Mari Republic: description, cities, territory and interesting facts

The Mari Republic (Mari El) is one of those subjects of the Russian Federation that have their own statehood. This education, located in the European part of Russia, had autonomy rights since Soviet times. This region is quite original and is of interest for research in various fields. Let's get to know more closely what the Mari Republic and its population represent.

Geographical location

The Republic of Mari El is located in the east of the European part of the Russian Federation. In the north and west, this subject of the federation borders on the Nizhny Novgorod region, in the north and east - with the Kirov region, in the southeast - with Tatarstan, and in the south - with Chuvashia.

The Mari Republic is located in a temperate climatic zone with a temperate continental type of climate.

The area of the territory of this subject of the Federation is 23.4 thousand square meters. Km, which is the 72nd indicator among all regions of the country.

The capital of the Mari Republic is Yoshkar-Ola

A Brief Historical Reference

Now a little look in the history of the Republic of Mari El.

From ancient times these territories were inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes, which, in fact, are the titular nation of the republic. In ancient Russian annals they were called Cheremis, although they called themselves Mari.

After the formation of the Golden Horde, the Mari tribes became members of the Mari, and after the collapse of this state, they became tributaries of the Kazan Khanate. Due to the annexation of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible in 1552, the lands of the Mari became part of the Russian kingdom. Although the western tribes of the Cheremis have adopted Russian citizenship even earlier and were baptized. After this, the history of the Mari is inextricably linked with the fate of Russia.

But some Mari tribes did not want to accept Russian citizenship so simply. Therefore, the period from 1552 to 1585 was marked by a number of Cheremis wars, the purpose of which was to force the Mari tribes to accept Russian citizenship. In the end, the Mari were conquered, and their rights are significantly limited. But in the following years they took an active part in various uprisings, for example, in the Pugachev uprising of 1775.

In the meantime, the Mari began to adopt Russian culture. They had their own written language based on the Cyrillic alphabet, and after the opening of the Kazan Seminary, some representatives of this people were able to get a good education.

After the Bolsheviks came to power in 1920, the Mari Autonomous Region was established. In 1936, the Mari Autonomous Republic (MASSR) was formed on its basis. At the very end of the existence of the USSR, in 1990, it was transformed into the Mari SSR.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of the Russian Federation, one of the subjects of this state was the Mari Republic, or, as it is called in another way, the Republic of Mari El. The constitution of this state education provides for the equal use of these names.

Population of the Republic

The population of the Republic of Mari at the moment is 685.9 thousand people. This is only the 66th result among all subjects of federations of Russia.

The density of population in the republic is 29.3 people per square kilometer. Km. For comparison: in the Nizhny Novgorod region, this figure is 42.6 people per square kilometer. Km, in Chuvashia - 67.4 people per square kilometer. Km, and in the Kirov region - 10.8 people per square kilometer. Km.

Despite the fact that the Mari people are the indigenous and state-forming people of Mari El, at the moment they are not the most numerous ethnos of the republic. Most of all the population of this region is Russian. They constitute 45.1% of the total number of residents of the subject of the federation. The Mari in the republic make up only 41.8%. The last census, in which the Mari predominated over the Russians, was carried out in 1939.

Among the other ethnic groups, the Tatars are the most numerous. Their number is 5.5% of the total number of residents in Mari El. In addition, Chuvash, Ukrainians, Udmurts, Byelorussians, Mordovians, Armenians, Azeris and Germans live in the republic, but their numbers are significantly less than those of the three above-named peoples.

Dissemination of religions

A fairly large number of different religions are spread in Mari El. At the same time, 48% refer themselves to Orthodox Christians, 6% are Muslims and 6% are supporters of the ancient Mari pagan religion. At the same time about 6% of the population are atheists.

In addition to the above-mentioned confessions, there are Catholic communities in the region, as well as communities of various Protestant currents.

Administrative division

The Republic of Mari El consists of fourteen districts and three cities of regional subordination (Yoshkar-Ola, Volzhsk and Kozmodemyansk).

