Tatarstan Gepard class frigate
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Republic of Tatarstan (russian: Республика Татарстан, Respublika Tatarstan, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə tətɐrˈstan; tt-Cyrl, Татарстан Республикасы), or simply Tatarstan (russian: Татарстан, tt-Cyrl, Татарстан), sometimes also called Tataria (russian: Татария, tt-Cyrl, Татария), is 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 c ...
of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and 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 f ...
and largest city is Kazan, an important cultural centre in Russia. The republic borders Kirov, Ulyanovsk,
Samara Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...
, and
Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast (russian: Оренбургская область, ''Orenburgskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name ''Chkalov Oblast'' () ...
s, the Mari El, Udmurt, and
Chuvash Republic Chuvashia (russian: Чувашия; cv, Чӑваш Ен), officially the Chuvash Republic — Chuvasia,; cv, Чӑваш Республики — Чӑваш Ен is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is the homeland of the Chuv ...
s, and the
Republic of Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик ...
. The area of the republic is . The unofficial Tatarstan motto is ''Bez Buildırabız!'' (''We can!''). As of the 2021 Census, the population of Tatarstan was 4,004,809. The state has strong cultural, linguistic, and ethnic ties with its eastern neighbour, the
Republic of Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик ...
. The state languages of the Republic of Tatarstan are Tatar and Russian.


Etymology

"Tatarstan" derives from the name of the ethnic group—the Tatars—and the Persian suffix ''
-stan The suffix -stan ( fa, ـستان, translit=''stân'' after a vowel; ''estân'' or ''istân'' after a consonant), has the meaning of "a place abounding in" or "a place where anything abounds" in the Persian language. It appears in the names of ...
'' (meaning "state" or "country" of, an ending common to many Eurasian countries). Another version of the Russian name is "" (''Tataria''), which was official along with " Tatar ASSR" during Soviet rule.


Geography

The republic is located in the center of the East European Plain, approximately east of Moscow. It lies between the Volga River and the Kama River (a tributary of the Volga), and extends east to the Ural mountains. * ''Borders:'' ** ''internal:''
Kirov Oblast Kirov Oblast (russian: Ки́ровская о́бласть, ''Kirovskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) in Eastern Europe. Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: 1,341,312 ( 2010 Census). Geography Na ...
(N), Udmurt Republic (N/NE),
Republic of Bashkortostan The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик ...
(E/SE),
Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast (russian: Оренбургская область, ''Orenburgskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name ''Chkalov Oblast'' () ...
(SE), Samara Oblast (S), Ulyanovsk Oblast (S/SW),
Chuvash Republic Chuvashia (russian: Чувашия; cv, Чӑваш Ен), officially the Chuvash Republic — Chuvasia,; cv, Чӑваш Республики — Чӑваш Ен is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is the homeland of the Chuv ...
(W),
Mari El Republic The Mari El Republic (russian: Респу́блика Мари́й Эл, ''Respublika Mariy El''; Meadow Mari: ; Hill Mari: ) is a republic of Russia. It is in the European Russia region of the country, along the northern bank of the Volga Rive ...
(W/NW). * Highest point: * Maximum N–S distance: * Maximum E–W distance:


Rivers

Major rivers include (Tatar names are given in parentheses): *
Azevka River The Azevka (russian: Азевка; tt, Әҗәү, ''Äcäw'') is a river the Agryzsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. It is a left tributary of the Izh in the basin of the Kama. Geography The Azevka begins in the hills of the ...
(Äzi) * Belaya River (Ağidel) *
Ik River The Ik (; tt-Cyrl, Ык, ''Iq''; , ''Iq'') is a river in Russia that flows north to the Kama. It flows through the Republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan and through Orenburg Oblast. The left tributaries are Mellya, Menzelya, Dymka, and th ...
(Iq) * Kama River (Çulman) * Volga River (İdel) * Vyatka River (Noqrat) * Kazanka River (Qazansu) * Zay River (Zäy)


