tuva, p. 169 ethnic group indigenous to Siberia who live in Russia ( Tuva), Mongolia, and China. They speak Tuvan, a Siberian Turkic language. They are a ...
who speak
Tuvan as their native tongue, while
Russian is spoken natively by the
Russian minority; both are official and widely understood in the republic. Tuva is governed by the
Great Khural, which elects a chairman to four-year terms.
History
The territory of Tuva has been controlled by the
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...
Empire (209 BC93 AD) and the
Xianbei state (93–234),
Rouran Khaganate (330–555), the
Yenisei Kyrgyz (7th13th century),
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous land empire in history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, ...
(1206–1271),
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...
(1271–1368),
Northern Yuan dynasty
The Northern Yuan () was a dynastic regime ruled by the Mongol Borjigin clan based in the Mongolian Plateau. It existed as a rump state after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and lasted until its conquest by the Jurchen-led Later Ji ...
(1368–1691),
Khotgoid Khanate and
Zunghar Khanate (1634–1758).
[''History of Mongolia, Volume II'', 2003.] Medieval Mongol tribes, including
Oirats
Oirats ( mn, Ойрад, ''Oirad'', or , Oird; xal-RU, Өөрд; zh, 瓦剌; in the past, also Eleuths) are the westernmost group of the Mongols whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia.
Histor ...
and
Tumed
The Tümed (Tumad, ; "The many or ten thousands" derived from Tumen) are a Mongol subgroup. They live in Tumed Left Banner, district of Hohhot and Tumed Right Banner, district of Baotou in China. Most engage in sedentary agriculture, living in mi ...
s, inhabited areas which are now part of the Tuvan Republic.
From 1758 to 1911, Tuva was part of China's
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
and administered by
Outer Mongolia
Outer Mongolia was the name of a territory in the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China from 1691 to 1911. It corresponds to the modern-day independent state of Mongolia and the Russian republic of Tuva. The historical region gain ...
. During the
Xinhai Revolution
The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of ...
in China,
Tsarist Russia formed a
separatist movement among the Tuvans while there were also pro-independence and pro-Mongol groups.
Tsar Nicholas II agreed to the third petition by Tuva's leadership in 1912, establishing a
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its in ...
over the then-independent state. Some Russians, such as merchants, travellers, and explorers, had already settled in Tuva at that time. Tuva became nominally independent as the ''
Uryankhay Republic'' before being turned into a Russian protectorate as ''
Uryankhay Krai'' under Tsar Nicholas II, on 17 April 1914.
A Tuvan capital was established, called
Belotsarsk (Белоца́рск; literally, "(Town) of the
White Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
"). Meanwhile, in 1911, Mongolia became independent, though under Russian protection. Following the
Russian Revolution of 1917 that ended the imperial autocracy, most of Tuva was occupied from 5 July 1918 to 15 July 1919 by
Alexander Kolchak's
White Russian troops. Pyotr Ivanovich Turchaninov was named governor of the territory. In the autumn of 1918, the southwestern part was occupied by Chinese troops and the southern part by Mongol troops led by
Khatanbaatar Magsarjav.
From July 1919 to February 1920, the communist
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
controlled Tuva but from 19 February 1920 to June 1921 it was occupied by China (governor was Yan Shichao
raditional, Wade–Giles transliteration: Yan Shi-ch'ao. On 14 August 1921, the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
s established the
Tuvan People's Republic, popularly called ''Tannu-Tuva''. In 1926, the capital (Belotsarsk; Khem-Beldyr since 1918) was renamed
Kyzyl, meaning "red". The Tuvan People's Republic was de jure an
independent state between the World Wars. The state's ruler,
Chairman Donduk Kuular, sought to strengthen ties with
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
and establish
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
as the
state religion. This unsettled the Soviet Union, which orchestrated
a coup carried out in 1929 by five young Tuvan graduates of Moscow's
Communist University of the Toilers of the East.