The most populated areas of the Mari Republic are Medvedevsky (67.1 thousand inhabitants), Venigovsky (42.5 thousand inhabitants), Soviet (29.6 thousand inhabitants), Morkinsky (29.0 thousand inhabitants). Territorially the largest is the Kilemar district (3.3 thousand square kilometers).

Yoshkar-Ola - the capital of Mari El

The capital of the Mari Republic is the city of Yoshkar-Ola. It is located approximately in the center of this region. Currently, it has about 265,000 inhabitants with a population density of 2,640.1 people per square kilometer. Km.

Among the nationalities prevail Russian, and even more pronouncedly than in the general for the republic. Their number is 68% of the total number of residents. The following Maris have a share of 24%, and the Tatars - 4.3%.

The city was founded in the distant 1584 as a Russian military fortification. From the time of its foundation and until 1919 it was called Tsarevokokshaisk. In 1919, after the Bolshevik Revolution, was named Krasnokokshaysk. In 1927, it was decided to rename it to Yoshkar-Ola, which is translated from Mari as a "red city".

Currently, Yoshkar-Ola is a relatively large regional center with developed infrastructure, industry and culture.

Other cities of the republic

The rest of the cities of the Mari Republic are much smaller than Yoshkar-Ola. The largest of them Volzhsk has a population of 54.6 thousand inhabitants, which is almost five times less than in the capital of the republic.

Other cities in the region can boast an even smaller population. So, in the city of Kozmodemyansk lives 20.5 thousand people, in Medvedev - 18.1 thousand people, in Zvenigovo - 11.5 thousand people, in the Soviet settlement - 10.4 thousand people.

The rest of the settlements of the republic have a population of less than 10,000 people.

Infrastructure of the Republic

In comparison with other regions of Russia, the infrastructure of the Mari Republic, excluding the city of Yoshkar-Ola, can not be called highly developed.

On the territory of the republic there is only one airport located in its capital. In addition, there are 2 bus stations and 51 bus stations in the region. Railway transport is represented by fourteen stations.

Houses of the Mari Republic are often built of wood. This material has been used for more than one hundred years as ideally suited for these places. The blessing in the region of a tree suffices. But at the same time, high-rise buildings and private houses of modern building materials are increasingly being built.

Since the beginning of this millennium in the capital of the Republic of Yoshkar-Ola, large-scale reconstruction works have been carried out aimed at restoring the cultural and architectural monuments of the city.

Economy of the Republic

Among the directions of industry the most developed are metalworking and machine building. Also there are enterprises working in the woodworking, textile and food industries. Almost all production is concentrated in the cities of Yoshkar-Ola and Volzhsk.

In agriculture, livestock farming is the most developed, mainly cattle breeding and pig farming. Crop production specializes in growing the following crops: cereals, flax, forage crops, potatoes and other vegetables.

Tourism

The Mari Republic is famous for its great potential for recreational resources . Rest in this region, of course, is different from the usual seaside resorts, but it can bring as much, and perhaps even more fun. Clean air, which is saturated with the protected corners of this region, can not replace anything.

Of particular note is the lake in the Mari republic. In the region there are a lot of them, and they are of considerable interest for tourists. Especially noteworthy Kulikovo lake near the city of Volzhsk.

For those tourists who prefer organized rest, recreation centers, children's camps and sanatoriums of the Mari Republic open their doors.

Interesting Facts

It is noteworthy that, although the titular nation of Mari El is Mari, the majority of the inhabitants of the region are ethnic Russians.

Before the creation of the Mari Autonomous Region in 1920, the Mari did not have their own self-government, and the territory of the present Republic of Mari El was divided between several provinces.

Outside the Mari Republic lives a greater number of Mari than inside it.

General characteristics of the Mari Republic

Although the Mari Republic can not be called the advanced industrial region of Russia, this region has a huge potential. His main wealth is hardworking people. Most of the inhabitants of the region are ethnic Russians and Mari. The region is quite rarely populated and has only one city, which can be called conditionally large - the capital of Yoshkar-Ola.

In addition to human potential, the Mari Republic is known throughout Russia for its unique recreational resources. A healthy vacation in this region can cure a large number of diseases.