Lakes

Major reservoirs of the republic include (Tatar names are given in parentheses): * Kuybyshev Reservoir (Kuybışev) * Lower Kama Reservoir (Tübän Kama) * Zainsk Reservoir (Zäy susaqlağıçı) The biggest lake is
Qaban The Kaban Lakes ( tt-Cyrl, Кабан күле; ) are a system of lakes in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia that includes Nizhny (Blizhny) Kaban, Verkhny Kaban, and Sredny Kaban. With a combined area of , they comprise the biggest lake in Tatar ...
. The biggest swamp is
Kulyagash The Kulyagash (name originates from the Mari language; tt-Cyrl, Көләгәш; russian: Кулягаш) is the biggest wetland in Tatarstan, Russian Federation. It consists of Kulyagash swamp and several lakes. It is situated in Belaya and Ik Riv ...
.


Hills

*
Bugulma-Belebey Upland Bugulma-Belebey Upland (russian: Бугульминско-Белебеевская возвышенность; ba, Бөгөлмә-Бәләбәй ҡалҡыулығы; tt-Cyrl, Бөгелмә-Бәләбәй калкулыгы) is an Highland (geog ...
* Volga Upland * Vyatskiye Uvaly


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 Tons can refer to: * Tons River, a major river in India * Tamsa River, locally called Tons in its lower parts (Allahabad district, Uttar pradesh, India). * the plural of ton, a unit of mass, force, volume, energy or power :* short ton, 2,000 poun ...
of oil deposits.


Climate

* ''Average January temperature'': * ''Average July temperature:'' * ''Average annual temperature:'' + * ''Average annual precipitation'': up to


Administrative divisions

Administrative and territorial division: 43 municipal districts and 2 urban districts (Kazan and Naberezhnye Chelny), as well as 39 urban settlements and 872 rural settlements. The Republic of Tatarstan consists of districts and cities of republican significance, the list of which is established by the
Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...
. The districts consist of cities of district significance, urban-type settlements and rural settlements with subordinate territories that make up the primary level in the system of administrative-territorial structure of the Republic. Cities of national significance can be geographically divided into districts in the city.


History


Middle Ages

The earliest known organized state within the boundaries of Tatarstan was Volga Bulgaria (c. 700–1238). The Volga Bulgars had an advanced mercantile state with trade contacts throughout Inner Eurasia, the Middle East, and the
Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
, which maintained its independence despite pressure by such nations as the Khazars, the Kievan Rus, and the Cuman-
Kipchaks The Kipchaks or Qipchaks, also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians, were a Turkic nomadic people and confederation that existed in the Middle Ages, inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the 8th century as part of the Se ...
.
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
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 (see Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria). The inhabitants, a large amount of them killed and the rest mixing with the Golden Horde's
Kipchaks The Kipchaks or Qipchaks, also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians, were a Turkic nomadic people and confederation that existed in the Middle Ages, inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the 8th century as part of the Se ...
, became known as the "Volga Tatars". In the 1430s, the region again became independent as the base of the Khanate of Kazan, a capital having been established in Kazan, up the Volga from the ruined capital of the Bulgars. The Khanate of Kazan was conquered by the troops of Tsar
Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...
in the 1550s, with Kazan being taken in 1552. A large number of tatars were
forcibly converted Forced conversion is the adoption of a different religion or the adoption of irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which ...
to Christianity and were culturally Russified. 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 the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...
. The first mosque to be rebuilt under Catherine's auspices was constructed in 1766–1770.


19th century

In the 19th century, Tatarstan became a center of
Jadidism The Jadids were Muslim modernist reformers within the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. They normally referred to themselves by the Turkic terms ''Taraqqiparvarlar'' ('progressives'), ''Ziyalilar'' ('intellectuals') or simpl ...
, an Islamic movement that preached tolerance of other religions. Under the influence of local Jadidist theologians, the Bulgars 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.


