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Altai (Gorno-Altai) Republic
// GENERAL INFORMATION
The Altai Republic is located in the very center of Asia where the Siberian taiga, the Kazakh steppes, and the semidesert of Mongolia meet. It is a mountainous country with an extraordinary landscape-a "Russian Tibet" in the heart of Eurasia at the meeting-place of several states, natural zones, and cultures.
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The state border of the Russian Federation with China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan passes along the territory of the Altai Republic. The Altai Republic itself has an administrative boundary with the Republics of Tuva and Khakassia, Altai Territory, and Kemerovo Region within the Russian Federation.
The Altai Republic has a temperate continental climate with relatively short hot summers (June-August) and long cold winters (November-March). The average yearly temperature ranges from +1°C to -6.7°C. January temperatures range from -9.2°C to -31°C; and July temperatures, from +11°C to +19°C. Average annual precipitation is between 100 and 1000 mm.
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Most of the Altai Republic is mountainous, as it is located entirely within the Russian part of the Altai Mountains. Thus, the republic's topography is characterized by high mountain ridges cut by deep narrow river valleys and occasional broad intermontane basins.
The highest mountain is Mount Belukha; at 4506 m, it is the highest point in Siberia.
The geographical features of the republic have dictated the development of two forms of transport: motor (more than 90% of all traffic) and air (passenger and postal transport), with motor transport being the leading form of transport. There are more than 3200 km of roads, of which 541 km forms part (Chuisky section) of the main federal Novosibirsk-Biysk-Tashanta highway.
Water is one of the Altai Republic's most important natural resources. The republic's drainage network includes more than 20 000 watercourses with a length of more than 60 000 km and about 7000 lakes with a total area of more than 700 sq. km. The largest rivers are the Katun and the Biya, which merge to form the Ob, one of the largest rivers in Siberia. Lake Teletskoye, with a surface area of 230.8 sq. km and a maximum depth of 325 m, is the republic's largest lake.
The mountain lakes of the Altai contain enormous reserves of high-quality fresh water. There are more than 40 cu. km of very pure water in Lake Teletskoye alone.
Potential reserves of subsurface water are estimated at 22 000 000 cu. m per day, although current usage amounts to only about 44 000 cu. m per day. Famous therapeutic mineral springs are also found in the Altai Mountains.
The Altai glaciers contain enormous reserves of fresh water: the total volume of ice is as much as 57 cu. km, which corresponds to 52 cu. km of water. Altogether, water reserves in the glaciers exceed the long-term average yearly flow of Altai rivers, which is equal to 43 cu. km per year. The largest glaciers are the Bolshoi Taldurinsky (35 cu. km), Mensu (21 cu. km), Sofiysky (17 cu. km), and Bolshoi Masshei (16 cu. km).
As of January 1, 2001, the population of the Altai Republic was 205 500 people, of whom 53 100 live in the city of Gorno-Altaisk and 152 400 live in rural areas. The able-bodied population is slightly more than 100 000 people, most of whom are occupied in agriculture and industries involved in processing agricultural products.
People of many nationalities live in the Altai Republic; however, except for Altaians, Russians, and Kazakhs, these nationalities do not form compact groups but are represented by people in mixed marriages or single families living among other nationalities. The main ethnic groups in the Altai Republic are Russians (60%), Altaians (31%), Kazakhs (6%), Ukrainians (0.9%), and Germans (0.4%).
The Altai Republic has 1.3% of the population and occupies 3.8% of the area of Western Siberia; the corresponding figures for the Russian Federation are 0.13% and 0.5%, respectively. The population density of the republic is 2.3 people per sq. km, which is 2.8 times less than the analogous figure for Western Siberia and 3.9 times less than that of the Russian Federation.