In 1930, the pro-Soviet regime discarded the state's
Mongol script in favor of a Latin alphabet designed for Tuva by Russian linguists. In 1943, Cyrillic script replaced Latin. Under the leadership of Party Secretary Salchak Toka, ethnic Russians were granted full citizenship rights and Buddhist and Mongol influences on the Tuvan state and society were systematically curtailed.
Tuva was annexed by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
in 1944, with the approval of Tuva's
Little Khural (parliament), but without a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...
on the issue. It became the
Tuvan Autonomous Oblast, within the
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
, after the Soviet victory in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
Salchak Toka, leader of the
Tuvan People's Revolutionary Party, was given the title of First Secretary of the
Tuvan Communist Party and became the
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...
ruler of Tuva until his death in 1973. The territory became the
Tuvan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on 10 October 1961.
In February 1990, the
Tuvan Democratic Movement was founded by
Kaadyr-ool Bicheldei, a philologist at the
Kyzyl State Pedagogical Institute. The party aimed to provide jobs and housing (both in short supply), and improve the status of the
Tuvan language and culture. Later in the year, there was a wave of attacks against Tuva's sizeable Russian community, including sniper attacks on trucks, and attacks on outlying settlements, with 168 murdered. Russian troops were eventually called in. Many Russians moved out of the republic during this period. Tuva has remained remote and difficult to access.
Tuva was a signatory to the 31 March 1992 treaty that created the Russian Federation. On 22 October 1993, a new constitution was drawn up for the republic, creating a 32-member parliament (
Supreme Khural) and a
Grand Khural, which deals with local legislation. The constitution was approved by 53.9% (62.2% according to another source) of Tuvans in a referendum on 12 December 1993. At the same time, the official name was changed from ''Tuva'' (Тува) to ''Tyva'' (Тыва).
Soldiers from Tuva participate in the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...
. Women protested against mobilization in Kyzyl, 20 of them were arrested.
Geography
The Tyva Republic is situated in the far south of
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...
. Its
capital city
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses t ...
is
Kyzyl, located near the
geographic "center of Asia". The eastern part of the republic is forested and elevated, while the western part is a drier
lowland.
*''Borders:''
**''internal:''
Khakassia (NW/N),
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Si ...
(N),
Irkutsk Oblast
Irkutsk Oblast (russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast; bua, Эрхүү можо, Erkhüü mojo) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and N ...
(N/NE),
Buryatia
Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia (russian: Республика Бурятия, r=Respublika Buryatiya, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə bʊˈrʲætʲɪjə; bua, Буряад Улас, Buryaad Ulas, , mn, Буриад Улс, Buriad Uls), is ...
(E),
Altai Republic
The Altai Republic (; russian: Респу́блика Алта́й, Respublika Altay, ; Altai: , ''Altay Respublika''), also known as Gorno-Altai Republic, and colloquially, and primarily referred to in Russian to distinguish from the neighbour ...
(SW/W)
**''international'':
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million ...
(
Bayan-Ölgii Province
Bayan-Ölgii ( mn, Баян-Өлгий, ; xal, Байн-Өлгий, ; kk, Бай-Өлке / Bai-Ölke, ; "Rich region") is the westernmost of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia. The country's only Muslim and Kazakh-majority aimag, it was ...
,
Khövsgöl Province,
Uvs Province and
Zavkhan Province) (S) (border line length: )
*Highest point:
Mount Mongun-Tayga,
*Maximum N–S distance:
*Maximum E–W distance: over
*Area:
Rivers
There are over 8,000 rivers in the Tyvan Republic, including the upper course of the
Yenisei River, the fifth longest river in the world. Most of the republic's rivers are Yenisei
tributaries
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drain ...
. There are also numerous
mineral springs in the area.