20th century

During the Civil War of 1918–1920 Tatar nationalists attempted to establish an independent republic (the Idel-Ural State, ''Idel'' being the name of the Volga in Tatar) along with the neighboring Bashkirs. Initially supported by the Bolsheviks, the state existed up until March 1918, when high-ranking members of its parliament were arrested by the Bolsheviks (who had turned on the state and denounced it as bourgeois) before the official declaration of its constitution. The Soviets later set up the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which was established on May 27, 1920. The boundaries of the republic did not include a majority of the Volga Tatars. The
Tatar Union of the Godless The Tatar Union of the Godless was an organisation in the Muslim republics during the purges by the Soviet Union. From 1928 to 1937, Burhan Mansurov served as the chairman of the organisation. The territory presently known as Tatarstan made dem ...
were persecuted in
Stalin's Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
1928
purges In history, religion and political science, a purge is a position removal or execution of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, another organization, their team leaders, or society as a whole. A group undertak ...
. A
famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...
occurred in the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921-1922 as a result of the policy of war communism. The famine deaths of over 2 million Tatars in the Tatar ASSR and in the Volga-Ural region in 1921–1922 was catastrophic as half of the Volga Tatar population in the USSR died.


Present day

On August 30, 1990, Tatarstan declared its sovereignty with the ''Declaration on the State Sovereignty of the Tatar Soviet Socialist Republic'' and in 1992 Tatarstan held a referendum on the new constitution. Some 62% of those who took part voted in favor of the constitution. In the 1992 Tatarstan Constitution, Tatarstan is defined as a Sovereign State. However, the referendum and constitution were declared unconstitutional by the Russian Constitutional Court. Articles 1 and 3 of the Constitution as introduced in 2002 define Tatarstan as a part of the Russian Federation, removing the "sovereignty" term. On February 15, 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'' and Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan (''On Delimitation of Authority in the Sphere of Foreign Economic Relations'') were signed. The power-sharing agreement was renewed on July 11, 2007, though with much of the power delegated to Tatarstan reduced. On December 20, 2008, in response to Russia recognizing
Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
and South Ossetia, the
Milli Mejlis of the Tatar People ''Milli'' (symbol m) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of one thousandth (10−3). Proposed in 1793, and adopted in 1795, the prefix comes from the Latin , meaning ''one thousand'' (the Latin plural is ). Since 1960, the pre ...
organization declared Tatarstan independent and asked for United Nations recognition. However, this declaration was ignored both by the United Nations and the
Russian government The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russia ...
. On July 24, 2017, the autonomy agreement signed in 1994 between Moscow and Kazan expired, making Tatarstan the last republic of Russia to lose its special status.


Demographics

Population:


Settlements


Vital statistics

Note: TFR source.


Ethnic groups

There are about 2 million ethnic Tatars and 1.5 million ethnic Russians, along with significant numbers of Chuvash, Mari, and Udmurts, some of whom are Tatar-speaking. The
Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...
,
Mordvin The Mordvins (also Unified Mordvin people, Mordvinians, Mordovians; russian: мордва, Mordva, Mordvins (no equivalents in Moksha and Erzya)) is an obsolete but official term used in the Russian Federation to refer both to Erzyas and Moksh ...
, and Bashkir minorities are also significant. Most Tatars are
Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...
s, but a small minority known as Keräşen Tatars are
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
and some of them regard themselves as being different from other Tatars even though most Keräşen dialects differ only slightly from the Central Dialect of the Tatar language. There is a fair degree of speculation as to the early origins of the different groups of Tatars, but most Tatars no longer view religious identity as being as important as it once was, and the religious and linguistic subgroups have intermingled considerably. Nevertheless, despite many decades of assimilation and intermingling, some Keräşen demanded and were awarded the option of being specifically enumerated in 2002. This has provoked great controversy, however, as many intellectuals have sought to portray the Tatars as homogeneous and indivisible. Although listed separately below, the Keräşen are still included in the grand total for the Tatars. Another unique ethnic group, concentrated in Tatarstan, is the
Qaratay Qaratays (Karatais, Karatays) are a Mordvinian ethnic group in Kamsko-Ustyinsky District, Tatarstan around the village of Mordovsky Karatay. They speak a variety of the Tatar language complemented by Moksha words, which is sometimes considere ...
Mordvins.