The Altai Republic's recreational resources make it a potential recreational center not only of regional, but also of Russian and international significance. The unique natural and climatic conditions make possible the development almost all forms of tourism, the creation of resorts and health centers at therapeutic mineral springs, and the organization of exotic tours and excursions (hunting, fishing, tourism, etc.). Skiing and hiking tours, horseback tours, boating and caving, and mountain climbing are of particular interest. Helicopter and motor excursions are also possible.
The glaciers are of great recreational and sporting interest to both tourists and mountain climbers. In terms of number of glaciers (1300), glaciated area, and ice thickness (up to 360 m), the Altai Mountains occupy third place among the world's mountainous countries.
The Altai Mountains also possess cultural and national traditions that may be of interest to archaeologists, folklorists, linguists, historians, and other scientists.
By a decision of UNESCO, unique natural areas such as Lake Teletskoye, Mount Belukha, and the Altai and Katun preserves have been entered on the World Heritage list.
HISTORY
The first knowledge of settlers in the Altai can be traced far back into antiquity. Their history is very closely tied with the history of Central Asia and its states. From the turn of the 3rd -2nd centuries B.C. to the end of the 1st century A.D., they were under political rule of the Huns, who had formed a powerful union of the hordes and tribes of the Northern Mongolian steppes. From the 2nd through the 4th centuries A.D., the Altai was under the influence of the Syanbiy; and from the end of the 4th century, the Altaian tribes were subjugated by the Zhuzhans of Eastern Mongolia and Western Manchuria and paid a tribute in iron goods.
After the collapse of the Zhuzhan state in 552, there arose a new, temporary military and administrative alliance, the Turkic Kaganat, with its center in the Altai. However, it soon shifted to the Orkhon River valley in Mongolia. By the 570s, the territory of the kaganat had expanded westwards as far as the Amu-Darya, to the Caucasus and the Aral Sea in Eastern Europe, and eastwards to the Great Khingan ridge; and the kaganat's sway extended from China to the borders of Iran and Byzantium. It subjects included Sogdiana and the Bulgarian and Khazar tribes inhabiting the area between the Volga and the Sea of Azov, and China and Byzantium were forced to acknowledge its political power. However, the situation soon changed: under attack from both within and without, the kaganat split in 588 into a Western part with its center in Semireche and an Eastern part with its center in Mongolia. But their existence was short-lived. In 630, the eastern Turks were subjugated by China; and in 659, their western kinsmen suffered the same fate. The eastern Turks refused to accept defeat, and in 682 they rose up in rebellion under the leadership of Khan (Kagan) Ilteres (Gudulu in Chinese) and liberated themselves from the Chinese yoke. This was the beginning of the Second Turkish kaganat, which lasted for more than 50 years.
However, continual confrontations with the Uighurs and internal strife undermined the foundations of the state and it fell in 745 under assaults by the Uighurs, who then assumed supremacy over the eastern part of Central Asia. Their rise is associated with the name of Khan Peilo. After his victory over the Turks, he transferred his headquarters north to the area between the Orkhon and the spurs of the Altai Mountains and established close relations with China. Peilo's successors annexed Southern Siberia and other lands, turning the Uighur khanate into a powerful political entity that was a force to be reckoned with even by China, which time and again turned to its "northern neighbor" for help in settling its internal affairs.
At the end of the 780s and the beginning of the 790s, the Uighur hegemony began to decline for two reasons: internal dissensions and foreign incursions, mainly by Tibetans, who had begun attacking the Uihgurs in 755. Natural disasters at the end of the 830s also contributed to the destruction of the state. The final collapse of the khanate followed a defeat inflicted on it in 840 by the Yenisei Kyrgyz, whose supremacy over the eastern part of Central Asia then became firmly established. The Kyrgyz collected a tribute of squirrel and sable furs and iron goods from the subject tribes, including the Altaian tribes.
