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// Republics
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Republic of Khakassia
// GENERAL INFORMATION
The Republic of Khakassia with its capital Abakan is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia. This is where the Sayansk territorial industrial complex was built and developed. The 6.4-million-kW Sayano-Shushensk Hydroelectric Power Plant (Sayano-Shushenskaya GES), the most powerful in Russia, forms the basis of the complex. The complex is located in the Minusinsk Basin with its splendid natural resources. The main rivers are the Yenisei and its tributary the Abakan. The dam of the Sayano-Shushensk plant, located at the outlet of the Yenisei into the Minusinsk Basin, has formed the Sayanskoe reservoir, which has an area of 633 km2. The Sayansk complex is connected by the Yenisei and by rail with other districts of Eastern Siberia and Russia.
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The Republic of Khakassia borders on Kemerovo Region in the northwest and the Altai Republic (or Mountainous Altai) and the Republic of Tuva in the south and southwest. It is situated in the valleys of the Abakan and Yenisei rivers and besides occupying the Minusinsk Basin also occupies part of the Chulym-Yenisei Valley. The Kuznetsky Alatau Mountains serve as the boundary west of Kemerovo Region. The southern border with the Altai Republic and Tuva follows the Western Sayan ranges. The Dzhebashsky Range and Yenisei River form Khakassia's eastern boundary. The only border without a sharply defined natural boundary is the northern border with Krasnoyarsk Territory, which crosses the vast open steppe of the Chulym-Yenisei Valley. The republic extends 460 km from north to south and 200 km from west to east.
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Khakassia has a severe continental climate with cold winters and hot summers. Temperatures are above zero for 200 days per year, and the weather is much sunnier than in western parts of the country. Khkassia's natural landscapes are splendid and varied, ranging from boundless steppes, plains, and taiga to mountains, which cover two-thirds of the republic's territory. There are 230 large and small rivers in the republic and nearly 300 mountain and steppe lakes, both saline and freshwater. Lake Shira with its curative waters is one of these. The resort on Lake Shira is a resort of the Russian Federation and has the status of a resort of republican significance.
The republic borders on the industrial Kuzbass in the west and on the developed districts of Irkutsk Region and Transbaikal in the east. All main forms of transport are in use in the republic. Khkassia has one of the highest railway densities in Siberia and the Far East. Along the eastern border, the Yenisei River serves as a waterway to the north. The republic has a beautiful natural environment with everything necessary for work, recreation, and health. The main industries are power [the Sayano-Shushensk and Maina (Mainskaya GES) hydroelectric power plants, the Chernogorsk State District Power Plant (Chernogorskaya GRES), and the Abakan Thermal Power Plant (Abakanskaya TETs)]; coal, iron ore, and nonferrous metal ore production, including gold; and the forest and food industries. There are more than 140 proven mineral deposits. The aluminum, engineering, building material, and woodworking industries are also developed. Khakassia is an important agricultural region specializing in raising beef and dairy cattle and sheep, which is natural, since livestock raising has always been important here. Khakassia is also the largest wheat producer in Eastern Siberia.
The Republic of Khakassia is divided into 5 cities, including 3 under republican authority (Abakan, Chernogorsk, Sayanogorsk) and 2 under district authority (Abaza, Sorsk); 8 rural districts; and 79 rural and village territories.
Khakassia's capital, Abakan, is a center of the engineering, metalworking, woodworking, and food industries. An aluminum smelter operates in the new city of Sayanogorsk. Chernogorsk and Askiz are centers of the woodworking and hydrolytic industries. A steel mill and a large carriage plant producing railway cars and containers are located in Abakan. The electrical and food industries are well developed in Minusinsk, and coal production, woodworking, and building material production are important industries in Chernogorsk. A molybdenum plant operates in Sorsk. The light and food industries are developed in the cities, and large state district power plants (GRES) are in operation.
Khakassia's history and culture are diverse and interesting. The republic is a unique place with its concentration of historical monuments, wealth, and beautiful scenery. However, it experienced not only a historical rise, but also a decline after the Mongols captured the territory and ruled it from the 13th to 15th centuries. Culture and history later revived with the arrival of the Russians.
