Altai Krai
Алтайский край (Russian)
—  Krai  —
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: none
Coordinates: 52°46′N 82°37′E / 52.767°N 82.617°E / 52.767; 82.617Coordinates: 52°46′N 82°37′E / 52.767°N 82.617°E / 52.767; 82.617
Political status
Country	Russia
Federal district	Siberian[1]
Economic region	West Siberian[2]
Established	September 28, 1937[3]
Administrative center	Barnaul[4]
Government (as of August 2010)
- Governor[5]	Alexander Karlin[6]
- Legislature	Legislative Assembly of Altai Krai[7]
Statistics
Area (as of the 2002 Census)[8]
- Total	169,100 km2 (65,289.9 sq mi)
Area rank	22nd
Population (2010 Census)[9]
- Total	2,419,755
- Rank	21st
- Density[10]	14.31 /km2 (37.1 /sq mi)
- Urban	54.7%
- Rural	45.3%
Time zone(s)	OMST (UTC+07:00)[11]
ISO 3166-2	RU-ALT
License plates	22
Official languages	Russian[12]
http://www.altairegion22.ru/

Altai Krai (Russian: Алта́йский край, Altaysky kray) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). It borders with, clockwise from the south, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo Oblasts, and the Altai Republic. The krai's administrative center is the city of Barnaul. Population: 2,419,755 (2010 Census).^[9]

The krai's economy depends on agriculture.

Geography[link]

Altai Krai has rolling foothills, grasslands, lakes, rivers, and mountains.^[13]

The climate is severe with long cold dry winters and hot, usually dry summers. The region's main waterway is the Ob River. The Biya, Katun, and Chuya Rivers are also important. The biggest lakes are Lake Kulundinskoye, Lake Kuchukskoye, and Lake Mikhaylovskoye.^[14]

Altai Krai has huge reserves of raw materials, especial materials used for building, as well as significant mineral reserves. These include nonferrous metals, lead and iron ores, manganese, tungsten, molybdenum, bauxite, and gold. Forests cover about 60,000 km² of the krai's land.^[14] See also Geography of South-Central Siberia.

History[link]

This area is part of a great crossroads in the ancient world.^[15] Nomadic tribes crossed through the territory during periods of migration. The nomadic tribes were composed of different peoples. Archeological sites reveal that ancient humans lived in the area.^[14] The Altay people are a Turkic people, some of whom have settled here, who were originally nomadic and date back to the 2nd millennium BCE.^[16]

Economy[link]

Industry[link]

The krai is situated in the southeastern part of Western Siberia and is part of the West Siberian economic region along with Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, and Tyumen Oblasts and the Altai Republic. The krai is favorably located close to major sources of raw materials, has a well-developed infrastructure, especially in the area of heavy industry, and an abundance of natural resources. It is a major industrial and agricultural region of the country. As in the rest of Russia, the economic restructuring of the 1990s led to a marked economic decline in Altai Krai, particularly in industry and agriculture. However, there is now reason to believe that the krai's economy is stabilizing. Its present economic prospects are good due to the presence of abundant local raw materials, high scientific potential, leading technologies, skilled personnel, and a low-cost labor force. The sales market extends far beyond the borders of the West Siberian economic region. The krai administration is interested in foreign investments and is creating the necessary conditions for setting up joint ventures.

There are more than 2000 industrial companies operating in both heavy and light industry. The leading sectors are the power, engineering, chemical and petrochemical, building material, textile, and light industries. Output is currently increasing in certain industries for the first time since perestroika. This increase is particularly noticeable in the flour-, grain-, and feed-milling and chemical and petrochemical industries and in individual heavy industry sectors, tractor production.

Small and medium business is developing rapidly in Altai Krai, which is a necessary condition for economic stability and growth. Today, nearly a quarter of the entire working population is employed in this sector.

Agriculture[link]

Altai Krai is one of Russia's most important agricultural regions. Development of the krai's lands began in the second half of the 18th century; and peasants from other Russian regions began resettling here in 1861. By 1917, the krai's rural population had reached 1,998,000 people and the total area under cultivation was 25,060 square kilometres.

Today, farmland covers an area of 110,000 km², of which 69,220 km², or nearly 41% of the total area of the krai, is cropland. The main crops are hard varieties of spring wheat, buckwheat, millet, peas, barley, oats, and potatoes and other vegetables. This is this only region of Siberia where sunflowers, soybeans, sugar beets, and certain kinds of fruit grow.

