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Republic of Tatarstan
// GENERAL INFORMATION
The Republic of Tatarstan is a democratic constitutional state associated with the Russian Federation by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan "On Delimitation of Jurisdictional Subjects and Mutual Delegation of Powers between the State Bodies of the Russian Federation and the State Bodies of the Republic of Tatarstan", a subject of the Russian Federation. The sovereignty of the Republic of Tatarstan consists in full possession of state power beyond the competence of the Russian Federation and powers of the Russian Federation in the sphere of shared competence of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan."
Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan, Article 1.
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"The Republic of Tatarstan within the sphere of its competence shall enter into international and external economic relations with subjects and administrative-territorial units of foreign states, foreign states, conclude international treaties, exchange representatives, and participate in international organizations."
Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan, Article 6.
The President is the head of the State in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Tatarstan is situated in the center of the Russian Federation on the East European Plain at the confluence of the country's two greatest rivers, the Volga and the Kama. The overall territory of the Republic is 67,836.2 sq. km. The capital of the republic is Kazan. The Republic extends some 290 km north to south and 460 km west to east. Tatarstan has no borders with foreign states.
The territory of the Republic is a plain that lies in the forest and forest-steppe zones with low hills on the right bank of the Volga and in the southeast of the Republic. Ninety percent of the territory is 200 m above sea level or less.
Most of Tatarstan lies in the forest zone with only its southern regions located in the forest-plain zone. However, today only a small part of Tatarstan is covered with forest (16.2 % of the total area). The Pre-Kama region is dominated by coniferous and mixed forests. The banks of the Volga, Kama, Vyatka, and other rivers are covered with coniferous forests. Broad-leaved and birch and aspen forests prevail in the Pre-Volga and Trans-Kama regions. As noted above, deciduous trees generally prevail in the Republic, covering nearly 85 % of total forested area, which includes oak (27 %), lime (14%), birch (11%), and aspen (24%). Pine is the most frequent conifer (nearly 12% of the total forested area). Dry valleys and steppe areas still exist on noncultivated hillsides in the southern and southeastern regions. Marshes prevail in the vicinity of shoals of water reservoirs and in forests.
Tatarstan is populated by representatives of over 70 nationalities, Tatars and Russians being the most numerous. The official languages are Tatar and Russian. The total population is 3,773,800. Population density is 55.6 people/sq. km
Local fauna is represented by 430 species of vertebrates and hundreds of species of invertebrates.
The climate is temperate continental with occasional droughts. The average temperature of the coldest month (January) is -13 °C, while that of the warmest (July) is +19 °C. Annual average precipitation is 460-520 mm. The vegetation period is about 170 days.
Soils are very diverse. Nearly one-third of the total area of the Republic (32%) is covered by chernozems (black earths). As indicated above, chernozems prevail in the Pre-Volga regions, in the west and in the east of the Trans-Kama region. Greyish and dark greyish forest and podzol soils, which cover nearly 38% of Tatarstan, frequently occur in the Pre-Kama region, in the north of the Pre-Volga region, in the northeast, and in the center of the Trans-Kama region. Soddy-podzol soils prevail in northern Tatarstan, on the left bank of the Volga, and the right bank of the Kama. These soils constitute some 17% of the territory. Alluvial soils dominate in river bottoms.
Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed subjects of the Russian Federation. Its main resources include oil and land and water resources.
The republic possesses high scientific and intellectual potential. Key industries are oil production and petrochemicals, the aircraft industry, mechanical engineering, and instrument-making.
HISTORY
The first settlements in the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan date back to the Paleolithic period (about 100,000 years ago). In the 8th - 9th centuries, the ancient Bulgar tribes, the ancestors of the modern Tatars, began to populate the Volga region. The first state, Volga-Kama Bulgaria, was set up at the end of the 9th and beginning of the 10th centuries as the first feudal state in northeastern Europe. In 922, Islam was established as the state religion. The Bulgar mosques and medreses (Muslim clerical schools) spread knowledge and culture in the neighboring regions.