The creation of an industrial base and the development of natural resources began. State construction continued in Khakassia in the Soviet period. In 1995, the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Khakassia adopted the Constitution and the republic acquired its own state emblem and flag.
HISTORY
The first state was formed in the historic Khakassian lands in the 7th and 8th centuries B.C. The first to arrive during the great migrations were Turkic-speaking Yenisei Kyrgyz tribes, who established the ancient Khakassian state in the 8th century.
Khakassia is known around the world for its ancient historical and archeological sites. Scientists call it an "archeological Mecca."
From ancient times, caravan routes connected Khakassia with Mongolia, China, Tibet, and India. Khakassia was the meeting place of many cultures of Finno-Ugric, Iranian, and ancient Turkic peoples. Relations between these peoples were complex; there were countless wars and a struggle for survival, but during times of relative calm, brisk trading and cultural exchanges went on.
From the 13th through 15th centuries A.D., the state was under Mongol rule. The Mongol period of Khakassian history was characterized by enormous human losses, cultural decline, and the destruction of the Khakassian state.
Russians began moving into Siberia in the 16th century. The first Russian stockade in Khakassia was built on the site of Abakan. Russia succeeded in consolidating its position in Khakassia only in 1707 under pressure from Peter the Great. A second stockade called the Sayansky stockade was built in 1718 in order to complete the consolidation.
For administrative purposes, the territory of Khakassia was divided into four districts: Tomsky, Kuznetsky, Achinsky, and Krasnoyarsky.
The people of Khakassia were converted to Christianity. By 1822, there were already 90 Russian settlements in Khakassia. At the end of the 19th century, the Khakas subdivided into a number of ethnic groups: Sagay, Kacha, Kyzyl, Koybal, and Beltir. The cultural and economic development of the state began, as well as development of natural resources.
Between 1924 and 1930, the Khakassian territories were united into a district; and in 1930, the Autonomous Khakassian Region became a subject of the RSFSR.
In July 1991, the Khakassian Autonomous Region of Krasnoyarsk Territory was transformed into the Republic of Khakassia.
Khakassia did not escape the crisis that gripped Russia. The collapse of the USSR and reforms changed the republic's political and socioeconomic situation. The Constitution of the Republic of Khakassia was adopted in May 1995.
RESOURCES
The Republic of Khakassia has a relatively small area; but despite this, it is very rich in various natural resources. The mining industry is well developed, with production from deposits of molybdenum and iron ores, coal, coal, barite, and other nonmetallic raw materials. Iron ore is the main component of Khakassia's mineral resource base. Significant iron ore reserves have been identified; specialists estimate that reserves are sufficient to keep Abakan Ore Mining Management (Abakanskoe rudoupravlenie) going for 50 years and Teiskoe Ore Mining Management (Teiskoe rudoupravlenie), for 17-20 years. These deposits are still in the development stage, with production of 5 million tons of ore per year. The republic also has sizable reserves of nonferrous metals, but they have a low usable mineral content. The Sorskoe and Agasyrskoe nonferrous metal deposits are being developed. The Sorskoe deposit supplies 70% of total Russian production, and specialists estimate that it has reserves for 23-30 years. More than 50 copper, copper-molybdenum, copper-tungsten, lead, and other ore deposits are also known, although their development prospects have not been evaluated yet. Gold reserves are estimated at a sizable 604 400 tons; but despite the fact that gold has been produced in the republic since the early 19th century, very few geological surveys have been carried out in the area. This precious metal is produced in five goldfields in the republic. Khakassia also has large barite reserves; the Batenevsky barite field is the largest in Russia. Total probable reserves of the deposits and ore shows amount to 50 million tons. Three gypsum deposits-Orositelnoe, Kapchalinskoe, and Khamzazskoe-are in operation in the republic. Gypsum reserves amount to 25.586 million tons. In addition, there are significant reserves of asbestos, bentonite, brick materials, carbonate rocks, facing stone, and building materials. There are no developed oil and gas fields in Khakassia, but extensive geological surveys are being carried out. Specialists estimate that there are 345 million tons of oil reserves and 40 billion m3 of gas reserves in Khakassia. Mineral waters and muds are another resource, primarily in the form of mineral lakes and subsurface and radon waters. The venerable Shirinsky resort is located near the saline waters of Lake Shira. Khakassia's reserves of sulfureous therapeutic mud are as much as 18 million m3. Radon water reserves are sufficient for 50 years. Radon waters are the basis of operation of the Tumanny Health Center (Sanatorii Tumanny).