In 1960, the State Economic Council under the Council of Ministers of the USSR carried out comprehensive zoning of Altai Krai, which divided the krai into seven natural and economic agricultural zones. Wide temperature swings are characteristic of the krai's climate, so that ensuring harvest stability is not easy. It requires a specific approach to developing cropland in order to increase farming efficiency. The Kulundinskaya Plain, the Priobskoe Plateau, and the left and right banks of the Ob River are well developed agriculturally. Natural fodder land, including hayfields and pasture, occupies 39,060 km², which includes 11,930 km² of hayfields and 27130 km² of pasture.

Livestock farming specializes in meat, milk, wool, and egg production. Altai Krai is a major wool producer and an important base for breeding fine-fleeced pedigreed sheep, which makes it possible to export more than 30,000 head of pedigreed sheep per year. The territorial market also offers pedigreed swine, poultry, meat, eggs, honey, and wild products such as deer antlers, furs, and pelts.

Fruit-growing in Altai is made possible by specialists of the internationally known Lisavenko Horticultural Research Institute, which has developed a range of fruit and berry varieties adapted to the climate.

Today, Altai Krai not only meets the agricultural product requirements of its own population, but also the requirements of many other Russian regions. Altai exports many kinds of cereals, as well as processed grain products such as wheat and rye flour, pasta products, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, and flax fiber. The krai is Siberia's largest grain, sugar, and meat producer and its second-largest cheese producer.

Demographics[link]

Population: 2,419,755 (2010 Census);^[9] 2,607,426 (2002 Census);^[17] 2,822,305 (1989 Census).^[18]

As of the 2010 Census,^[9] Russians form an overwhelming majority of the population, at 94%. Germans are the second-largest group, at about 2% (see Mennonite settlements of Altai). Other groups include Ukrainians (1.4%), Kazakhs (0.3%), Tatars (0.3%), Belarusians (0.2%), Armenians (0.3%), and people of other ethnicities. Additionally, 40,984 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.^[19]

• Births: 30,739 (2011) ^[20]
• Deaths: 35,114 (2011) ^[21]

Administrative divisions[link]

Politics[link]

On August 7, 2005 the krai's then-head of administration Mikhail Yevdokimov died in a car crash.

Sister district[link]

• Xinjiang, China^[22]

See also[link]

• Altay Mountains
• Sayan Mountains
• Denisova Cave

References[link]

• Алтайское краевое Законодательное Собрание. №3-ЗС 5 июня 1995 г. «Устав (основной закон) Алтайского края», в ред. Закона №126-ЗС от 30 ноября 2007 г. (Altai Krai Legislative Assembly. #3-ZS June 5, 1995 Charter (Basic Law) of Altai Krai, as amended by the Law #126-ZS of November 30, 2007. ).

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Media related to Altai Krai at Wikimedia Commons
• Kommersant.com. Information about Altai Krai
• Library of Congress Russian (pdf)
• History of Altai Krai
• Altai: a living spirit

Altai Republic
Республика Алтай (Russian) Алтай Республика (Altay)
—  Republic  —
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: National Anthem of the Altai Republic
Coordinates: 50°55′N 86°55′E / 50.917°N 86.917°E / 50.917; 86.917Coordinates: 50°55′N 86°55′E / 50.917°N 86.917°E / 50.917; 86.917
Political status
Country	Russia
Federal district	Siberian[1]
Economic region	West Siberian[2]
Established	July 1, 1922
Capital	Gorno-Altaysk
Government (as of September 2010)
- Head[3]	Alexander Berdnikov[4]
- Legislature	State Assembly—El Kurultai[3]
Statistics
Area (as of the 2002 Census)[5]
- Total	92,600 km2 (35,753.1 sq mi)
Area rank	35th
Population (2010 Census)[6]
- Total	206,168
- Rank	79th
- Density[7]	2.23 /km2 (5.8 /sq mi)
- Urban	27.6%
- Rural	72.4%
Time zone(s)	OMST (UTC+07:00)[8]
ISO 3166-2	RU-AL
License plates	04
Official languages	Russian;[9] Altay[10]
http://www.altai-republic.ru

Altai Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Алта́й, Respublika Altay; Altay: Алтай Республика, Altay Respublika^[11]) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its capital is the town of Gorno-Altaysk. The area of the republic is 92,600 square kilometers (35,800 sq mi). Population: 206,168 (2010 Census).^[6]

History[link]

The national autonomy for the Altai people was created on June 1, 1922 as Oyrot Autonomous Oblast (Ойро́тская автоно́мная о́бласть), part of Altai Krai. The original name for this region was Bazla. On January 7, 1948 it was renamed Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast (Го́рно-Алта́йская автоно́мная о́бласть). In 1991 it was reorganized into the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR). In 1992 it was renamed as the Altai Republic.

Geography[link]

The republic is situated in the very center of Asia at the junction of Siberian taiga, steppes of Kazakhstan and semi-deserts of Mongolia. Forests cover about 25% of the republic's territory.