Jews

Tatar and Udmurt Jews are special territorial groups of the Ashkenazi Jews, which started to be formed in the residential areas of mixed Turkic-speaking ( Tatars, Kryashens, Bashkirs, Chuvash people), Finno-Ugric-speaking ( Udmurts, Mari people) and Slavic-speaking ( Russians) populations. The Ashkenazi Jews on the territory of Tatarstan first appeared in the 1830s. The Jews of Udmurtia and Tatarstan are subdivided by cultural and linguistic characteristics into two territorial groups: 1) Udmurt Jews (Udmurt Jewry), who lived on the territory of Udmurtia and the north of Tatarstan; 2) Tatar Jews, or Kazan Jews (Tatar Jewry or Kazan Jewry), who lived mainly in the city of Kazan and its agglomeration.


Languages

In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan, the two state languages of the republic are Tatar and Russian. According to the 2002 Russian Federal Law (''On Languages of Peoples of the Russian Federation''), the
official script An official script is a writing system that is specifically designated to be official in the constitutions or other applicable laws of countries, states, and other jurisdictions. Akin to an official language, an official script is much rarer. It ...
is
Cyrillic , bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця , fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs , fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic , fam3 = Phoenician , fam4 = G ...
. Linguistic anthropologist Dr. Suzanne Wertheim notes that "some men signal ideological devotion to the Tatar cause by refusing to accommodate to Russian-dominant public space or Russian speakers", whilst women, in promoting "the Tatar state and Tatar national culture, index their pro-Tatar ideological stances more diplomatically, and with linguistic practices situated only within the Tatar-speaking community... in keeping with normative gender roles within the Tatar republic."


Religion

Today,
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
is a major faith in Tatarstan, adhered to by 55 percent As of 2012, Islam was the most common faith in Tatarstan, as, 53.8% of the estimated 3.8 million population is Muslim while the remaining population is mostly
Russian Orthodox Christian , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...
and non-religious."Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia"
Sreda, 2012.
2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps
"Ogonek", No. 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017
Archived
Established in 922, the first Muslim state within the boundaries of modern Russia was Volga Bulgaria from which the Tatars inherited
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. Islam was introduced by missionaries from Baghdad around the time of Ibn Fadlan's journey in 922. Islam's long presence in Russia also extends at least as far back as the conquest of the Khanate of Kazan in 1552, which brought the Tatars and Bashkirs on the Middle Volga into Russia. In the 1430s, the region became independent as the base of the Khanate of Kazan, a capital having been established in Kazan, 170 km up the Volga from the ruined capital of the Bulgars. The Khanate of Kazan 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, 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. In 1990, there were only 100 mosques but the number, as of 2004, rose to well over 1,000. As of January 1, 2008, as many as 1,398 religious organizations were registered in Tatarstan, of which 1,055 were
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. In September 2010,
Eid al-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , dat ...
as well May 21, the day the Volga Bulgars embraced Islam, were made public holidays. The Russian Orthodox Church is the second largest active religion in Tatarstan, and has been so for more than 150 years, with an estimated 1.6 million followers made up of
ethnic Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...
, Mordvins, Armenians,
Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...
, Mari people,
Georgians The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, G ...
, Chuvash and a number of Orthodox Tatars which together constitute 38% of the 3.8 million population of Tatarstan. On 23 August 2010, the "Orthodox monuments of Tatarstan" exhibition was held in Kazan by the Tatarstan Ministry of Culture and the Kazan Eparchy. At all public events, an
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
Priest is called upon along with an Islamic Mufti. The Muslim Religious Board of Tatarstan frequently organizes activities, like the ' Islamic graffiti Contest' which was held on November 20, 2011.