The Republic of Khakassia is a resource-rich Russian region. Extensive geological surveys are being carried out to evaluate the region's raw-material base. Ninety-one sites have been surveyed since 1991. The work is oriented toward subsurface studies, developing the raw mineral base of mining companies, and studying the raw mineral potential. However, owing to the republic's strained financial situation, there are not enough funds for geological surveys. Fixed and working capital available for geological organizations and departments is at a critically low level.
ECONOMY
A large and efficient territorial industrial complex has been created in Khakassia. The capital, Abakan, is a center of the engineering, metalworking, woodworking, and food industries.
A favorable climate, abundant mineral resources, a relatively well developed infrastructure, and skilled labor all contribute to the republic's future industrial development.
Industry accounts for more than 80% of the republic's GDP. Khakassia supplies cheap power and coal (mainly produced by strip mining) to the Russian market. Companies and organizations in the republic have business cooperation with 45 foreign countries. Engineering products, nonferrous and ferrous metals, and coal are exported. The republic's industrial enterprises mine coal and iron ore; generate electricity; and produce aluminum and molybdenum concentrates, building materials, lumber, containers, freight cars, highway cranes, consumer goods, food products, and much more.
Nonferrous metallurgy is the leading industrial sector, accounting for more than 30% of total production. The Sayansk Aluminum Smelter (SaAZ) in Sayanogorsk is one of the industry's largest companies and Russia's largest producer of primary aluminum. Modern equipment has been installed at the plant, and it is considered an environmentally clean Russian aluminum smelter. The Sayansk Foil Plant (Sayanskaya folga) is another large Khakassian company. It is the leading domestic producer of aluminum foil and aluminum foil-based packaging materials.
OAO Molibden is the operator of Russia's largest molybdenum deposit and produces molybdenum and copper concentrates and ferromolybdenum. AOOT Tuim Nonferrous Metal Processing Plant (AOOT Tuimsky ZOTsM) produces rolled brass and copper.
Power makes up 26% of total production. The Sayano-Shushensk and Maina hydroelectric power plants and the Chernogorsk State District Power Plant are representatives of the industry. The total length of the power network with voltages of 35 kV and higher is nearly 3000 km. AOOT Khakasenergo and AOOT Chernogorsk Power Management (AOOT Chernogorskoe energoupravlenie) generate and sell electric power and heat.
There are also oil and gas shows of varying intensity in the republic. Probable reserves are 22 million tons of oil and 90 billion m3 of gas. Geological surveys are currently in progress. Coal is Khakassia's primary fuel and power source. Probable reserves of the Minusinsk coal basin are estimated at 15 billion tons. There are four developed deposits: Askizskoe, Beiskoe, Izykhskoe, and Chernogorskoe with total reserves of 5.3 billion tons. Coal is mined at two shaft mines and five open pits (Chernogorsky, Izykhsky, Abakansky, Chalpan, and ZAO Stepnoi) with total yearly production of more than 6 million tons. Sixty percent of the coal is produced by open-pit mining.
Coal industry companies include OAO Teiskoe Ore Mining Management, AOOT Yeniseiskaya Mine (AOOT Shakhta Yeniseiskaya), OAO Khakasnefteprodukt AO Eastern Oil Company (AO VNK), and ZAO Khakasugleprom.
The engineering industry is represented by the well-known Metallist and Abakanvagonmash companies.
Abakanvagonmash's main products are high-capacity containers, flat cars, and special-purpose freight cars. Abakan's machine plants produce cars, logging trucks, and highway cranes. Metallist produces modern equipment for the light and food industries.
Agriculture is mainly oriented to sheep raising, production of meat and dairy products, and cultivation of feed crops. The republic's agricultural complex is increasing output of agricultural products and head of livestock, thus providing raw materials for the light and food industries. These two industries have been developing more stably in recent years.
The food industry supplies canned meat and dairy products, cultured milk products, oil, and raw products that are valued for their quality well beyond the republic's borders.