• Area: 92,600 km² (35,800 sq mi)
• Borders:
  • internal: Kemerovo Oblast (N), Republic of Khakassia (NE), Tuva Republic (E), and Altai Krai (W/NW).
  • international: Mongolia (Bayan-Ölgii Province) (SE), China (Altay Prefecture) (S), and Kazakhstan (East Kazakhstan Province) (S/SW)
• Highest point: Mount Belukha (4,506 m)
• Maximum N->S distance: 360 km
• Maximum E->W distance: 380 km

Rivers and lakes[link]

Katun River in the northern Altai Republic

More than 20,000 tributaries sprawl throughout the mountainous Republic, making for a total of more than 60,000 kilometers (37,000 mi) worth of waterways. The republic's largest rivers are the Katun and the Biya, both of which originate in the mountains and flow northwards. The junction of the two rivers eventually forms the Ob River, one of the longest rivers in Siberia, which flows northward to the Arctic Ocean.

The source of the black Biya River is Lake Teletskoye, the region's largest lake located in an isolated area far south in the mountains. The emerald-colored Katun River has its source at the Gebler glacier, which is situated on the Republic's highest point, Mount Belukha. The Katun River in particular holds a religious significance for native Altaians, as well as for many Russians who live in the area, as Mount Belukha is known in Altai folklore to be the gateway to the mystical kingdom of Shambhala. [1]

The hydrographic network of the Republic also includes approximately 7,000 lakes, adding up to a total area of more than 700 km² (270 sq mi). The largest lake is Lake Teletskoye, which is 80 km (50 mi) long and 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) wide, has an area of 230.8 square kilometers (89.1 sq mi), and has a maximum depth of 325 meters (1,066 ft). The mountain lakes of Altai contain enormous freshwater reserves of a very pure quality as a result of their distance from most human activity. [2] Lake Teletskoye alone contains more than 40 cubic kilometers (9.6 cu mi) of highly pure water.

Potential ground water storage is evaluated at 22 million m³ per day, while the present use constitutes about 44,000 m³ per day.

Shavlo Lake in Northern Chuysky Range

Mountains[link]

The most striking geographical aspect of the Republic of Altai is its mountainous terrain. The Republic is situated within the Russian part of the Altai Mountains system, which covers a large part of the Republic and continues into neighboring Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. The region continues to experience periodic notable seismic activity, which is visually made apparent through the mountains' characteristically high and rugged mountain ridges, separated by narrow and deep river valleys. The Republic's highest peak, Mount Belukha (4,506 m), is the highest point in Siberia.

Natural resources[link]

Various bodies of water are among the most important natural resources of the Republic. Mineral and hot springs are popular destinations for tourists and locals, sought for their therapeutic effects. Additionally, Altai glaciers contain a great amount of fresh water. The general volume of ice for registered Altai glaciers comes to a total of 57 km³, 52 km³ of which is water. The total water stock of the glaciers exceeds the average annual effluence of all Altai rivers, which are equal to 43 km³ per year. The largest glaciers are: Bolshoy Taldurinsky (35 km²), Mensu (21 km²), Sofiysky (17 km²), and Bolshoy Maashey (16 km²).

Mineral resources in the region primarily include gold, silver, iron ores, and lithium, in addition to other smaller amounts of minerals. The large city of Barnaul in neighboring Altai Krai was originally founded as a processing center for minerals from the Altai region, although the mineral extraction industry today is much smaller than in the past.

Climate[link]

The republic has a temperate continental climate with relatively short and hot summers (June–August); and long, cold, and often quite frosty winters (November–March).

In general, the republic's climate of the southeastern areas, such as the (Ulagansky and Kosh-Agachsky Districts), is harsher than the climate of the less elevated northern areas.

• Average annual temperature: +1°C to -6.7°C.
• January temperature range: -9.2°C to -31°C.
• July temperature range: +11°C to +19°C.
• Average annual precipitation: 100–1000 mm.

Administrative divisions[link]

Demographics[link]

Population: 206,168 (2010 Census);^[6] 202,947 (2002 Census);^[12] 191,649 (1989 Census).^[13]

Vital statistics[link]

Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service

Ethnic groups[link]

As per the 2010 Census,^[6] ethnic Russians make up 56.6% of the republic's population, with the ethnic Altai people numbering only 34.5%. Other groups include Kazakhs (6.2%), Germans (700 or 0.3%) and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.