Major rivers include:
*
Yenisei River (also called Ulug-Khem)
*
Kantegir River
*
Khemchik River
*
Maly Yenisei River (also called Ka-Khem or Kaa-Khem)
*
Upper Yenisei River (also called Biy-Khem or Bii-Khem)
Lakes
There are numerous lakes in Tuva, many of which are glacial and
salt lakes, including
Todzha Lake, a.k.a. Azas Lake (100 km
2) – the largest in the republic, and
Uvs Lake
Uvs Lake ( mn, Увс нуур, Uws nuur, ; russian: Озеро Убсу-Нур, Ozero Ubsu-Nur; zh, 乌布苏湖, wū bù sū hú, pinyin: ''Wū Bù Sū hú'') is a highly saline lake in an endorheic basin— Uvs Nuur Basin in Mongolia with a ...
(shared with Mongolia and a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
).
Mountains
The Tyva Republic is made up of a mountain basin, about 600 m high, encircled by the
Sayan and
Tannu-Ola mountain ranges. Mountains and hills cover over 80% of its territory. Mongun-Tayga ("Silver Mountain", 3,970 m) is the highest point in the republic and is named after its glacier.
Administrative divisions
Demographics
Population:
Vital statistics
:Source
Russian Federal State Statistics Service
*Average life expectancy: Tuva: 56.5 (average male and female, UNDP data); Russia: (UN data) Male 59 (world rank 166); Female 73 (127)
Ethnic groups
According to the
2010 Census,
Tuvans
The Tuvans ( tyv, Тывалар, Tıvalar) are a TurkicOtto Maenchen-Helfen, Journey to Tuva, p. 169 ethnic group indigenous to Siberia who live in Russia ( Tuva), Mongolia, and China. They speak Tuvan, a Siberian Turkic language. They are a ...
make up 82.0% of the republic's population. Other groups include
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
(16.3%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
As can be seen above, during the period 1959–2010 there has been more than a doubling of ethnic Tuvans. The Russian population growth slowed by the 1980s and decreased by 50% since 1989. The official languages are
Tuvan (
Turkic) and
Russian (
Slavic).
Outside
Kyzyl, settlements have few if any Russian inhabitants and, in general, Tuvans use their original language as their first language. However, there is a small population of
Old Believers in the Republic scattered in some of the most isolated areas. Before Soviet rule, there were a number of large ethnic Russian Old Believer villages, but as the atheist ideology crept in, the believers moved deeper and deeper into the
taiga
Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, sp ...
in order to avoid contact with outsiders. Major Old Believer villages are Erzhei, Uzhep, Unzhei, Zhivei and Bolee Malkiye (all in the
Kaa-Khemsky District
Kaa-Khemsky District (russian: Каа́-Хе́мский кожуун; tyv, Каа-Хем кожуун) (also, Kaa-Khemskiy) is an administrativeResolution #1648 ZP-1 and municipalLaw #268 VKh-1 district (raion, or '' kozhuun''), one of the seven ...
). Smaller ultra-Orthodox settlements are found further upstream.
Ethnic Russians make up 34.3% of the population (as of 2010 Census) in
Kaa-Khemsky District
Kaa-Khemsky District (russian: Каа́-Хе́мский кожуун; tyv, Каа-Хем кожуун) (also, Kaa-Khemskiy) is an administrativeResolution #1648 ZP-1 and municipalLaw #268 VKh-1 district (raion, or '' kozhuun''), one of the seven ...
, one of the most remote regions in Tuva. The population is mostly
Old Believers. Russians account for 29.1% of the population in
Piy-Khemsky and 28.4% in
Kyzyl.
Religion
Two religions are widespread among the Tuvan people:
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
and
shamanism
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiri ...
. Tibetan Buddhism's present-day spiritual leader is
Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...
. In September 1992, Tenzin Gyatso visited Tuva for three days.
On September 20, he blessed and consecrated the yellow-blue-white flag of Tuva, which had been officially adopted three days before.
The Tuvan people – along with the
Yellow Uyghurs in China – are one of the only two Turkic groups who are primarily adherents to
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
, which coexists with native shamanistic traditions.
Tuvans were first exposed to Buddhism during the 13th and 14th centuries, when Tuva entered into the composition of the Mongol Empire. The earliest Buddhist temples uncovered by archaeologists in the territory of Tuva date to the 13th and 14th centuries. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Tibetan Buddhism gained popularity in Tuva. An increasing number of new and restored temples are coming into use, and there has been an upward trend in the number of novices being trained as monks and lamas in recent years. Religious practice declined under the restrictive policies of the Soviet period, but is now flourishing.