Politics

The head of the republic is the president, who has been
Rustam Minnikhanov Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov (russian: Руста́м Нургали́евич Минниха́нов, tt-Cyrl, Рөстәм Нургали улы Миңнеханов; born 1 March 1957) is a Russian politician who has served as ...
since 2010. Tatarstan's unicameral
State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
has 100 seats: fifty are for representatives of the parties, and the other fifty are for deputies from the republic's localities. The Chairman of the State Council is Farit Mukhametshin, who has served since May 27, 1998. The government is the Сabinet of Ministers. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan is Alexei Pesoshin. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan, 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 on the election of governors says they should be elected by regional parliaments and that the candidate can be presented only by the president of Russia. In December 2022, regional lawmakers voted to change the title of the head of the republic from ''president'' to ''rais'' (an Arabic title for "leader"); lawmakers were expected to adopt new amendments to Tatarstan's constitution so that it would be in line with the
2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia The amendments of 2020, which were proposed in January 2020, are the second substantial amendments to the Constitution of Russia of 1993. To introduce these amendments, Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, held a national vote. They were approved ...
and a federal law in 2021 which abolished regional presidencies. The title of president was seen as the last remaining symbol of federalism following the centralization reforms under Vladimir Putin. Incumbent president Rustam Minnikhanov however will retain the title of president until his term expires in 2025 under transitional agreements.}


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 Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan. The following passage from the 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 (legislative, executive and judicial) 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."


Economy

Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed regions of Russia. The republic is highly industrialized and ranks second to Samara Oblast in terms of industrial production per km2. in 2017 Tatarstan's GDP per capita was $10,000, with total GDP at about $35 billion. The region's main source of wealth is oil. Tatarstan produces 32 million tonnes of crude oil per year and has estimated oil reserves of more than 1 billion tons. Industrial production constitutes 45% of the Republic's gross regional domestic product. The most developed manufacturing industries are petrochemical industry and machine building. The truck-maker KamAZ is the region's largest enterprise and employs about one-fifth of Tatarstan's workforce. Kazanorgsintez, based in Kazan, is one of Russia's largest chemical companies. Tatarstan's aviation industry produces
Tu-214 The Tupolev Tu-204 (russian: Туполев Ту-204) is a twin-engined medium-range narrow-body jet airliner capable of carrying 210 passengers, designed by Tupolev and produced by Aviastar-SP and Kazan Aircraft Production Association. First ...
passenger airplanes and helicopters. The Kazan Helicopter Plant is one of the largest helicopter manufacturers in the world. Engineering, textiles, clothing, wood processing, and food industries are also of key significance in Tatarstan. Tatarstan consists of three distinct industrial regions. The northwestern part is an old industrial region where engineering, chemical, and light industry dominate. In the newly industrial northeast region with its core in the Naberezhnye ChelnyNizhnekamsk
agglomeration Agglomeration may refer to: * Urban agglomeration, in standard English * Megalopolis, in Chinese English, as defined in China's ''Standard for basic terminology of urban planning'' (GB/T 50280—98). Also known as "city cluster". * Economies of agg ...
, major industries are automobile construction, the chemical industry, and power engineering. The southeast region has oil production with engineering under development. The north, central, south, and southwest parts of the republic are rural regions. The republic has huge water resources—the annual flow of rivers of the Republic exceeds . Soils are very diverse, the best fertile soils covering one-third of the territory. Due to the high development of agriculture in Tatarstan (it contributes 5.1% of the total revenue of the republic), forests occupy only 16% of its territory. The agricultural sector of the economy is represented mostly by large companies as
Ak Bars Holding OJSC Ak Bars Holding is a diversified financial holding based established in 1998. Ak Bars Holding owns stakes in Zelenodolsk Shipyard, and formerly Ak Bars Aero OJSC Ak Bars Aero (russian: ОАО «Ак Барс Аэро»), formerly OJSC ...
and "Krasnyi Vostok Agro". The republic has a highly developed transport network. It mainly comprises highways, railway lines, four
navigable river A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against dir ...
s — Volga (İdel), Kama (Çulman), Vyatka (Noqrat) and Belaya (Ağidel), and oil pipelines and airlines. The territory of Tatarstan is crossed by the main gas pipelines carrying natural gas from
Urengoy Urengoy (russian: Уренго́й; Nenets: Пюра ңо, ''Pjura ŋo'') is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) in Purovsky District of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Population: History Urengoy was founded in 1932 as a ...
and
Yamburg Kingisepp (russian: Ки́нгисепп or ), formerly Yamburg (), Yam (), and Yama (; Votic: ), is an ancient town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the Luga River southwest of ...
to the west and the major oil pipelines supplying oil to various cities in the European part of Russia.