However, their rule did not last long, and at the beginning of the 10th century, it had passed to the Kytais (Kara-Kitais) or Kidans, whose dominion extended to the Altai by the mid-11th century. The Altaian people have preserved legends of this time. One of them recounts the conquest of the Altaian people by the Kytais and their expulsion from the Altai. The remains of irrigation systems and ferry crossings preserved in various parts of the territory are also reminders of this period. By the end of the 12th century, the invaders' power had weakened and the Mongolian-speaking Naiman, who lived between the Khangai and Altai mountains, as well as in the Altai foothills, appeared on the political scene in Central Asia and levied the traditional tribute on the Altaian tribes who came under their sphere of influence.
The Mongols put an end to Naiman rule. After crushing their rivals in 1204, they subjugated a huge territory whose western boundary stretched to Irtysh. The inhabitants of the Altai found themselves in the "darkness of Noion Khorchy," a long-time brother-in-arms of Genghis Khan. After his death in 1227, the Mongol Empire was divided into two principalities (appanages). Altai ended up in the "Ulus (Region) of Juchi", in which it remained until the end of the 13th century. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Ulus of Juchi (the elder son of Genghis Khan) split into two parts as a result of internal wars. The Altaian tribes became part of the White Horde; and after its collapse 100 years later, part of the Siberian Khanate.
In the mid-15th century, as a result of feudal wars and political intrigues, the Altaians came under the influence of the western Mongols or Oirots (starting in the 1630s; the Oirots are better known as Jungars). The Altaians remained under their rule until 1756, that is, until the southern Altai nations (Altai-Kizhi, Teleuts, and Telengits) became part of Russia. Unlike them, the northern Altai nations (Kumandins, Tubalars, and Chelkans) had joined the Russian state much earlier. By the end of the 17th century, more than 100 of their districts, settlements, and villages were subjects of the tsar and paid a tribute tax to his treasury.
Becoming part of Russia protected the Altaians from foreign invaders and saved them from physical destruction by the Tsin Army. It also created the conditions for their future economic and cultural development on a fundamentally new basis. After coming under Russian protection, the Altaians, along with other peoples of Russia, repeatedly rose up against the ruling regime. Workers from the Altai took part in the revolution of 1905-1907 and the February and October revolutions. The Soviet regime was established in December 1917.
From 1922 through 1947, the Altai Republic was called the Oirot Autonomous Region; and from 1948 through 1990, it was known as the Gorno-Altaisk Autonomous Region. On July 3, 1991, the region was transformed into the Gorno-Altaisk Republic of the Russian Federation. It was finally renamed the Altai Republic in May 1992.
The Altai Republic is a subject of the Russian Federation with its own Constitution adopted on June 7, 1997, and its own state flag and emblem.
The official languages of the republic are Russian and Altai, both enjoy equal rights.
RESOURCES
Mountainous Altai (Gorny Altai) is called the "navel of the world" in a number of Indian sources because it is located at an equal distance from the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Indian oceans. The Altai Republic is situated in a mountainous region and for good reason is still called Gorny Altai. The highest point in the republic is Mount Belukha, whose eastern peak has an altitude of 4506 m. The Altai is considered an ecologically clean zone and has abundant forests, rivers, and lakes. It also has a variety of soils, mineral resources, and plant and animal life.
There are more than 20 types of soils in the Altai, including chernozems (black earth), forest-steppe, mountain-steppe, gray, and mountain-tundra. Mineral deposits are sizable and varied. Silver, gold, copper, platinum, tungsten, mercury, lead, zinc, cobalt, manganese, and iron have been discovered here, as well as non-ore minerals such as marble, mica, granite, colored clays, and rock crystal. Gold ore and molybdenum-tungsten deposits and beds of decorative stone and building materials are currently being developed. The main potential of these raw materials is still virtually unused.
Energy resources include coal, lignite, and peat deposits. The largest of these are the Pyzhinskoe coal deposit, the Taldydyurgunskoe lignite deposit, and the peat deposits of the Ynyrginskoe bog.
