Online Encyclopedia
Bashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkiria (Russian: Респу́блика Башкортоста́н or Башки́рия; Bashkir: Башҡортостан Республикаһы/Bašqortostan Respublikahy) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). The direct transliteration of the republic's name is Respublika Bashkortostan or Bashkiriya. In Tatar the republic's name is Başqortostan Respublikası.
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| Capital | Ufa | ||||
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Area - total |
30th |
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Population - Total |
7th - est. 4,104,336 (2002) |
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| Political status | Republic | ||||
| Federal district | Privolzhsky (Volga) Federal District | ||||
| Economic Region | Urals | ||||
| Cadaster # | 02 | ||||
| Official languages | Russian, Bashkir | ||||
| President | Mortaza Ghöbäydulla uly Räximev | ||||
| Prime Minister | Rafael Ibrahim uly Baydäwlätev | ||||
| Anthem | — | ||||
| Contents |
Geography
Bashkortostan contains part of the southern Urals and the adjacent plains.
- Area: 143,600 km².
- Borders: Bashkortostan borders Perm Oblast (N), Sverdlovsk Oblast (NE), Chelyabinsk Oblast (NE/E/SE), Orenburg Oblast (SE/S/SW), Tatarstan (W), and Udmurtia (NW).
- Highest point: Mount Yamantaw (1,638 m).
- Maximum N->S distance: 550 km.
- Maximum E->W distance: over 430 km.
- Average elevation: no data.
Time zone
Bashkortostan is located in the Yekaterinburg Time Zone (YEKT/YEKST). UTC offset is +0500 (YEKT)/+0600 (YEKST).
Rivers
There are over 13,000 rivers in the republic. Major rivers include:
- Belaya (Ağidel) River (1,430 km)
- Ufa (Öfö) River (918 km)
- Sakmara River (760 km)
- Ik (Iq) River (571 km)
- Dyoma River (556 km)
- Ay River (549 km)
- Yuruzan River (404 km)
- Bystry Tanyp River (345 km)
- Sim River (239 km)
- Nugush River (235 km)
- Tanalyk River (225 km)
- Zilim River (215 km)
- Syun River (209 km)
Lakes
There are 2,700 lakes and reservoirs in the republic. Major lakes and reservoirs include:
- Asylykül Lake (23.5 km²)
- Qandrykül Lake (15.6 km²)
- Urgun Lake (12.0 km²)
- Pavlovskoye Reservoir (120.0 km²)
- Nugushkoye Reservoir (25.2 km²)
Mountains
The republic contains part of the southern Urals, which stretch from the northern to the southern border. The highest mountains include:
- Mount Yamantaw (1,638 m)
- Mount Bolshoy Iremel (1,582 m)
- Mount Maly Iremel (1,449 m)
- Mount Arwyakryaz (1,068 m)
- Mount Zilmerdaq (909 m)
- Mount Alataw (845 m)
- Mount Yurmataw (842 m)
Natural Resources
Bashkortostan is rich in oil reserves, and was one of the principle centers of oil extraction in the USSR. Other natural resources include natural gas, coal, iron ores, gold, gypsum and more.
Climate
- Average annual temperature: 0.3°C (mountains) to 2.8°C (plains)
- Average January temperature: -16°C
- Average July temperature: +18°C
- Average annual precipitation: no data
Administrative division
- Main article: Administrative division of Bashkortostan.
Demographics
About a hundred nationalities inhabit Bashkortostan, including Russians (39%), Tatars (28%), Bashkirs (22%), Chuvash, Mari, Ukrainians, and Germans.
Spoken languages: Russian (~100%), Tatar (~30%), Bashkir (~20%).
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Population: 4,104,336 (2002)
- Urban: 2,626,613 (70.8%)
- Rural: 1,477,723 (29.2%)
- Male: 1,923,233 (46.9%)
- Female: 2,181,103 (53.1%)
- Females per 1000 males: 1,134
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Average age: 35.6 years
- Urban: 35.2 years
- Rural: 36.4 years
- Male: 33.4 years
- Female: 37.7 years
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Number of households: 1,429,004 (with 4,066,649 people)
- Urban: 931,417 (with 2,592,909 people)
- Rural: 497,587 (with 1,473,740 people)
Population development
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1897 | 1,991,000 |
| 1913 | 2,811,000 |
| 1926 | 2,547,000 |
| 1939 | 3,158,000 |
| 1959 | 3,340,000 |
| 1970 | 3,818,000 |
| 1979 | 3,849,000 |
| 1989 | 3,950,000 |
| 2002 | 4,104,000 |
History
Bashkortostan became a republic within Russian Federation on March 31, 1992.
Politics
The head of government in Bashkortostan is the President. As of 2004, the president is Mortaza Ghöbäydulla uly Räximev (Rakhimov). Rakhimov was re-elected in December 2003 in a poll condemned by the OSCE for exibiting "elements of basic fraud." The election was marked by intimidation of political opponents (including job sackings), forced closure of media and enforced open-ballot voting at many factories controlled by the Rakhimov family.
Economy
Much of Bashkortostan's economy depends on its oil processing industry, which is a left-over from Soviet times and has seen little investment since the collapse of the USSR. Most of the industry, nominally privatized, has in fact been granted to the factions close to the president's family.
More than one half of Bashkortostan's industry is based in Ufa, the republic's capital.
Education
Education is in Russian, Bashkir and Tatar languages.
Related articles
- — Saban Tuy
- — Qorban Bayram
- — Uraza Bayram
- — Nawruz
External links
- Official website of Bashkortostan http://www.bashkortostan.ru (in Russian)