In the 13th century, the territory of Volga-Kama Bulgaria was annexed to the Empire of Genghis Khan and then became part of powerful Golden Horde State. The collapse of the Golden Horde in the 1330-1340s resulted in the formation of a number of new states, including the Kazan Khanate. Kazan became the capital of the newly formed state. The Kazan Khanate ended in October 1552, after a two-month siege when troops of Ivan the Terrible numbering 150,000, conquered Kazan.
A path-breaking step on the way to restoring the statehood of the Tatar people was the declaration of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1920.
The end of the 20th century brought new possibilities for development of the statehood of Tatarstan. On August 30 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the republic was adopted and signed. In accordance with the people's will, a referendum was held in March 1992 and the new Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan adopted on November 6, 1992, established the new state status of the republic.
On February 15, 1994, the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan "On the Delimitation of Jurisdictional Subjects and Mutual Delegation of Powers between the Bodies of State Power of the Russian Federation and Bodies of State Power of the Republic of Tatarstan" was signed. Along with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan, it served as a legal basis for the formation of the widely known Russian-Tatarstan model of interrelations.
RESOURCES
Natural Resources. Tatarstan's main wealth is crude oil. Its largest oil deposits are the Romashkinskoye, Novo-Elkhovskoye, Pervomaiskoye and Bondyuzhskoye oil fields located in the southeastern and northeastern Tatarstan. The first commercial oil field (Shugurovskoye) was discovered in July 1943; commercial production started in September 1946. The total amount of oil produced since the start of production is 2.6 billion t. The republic's current oil reserves are still large (0.8-0.9 billion. t), although much of them are concentrated in medium and small fields still awaiting development. The largest fields are nearly exhausted; e.g., the Romashkinskoye field is 83% exhausted, and the Novo-Elkhovskoye field, 69% exhausted.
Along with crude oil, wellhead gas is extracted in amounts of about 40 cu. m per ton of oil. There are good prospects for involvement of natural bitumens in economic turnover, since probable reserves in the republic are 12.5 billion t.
Among other fuel resources, Tatarstan possesses brown and black coal, oil shale, and peat. There are about 800 peat deposits with an overall area of more than 35,000 hectares. Large coal deposits have been discovered in the eastern regions, but commercial development is complicated by the depth of their occurrence. Reserves of oil shale are found in the southwestern part of the republic. They may be of industrial importance in future.
Permian deposits provide carbonate rocks, vast deposits of gypsum, and other minerals used as construction materials. Among the largest reserves are deposits of sand-gravel mix (246 million cu. m), loam (73.5 million cu. m), gypsum (72 million t), limestone and dolomite (66 million t), building stone (35.3 million cu. m), bentonite clay (24.3 million t), clay for the production of foamed clay (14.9 million cu. m), and mason's sand (45 million cu. m). There are also large deposits of phosphorite, chalky sandstone, mineral water, therapeutic mud, and materials for cement production.
Water Resources. Tatarstan, as no other republic or region, is rich in rivers. There are numerous lakes and underground waters. As noted above, the republic's largest rivers are the Volga and the Kama and two tributaries of the Kama, the Vyatka and the Belaya. The annual flow of the four rivers amounts to 234 billion cu. m per year., There are also about 500 small rivers at least 10 km long and numerous brooks. Huge water resources are accumulated in the two largest reservoirs, the Kuibyshevskoye and the Nizhnekamskoye. There are also over 8,000 small lakes and ponds in the republic. The republic has substantial reserves of underground waters varying from highly mineralized water to slightly saline and freshwater.
ECONOMY
Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed republics of the Russian Federation. It is located in the center of the largest industrial region of the Russian Federation, 800 km east of Moscow. Due to historical, geographical, and natural conditions and other important factors, the Republic of Tatarstan has developed as a major scientific, educational, and industrial center recognized in Russia and worldwide.
