Buryatia

Buryatia, officially called the Republic of Buryatia, is a special area within Russia called a republic. It is found in a place known as the Russian Far East. Since 2018, it has been part of the Far Eastern Federal District.

To the north of Buryatia are places called Irkutsk Oblast and Lake Baikal, which is the deepest lake in the world. To the east is Zabaykalsky Krai, to the west is Tuva, and to the south is the country of Mongolia. The main city and capital of Buryatia is Ulan-Ude.

Buryatia covers a large area of 351,300 square kilometers and in 2021, it was home to about 978,588 people. This land is special because it is where the indigenous Buryats live.

Geography

Buryatia is a region in the south-central region of Siberia, sitting along the eastern shore of Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake.

View of Lake Baikal in Buryatia

It covers an area of 351,300 square kilometers and shares borders with Irkutsk Oblast to the north, Zabaykalsky Krai to the east, Tuva to the west, and the country of Mongolia to the south. Major rivers flow through the area, and the highest point is Mount Munku-Sardyk.


<figure class="inline-figure"><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/View_of_the_valley_of_the_Uda_near_the_village_of_Khorinsk.jpg/250px-View_of_the_valley_of_the_Uda_near_the_village_of_Khorinsk.jpg" data-caption="View of the valley of the Uda near the village of Khorinsk"><figcaption>View of the valley of the Uda near the village of Khorinsk</figcaption></figure>

The land is mostly mountainous, with rich resources like gold, tungsten, zinc, and uranium. Temperatures can vary widely, from about −17 °C in winter to +25 °C in summer, with around 244 millimeters of rain each year.

History

Unusual blue diopsidite skarn from the Dovyren Highlands, Buryatia

Mongolian people have lived around Lake Baikal since the fifth century. Over time, they developed into groups, including the Buryats. Some Buryats lived on the western shore of Lake Baikal, where there was better land for farming. Others lived on the eastern shore and moved with their animals.

Buryatia has been ruled by many empires and groups over the years, including the Xiongnu, Rouran Khaganate, and Mongol Empire. In the 1600s, Cossacks and Russian officials moved into Buryat lands. The Buryats resisted at first but were eventually included in the Russian Empire. In 1666, a fort was built that later became Ulan-Ude, the current capital of Buryatia.

During the Soviet time, Buryatia became the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1923. Leaders wanted more self-government, but this changed after World War II. New factories and railroads were built, bringing many new people to the area. After the Soviet Union ended, Buryatia became the Republic of Buryatia but stayed part of Russia.

Politics

The leader of Buryatia is called the Head, and people in the region vote to choose them every four years. Before 2012, the leader was chosen by the president of Russia.

From 1991 to 2007, the leader was Leonid Potapov. He was first elected in 1994 and was re-elected in 1998 and 2002.

Modern Buryat home with instruments, scrolls, and weapons typical of Buryatia

The current Head is Alexey Tsydenov, who was elected in 2017. Before that, he was appointed by Russian president Vladimir Putin in February 2017.

Buryatia's parliament is called the People's Khural. It has 66 members who are elected every five years. The main political party in the region is United Russia.

The Republic's Constitution was adopted on 22 February 1994.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Buryatia

Buryatia is divided into different areas for local government. As of 2013, it includes 21 districts, 6 cities or towns, 16 urban-type settlements, and 238 smaller rural groups called selsoviets and somons.

Demographics

The Republic of Buryatia has a population of around 972,000 people, according to a census in 2010. Many people in Buryatia are ethnic Russians, making up about 64% of the population. The ethnic Buryats make up about 32.5% of the population.

Traditionally, many Buryats believed in nature spirits and were led by shamans. Later, Tibetan Buddhism became the main religion for most Buryats. Today, the most common religions in Buryatia are Russian Orthodox Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism. There are also smaller groups that follow other religions or have no specific religious affiliation.

Buryatia has several higher education institutions, including Buryat State University and Buryat State Academy of Agriculture.

Map of Buryatia.

Dzharun Khashor, the largest stupa in the Republic of Buryatia.

Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Buddhist temple in Gegetuy.

Demographics for 2007

Source:

Ethnic groups

According to the 2021 Census, ethnic Russians make up 64% of the republic's population, while the ethnic Buryats comprise 32.5% of the population. Other groups include Soyots (0.5%) and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.

Ulan-Ude

Religion

Tibetan Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity are the most widespread religions in the republic. Many Slavs, who constitute around 67% of the population, are Russian Orthodox. Since the breakup of the USSR in 1991, a small number have converted to various Protestant denominations or to Rodnovery, also known as the Slavic native faith. There are also some Catholics among the Slavs. Most of the Germans (0.11% of the population) are also Orthodox, so are some other non-European groups like Armenians (0.23%), Georgians (0.03%), and Soyot (0.37%). Buryats constitute 30.04% of the total population.