The territory is unusually rich in water resources. The best-known rivers are the Katun, Biya, Chuya, and Chulyshman. During snowmelt, many streams rush down and flow into the full-flowing rivers, which carry significant energy reserves. The main hydroelectric resources are located on the Katun River, which, according to experts, has a capacity of 4 million kW. There are nearly 7000 lakes in the republic. These are predominantly small lakes, but they are unusually clean and cold. Tourists like to vacation on Lake Dzhangyzkel, as well as on Lake Teletskoye, the republic's largest lake.
Forests in the Altai cover an area of about 42 000 sq. km; they consist mainly of coniferous species that are considered especially valuable. Herbs and grasses with medicinal properties grow in the many alpine meadows of the Altai Republic. There are also more than 40 species of fruit-bearing plants that are rich in vitamins and bactericidal properties; therefore, nearly all of them are used in pharmacology and folk medicine.
The animal life in the Altai Republic is amazingly varied. The forests and steppes are home to snow leopards, weasels, hares, foxes, wolverines, lynx, brown bears, roe and other deer, elk (the European moose), and various species of rodents. According to statistics, 80 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, 44 species of fish, and 11 species of amphibians and reptiles inhabit the republic. Altai is one of the most outstanding hunting regions in Western Siberia. Rare species of fish and animals listed in the Red Book are also found here.
The Altai Republic focuses a great deal of attention on environmental problems. At present, nature conservation organizations are conducting educational programs among the local population. The UN proclaimed 2002 the year of the mountain. It should also be noted that five natural sites in the Altai are included in the UNESCO Natural Heritage list: the Altai and Katun preserves, Lake Teletskoye, Mount Belukha, and the Ukok Plateau.
ECONOMY
Agricultural production prevails in the structure of the total social product of the Republic. The share of agricultural production in the Altai Republic is the following in the scale of Russia: milk - 0,18%, meat - 0,3%, wool - 1,4%, goat down - 6,5%, maral and deer antlers - 75%. The Republic maintains the leading positions in maral antlers production, goat down and sheep wool not only in Russia, but in CIS as well. Industry of the Altai Republic is presented by such branches as food, light, construction materials, mining industries and non-ferrous metallurgy. The following types of production are manufactured by republican enterprises:
- food industry (bread and bakery, sausage products and smoked foods, cheese, butter, canned fruits and vegetables, different wines and soft drinks);
- light industry (cotton fabric, curtain and tulle fabric, shoes, clothes and other sewing articles);
- industry of building materials (prefabricated ferroconcrete structures, brick, facing slabs of granite and marble);
- forest and woodworking industry (merchantable wood, lumber, jointer's articles, furniture, various souvenirs);
- non-ferrous metallurgy (mercury, gold, silver, tungsten-molybdenum concentrate, jewelry).
Agriculture occupies the leading place in national economic complex of the Altai Republic. Live-stock raising (sheep, goats, cattle, horses, yaks) is the man branch of agriculture, antler sika-deer-raising is of special significance. This branch is unique (maral and sika-deer antlers) and has no analogues in the world in terms of quality. At present total number of marals in the Altai Republic exceeds 27 thousand, and total number of sika-deers has reached 8 thousand. Being the main export production item providing currency receipts to the Republic, antler production is in great demand at the South-Eastern Asia markets.
Since ancient times the Altaians have been occupied with sheep-breeding. Sheep are bred in 7 regions of the Republic. Total number of them of all the farms categories exceeds 300 thousand. In 1959 specialists nurtured the Gornoaltaiskaya pedigree group of sheep of semifined-fleeced trend. A leading pedigree sheep-breeding farm is EPF "Tenginskoye". A domestic breed of downy goats - Gornoaltaiskaya one - was raised in the Republic after a pedigree work of many years. This breed is distinguished by high productivity (560 g of down combing from each sheep) and downy fibers output (95% and more). The basic farm is the pedigree-plant and collective farm "Mukhor-Tarkhata". The total number of sheep on all the Republic's farms exceeds 100 thousand.