Tourism

There are three UNESCO world heritage sites in Tatarstan— Kazan Kremlin, Bulgarian State Museum-Reserve, and Assumption Cathedral and Monastery of the town-island of Sviyazhsk. The annual growth rate of tourist flow to the republic is on average 13.5%; the growth rate of the volume of services in the tourism sector is 17.0%. At the end of 2016, on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan there were 104 tour operators, of which 32 dealt in domestic tourism, 65 in domestic and inbound tourism, 1 in domestic and outbound tourism, and 6 in all three. As of January 1, 2017, 404 collective accommodation facilities (CSR) operate in the Republic of Tatarstan; 379 CSR are subject to classification (183 in Kazan, 196 in other municipalities of the Republic of Tatarstan). 334 collective accommodation facilities received the certificate of assignment of the category, which is 88.1% of the total number of operating. In 2016, special attention was paid to the development of tourist centers of the Republic of Tatarstan—Kazan, Bolghar, the town-island of Sviyazhsk, Yelabuga, Chistopol, and
Tetyushi Tetyushi (russian: Тетюши) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Tetyushi, Republic of Tatarstan, a town in Tetyushsky District of the Republic of Tatarstan ;Rural localities * Tetyushi, Republic of Mord ...
. The growth of tourist flow in the main tourist centers of the Republic compared to 2015 amounted to an average of 45.9%. Currently, sanatorium and resort recreation is developing rapidly in Tatarstan. There are 46 sanatorium-resort institutions in the Republic of Tatarstan. The capacity of the objects of the sanatorium-resort complex of Tatarstan is 8847 beds; more than 4300 specialists are engaged in the service of residents. In 2016, more than 160 thousand people rested in the health resorts of the Republic of Tatarstan. 22 health resort institutions of the Republic of Tatarstan are members of the Association of health resort institutions "Health resorts of Tatarstan," including 11 sanatoriums of PJSC "Tatneft." Since 2016, the Republic of Tatarstan has been operating the Visit Tatarstan program, the official tourism brand of the Republic, the purpose of which is to inform tourists, monitor the reputation of the Republic, develop the tourism potential of the regions of Tatarstan, conduct market research, create partner projects with local companies, and expand internationally. "Tatarstan: 1001 pleasure" is the main message that tourists receive. The Visit Tatar website, where there is information about the main sights and recreation in Tatarstan, is available in 8 languages: Tatar, Russian, English, Chinese, German, Spanish, Finnish, and Persian.


Tourist resources of historical and cultural significance

* Kazan Kremlin * Kazan University * Bolghar * Sviyazhsk *
Temple of All Religions The Temple of All Religions (russian: Храм всех религий, tt-Cyrl, Барлык диннәр гыйбәдәтханәсе) or the Universal Temple (russian: Вселенский храм) is an architectural complex in the Staroye ...
* Qolşärif Mosque * Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral * Söyembikä Tower * Millennium Bridge * Old Tatar Quarter *
Galiaskar Kamal Tatar Academic Theatre The Galiaskar Kamal Tatar Academic Theatre (russian: Татарский Академический Театр имени Галиаскара Камала, tt-Cyrl, Галиәсгар Камал исемендәге татар дәүләт а ...
* The Jalil Opera and Ballet Theatre * The National Museum of Tatarstan


Culture

Major libraries include Kazan State University Nikolai Lobachevsky Scientific Library 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 twelve theatrical institutions in Tatarstan. The state orchestra is the
National Tatarstan Orchestra National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
. In 1996, the Tatar singer, Guzel Ahmetova, cooperated with the German
Eurodance Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...
group named Snap!, when she sang the lyrics of the song "Rame". Aida Garifullina was born in 1987 to a Tatar family in Kazan. Following studies in Nuremberg, Germany and Vienna, Austria, she has achieved fame as a lyric soprano, in high demand both on the international operatic stage and concert platform. She is also a celebrated recording artist and a promoter of the Tatar culture.