During the years of market reform, the economy of Tatarstan underwent significant changes. The majority of property is no longer state owned. Leading industries of the economy, such as oil production and petrochemicals, automotive engineering, power, and others were turned into joint-stock companies.
Tatarstan is the leader in the production of some key industrial goods in Russia. The republic produces (in % of the total volume for Russia):
- 100% of film, catgut;
- more than 95% of gas turbines;
- about 75% of styrene;
- more than 50% of centrifugal electric pumps for oil production;
- about 50% of diesel trucks, pipe, and thermoplastic pipeline components;
- about 40% of ethylene, polyethylene;
- about 30% of synthetic rubber, automobile tires, felt boots, film materials;
- about 20% of fur hats, gas stoves, benzene, cologne;
- about 14% of household clocks;
- about 9% of oil.
According to the latest Federal statistics, Tatarstan was third in the RF in industrial output in January-August, 2001.
According to the rating of the Volga federal district service, the Republic of Tatarstan gained the lead in the level of socioeconomic development based on the results of 2000. According to Expert magazine, the republic enjoys the least investment risk among seven other Volga regions.
Tatarstan's agroindustrial complex is a priority sector and is supported by the state.
- The republic carries out large-scale social and economic programs, most of which have no counterparts in the Russian Federation, including:
- a program for developing enterprises of the RT petrochemical complex for 1999-2003;
- a program promoting the creation and development of export-oriented and import-substituting production facilities in the RT for the period up to 2003;
- the target programs "Energy savings in the RT for 2000-2005", "Development of land reform in the RT in 2000-2005", "System of regulating relations in the RT commodity markets for 1999-2005";
- programs of targeted social protection of the RT population, gas supply, and demolition of dilapidated housing
Tatarstan is the leader in the Russian Federation in construction of social facilities, such as schools, hospitals, and other institutions in rural areas.
AUTHORITIES
Tatarstan's Constitution guarantees the division of legislative, executive and judicial powers.
The President is the head of state and highest official in Tatarstan. He heads the executive system of the republic and directs the Cabinet of Ministers, which is the executive and administrative authority. The Cabinet is accountable to the President. The candidacy of a Prime Minister is proposed by the President and approved by the Parliament of Tatarstan.
The unicameral State Council (Parliament) is the supreme representative and legislative authority of Tatarstan.
Bodies of local self-government are independent within their powers and do not belong to the system of state authorities.
Administrative and Territorial Division: 43 regions, 20 towns, 14 of which are under republican jurisdiction, 21 urban communities, 897 village councils of local government.
CULTURE AND ART
The Republic of Tatarstan is multinational. It has a great variety of confessions and religious associations in its territory.
The religious situation in Tatarstan is generally stable and reflects the changes in state-church relations that have taken place over the last few decades and the activities of various religious associations all over the Russian Federation.
As of January 1, 2003, 1255 religious associations were registered in the republic, including 971 Muslim, 206 Orthodox (Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchy - 188, True Orthodox Church - 12, Russian Autonomous Orthodox Church - 1, Old Believers - 5), 2 Catholic, 2 Jewish, 1 Buddhist, 64 Protestant (Baptist - 4, Evangelical Christian - 34, Charismatic - 1, Seventh Day Adventist - 13, Evangelical Lutheran - 5, New Apostolic Church - 2, Jehovah's Witnesses - 5), 1 Baha'i , 2 Vaishnaist (Krishnaist), 2 Church of the Last Testament (Vissarionite), 1 other.
In 2000, Christians around the whole world celebrated the 2000th anniversary of Christianity. Tatarstan followed a special Program for celebrating the 2000th anniversary of Christianity and the 1400th anniversary of Islam, endorsed by the RT Cabinet on July 12, 2000.