According to a 2012 survey,
61.8% of the population of Tuva adheres to
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
, 8% to
Tengrism
Tengrism (also known as Tengriism, Tengerism, or Tengrianism) is an ethnic and old state Turko- Mongolic religion originating in the Eurasian steppes, based on folk shamanism, animism and generally centered around the titular sky god Tengri. ...
or Tuvan
shamanism
Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiri ...
, 1.5% to the
Russian Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
, the
Old Believers or other forms of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
, 1% to
Protestantism
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
. In addition, 7.7% follow other religions or did not give an answer to the survey. 8% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious" and 12% to be
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
.
Politics
The present flag of Tuva – yellow for prosperity, blue for courage and strength, white for purity – was adopted on 17 September 1992. The Republic's Constitution was adopted on 23 October 1993.
The head of the government in Tuva is the Chairman of the Government, who is elected for a four-year term. The first Chairman of the Government was
Sherig-ool Oorzhak. On 3 April 2007, Russian president
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
nominated
Sholban Kara-ool, 40, a former champion wrestler, as the Chairman of the Government of Tuva. Kara-ool's candidacy was approved by the Khural on 9 April 2007. Kara-ool served from 2007 until 2021. The third and current Tuvan head of government is
Vladislav Khovalyg.
Tuva's legislature, the
Great Khural, has 162 seats; each deputy is elected to serve a four-year term.
Transportation
Tuva does not have a railway, although
famous postage stamps in the 1930s, designed in Moscow during the time of Tuvan independence, mistakenly depict locomotives as demonstrating Soviet-inspired progress there.
The
Kuragino–Kyzyl railway line was scheduled to be completed in 2026.
Tuva is served by
Kyzyl Airport.
Culture
Traditionally, the
Tuvan people
The Tuvans ( tyv, Тывалар, Tıvalar) are a TurkicOtto Maenchen-Helfen, Journey to Tuva, p. 169 ethnic group indigenous to Siberia who live in Russia (Tuva), Mongolia, and China. They speak Tuvan, a Siberian Turkic language. They are ...
are a Central Asian
yurt-dwelling
nomadic culture, with distinctive traditions in music, cuisine, and folk art. Tuvan music features
Tuvan throat singing
Tuvan throat singing, the main technique of which is known as ''khoomei'' ( tyv, хөөмей, xöömej, mn, хөөмий; ᠬᠦᠭᠡᠮᠡᠢ, khöömii, russian: хоомей, Chinese: 呼麦, pinyin: ''hūmài''), includes a type of overt ...
(khoomei), in which the singer sings a
fundamental tone and an
overtone simultaneously. This type of singing can be heard during performances by the
Tuvan National Orchestra The Tuvan National Orchestra reflects the complex history of the Republic of Tuva (sometimes spelled Tyva), a federal subject of Russia which sits at the southern edge of Siberia, with Mongolia to its south. Over the centuries, Tuva has been par ...
, at events such as the 'International Khoomei Day' held at the National Tuvinian Theatre in Kyzyl.
The Tuvan craft tradition includes carving the soft stone,
agalmatolite. A frequent motif is hand-held-sized animals, such as horses.
Important archaeological excavations in Tuva include Arzhaan-1 and Tunnug 1, dating to the ninth century BC. and Arzhaan-2, where
Scythian animal art in great variety, and over 9,000 decorative gold pieces were unearthed.
A collection of gold jewelry from this site is on display at the National Museum Aldan-Maadyr in Kyzyl.
Festivals celebrating Tuvan traditions include the ecological film festival "The Living Path of Dersu", the Interregional Festival of National Cultures "Heart of Asia". It has become a tradition to hold the international festival of live music "Ustuu-Khuree", the International Symposium "Khoomei – the Phenomenon of the Culture of the Peoples of Central Asia", the Regional Competition-Festival of Performers on National Instruments "Dingildai", the International Felt Festival "Patterns of Life on Felt" Pop songs "Melodies of the Sayan Mountains".
