Tatarstan

I

Introduction

Tatarstan, autonomous republic, central Russia, located in the central Volga region, and bordered on the west by the republic of Chuvashia, on the north-west by Mari El republic, on the north by Kirov Oblast (province) and the republic of Udmurtia, on the east by Bashkortostan republic, and on the south by Orenburg, Samara, and Ul’yanovsk oblasts. Tatarstan has an area of 68,000 sq km (26,255 sq mi). Kazan is the republic's capital.

II

Land and Resources

Ninety per cent of the republic is made up of the low-lying plains of the River Volga. The highest points (about 343 m/ 1,125 ft) are located in the west of Tatarstan. The Volga flows 177 km (110 mi) north-east to south-west through the republic. Its main tributaries are the Kazanka, the Mesha, the Zay, the Sheshma, and the Sviyaga. The River Kama enters north-eastern Tatarstan from Udmurtia, and flows south-westward across the republic before emptying into the Volga at the huge Kuybyshevskoye Reservoir. The climate is continental, with January temperatures ranging on average from -13° to -14.8° C (8.6° to 5.5° F) and July temperatures from 18.6° to 19.6° C (65.5° to 67.5° F).

III

Population

Tatarstan has a population of about 3,768,200 (2002 estimate), of which nearly 74 per cent is urban. The overall population density is 56 per sq km (144 per sq mi). Kazan lies on the Volga and has a population (2004 estimate) of 1,110,022; other important towns and cities include Naberezhnyye Chelny, Bugul’ma, and Almetyevsk.

In 2002 indigenous Tatars made up about 53 per cent of the republic's population, Russians another 40 per cent. The Chuvash (3 per cent) are the largest minority group. The Tatars of the Volga region speak a language that belongs to the Kipchak Turkic language group and has had a written form, in Arabic script, since the 10th century. From 1928 to 1939 it was written in Latin script; after 1939 using the Cyrillic alphabet. Tatars are largely Sunni Muslims, with the exception of small numbers of Orthodox Christians converted between the 16th and 18th centuries. Kazan is the home of Kazan State University, Kazan State Technical University, the Russian Islam University, and several other higher education institutes.

IV

Economy

Tatarstan is highly industrialized, and ranks second only to Samara Oblast in terms of industrial production per sq km. The economy of the republic centres on oil, gas, and petrochemicals. Engineering, textiles, clothing, wood processing, and food industries are also of key significance. Agriculture involves grain and animal products. The republic is linked to the principal railway line between Moscow and Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, and Kazan has a major airport.