Chuvashia is a republic within the Russian Federation, located 700 kilometers from Moscow. The population of Chuvashia is over 1.2 million people. The article will focus on who inhabits the republic, as well as on demographic problems and cities of the region.
Republic of Chuvashia: general information
Chuvashia is one of the republics within the Russian Federation. It is located in the center of the European part of the country. The Volga River flows in the north of the republic. The distance from the "capital" of the region to the capital of Russia is 630 km.
The republic occupies a small (by Russian standards) area: about 18,000 square kilometers. The population of Chuvashia is 1.23 million people. The Republic is quite well connected with other regions of Russia by road, rail, and water transport routes.
Most of Chuvashia is located between the Sura and Sviyaga rivers, within the forest and forest-steppe natural zones. The relief of the territory is flat, the climate is temperate continental. Of the minerals in the region, there are deposits of oil shale and phosphate rock.
Chuvashia is a land with a rich culture and traditions. It is often referred to as "the land of a hundred thousand songs". The researchers focus on the originality of the local musical culture, which is expressed not only in a special manner of singing, but also in a set of instruments.
Dynamics and population of the republic
Chuvashia is one of the most populated regions of the Russian Federation. As of 2016, 1 million 237 thousand people live here. At the same time, the average population density of Chuvashia is one of the highest in Russia (almost 68 people/sq. km.).
Nevertheless, the demographic situation in the republic has been very difficult for twenty years now. Since 1994, the population of Chuvashia has been gradually dying out. During this period of time, the region lost almost 100 thousand of its inhabitants! True, by 2016 the rate of population extinction had stopped, primarily due to an increase in the birth rate.
Another serious demographic problem in the region is the “aging” of the population. The fact is that young people are actively leaving the republic. Accordingly, the proportion of people of retirement age is increasing in the age structure of the population.
The level of urbanization in the region is relatively low - 61.3%. However, recently the urban population of the Republic of Chuvashia has been increasing every year.
Age, sex composition of the population and migration
As mentioned above, the share of pensioners in Chuvashia is increasing every year. Accordingly, the proportion of minors is decreasing. If in 1989in 2002 it was almost 27%, but in 2002 it was only 19.9%.
If we talk about the gender structure of the population, then women prevail in Chuvashia (53.7%). However, in recent years there has been a tendency to equalize the overall ratio of men and women.
The population of Chuvashia is declining not only due to natural demographic processes, but also due to active emigration. Over the past five years, there has been a negative migration trend in the region. On average, every year 2-5 thousand more people leave Chuvashia than enter the republic. The main centers of attraction for migrants from this region are Moscow, the Ulyanovsk region, Tatarstan and the Moscow region.
Ethnic composition of the population. Who are the Chuvash?
The national composition of the republic is dominated by the Chuvash (67.7%). Next come Russians (26.7%), Tatars (2.8%) and Mordovians (about 1%). Also on the territory of Chuvashia there are quite numerous diasporas of Ukrainians, Belarusians and Armenians.
Chuvash is the indigenous population of the republic. This is a Turkic ethnic group, the origin of which scientists associate with the Volga Bulgars. The total number of Chuvash in the world is estimated at one and a half million people. Half of them live within the Republic of Chuvashia. The remaining representatives of this ethnic group are dispersed throughout Russia, they also live in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and some other countries.
The Chuvash speak their own language - Chuvash, which has three dialects. In 65% of schools in the regionchildren are taught in this language. Most of the Chuvash are Orthodox Christians. However, there are also adherents of traditional pagan beliefs among them.
According to ancient Chuvash myths, the Earth has the shape of a square. The firmament rests on four pillars (copper, stone, gold and silver). Each of the four corners of the Earth is reliably guarded by a defending hero.
Modern territorial structure of the republic. Population of Chuvashia by regions
The Republic of Chuvashia today is divided into 21 administrative regions. There are nine cities, eight urban-type settlements and 1720 villages here. The capital of the republic is the city of Cheboksary. According to the latest census, every third inhabitant of Chuvashia lives in it.