Religion
Tuva is one of the few places in the world where the original form of shamanism is preserved as part of the traditional culture of Tuva. Shamanism presupposes the existence of good and evil spirits inhabiting mountains, forests and water, as well as the heavens and the underworld. The mediator between man and the spirits is the shaman. It is believed that with the help of spirits the shaman is able to cure patients and predict the future.
In Tuva, shamanism peacefully coexists with Buddhism. Buddhism is associated with many folk rituals, calendar holidays, and folk medicines in Tuva. Centers of Buddhism in Tuva are Khuree – temples, temple complexes; the temple complex Tsechenling in Kyzyl is the residence of
Khambo Lama, head of Buddhism in Tuva. Treasures of the old Slavonic culture in the Asian Tuva saved along with the values of other peoples – children's folklore ensemble "Oktay" from the city of Kyzyl in the course several ethnographic expeditions in the old believers ' settlements were able to collect an extensive collection of samples of ancient singing art.
Music
Sports
Bandy, a sport similar to
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
, is played in Tuva. Mongolian-style wrestling is very popular, as are most martial arts. Horse riding related sports are also predominant in the area.
Miscellaneous
* In the 1920s and 1930s,
postage stamps from Tuva were issued. Many
philatelists have been fascinated with Tuva because of these stamps. The stamps were issued mainly during the brief period of Tuvan independence and were not accepted by serious collectors until recently as they were thought to be produced in Moscow and not to represent a genuine postal service.
[ by ]James Negus
James Negus (22 February 1927Bateman, Robert. ''Stamp collectors' who's who''. London: Stanley Gibbons, 1960, p. 63. – 22 February 2008"Obituaries. James Negus" by John R. Holman in '' Gibbons Stamp Monthly'', Vol. 38, No. 12, May 2008, p. 20. ...
at TTCS. Originally published in ''The Philatelic Journal'', July–September 1960.
*According to Ilya Zakharov of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
's Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, genetic evidence suggests that the modern Tuvan people are the closest genetic relatives to the
native peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
of North and South America.
* Physicist
Richard Feynman details in his autobiographical works that he became fascinated with Tuva as a child and was able to make limited contact with the country despite the constraints of the Soviet period. His unsuccessful attempts to visit were detailed in ''
Tuva or Bust!''
* The
Sayan Mountains
The Sayan Mountains (russian: Саяны ''Sajany''; mn, Соёны нуруу, ''Soyonï nurû''; otk, 𐰚𐰇𐰏𐰢𐰤, Kögmen) are a mountain range in southern Siberia, Russia ( Buryatia, Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tuva Repu ...
in Tuva were featured in
Bear Grylls'
Man vs Wild adventure TV show.
Notable people
*
Kongar-ool Ondar (1962–2013), the Groovin' Tuvan, master throat singer and a member of the Great Khural of Tuva.
*
Stepan Saryg-Ool (1908–1983), Soviet Tuvan poet, writer, folklore specialist, and politician
*
Sergei Shoygu (born 1955), current
Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation
See also
*
List of Tuvans
*
Music of Tuva
*
Altai-Sayan region
The Altai-Sayan region is an area of Inner Asia proximate to the Altai Mountains and the Sayan Mountains, near to where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together. This region is one of the world centers of temperate plant diversity. Its ...
Notes
References
Citations
Sources
* DONAHOE, Bria
"Hey, you! Get offa my taiga!": Comparing the sense of property rights among the Tofa and Tozhu-Tyva. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology working papers, nº 38. Halle/Saale: Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft 2002; .
*
External links
Official website of TuvaWebsite of Tuva
Tuva in Russia.TravelFriends of Tuva, JapanMore complete collection of Tuvan Stamps (1926–1943)
*
TyvaWiki:Main Page
{{Use mdy dates, date=March 2018
Russian-speaking countries and territories
States and territories established in 1992
1992 establishments in Russia
Observer members of the International Organization of Turkic Culture
Turkic states