Light industry manufactures leather goods, cardboard, mechanical rubber, natural wool, wool fabrics (OAO Siteks), shoes, and knitted goods. One of the republic's oldest companies is the imitation leather complex AOZT Kombinat ISKOZH, founded in the early 19th century. Today, it is a modern multipurpose company producing more than 15 product lines, including various kinds of cardboard and cardboard items; imitation leathers; PVC film for household use and New Year tree decorations; handbags, wallets, bathing caps, and gloves; linoleum; and other consumer goods.
Ferrous metallurgy, forestry and woodworking, and building materials are other important industries.
Ferrous metallurgy: the Abakan and Teiskoe ore mining management companies produce and concentrate iron ore. Production is 1841.4 thousand tons of magnetite ore with an iron concentration of 30-40%. Total iron ore reserves are estimated at 2 billion tons. Iron ore production in 1999 was 2333.2 thousand tons, and steel production was 5416 tons.
The building industry produces marble and granite facing slabs, bricks, reinforced concrete, and precast reinforced concrete structures.
The government is working to create a free economic zone. The anticipated result of implementing this long-term project is the establishment of more than 100 world-class facilities. The largest of these include car manufacturing, timber-processing plants oriented to deep wood processing, and garment production, among others.
Small business is well developed in the Republic of Khakassia. It has become one of the primary sources of goods and services for the market and generates up to 15% of the republic's gross regional product.
Small businesses are becoming a stable source of tax revenues for budgets of all levels. In order to support small business, a legal and regulatory base has been developed in the republic and administrative and regulatory structures have been formed, including the Committee for Small Business Support and Development and the Fund for Small Business Support. A support infrastructure has also been created, in particular, the Khakassian Business Development Agency (KhARP), the Syan-Inform Information Analysis Center (IATs Sayan-Inform), and the Regional Information Analysis Center (RIATs) of Khakassian State University.
A special system of preferential crediting for business projects has been worked out, regulations on competitive selection of business projects have been drawn up and approved, and priority lines of activity have been determined for small businesses eligible for government support. Eligible businesses include production and processing of agricultural products; production of food items, consumer goods, and medicines; building material production; personal services; and travel services and tourism.
The Republic of Khakassia has high investment potential. The government has passed the law "On Government Support for Investment Activities in the Republic of Khakassia," which speaks of government support and protection of the rights of participants in investment activities; cooperation between investors, state authorities, and local governments in the process of implementing projects and programs; and the creation of conditions for business development. The following are important possible targets for investments:
- Construction of new production and processing facilities for resources such as oil, gas, coal, iron ore, molybdenum, marble, granite, gold, precious stones, phosphorite, asbestos, and limestone.
- Establishment of new food industry and agricultural product processing enterprises and reconstruction of old ones.
- Construction and reconstruction of light industry and engineering enterprises.
- Processing of timber and wood waste.
- Reequipment and construction of new facilities for the production of ceramic wall panels.
- Construction of hotels, health and recreation centers, and development of tourism.
- Development of air, motor, and river transport systems.
AUTHORITIES
The Republic of Khakassia is a subject of the Russian Federation. Its territory is divided into 5 cities, 8 rural districts, 13 urban communities, and 75 villages.
Higher government and administrative bodies, a court system, and budget and tax systems have been formed in the republic.
The Government of the Republic of Khakassia, headed by the chairma, is the highest state, executive, and administrative body.
Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Khakassia is the highest legislative body of the republic.
CULTURE AND ART
The Republic of Khakassia is located in the southern part of the vast region of Eastern Siberia. It has an area of about 62 000 km2 and a population of 584 900 people representing 108 nationalities. The most numerous of these are Russians, Khakas, Ukrainians, Tatars, Belarussians, Germans, and Poles. The roots of the culture and history of this immense region lie deep in the past. Chinese records dating from the 7th to 3rd centuries B.C. refer to Khakassia as the state of Dinlin. During the period of great migrations, the first Turkic-speaking tribes known as the Yenisei Kyrgyz established an early Khakassian state called the Kyrgyz Kaganat in the 8th century A.D. Its development was cut short by the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. The Tatar-Mongol yoke lasted for almost 180 years.