Most urban Buryats are either Buddhist or Orthodox, while those in the rural areas often adhere to Yellow shamanism, a mixture of shamanism and Buddhism, or to Black shamanism. There are also Tengrist movements. Siberian Tatars are around 0.7% of the population. However, due to isolation from the main body of Tatars, many of them now are either non-religious or Orthodox. Islam is followed by immigrant groups like Azeris and Uzbeks, who constitute another 0.7% of the population.

Education

The higher education institutions of the republic include Buryat State University, Buryat State Academy of Agriculture, East Siberian State Academy of Arts and Culture, and East Siberia State University of Technology and Management.

Largest cities or towns in Buryatia 2010 Russian Census
Rank		Administrative division	Pop.
1	Ulan-Ude	City of republic significance of Ulan-Ude	404,426
2	Severobaykalsk	Town of republic significance of Severobaykalsk	24,929
3	Gusinoozyorsk	Selenginsky District	24,582
4	Kyakhta	Kyakhtinsky District	20,041
5	Selenginsk	Kabansky District	14,546
6	Zakamensk	Zakamensky District	11,524
7	Onokhoy	Zaigrayevsky District	10,689
8	Taksimo	Muysky District	9,438
9	Bichura	Bichursky District	9,145
10	Khorinsk	Khorinsky District	8,138

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1926	388,900	—
1939	545,766	+40.3%
1959	673,326	+23.4%
1970	812,251	+20.6%
1979	900,812	+10.9%
1989	1,041,119	+15.6%
2002	981,238	−5.8%
2010	972,021	−0.9%
2021	978,588	+0.7%
Source: Census data

Census date	1926	1939	1959	1970	1979	1989	2002	2010
Total population	491,236	545,766	673,326	812,251	899,398	1,038,252	981,238	972,021
Average annual population growth				+1.7%	+1.1%	+1.5%	−0.4%	−0.1%
Males	248,513						467,984
Females	242,723						513,254
Females per 1000 males	977						1,097
Proportion urban	9.3%						59.6%
Territory (km²)	368,392	351,334	351,334	351,334	351,334	351,334	351,334	351,334
Population density/km²	1.3	1.6	1.9	2.3	2.6	3.0	2.8	2.8

Ethnic group	1926 Census¹		1939 Census		1959 Census		1970 Census		1979 Census		1989 Census		2002 Census		2010 Census		2021 Census²
Ethnic group	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Buryats	214,957	43.8%	116,382	21.3%	135,798	20.2%	178,660	22.0%	206,860	23.0%	249,525	24.0%	272,910	27.8%	286,839	30.0%	295,273	32.5%
Soyots	161	0.0%	116,382	21.3%	135,798	20.2%	178,660	22.0%	206,860	23.0%	249,525	24.0%	2,739	0.3%	3,579	0.4%	4,316	0.5%
Russians	258,796	52.7%	393,057	72.0%	502,568	74.6%	596,960	73.5%	647,785	72.0%	726,165	69.9%	665,512	67.8%	630,783	66.1%	581,764	63.9%
Tatars	3,092	0.6%	3,840	0.7%	8,058	1.2%	9,991	1.2%	10,290	1.1%	10,496	1.0%	8,189	0.8%	6,813	0.7%	4,035	0.4%
Evenks	2,808	0.6%	1,818	0.3%	1,335	0.2%	1,685	0.2%	1,543	0.2%	1,679	0.2%	2,334	0.2%	2,974	0.3%	2,995	0.3%
Ukrainians	1,982	0.4%	13,392	2.5%	10,183	1.5%	10,769	1.3%	15,290	1.7%	22,868	2.2%	9,585	1.0%	5,654	0.6%	2,007	0.2%
Others	9,440	1.9%	17,277	3.2%	15,384	2.3%	14,186	1.7%	17,630	2.0%	27,519	2.7%	19,969	2.0%	18,360	1.9%	19,325	2.1%
¹ In 1926, the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR included Aga-Buryatia, Ust-Orda Buryatia, and Olkhonsky District. These territories were transferred to Chita and Irkutsk Oblasts in 1937. Consequently, the results of the 1926 census cannot be compared to the results of the censuses of 1939 and later. ² 68,873 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Buryatia

Buryatia's economy includes growing wheat, vegetables, and potatoes, as well as producing timber, leather, graphite, and textiles. Important activities also include fishing, hunting, fur farming, raising sheep and cattle, mining, raising livestock, engineering, and food processing. In 2020, about 11% of people in Buryatia did not have jobs.

In 2018, the value of goods and services made by each person in Buryatia was about 3,650 US dollars, and in 2009, it was about 11,148 US dollars when considering the cost of living.

Tourism

Lake Baikal is a popular place for visitors, especially during the summer months. Many people enjoy exploring this beautiful area and learning about its history and nature.