Sports

Tatarstan has Rubin Kazan, a major European football team which has played in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. Twice Russian champions, Rubin Kazan play in the Russian Premier League. Also, Tatarstan has
Unics Kazan BC UNICS (russian: БК УНИКС) is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 ...
which has gained a significant role in European basketball, playing in Euroleague and EuroCup for decades. It also has two KHL teams, the successful Ak Bars Kazan, which is based in the capital city of Kazan, and the Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, who play in the city of Nizhnekamsk. The state also has a Russian Major League team (the second highest hockey league in Russia),
Neftyanik Almetyevsk Neftyanik Almetyevsk is an ice hockey team in Almetyevsk, Russia. They play in the VHL, the Supreme Hockey League, which is the second level of Russian ice hockey. History The club was founded in 1965 as Sputnik. In 1986, they were renamed Neft ...
, who play in the city of
Almetyevsk Almetyevsk ( rus, Альме́тьевск, , ɐlʲˈmʲetʲjɪfsk; tt-Cyrl, Әлмәт, ''Älmät'') is a city in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Zay River (Kama's tributary) southeast of Kazan. Population: ...
. There are also two
Minor Hockey League The Junior Hockey League (JHL) (russian: Молодежная Хоккейная Лига (МХЛ), Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga), sometimes translated as the ''Minor'' or ''Youth'' Hockey League, is a major junior ice hockey league in Eurasia ...
teams which serve as affiliates for the two KHL teams. A team also exists in the
Russian Hockey League The Supreme Hockey League Championship (VHL-B) (russian: Первенство Высшей хоккейной лиги (ВХЛ-П), ''Pervenstvo Vysshaya hokkeinaya liga'') is an ice hockey league in Russia. It stands at the third-tier of the Ru ...
, the
HC Chelny HC Chelny is an ice hockey team in Naberezhnye Chelny, 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 internati ...
, which is based in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny. Another team plays in the
MHL-B The National Junior Hockey League (NMHL) (formerly Junior Hockey League Division B) (russian: Национальная молодежная хоккейная лига (НМХЛ)) is the second level of the Junior Hockey League (Russia), Junior Ho ...
(the second level of junior ice hockey in Russia). Nail Yakupov is an ethnic Tatar who was drafted first overall in the
2012 NHL Entry Draft The 2012 NHL Entry Draft was the 50th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held June 22–23, 2012, at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first time that Pittsburgh hosted the draft since the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. The top th ...
. Former
ATP ATP may refer to: Companies and organizations * Association of Tennis Professionals, men's professional tennis governing body * American Technical Publishers, employee-owned publishing company * ', a Danish pension * Armenia Tree Project, non ...
No. 1 Marat Safin and former WTA number 1 Dinara Safina are of Tatar descent. Kazan hosted the XXVII Summer Universiade in 2013. Kazan also hosted the FINA World championship in aquatic sports in August 2015.


Education

The most important facilities of higher education include
Kazan Federal University Kazan (Volga region) Federal University (russian: Казанский (Приволжский) федеральный университет, tt-Cyrl, Казан (Идел буе) федераль университеты) is a public research uni ...
,
Kazan State Medical University Based primarily in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, the Kazan State Medical University (KSMU) is a federal university made up of nine faculties. The university got the license on 6 March 1994 by the State Committee of the Russian Federation of High ...
, Kazan National Research Technological University, World Information Distributed University,
Kazan National Research Technical University named after A.N.Tupolev Kazan National Research Technical University (KNRTU-KAI, full name in Russian: ''Казанский национальный исследовательский технический университет имени А. Н. Туполева'', ...
and
Russian Islamic University The Russian Islamic University is Russia's first official Islamic university. It was founded in 1998 in Kazan, Tatarstan. The University consists of three departments (theology, Islamic science and Hafiz preparation) and four sub-departments (hum ...
, all located in the capital Kazan.


