The Mari Republic (Mari El) is one of those subjects of the Russian Federation that have their own statehood. This entity, located in the European part of Russia, has had the rights of autonomy since Soviet times. This region is quite distinctive and is of interest for research in various fields. Let's take a closer look at what the Mari Republic and its population are like.
Territorial 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 - on the Kirov region, in the southeast - on Tatarstan, and in the south - on Chuvashia.
The Mari Republic is located in a temperate climate zone with a temperate continental climate type.
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
Brief historical background
Now let's take a look at the history of the Republic of Mari El.
Since ancient times these territoriesinhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes, which, in fact, are the titular nation of the republic. In ancient Russian chronicles they were called Cheremis, although they called themselves Mari.
After the formation of the Golden Horde, the Mari tribes became part of it, and after the collapse of this state into parts, they became tributaries of the Kazan Khanate. As a result of 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 accepted Russian citizenship even earlier and were baptized. After that, 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 easily. Therefore, the period from 1552 to 1585 was marked by a series of Cheremis wars, the purpose of which was to force the Mari tribes to accept Russian citizenship. In the end, the Mari were subjugated, and their rights were significantly limited. But in subsequent years, they took an active part in various uprisings, for example, in the Pugachev uprising of 1775.
Meanwhile, the Mari began to adopt Russian culture. They developed their own script 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 created. 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 andthe 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 entity provides for the equal use of these names.
Population of the republic
The population of the Mari Republic is currently 685.9 thousand people. This is only the 66th result among all subjects of the federations of Russia.
The population density in the republic is 29.3 people/sq. km. For comparison: in the Nizhny Novgorod region, a similar figure is 42.6 people per square meter. km, in Chuvashia - 67.4 people/sq. km, and in the Kirov region - 10.8 people / sq. km.
Despite the fact that the indigenous and state-forming people of Mari El are the Mari, at the moment they are not the most numerous ethnic group of the republic. Most of all among the population of this region are Russians. They make up 45.1% of the total population of the subject of the federation. Maris in the republic make up only 41.8%. The last census in which the Mari outnumbered the Russians was carried out in 1939.
Among other ethnic groups, the most numerous are the Tatars. Their number is 5.5% of the total population in Mari El. In addition, Chuvash, Ukrainians, Udmurts, Belarusians, Mordovians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Germans live in the republic, but their number is significantly less than that of the three above-mentioned peoples.
Spread of religions
There are quite a large number of different religions in Mari El. Wherein48% identify themselves as Orthodox Christians, 6% are Muslims and 6% are adherents of the ancient Mari pagan religion. At the same time, about 6% of the population are atheists.
In addition to the confessions listed above, there are Catholic communities in the region, as well as communities of various Protestant movements.
Administrative divisions
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: Medvedevsky (67.1 thousand inhabitants), Zvenigovsky (42.5 thousand inhabitants), Sovetsky (29.6 thousand inhabitants), Morkinsky (29.0 thousand. living). Geographically, the largest is the Kilemarsky district (3.3 thousand sq. km).
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. At present, about 265.0 thousand inhabitants live in it, with a population density of 2640.1 person/sq. km.
Among nationalities, Russians predominate, and even more pronounced than in general in the republic. Their number is 68% of the total population. The Mari following them have a share of 24%, and the Tatars - 4.3%.
The city was founded back in 1584 as a Russian military fortification. From the moment of foundation and until 1919 it was called Tsarevokokshaysk. In 1919, after the Bolshevik revolution, it was named Krasnokokshaisk. In 1927, it was decided to rename it Yoshkar-Ola, which is from the Maritranslated as "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 boast even smaller populations. Thus, 20.5 thousand people live in the city of Kozmodemyansk, 18.1 thousand people live in Medvedevo, 11.5 thousand people live in Zvenigovo, and 10.4 thousand people live in the village of Sovetsky
Other 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, cannot be called highly developed.
On the territory of the republic there is only one airport, located in its capital. In addition, the region has 2 bus stations and 51 bus stations. Rail 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 ideal for these places. Fortunately, there is enough wood in the region. But at the same time, skyscrapers and private houses are being built more and more often from modern building materials.
Since the beginning of this millennium, large-scale reconstruction work has been carried out in the capital of the republic, Yoshkar-Ola, aimed at restoring cultural and architecturalmonuments of the city.
Economy of the Republic
Among the industries, metalworking and mechanical engineering are the most developed. There are also enterprises operating in the woodworking, textile and food industries. Almost all production is concentrated in the cities of Yoshkar-Ola and Volzhsk.
In agriculture, animal husbandry is most developed, mainly cattle breeding and pig breeding. Crop production specializes in the cultivation of the following crops: cereals, flax, fodder crops, potatoes and other vegetables.
Tourism
The Mari Republic is famous for its huge potential of recreational resources. Rest in this region, of course, differs from the usual seaside resorts, but it can bring no less, and perhaps even more pleasure. Nothing can replace the clean air with which the reserved corners of this region are saturated.
We should especially note the lakes in the Mari Republic. There are a large number of them in the region, and they are of considerable interest to tourists. Particularly noteworthy are: Kulikovo Lake near the city of Volzhsk, Sea Eye, Yalchik, Kichier, Deaf, Silver, etc. There are many rivers in Mari El that are suitable for rafting. It is here that the cleanest river in the world, Woncha, flows through the nature reserve.
For those tourists who prefer organized holidays, 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 are the Mari,the majority of the region's residents 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 current Republic of Mari El was divided between several provinces.
Outside the Mari Republic there are more 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 great potential. His main we alth is hardworking people. Most of the inhabitants of the region are ethnic Russians and Mari. The region is quite sparsely populated and has only one city, which can be called conditionally large - the capital Yoshkar-Ola.
Besides human potential, the Mari Republic is known all over Russia for its unique recreational resources. He althy rest in this region can cure a large number of diseases.