The regions of the republic are different in size. The largest in area is Alatyrsky, and the smallest is Krasnoarmeisky. The table below shows all the districts of Chuvashia, indicating the population for each of them:
| Name of district | Number of inhabitants (thousand people) |
| Alatyrsky | 15, 2 |
| Alikovsky | 16, 3 |
| Batyrevsky | 35, 1 |
| Wurnar | 32, 8 |
| Ibresinsky | 23, 9 |
| Kanashian | 36, 3 |
| Red Army | 14, 6 |
| Krasnochetayskiy | 14, 9 |
| Kozlovsky | 19, 7 |
| Komsomolsky | 25, 6 |
| Marposadskiy | 22, 7 |
| Morgauschsky | 33, 5 |
| Poretsky | 12, 8 |
| Urmar | 23, 6 |
| Civilian | 36, 2 |
| Cheboksary | 62, 5 |
| Shumerlinsky | 9, 4 |
| Shemurshinsky | 12, 8 |
| Yadrinsky | 26, 9 |
| Yantikovsky | 15, 2 |
| Yalchiksky | 17, 9 |
Cities of Chuvashia
The list of cities in Chuvashia includes nine settlements. Two of them are among the large cities. But only 8,5 thousand people live in the smallest one.
Cheboksary is considered the oldest city within the republic (the first mention in written documents for 1469). In the 16th century, three more cities arose - Alatyr, Yadrin and Tsivilsk.
The following are all the cities of Chuvashia by population (from largest to smallest):
- Cheboksary.
- Novocheboksarsk.
- Kanash.
- Alatyr.
- Shumerlya.
- Tsivilsk.
- Kazlovka.
- Mariinsky Posad.
- Yadrin.
The city of Cheboksary is the capital of the republic
Cheboksary is the largest city in Chuvashia. In addition to the status of the capital, it is also an important cultural, scientific and transport center of the region. In 2001, the city received the honorary title of "the most comfortable" in Russia.
Cheboksary is located on the Volga River. The transport gates of the city are the airport, railway station and river port.
The city arose in the middle of the 15th century. By the beginning of the 18th century, it turned into a major center of trade in the Volga region. Bread, furs, fish, honey and s alt are actively traded here. Currently, more than a dozen large enterprises operate in Cheboksary. It produces industrial tractors, electronic devices and optical equipment, textiles, and confectionery. Two local distilleries produce a wide range of alcoholic beverages.
Cheboksary is also known as a recreational center of the region. So, on the left bank of the Volga there is a sanatorium "Chuvashia", which provides he alth services, as well as services for the treatment and diagnosis of various diseases.
Cheboksary is an important educational and cultural center of Chuvashia. There are five universities, as well as a number of branches of nonresident higher educational institutions. The city has eight museums, five theaters and more than 30 public libraries. Every year in Cheboksaryseveral major festivals are held.
Among the architectural monuments of the city, it is worth noting several of the most beautiful ancient temple buildings and complexes. In particular, the Vvedensky Cathedral of 1651, the Holy Trinity Monastery, founded in the 17th century, the Assumption Church (1763). More than thirty monuments, sculptural compositions and monuments were installed in the city at different times. The most beautiful and famous of them are the Mother Monument (which is considered the main tourist symbol of Cheboksary), the magnificent equestrian monument to Chapaev, the bust of the poet Nizami Ganjavi and others.
In closing
1 236 628 - this is the exact population of Chuvashia (for 2016). The main ethnic group within the republic are the Chuvash - the indigenous inhabitants of the region. Here they are about 68%. The city of Cheboksary is the largest city of Chuvashia and its capital.
Today, this republic is characterized by a number of acute demographic problems: the extinction and aging of the population, as well as the outflow of young people to other, more promising regions of the country.
