Altay

I

Introduction

Altay, autonomous republic, south-central Russia, bordered on the north-west by the Altay Kray (territory), on the north by Kemerovo Oblast (province) and the autonomous republic of Khakassia, on the east by the republic of Tuva, and on the south by Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. It gained the status of a republic in 1991; previously it was the Gorno-Altay Autonomous Oblast. Altay has an area of 92,600 sq km (35,753 sq mi). Gorno-Altaisk, in the north-west, is the republic's capital.

II

Land and Resources

Most of the republic lies above 1,500 m (4,921 ft), rising in the south and south-east to more than 2,500 m (8,200 ft). The republic’s tallest peak—Mount Belukha (4,506 m/14,783 ft), on the southern border with Kazakhstan—is also the highest point in Siberia. There are five mountain ranges within Altay, separated by deep valleys called locally “steppes”. Two major rivers—the Katun and Biya—cross the republic, rising in the southern mountainous area and flowing generally northward. The Katun and Biya rivers join near the city of Biysk in Altay Kray to form the River Ob. The largest lake is Lake Teletskoye, in the north-east of the republic, which lies at the heart of the Altaisky Zapovednik—a vast nature reserve, founded in 1932, with an area of 8,812 sq km (3,402 sq mi). The Katunsky Zapovednik reserve occupies an area of 1,500 sq km (579 sq mi) of mountainous terrain in the south of the republic. The reserve’s dense mountain forests provide a protected habitat for brown bears, wolves, lynx, and snow leopards, while the forests of the lower altitude slopes are interspersed with the alpine meadows. The Ukok Plateau Nature Refuge, in the extreme south of the republic, consists of tundra, marshes, and steppe grasslands, and is rich in archaeological finds. The three reserves were collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. One quarter of the republic is covered with forests, both coniferous and deciduous.

The climate of Altay is continental. Temperatures average between -12° and -31° C (10° and -25° F) in January, and 9° and 18° C (48° and 64° F) in July. Precipitation ranges from 100 mm (4 in) in the bottoms of the valleys to 1,000 mm (39 in) in the north-west.

III

Population

Altay has a population of about 2,607,200 (2002). The republic has an average population density of 2.2 people per sq km (5.7 per sq mi) and some 74 per cent of the population is rural. Almost all the urban population lives in the capital, Gorno-Altaisk (1995, 53,712), which is home to about a quarter of the republic's population. From 1932 to 1948 the city was known as Oirot-Tura; before that it was called Ulala. Several small settlements dot the valleys of the republic’s rivers.

The majority of the people are Russians (57 per cent of the population), who live primarily in the lower mountains and northern parts of the republic. The indigenous Altay (34 per cent) and Kazakh (6 per cent) peoples were formerly nomads, who were settled during the Soviet period. The Altay, descended from the Mongols, are a group of indigenous Turkic-speaking tribes, called Oirots by outsiders between 1922 and 1948. Their language belongs to the Turkic language group of the Altaic languages. Scholars began to develop a written form of the Altay language in the mid-19th century, but their work was never completed. In the 1930s a new written language was established, based first on the Latin alphabet and then on the Cyrillic alphabet. Most Altay use both their native language and Russian. The Kazakhs live predominantly in the south-west, near the border with Kazakhstan.

Although no longer nomadic, much of the traditional culture of the Altay has been preserved. The traditional religion, shamanism, was largely relegated to the private sphere in Soviet times. However, respect for shamans remained, and the religion has revived in the post-Soviet period. Higher education institutions include Gorno-Altaisk State University, as well as a pedagogical institute, technical schools for engineering and veterinary medicine, and a medical school. See also Turkic peoples.

IV

Economy

Most people still depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Cattle-raising is the main activity, but Angora goats are also kept, and some crops are grown. Fur trapping is another source of rural income. The forests support a timber industry, and some gold is mined in the mountains. Gorno-Altaisk has some industry, including a meat-packing plant, and factories producing furniture, fabrics, clothing, and electrical appliances. Mineral products in Altay include gold and mercury. Plans to build a controversial gas pipeline to run through the Ukok Plateau into China were approved in 2006.