Public spaces

Tatarstan takes a unique participatory approach to the development of public spaces that has earned it recognition. The Tatarstan Public Spaces Development Programme aims to create spaces for meeting or recreation. The programme covers a wide spectrum of projects, including streets, squares, parks, river banks, pavilions, and sports facilities. Since 2016 (and continuing until 2022), the Architecturny Desant Architectural Bureau in Kazan is improving public spaces in each of Tatarstan's 45 municipal districts, from large cities to small villages. As of April 2019, the project had revamped 328 public spaces. By creating and rehabilitating public spaces, the programme aims to be a catalyst for positive social, economic, and environmental change. One notable example is the "Beach" at Almetyevsk, which includes public swimming pools and a terrace. Other examples include an amphitheatre in Black Lake Park, Kazan; the Central Square in Bavly; a children's playground in Bogatye Saby village, which has a unique wooden play structure; the Cube container centre in the green beach at Gorkinsko-Ometievsky forest, Kazan; and the square on Festival Boulevard, Kazan. The programme used an innovative participatory design approach, which later became mandatory for similar projects across Russia. This approach partners specialists with local residents at every stage of the project, from development, to implementation, to the ongoing use of the space. The Tatarstan Public Spaces Development Programme was announced as one of the six winners of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The jury was impressed by the programme's systematic approach and involvement of residents to decide the future of each space. Each public space expresses the unique identity of that particular place, tying in its history while incorporating traditional materials. Major goals of the projects include improving the quality of life for residents and improving the environment. The Arhitekturnyi Desant team aims to provide a high quality public space, no matter the size of the settlement, including quality design, infrastructure, and materials. Spending on the public spaces projects is helping the local economy. For example, the number of street furniture manufacturers in the area increased from 12 to 75 since the programme started.


See also

*
Volga Tatars The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars ( tt-Cyrl, татарлар, tatarlar) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of Russia. They are subdivided into various subgroups. Volga Tatars are Russia's second-largest ethnicity after t ...
* List of Chairmen of the State Council of Tatarstan *
List of rural localities in Tatarstan This is a list of rural localities in Tatarstan. Tatarstan, The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a republics of Russia, republic) located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital city, capital is ...
*
1921–22 famine in Tatarstan Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...
* List of Tatars *
Music of Tatarstan Tatarstan is an autonomous republic within Russia, where the largest ethnic group are the Tatars. Their traditional music is a mixture of Turkic, Mongolic and Finnic elements, reportedly bridging Mongolian and Hungarian music. Nonetheless, the ...


References


Notes


Sources

* * * Госкомстат РФ. Государственный комитет Республики Татарстан по статистике. "Административно-территориальное деление Республики Татарстан" (''Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Republic of Tatarstan''). Казань, 1997.


Further reading

* * * Ruslan Kurbanov
Tatarstan: Smooth Islamization Sprinkled with Blood
''OnIslam.net.'' Accessed: Feb. 26, 2013. * Daniel Kalder. ''Lost Cosmonaut: Observations of an Anti-tourist''. * Ravil Bukharaev. ''The Model of Tatarstan: Under President Mintimer Shaimiev''. * Azadeayse Rorlich. ''The Volga Tatars: A Profile in National Resilience''. * Roderick Heather. ''Russia From Red to Black''


External links


Official website of the Republic of Tatarstan

Official website of the Republic of Tatarstan

Official website of the Republic of Tatarstan

Tatar-Inform
information agency
Official Tourist Portal of the Republic of Tatarstan
{{Use mdy dates, date=November 2012 States and territories established in 1920 Members of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization Tatar topics Russian-speaking countries and territories Regions of Europe with multiple official languages 1920 establishments in Europe Observer members of the International Organization of Turkic Culture Turkic states