The thousand-year-old Khakassian culture suffered huge losses. The distinctive artistic crafts stopped developing; writing, which was the culture's highest achievement, was lost; and achievements in the socioeconomic and political spheres were wiped out. The nearly two centuries of Mongol rule hindered the process of formation of the Khakassian nation and its culture. The process of Khakassia's incorporation into the Russian Empire lasted for about a century before ending in 1707.
Khakassia is a unique region with more than 30 000 ancient historical sites and an unsurpassed natural environment. It would be no exaggeration to say that this area is considered an archeological Mecca. The wealth of archeological finds from the Bronze Age and earlier shows that Southern Siberia was an ancient metallurgical center. Unique burial masks that realistically copy the features of the deceased are evidence of this. The masks were created by master craftsmen of the 1st to 5th centuries A.D.
Owing to Khakassia's surprisingly varied climatic and landscape features, people and nature created unique historical and cultural monuments in this land of plenty.
Menhirs. Menhirs have survived in Khakassia as archeological monuments of the 18th century. They are located within an area of biolocation anomalies and are capable of influencing the human organism. Menhirs are huge upright slabs of Devonian sandstone up to 3 m high and 1.5 m wide. It has been established that ancient tribes used menhirs both for ritual ceremonies and as a cure for various ailments. One of the stones has oval-shaped depressions from being touched by the hands of people seeking cures. Another of these unique monuments of the 4th to 3rd centuries B.C. consists of two menhirs known as the Great Gate rising up on a mountain ridge in the Salbyk Valley. They once served as an unassailable fortress of Tatar princes and their armies.
Kurgans. Thousands of high, oval-shaped burial mounds are found all over Khakassia. These are kurgans, mysterious imposing monuments of past centuries. Forty thousand years of human activity created a distinctive historical and cultural topography in the Khakassia-Minusinsk Basin that intricately combined archeological, geological, and historical objects. For example, caves that served as dwellings for ancient people have been preserved, and ruins of ancient cities, irrigation systems, and defensive fortifications have been discovered. The most impressive monument is the Bolshoi Salbyksky kurgan, a symbol of the power and wealth of the Tatar state. It is an earth and stone pyramid more than 20 m high that served as the tomb of one of the Dinlin kings and his family. At one time there were another six enormous royal pyramids here. According to legend, this was a "spirit road" that led the souls of the dead through the hills at sunrise to the upper celestial world.
Fortress of Cheboki. This historical architectural monument dating to the second millennium B.C. rises above the shore of the Cherny Iyus River on the summit of Mt. Sve-takh. The fortress consists of two lines of defensive walls that stretch for 210 m and have a maximum height of 18 m. The walls built of massive limestone slabs have retained their original layout. Stone dwellings were attached to the inner wall. Pottery shards, stone arrowheads, axes, and the remains of ritual incense vessels were found at the fortress in 1989. The investigation of the monument was continued in 1996.
Fortress of Sokhatin. The fortification is located on Mt. Sokhatin on the left bank of the Bely Iyus River. It measures 50 by 22 m and has walls 1.2-6 m high and up to 2 m thick.
Fortress of Khara-tag. This fortress is situated on the summit of Mt. Khara-tag on the right bank of the Cherny Iyus River. It has four interior sections divided by stone walls up to 2 m high.
Fortress of Tarpig. This fortress is located on Mt. Tarpig on the right bank of the Bely Iyus River not far from the site of the Okunev inscriptions. The fortress has three lines of walls and measures an impressive 90 by 85 m.
Inscriptions. The inscriptions known locally as Pichiktig-Tag (Book Mountain) are a masterpiece of decorative art. They date from the Okunev culture of the second millennium B.C. With great skill, the ancient people drew scenes of hunting, battles, and daily life on cliffs. Texts in ancient Khakassian script are inscribed below the drawings. The Sulekskie inscriptions of the Tukhtyatskaya culture are not only of local, but also of international significance. The Podkunenskaya inscriptions are accompanied by a multitude of human figures, domestic and wild animals, and birds. The Bolshaya and Malaya Boyarskie inscriptions are both interesting and entertaining, with pictures of a village with houses and yurts and a herdsman with a dog and a flock of sheep and goats and a herd of cattle. Khakassia also has many other inscriptions, fortresses, and kurgans representing the republic's cultural and historical heritage.
The republic's indigenous people revere and preserve the cultural heritage and traditions of the Khakassian lands.
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