Another traditional branch of live-stock raising is herd horse-breeding. Experts are carrying out a great work upon raising of the Altaian breed of horses of productive direction. Total number of horses on all farms of all categories exceeds 70 thousand.
Still another traditional occupation of the Altai taiga inhabitants is bee-keeping. Hundreds of tons of sweet-scented honey are produced annually by Altai bee-keepers. The mountain honey surpasses the steppe in flavor and medical qualities.
Mid-20th century witnessed the onset of gardening in Siberia at a small experimental station in Gorno-Altaisk , today it is EPF "Gorno-Altaiskoye". M.A. Lisavenko, the founder of the station had been its permanent manager for a long time. Today the selectionists of Altai offer customers dozens of new sorts of apple-trees, pear-trees, plum-trees, cherry-trees, sea-buckthorn trees, goose-berry bushes, currant bushes, raspberry-canes, strawberry.
One of the main deterrents of social and economic development of the Altai Republic is a low level of electrification and shortage of fuel and energy resources, consisting at the present time of wood of local origin, imported oil products and coil, and electric power received from outside. The basis of the Altai Republic's own power engineering system is the Tchemal Hydroelectric Power Station (HPS) built in the 30-s on the Katun River, other small low-power HPSes and about 400 small mobile stations and electric installations. Annual electric power consumption per head in the Altai Republic is 2.6 times less than that in Altai Region and 4 times less than the average in the Russian Federation.
The unique natural and climatic conditions create wide opportunities for development of almost all types of tourism. The presence of significant historical and archeological monuments of the Universal heritage attract a lot of tourists from all over the world to the Republic. The territory of the Altai Republic offers several dozens of highly comfortable tourist and recreation centers. Among them are "Kiwi-Lodge", "Tsar Hunting", "Edem", "Katun", "The Golden Lake", "Yunost", "Kucherla", training center "Seminsky Pass".
About 6 thousand small- and medium-business enterprises and over 4 thousand entrepreneurs not forming a juridical person function in the Altai Republic. Tax receipts from the subjects of small-scale entrepreneurship to the budgets of all levels constitute about 40% of tax income total volume.Contribution of small enterprises to the Republic's economy is determined by the following indices: share of production manufactured by small enterprises in total volume of industrial production - 49.2%; share of civil engineering work in total volume of civil engineering and erection work- 75%; share of small enterprises retail turnover in goods turnover - 83%; 85% of personal services is carried out by small enterprises. The majority of small enterprises (46,8%) and individual entrepreneurs (71,3%) not forming a juridical person are concentrated in Gorno-Altaisk, Maiminsky and Tchoisky Regions.
The territory of the Altai Republic constitutes the Altai Ecological and Economic Region. The Government of the Republic has granted additional privileges to foreign and domestic investors for the purpose of organization and expansion of joint activity types and attraction of investments to the region.
AUTHORITIES
The Altai Republic is a full subject of the Russian Federation. The system of government in the Altai Republic is based on the principles of separation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers and division of the powers of republican and local government bodies. The President of the Altai Republic is the republic's highest official.
President of the Altai Republic
- Exercises general leadership of the republic and acts as its representative. Heads the Government of the Altai Republic and directs its work.
- Ensures coordinated functioning and interaction between the Government of the Altai Republic and other government bodies.
- Selects top officials and appoints them to and dismisses them from their posts, either independently or with the consent of the National Assembly (El Kurultai) of the Altai Republic, in accordance with the legislation of the Altai Republic.
- Directs the activities of the First Deputy Chairman of the Government, the deputy chairmen of the Government, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations, the Unified Administration of the Head of the Altai Republic and the Government of the Altai Republic, the Permanent Mission of the Altai Republic to the President of the Russian Federation, and the Representative Office of the Siberian Accord Interregional Association.
- Coordinates the activities of the Ministry of the Interior of the Altai Republic and other executive bodies of the republic in the spheres of law, citizens' rights and freedoms, and crime prevention.
