Mordovia
| Republic of Mordovia (English) Республика Мордовия (Russian) Мордовия Республикась (Mordvin) |
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| - Republic - | |
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| Coordinates: | |
 Coat of arms of Mordovia |
 Flag of Mordovia |
| Anthem | National Anthem of the Republic of Mordovia |
| Political status | |
| Country | Russia |
| Political status | Republic |
| Federal district | Volga[1] |
| Economic region | Volga-Vyatka[2] |
| Capital | Saransk |
| Official languages | Russian[3]; Mordvin (Moksha and Erzya)[4] |
| Statistics | |
| Population (2002 Census)[5] | 888,766 inhabitants |
| - Rank within Russia | 62nd |
| - Urban[5] | 59.8% |
| - Rural[5] | 40.2% |
| - Density | 33.92 /km2 (87.9 /sq mi)[6] |
| Area (as of the 2002 Census)[7] | 26,200 km2 (10,115.9 sq mi) |
| - Rank within Russia | 68th |
| Established | January 10, 1930 |
| License plates | 13 |
| ISO 3166-2:RU | RU-MO |
| Time zone | MSK/MSD (UTC+3/+4) |
| Government (as of November 2008) | |
| Head[8] | Nikolay Merkushkin[9] |
| Legislature | State Assembly[8] |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Republic of Mordovia |
| Official website | |
| http://www.e-mordovia.ru/ | |
Republic of Mordovia (Russian: Респу́блика Мордо́вия, Respublika Mordoviya; Moksha/Erzya: Мордовия Республикась, Mordoviya Respublikas') or Mordvinia is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). The direct romanization of the republic's name is Respublika Mordoviya.
Contents |
Geography
The Republic is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain of the Russian Federation. The western part of the republic is situated in the Oka Don Plain; its eastern and central parts in the Volga Elevation.
- Area: 26,200 km2 (10,100 sq mi)
- Borders:
- internal: Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (N), Chuvash Republic (NE/E), Ulyanovsk Oblast (E/SE), Penza Oblast (S/SW), Ryazan Oblast (W/NW)
- Highest point: 324 meters (1,063 ft) (crossing of the road from Bolshoy Maresev with the roads to Mokshaley, Pyaigiley, and Picheury)
Rivers
There are 114 rivers in Mordovia. Major rivers include:
- Alatyr River (Erzya: Rator)
- Issa River
- Moksha River
- Satis River
- Sivin River
- Sura River
- Vad River
Lakes
There are approximately five hundred lakes in Mordovia.
Natural resources
Natural resources include peat, mineral waters, and others.
Climate
Climate is moderately continental.
- Average January temperature: −11 °C (12.2 °F)
- Average July temperature: +19 °C (66.2 °F)
- Average annual precipitation: ~500 mm (20 in)
Administrative divisions
Demographics
- Population: 888,766 (2002)
- Urban: 531,478 (59.8%)
- Rural: 357,288 (40.2%)
- Male: 408,556 (46.0%)
- Female: 480,210 (54.0%)
- Females per 1000 males: 1,175
- Average age: 38.7 years
- Urban: 36.8 years
- Rural: 41.3 years
- Male: 35.9 years
- Female: 41.2 years
- Number of households: 332,995 (with 866,749 people)
- Urban: 197,923 (with 525,808 people)
- Rural: 135,072 (with 340,941 people)
- Vital statistics
- Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service
| Births | Deaths | Birth rate | Death rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 15,423 | 9,048 | 15.0 | 8.8 |
| 1975 | 14,983 | 9,689 | 14.9 | 9.7 |
| 1980 | 14,320 | 10,287 | 14.6 | 10.5 |
| 1985 | 15,123 | 11,152 | 15.7 | 11.6 |
| 1990 | 12,910 | 11,018 | 13.4 | 11.4 |
| 1991 | 11,537 | 11,079 | 12.0 | 11.5 |
| 1992 | 10,215 | 11,574 | 10.6 | 12.0 |
| 1993 | 9,276 | 13,217 | 9.7 | 13.8 |
| 1994 | 8,916 | 14,748 | 9.3 | 15.4 |
