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Tatarstan

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The Republic of Tatarstan ( Tatar: Татарстан Республикасы/Tatarstan Respublikası; ‹See Tfd›Russian: Респу́блика Татарста́н) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). The unofficial Tatarstan motto is: Buldırabız! (We can!).

Template:Federal subject of Russia

Terminology

The direct transliteration of its name from Russian is Respublika Tatarstan. Another version of its Tatar name reads Tatarstan Cömhüriäte (cömhüriät also is the Tatar term for republic; derived from the Arabic word "Jumhuriyya"), but it is not official. Another version of Russian name is Тата́рия (Tatariya) and is was official among with Tatar ASSR during Soviet rule.

Geography

The Republic is located in the center of the East European Plain, approximately 800 km 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.

Time zone

Tatarstan is located in the Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD). UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD).

Rivers

Major rivers include:

Map of the region with the Republic of Tatarstan highlighted

Lakes

Major reservoirs of the republic include:

The biggest lake is Qaban.

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 of oil deposits.

Climate

  • Average January temperature: -16°C
  • Average July temperature: +19°C
  • Average annual precipitation: up to 500 mm

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Administrative divisions of Tatarstan (Russian form), Counties of Tatarstan (Tatar form).

Demographics

About 70 nationalities inhabit Tatarstan. Major ethnic groups are the Tatars (51.3%), Russians (41%), Chuvashes (about 3%). Mordvinians, Udmurts, Mari, and Bashkirs also live in the territory of the Republic.

Official languages are Tatar and Russian. According to the 2002 Russian Federal Law (On Languages of Peoples of the Russian Federation), the official script is Cyrillic. Tatarstan's government as well as human rights groups are strongly opposed to this law.

  • Population: 3,779,265 (2002)
    • Urban: 2,790,661 (73.8%)
    • Rural: 988,604 (26.2%)
    • Male: 1,749,050 (46.3%)
    • Female: 2,030,215 (53.7%)
  • Females per 1000 males: 1,161
  • Average age: 36.5 years
    • Urban: 35.7 years
    • Rural: 38.7 years
    • Male: 33.8 years
    • Female: 38.8 years
  • Number of households: 1,305,360 (with 3,747,267 people)
    • Urban: 970,540 (with 2,762,818 people)
    • Rural: 334,820 (with 984,449 people)

History

The main article is History of Tatarstan

Middle Ages

The earliest known organized state within the boundaries of Tatarstan was Volga Bulgaria (c. 700-1238 CE). The Volga Bulgars had an advanced mercantile state with trade contacts throughout Inner Eurasia, the Middle East and the Baltic, which maintained its independence despite pressure by such nations as the Khazars, the Kievan Rus and the Kipchaks. Islam 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 1230's (see Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria.) The inhabitants, mixing with the Golden Horde's Turco-Mongolian, Kipchak-speaking troops and settlers, became known as the "Volga Tatars." In the 1430s the region again became independent as the base of the Khanate of Kazan, Kazan having been founded close to the ruined capital of the Bulgars.

Tatarstan 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 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 II. The first mosque to be rebuilt under Catherine's auspices was constructed in 1766-1770.

Modern times

In the 19th century Tatarstan became centers of Jadidism, an Islamic sect that preached a tolerance to other religions. Under the influence of Tatarstan Jadidist theologians, the Tatars 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.

During the Civil War of 1918-1920 Tatar nationalists attempted to establish an independent republic (the Idel-Ural State). They were, however, put down by the Bolsheviks and the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established on May 27, 1920. The boundaries of the republic did not include the majority of the Volga Tatars.

Tatarstan today

Tatarstan declared independence on August 30, 1990. On February 15, 1994 an 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) was signed. This agreement is sometimes considered as recognition of Tatarstan's independence by Russian Federation, because it mentions the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan.

On the same day 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 was signed, and despite the fact that it does not recognize Tatarstan's sovereignty directly, it complements the former treaty in politics.

Post-Soviet timeline

  • 12 June 1991: The first elections for President of Tatarstan. Mintimer Shaymiev was elected.
  • 21 March 1992: Referendum held regarding Tatarstan's status. The majority of the population support Tatatrstan's independence.
  • November 1992: The Constitution of Tatarstan accepted by parliament.
  • 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 was signed. Tatarstan becomes a de facto constituent republic of the Russian Federation.
  • 1995 and 1999 elections held for the Governmental Council of Tatarstan.
  • March 2002: Numerous amendments to Tatarstan's Constitution. Tatarstan officials officially declared Tatarstan to be a part of Russia.
Part of a series on the
History of Tatarstan
Coat of Arms of Tatarstan

Politics

The head of the government in Tatarstan is the President. As of 2005, the President is Mintimer Shaeymiev (Tatar: Mintimer Şäymiev). Tatarstan's unicameral National Parliament (Däwlät Sovetı) has 100 seats: 50 are for representatives of the parties, other 50 are for deputies from the republic's localities. The speaker of the National Parliament is Farit Mukhametshin (Färit Möxämmätşin).

According to the Tatarstan Constitution, 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 about election of governors says they should be elected by local parliaments and that the candidate can be presented only by the president.

On March 25, 2005 Shaymiev was re-elected at the his 4th term by Parliament, due this election was after the changes in electial laws and don't contradict to Tatarstan and Russia's Constitution.

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 Tatarstan Constitution of 2000. The following passage from the Tatarstan 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.

  1. Сonstitution of the Republic of Tatarstan
  2. Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan
  3. Declaration on the State Sovereignty of the Tatar Soviet Socialist Republic
  4. List of Intergovernmental Agreements Between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan

Economy

Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed federal subjects of Russia; it is also the second most industrialized federal subject after Samara Oblast. Industrial production constitutes 45% of the Republic's gross regional domestic product. The most developed branches are chemical and oil processing, machine building, and wood processing industries.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Tatarstan

Major libraries include the Science Library of Kazan State University 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 16 theaters in Tatarstan.

Education

The most important facilities of higher education include Kazan State University, Kazan State Medical University, Kazan State Technical University and Russian Islam University, all located in the capital Kazan.

Religion

The most common faiths include Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodox Church. As of 2004, there were 1,208 buildings used for religious purposes in Tatarstan; 1,014 of which were Islamic, and 176 Russian Orthodox.

Miscellaneous

The people of ethnic majority of Tatarstan are usually offended when called Tartars. The preferred name is Tatars. Inhabitants of Tatarstan regardless of ethnicity are usually called Tatarstaners (Tatarstanlı/татарстанлы, татарстанец).

The name Tatarstan derives from the Tatar and Persian stan (an ending common to many Muslim countries). Other variants of the republic's name are Russian Tataria (former official Russian name) and Turkish Tataristan.

Some Tatarstaners wish for their state to be renamed Bulgaristan (like Alania), claiming that the region was called Bulgaristan by its inhabitants until 1922 in tribute to the early settlers.

See also


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