Republic of Buryatia
Республика Бурятия (Russian) Буряад Республика (Buryat)
—  Republic  —
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Anthem of the Republic of Buryatia
Coordinates: 53°48′N 109°20′E / 53.8°N 109.333°E / 53.8; 109.333Coordinates: 53°48′N 109°20′E / 53.8°N 109.333°E / 53.8; 109.333
Political status
Country	Russia
Federal district	Siberian[1]
Economic region	East Siberian[2]
Established	May 30, 1923
Capital	Ulan-Ude
Government (as of August 2010)
- President[3]	Vyacheslav Nagovitsyn[4]
- Legislature	People's Khural[3]
Statistics
Area (as of the 2002 Census)[5]
- Total	351,300 km2 (135,637.7 sq mi)
Area rank	15th
Population (2010 Census)[6]
- Total	972,021
- Rank	54th
- Density[7]	2.77 /km2 (7.2 /sq mi)
- Urban	58.4%
- Rural	41.6%
Time zone(s)	IRKT (UTC+09:00)[8]
ISO 3166-2	RU-BU
License plates	03
Official languages	Russian;[9] Buryat[10]
http://egov-buryatia.ru/

The Republic of Buryatia (Russian: Респу́блика Буря́тия, tr. Respublika Buryatiya; IPA: [rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə bʊˈrʲætʲɪjə]; Buryat: Буряад Республика, Buryaad Respublika) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the city of Ulan-Ude. Its area is 351,300 square kilometers (135,600 sq mi) with a population of 972,021 (2010 Census).^[6]

Geography[link]

Buryatia countryside just south of Ulan-Ude

The republic is located in the south-central region of Siberia along the eastern shore of Lake Baikal.

• Area: 351,300 km²
• Borders:
  • Internal: Irkutsk Oblast (W/NW/N), Zabaykalsky Krai (NE/E/SE/S), Tuva Republic (W)
  • International: Mongolia (S/SE)
  • Water: Lake Baikal (N)
• Highest point: Mount Munku-Sardyk (3,491 m)

Rivers[link]

Major rivers include:

• Barguzin River
• Irkut River
• Kitoy River
• Oka River
• Selenga River
• Uda River
• Upper Angara River
• Vitim River

Lakes[link]

• Lake Baikal - Buryatia covers 60% percent of the lake's shoreline
• Lake Gusinoye

Mountains[link]

Over 80% of the republic's territory is located in the mountainous region, including the Baikal Mountains on the northern shores of Lake Baikal.

Natural resources[link]

The republic's natural resources include gold, tungsten, zinc, uranium, and more.

Climate[link]

• Average annual temperature: −1.6 °C (29.1 °F)
• Average January temperature: −22 °C (−8 °F)
• Average July temperature: +18 °C (64 °F)
• Average annual precipitation: 244 millimeters (9.6 in)

Administrative divisions[link]

Demographics[link]

Population: 972,021 (2010 Census);^[6] 981,238 (2002 Census);^[11] 1,041,119 (1989 Census).^[12]

Vital statistics[link]

Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Demographics for 2007[link]

Source:^[13]

Ethnic groups[link]

According to the 2010 Census,^[6] ethnic Russians make up two thirds of the republic's population, while the ethnic Buryats are only 30%. Other groups include Ukrainians (0.6%), Tatars (0.7%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.

History[link]

The area of the present-day Buryatia was first colonized in the 17th century by Russians in search of wealth, furs, and gold.

In 1923, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Buryat: Буряадай Автономито Совет Социалис Республика; Russian: Бурятская Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика) was created as a result of the merger of Buryat-Mongol and Mongol-Buryat Oblasts. In 1937, Aga Buryatia and Ust-Orda Buryatia were detached from the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR and merged with Chita and Irkutsk Oblasts, respectively. In 1958, the name "Mongol" was removed from the name of the republic. The Buryat ASSR declared its sovereignty in 1990 and adopted the name Republic of Buryatia in 1992. However, it remained an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation.

The Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the former Soviet Union.

Politics[link]

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

The head of the government is the President, who is appointed by the President of Russia for a four-year term. Between 1991-2007, the President was Leonid Vasilyevich Potapov, who was elected on July 1, 1994, re-elected in 1998 (with 63.25% of votes), and then re-elected again on June 23, 2002 (with over 67% of votes). Prior to the elections, Potapov was the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic—the highest post at that time.

The Republic's parliament is the People's Khural, popularly elected every four years. The People's Khural has 65 deputies. Alexander Lubsanov is the current Chairman of the People's Khural since 2002.

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

Economy[link]

The republic's economy is composed of important agricultural and commercial products including wheat, vegetables, potatoes, timber, leather, graphite, and textiles. Fishing, hunting, fur farming, sheep and cattle farming, mining, stock raising, engineering, and food processing are also important economic generators.

Education[link]

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

Religion[link]

Landscape of southern Buryatia

Tibetan Buddhism, Shamanism, and Orthodox Christianity are the most widespread religions in the republic.

Tourism[link]

Lake Baikal is a popular tourist destination, especially in summer.

See also[link]

• Music of Buryatia

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Верховный Совет Республики Бурятия. 22 февраля 1994 г. «Республика Бурятия. Конституция», в ред. Закона №332-IV от 7 июля 2008 г. (Supreme Council of the Republic of Buryatia. February 22, 1994 Republic of Buryatia. Constitution, as amended by the Law #332-IV of July 7, 2008. ).

Further reading[link]

• Leisse, Olaf; Utta-Kristin Leisse (September 2007). "A Siberian Challenge: Dealing with Multiethnicity in the Republic of Buryatia". Nationalities Papers 35 (4): 773–788. DOI:10.1080/00905990701475178. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Buryatia

• Official website of the Republic of Buryatia
• (Russian) Official website of the Republic of Buryatia
• Official website of the Republic of Buryatia (in Buryat)
• (Russian) Buryatia.org, site about life in the Republic of Buryatia