| 1995 | 8,589 | 13,460 | 9.0 | 14.1 |
| 1996 | 7,883 | 13,579 | 8.3 | 14.4 |
| 1997 | 7,493 | 13,631 | 8.0 | 14.5 |
| 1998 | 7,469 | 13,116 | 8.0 | 14.1 |
| 1999 | 6,994 | 14,200 | 7.6 | 15.4 |
| 2000 | 7,148 | 14,838 | 7.8 | 16.2 |
| 2001 | 7,049 | 14,200 | 7.8 | 15.7 |
| 2002 | 7,131 | 14,918 | 8.0 | 16.7 |
| 2003 | 7,433 | 15,170 | 8.4 | 17.2 |
| 2004 | 7,689 | 14,768 | 8.8 | 16.9 |
| 2005 | 7,394 | 14,823 | 8.6 | 17.2 |
| 2006 | 7,367 | 13,981 | 8.6 | 16.4 |
| 2007 | 7,728 | 13,320 | 9.2 | 15.8 |
| 2008 | 8,215 | 13,167 | 9.8 | 15.7 |
- Ethnic groups
The Mordvin people are a Finnic group speaking two related languages, Moksha and Erzya. The two languages have been dealt with at various times as dialects of one Mordvinian language. In reality there are two orthographies with parallel newsmedia in the Republic of Mordovia where approximately only one third of all Mordvinian live. During the Soviet period, school textbooks were published in each language.[10]
According to the 2002 Census, Russians make up 60.8% of the republic's population, while ethnic Mordvins are only 31.9%. Other groups include Tatars (5.2%), Ukrainians (0.5%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population. 3,700 people (0.4%) did not indicate their nationalities during the Census.
| census 1939 | census 1959 | census 1970 | census 1979 | census 1989 | census 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mordvins | 405,031 (34.1%) | 357,978 (35.8%) | 364,689 (35.4%) | 338,898 (34.2%) | 313,420 (32.5%) | 283,861 (31.9%) |
| Russians | 719,117 (60.5%) | 590,557 (59.0%) | 606,817 (58.9%) | 591,212 (59.7%) | 586,147 (60.8%) | 540,717 (60.8%) |
| Tatars | 47,386 (4.0%) | 38,636 (3.9%) | 44,954 (4.4%) | 45,765 (4.6%) | 47,328 (4.9%) | 46,261 (5.2%) |
| Ukrainians | 7,586 (0.6%) | 6,554 (0.7%) | 6,033 (0.6%) | 5,622 (0.6%) | 6,461 (0.7%) | 4,801 (0.5%) |
| Others | 8,884 (0.7%) | 6,468 (0.6%) | 7,069 (0.7%) | 8,012 (0.8%) | 10,148 (1.1%) | 13,126 (1.5%) |
History
Early history
Earliest archaeological signs of human beings in the area of Mordovia are from the Neolithic era. Finno-Ugric Mordvins are mentioned in written sources in 6th century. Later, Mordvins were under the influence of both Volga Bulgaria and Kievan Rus. Mordvin princes sometimes raided Muroma and Volga Bulgaria, and often despoiled each other's holdings.
Mongol rule
The Mongols conquered vast areas of Eastern Europe in 13th century. They established the khanate of the Golden Horde in 1241, subjugating the area of Mordovia. Mordvins fought against Mongols and later alongside with Russians. Mordvin lands territorially belonged to Mukhsha Ulus. The Golden Horde disintegrated in 1430s, which resulted in some Mordvins becoming subjects of Khanate of Kazan, whereas other were incorporated to the Muscovy.
Russian rule
When Ivan IV of Russia annexed the khanate of Kazan in 1552, the Mordovin lands were subjugated to the Russian tsars. The Mordvin elite rapidly assumed Russian language and customs, whereas 1821 saw the publication of the New Testament in Erzya to address the non-elite population. In rural areas, Mordvin culture was preserved. Russians started to convert Mordvins to Orthodox Christianity in mid-1700s. Mordvins gave up their own shamanist religion only slowly, however, and many of shamanist features were preserved as parts of local culture though the population became nominally Christian. Translations of literature to Mordvin languages were mostly religious books. In 1700s, the Latin alphabet was used in writing Mordvin, but from the mid-1800s, Cyrillic was used.