- Settles questions of national policy, public service and awards, local self-government, and development of interregional and international relations.
The National Assembly, or El Kurultai (Parliament), of the Altai Republic is the highest representative and legislative body in the republic. The El Kurultai consists of 41 deputies elected according to electoral law. The term of office of the National Assembly and its deputies is four years.
The El Kurultai operates primarily on the basis of the session. Both regular and extraordinary sessions are conducted according to the procedure established by the Rules of the El Kurultai. Extraordinary sessions of the El Kurultai may be convened at the request of the President of the Altai Republic, Chairman of the Government of the Altai Republic.
The activities of the El Kurultai are based on the following main positions and principles:
- territorial unity and integrity of the Altai Republic;
- separation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers;
- free collective discussion of questions and decision-making;
- systematic reporting and accountability to the people in informing them of its activities;
- openness and consideration of public opinion;
- attracting people to work in government agencies;
- strict observance of the law and guarantees of citizens' rights, freedoms, and legal interests and protection of their voting rights;
- responsibility for the state of affairs in the republic and its socioeconomic, political, and intellectual development;
- responsibility and accountability to the National Assembly of bodies established by it and of elected or appointed officials.
The Government of the Altai Republic, republican government administration agencies, and executive bodies of cities, districts (aimaks), and villages exercise executive authority in the Altai Republic.
The Government of the Altai Republic is the republic's highest executive body; it is responsible to the people of the republic for settling socioeconomic and other questions.
The Government of the Altai Republic settles all questions of government administration and economic management within its jurisdiction. The manner of the formation and activities of the Government is established by republican constitutional law. The Government's term of office is four years.
The Government is formed by the President of the Altai Republic, Chairman of the Government of the Altai Republic and consists of deputy chairmen of the Government and ministers. The Government of the Altai Republic may include as members the heads of other republican government administration agencies under its jurisdiction.
Members of the Government are appointed by the President of the Altai Republic, Chairman of the Government of the Altai Republic. Individual members, whose numbers are established by the law of the Altai Republic, are appointed with the consent of the El Kurultai.
The President of the Altai Republic, Chairman of the Government of the Altai Republic, the El Kurultai, and the Government work cooperatively based on the interests of the republic and its people and unity of purpose and objectives in solving the republic's problems according to the principles of separation of powers and their authority.
Judicial authority in the Altai Republic is exercised only by the courts in the manner and forms established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal laws.
No other agency or official or other person has the right to assume judicial functions.
The judicial system in the Altai Republic and the manner of the organization and activities of the courts are established by federal law.
The judicial system in the Altai Republic consists of the following:
- the Supreme Court of the Altai Republic;
- the Arbitration Court of the Altai Republic;
- city and district courts;
- magistrates.
The formation and establishment of special courts and judicial posts is not permitted.
A Constitutional Court of the Altai Republic may be established to consider questions of the conformity of laws and regulatory and legal acts of state and local government bodies to the Constitutions and laws of the Russian Federation and the Altai Republic. The manner of its formation and activities and the rules governing its authority are established by republican constitutional law.
The legal status of judges established in the Russian Federation applies fully to judges in the Altai Republic.
The Altai Republic guarantees judicial agencies the necessary conditions for administering justice.
Valid judicial acts are binding on all government and public agencies, private individuals, and legal entities in the Altai Republic.
Failure to comply with decisions, sentences, and other court acts that have entered into force of law, interference in their activity, and contempt of court entail liability according to the procedure established by law.
Legal proceedings in the Altai Republic are conducted in the republic's official languages.
Persons involved in a case who do not speak the language in which the lcourt proceedings are conducted are guaranteed the right to full familiarization with the materials of the case and participation in court activities through an interpreter and the right to address the court in their native language.
Judges are independent and subordinate only to the law.
Judges are immune and irremovable. They may not be transferred to another position or court without their consent.
The powers of judges may be terminated or suspended on the grounds and according to the procedure established by federal law.
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