Tatarstan

The historical background, geography, and economy of the Republic of Tatarstan.

1. Tatarstan

2. Overview The Republic of Tatarstan (Tatar: Татарстан Республикасы / Tatarstan Respublikası ; Russian: Респу́блика Татарста́н / Respublika Tatarstan ), also called Tatariya , is a federal subject (republic) of the Russian Federation, located in the Volga Federal District. It lies in the middle Volga River basin near the convergence of the Volga and Kama rivers. Kazan (Tatar: Казан ; Russian: Казань ) is the capital and largest city.

3. Map of Tatarstan Political status Country: Russia Federal district: Volga Economic region: Volga Established: May 27, 1920 Capital: Kazan Official languages: Tatar, Russian Government President: Rustam Minnikhanov Legislature: State Council Statistics Population (January 2014 estimation) : 3,838,374 Rank: 8 th

4. Kazan

5. Rustam Minnikhanov (Tatar: Рөстәм Миңнеханов ; Russian: Руста́м Минниха́нов ), President of Tatarstan

6. Ethnic Map of Tatarstan

7. Geography The Volga flows north to south through the western border of Tatarstan, while the Kama, the Volga’s largest stream, makes up an approximate east to west axis across the greater part. The Vyatka and the Belaya rivers are important tributaries of the Kama. T he relief is mostly that of a short, rolling grassland. The area west of the Volga soars to 771 feet (235 m), symbolizing the extreme northern end of the Volga Upland. In the east, the land enlarges to the Urals foreland. The climate is mainland, with long, harsh winters and hot summers. Yearly rainfall is almost seventeen to twenty inches (420–510 mm), with a summer extremity.

8. Hills near the Volga River

9. Geography – cont. The majority of Tatarstan’s territory lies in the forest-steppe zone on decayed, or podzolized, chernozems (black earth). Nearly one-sixth of the terrain is forested. Along the rivers are wide-ranging valley pastures, while those on the Volga and lower Kama have vanished under the waters of the Nizhnekamsk Reservoir and the  Samara  Reservoir, which flooded over 1,100 square miles (2,850 square km) of the republic.

10. Kama River

11. Historical Background The  Tatars, who currently   make up   about half of Tatarstan’s population, are a Turkic people. As descendants of the Mongols of the Golden Horde, they settled in this region in the mid-thirteenth century , mainly replacing or captivating the native Bulgar population. As the Golden Horde’s rule waned in the fifteenth century, it was divided into various factions , of which the Kazan  Khanate was the most northerly. The khanate was long involved with  Muscovy in a battle that was finally settled in 1552, when Ivan IV (also known as Ivan the Terrible)   blockaded and seized Kazan, leading to Russian colonization of the region. The R epublic of Tatarstan was established in 1920. Tatarstan remained a republic within the Russian Federation after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, but separatist  attitudes   arose soon afterward among its Tatar population.

12. Golden Horde, c. 1300

13. Khanate of Kazan, c. 1500

14. Siege of Kazan, 1552

15. Economy The republic’s varied economy focuses on  petroleum production , industry, and agriculture. The first oil well was installed in 1943, and later growth was fast. Pipelines run east and west from the oil fields at Almetyevsk; manufacturing of natural gas is concentrated in Nizhnaya Maktama.

16. Economy – cont. The chemical industry has cultivated primarily at Kazan, Mendeleyevsk, and Nizhnekamsk. Engineering works are located principally in cities along the Volga and the Kama, particularly in Kazan, Zelyonodolsk, and Chistopol. Trucks are assembled at a large factory in  Naberezhnye Chelny. Paper and pulp are made in Mamadysh and a cluster of nearby cities. The manufacture of soap and other fat products is also important for Kazan’s economy. Farming products include wheat, corn (maize), millet, legumes, potatoes, sugar beets, hemp, tobacco, apples, dairy products, and livestock.

17. Kamaz headquarters, Naberezhnye Chelny

18. Economy – cont. A heavy freight traffic moves near the rivers; frequent passenger services also link the river ports of the republic with Moscow and all parts of the Volga River Basin . Rail service is not as developed ; two main lines between Moscow and the Urals traverse the republic’s northwestern and southeastern corners. Another line runs north to south across the Volga right-bank area . Tatarstan is also home to numerous institutions of higher learning, notably the Kazan Federal University and specialized institutes.

19. Kazan Federal University

20. Nurulla Mosque

21. Annunciation Cathedral of Kazan

22. References https:// www.britannica.com/place/Tatarstan https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatarstan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Horde#/ media/File:MongolEmpireDivisions1300.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khanate_of_Kazan#/ media/File:KazanKhanate1500.png