Part of the Soviet Union
During the Russian revolution and civil war, Mordovia was held mostly by opponents of Bolsheviks. When the Bolsheviks prevailed in the war, Mordovia became a part of the Soviet Union. In 1925, the Soviet government founded autonomous districts and village councils in the area of Mordvins. During the Soviet era, two written languages were developed: based on the Erzya dialect in 1922 and on the Moksha dialect in 1923, both using Cyrillic script. The autonomous district of Mordvins was founded on 16 July 1928 and it was elevated to autonomous area on 10 January 1930. The autonomous area was formed as the Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic of Mordovia on 20 December 1934.
Part of the Russian Federation
When the Soviet Union disintegrated, ASSR of Mordvins proclaimed itself the Republic of Mordovia in 1991, and remained a part of Federation of Russia. The Republic of Mordovia in its present form has existed since January 25, 1994.
Politics
The head of government in the Republic of Mordovia is the Head of the Republic. As of 2004[update], the head of the republic is Nikolay Merkushkin, who was elected in 1995.
The State Assembly is the legislature of the republic.
Economy
The most developed industries are machine building, chemical, woodworking, and food industries. Most of the industrial enterprises are located in the capital Saransk, as well as in the towns of Kovylkino and Ruzayevka, and in the urban-type settlements of Chamzinka and Komsomolsky.
Culture
There are many museums in Mordovia. The largest ones include the Mordovian Republican United Museum of Regional Studies and the Museum of Mordvinian Culture in Saransk.
The National Library of the Republic of Mordovia is the largest library in the republic.
The State Puppet Theater of the Republic of Mordovia, located in Saransk, is well-known in Russia. Most of the plays played in this theater are Russian fairy-tales.
Erzya literature experienced a renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s.
Education
The most important facilities of higher education include Mordovian State University and Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute in Saransk.
Religion
The prevailing confession is the Russian Orthodox Church. Sunni Islam, practiced mostly by Tatars, is the biggest religious minority.
Notes
- ↑ Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №849 от 13 мая 2000 г. «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в федеральном округе». Вступил в силу 13 мая 2000 г. Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", №20, ст. 2112, 15 мая 2000 г. (President of the Russian Federation. Decree #849 of May 13, 2000 On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in a Federal District. Effective as of May 13, 2000).
- ↑ Госстандарт Российской Федерации. №ОК 024-95 27 декабря 1995 г. «Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов. 2. Экономические районы», в ред. Изменения №5/2001 ОКЭР. (Gosstandart of the Russian Federation. #OK 024-95 December 27, 1995 Russian Classification of Economic Regions. 2. Economic Regions, as amended by the Amendment #5/2001 OKER. ).
- ↑ According to Article 68.1 of the Constitution of Russia, Russian is the official language on the whole territory of the Russian Federation. Article 68.2 further stipulates that only the republics have the right to establish official languages other than Russian.
- ↑ Constitution, Article 13
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://perepis2002.ru/ct/html/TOM_01_04_1.htm. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
- ↑ The value of density was calculated automatically by dividing the 2002 Census population by the area specified in the infobox. Please note that this value may not be accurate as the area specified in the infobox is not necessarily reported for the same year as the Census (2002).
- ↑ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Территория, число районов, населённых пунктов и сельских администраций по субъектам Российской Федерации (Territory, Number of Districts, Inhabited Localities, and Rural Administration by Federal Subjects of the Russian Federation)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://perepis2002.ru/ct/html/TOM_01_03.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Constitution, Article 10.3
- ↑ Official website of the Republic of Mordovia. Nikolay Ivanovich Merkushkin (Russian)
- ↑ Barbara A. Anderson and Brian D. Silver, "Equality, Efficiency, and Politics in Soviet Bilingual Education Policy, 1934-1980," American Political Science Review 78 (December 1984): 1019-1039.
References
- Конституционное собрание Республики Мордовия. 21 сентября 1995 г. «Конституция Республики Мордовия», в ред. Закона №20-З от 20 мая 2008 г. (Constitutional Assembly of the Republic of Mordovia. September 21, 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Mordovia, as amended by the Law #20-Z of May 20, 2008. ).
See also
- Music of Mordovia
External links
- (English) (Russian) (French) International Relations Office of Mordovian State University
Russian
- Official website of the Republic of Mordovia
- Official website of Mordovian State University
- Official website of the National Library of the Republic of Mordovia
- Official website of the State Puppet Theater of the Republic of Mordovia
- Encyclopaedia about Republic of Mordovia
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