1. including 3414 Telengits, 1384 Kumandins and 344 Teleuts
2. including 2368 Telengits, 1533 Tubalars, 931 Kumandins, 830 Chelkans, 141 Shors and 32 Teleuts
3. including 3648 Telengits, 1891 Tubalars, 1062 Kumandins, 1113 Chelkans and 87 Shors
4. 3,432 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.^[14]

Politics[link]

The head of government in Altai Republic is the Head of the Republic, popularly elected for a four-year term. As of 2006, the Head of the Republic is Alexander Vasilyevich Berdnikov, who succeeded Mikhail Lapshin in this post. The supreme legislative body of the republic is the State Assembly—El Kurultai, with 41 deputies popularly elected every four years. Igor Yaimov is the current Chairman of the State Assembly-El Kurultai from January 2002.

The Republic's Constitution was adopted on June 7, 1997.

Economy[link]

The Altai Republic is a highly agricultural region. However, it does have some industry which includes foodstuffs, non-ferrous metallurgy, chemicals, gold mining, footwear, dairying and timber. Tourism has also begun to make its mark on the economy, and a large number of new hotels and resorts catering towards "New Russians" have begun to appear.

Transportation[link]

Altai Republic may be the only Russian political division without rail access. The main paved road is the Chuysky Tract, which spans the republic from the capital Gorno-Altaisk in the north to the Mongolian border in the south. A system of taxis and buses transports people between settlements. Within the settlements, people generally walk or ride horses.

Helicopters are used for emergency transportation, to supply remote government outposts, and by wealthy tourists. The airport near the capital of Gorno-Altaisk was recently revamped, but as of 2011, scheduled airplane service was not available. People generally fly through Barnaul in Altai Krai, or Novosibirsk.

Tourism[link]

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Altai Republic's tourism industry has greatly expanded. Although wealthy Russians from neighboring Russian republics are the most common sort of tourist in Altai, foreign interest has also grown in the area, especially due to the area's spiritual significance to New Age believers and others.

Popular tourist destinations tend to be concentrated in the north, where the roads are more accessible. They are also almost entirely located along the Chuiskiy highway, which is the main road from the north into the mountains (although it is currently only two lanes wide). The north is also significantly warmer than the elevated southern areas, which tend to be chilly even in the summer.

Some of the more well-known tourist spots in the Altai region include Lake Aiya (a popular bathing spot), and the picturesque Chemal region. More adventurous travelers may wish to visit the more remote Lake Teletskoye or Mount Belukha in the south.

Education[link]

There is one university (Gorno-Altaisk State University), twelve colleges, and 205 secondary schools in the republic.

Religion[link]

The traditional religion of the native Altaians is shamanism. Ethnic Russians primarily practice Orthodox Christianity, while Kazakhs are traditionally Muslims. Tibetan Buddhism has also recently begun making some inroads by way of neighboring Mongolia and Tuva.

From 1904 until the 1930s, a new religious movement called Burkhanism (or Ak Jang, the "white faith") was popularized among native Altaians. The religion originated in Altai, and emphasized the "white" aspect of shamanistic practice. Burkhanism remains an important component of Altaian national consciousness, and is currently being revived in several forms along with indigenous Altai culture in general.

Russian New Age followers often go on pilgrimages to Mount Belukha, which is considered to be the location of Shambhala both by some New Agers and locals of Altai. One can often find manifestations of shamanistic spirituality in the region; for example, at points along the Katun River, local believers in shamanism are known to tie white ribbons to nearby trees and leave offerings of coins or food to the spirits. [3] Although shamanism is much less widely practiced today, it is regaining popularity as a result of new religious freedom following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Culture[link]

The indigenous Altai culture holds the lands of Altai to be sacred. The indigenous (Turkic) languages are focused on the stewardship of the lands. The Altai oral history is transmitted by throat-singers. The Altai culture was repressed during Soviet times, and has been rebounding since then. The clans of all ten regions gather in the village of Yelo for a biennial cultural celebration.

There is also a large contingent of "Old Believers," who fled to Altai when they split from the Russian Orthodox Church about 200 years ago. They were taken in by the Altai people, and are now integrated into the fabric of Altai culture.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site "Golden Mountains" protects the Ukok Plateau, on which there are many standing stones and "kurgans". Although archeologists consider kurgans to be burial sites, the indigenous people believe that they are highly refined magnetic instruments for directing the flow of cosmic energy into the Earth. Recent scientific studies have proven the truth of this belief.^{[citation needed]} Thus, there is great local indignation about the excavation and removal of the Siberian Ice Maiden, an extraordinary 2,500-year-old mummy that had been preserved in permafrost.

Grigory Gurkin, born in 1870 in Ulala, was the first professional Altay artist. He is notable for his Altay landscapes.

Vasily Makarovich Shukshin (Russian: Васи́лий Мака́рович Шукши́н; 25 July 1929 – 2 October 1974) was a notable Soviet/Russian actor, writer, screenwriter and movie director from the Altay region who specialized in rural themes.

See also[link]

• Music of Altai

References[link]

Notes[link]