In 2000, 3 religious buildings were given to believers (1 mosque and 2 churches), 37 buildings were built and reconstructed (31 mosques and 6 churches), and 129 buildings (103 mosques and 26 churches) were under construction and reconstruction. Over the last 11 years a total of 117 buildings, including 28 mosques and 69 churches, have been returned to believers. Republican religious associations currently own 891 mosques and 152 churches.
The Law of the Republic of Tatarstan "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Association" came into effect on August 28, 1999. It provides for the specific features of the multinational republic, sets forth legal principles of church-state separation, specifies the position of the state as regards religious relations, and proclaims freedom of conscience and religious association. The Law is intended to achieve mutual understanding, tolerance, and true freedom of conscience.
Tatar National Traditions, Culture, and Art
The Republic of Tatarstan has an extremely rich historical and cultural heritage.
The combination of at least four types of cultural interaction (Turkic, Finno-Ugric, Bulgarian, and Slavonic-Russian) and two religions (Islam and Christianity) account for the unique features of this locality, originality of art, and cultural and historical values.
The life of our ancestors, national features, ideal of beauty and religion, changes in socioeconomic conditions, and contacts with other nations were mirrored in national art and cultural heritage.
With regard to historical heritage and culture, we should remember that along with common cultural traditions, there are different ethnic groups of Tatars with their inherent features. Kazan was a spiritual center of the main ethnic group of the Tatars, the Kazan Tatars, who formed the basis of the Tatar nation.
Historical aspects
The vivid original art and culture of the Tatars inherited the traditions of the state of Volga Bulgaria, the Golden Horde, and the Kazan Khanate. The influence of Islam adopted in 922 was significant too. The existing Runic characters were replaced by Arabic script, stimulating the development of science, philosophy, and literature. Islam created and strengthened the principal traditions of Tatar-Bulgarian culture. Muslim spiritual affinity promoted commercial and diplomatic relations between the Volga Bulgars and the vast Islamic world and opened the road to the East to Sacred Mecca, Egypt, Turkey, and Iran. Images of the pre-Islamic pagan mythology-birds, animals, and sometimes man-are replaced by ornamental designs in which flowers, plants, and geometrical figures predominate. Parallel to the establishment of Biblical Christian pictorial motifs in Russian art, patterned design and rich ornamentation become the aesthetic and artistic principle of Bulgarian decorative art. Marvelous products of Bulgarian craftsmen, e.g., ornamental patterns, and bronze, silver, and gold articles have survived to this day.
A new stage of cultural and artistic development is connected with the annexation of Bulgaria in 1236 to the Golden Horde, the imperial culture of which combined Turkic, Mongol, and Central Asian traditions remarkable for its ornamental splendor and decorative richness,\ and the use of various precious metals, jewels, and gems. Special importance was attached to making harnesses and uniforms, the manufacture of weapons, and other artworks typical of Turkic nomadism.
The Volga Bulgarian town planning traditions were developed. Travelers and rich merchants, diplomats and politicians were amazed at the beauty of the khan's majestic palaces, mosques with high minarets, and mausoleums decorated with white and light blue tiles, glass glaze, and gold leaf. The city of Bulgar in the 13-14th centuries appeared to be a huge town-planning complex. The area of the second-largest city of Bulgaria, Bilyar, was 530 hectares. (At that time Kiev occupied 150 hectares and Paris, 439.)
The disintegration of the Golden Horde resulted in the appearance of several independent Tatar states: the Astrakhan, Kazan, Siberian, and Kasimov khanates. The Kazan Khanate with its capital Kazan played a special role in the destiny of the Tatar ethnic group, as it was the Kazan Tatars who became the consolidating core in the formation of the Tatar nation. The capital kept on developing the best architectural traditions. Many white stone and brick buildings were erected in the Kazan Kremlin. Prince Andrei Kurbsky, one of Kazan's conquerors, wrote: "On a mountain, there is a fortress, a palace, and high stone mosques, where their dead kings lie". Ivan the Terrible was also surprised at the "extraordinary beauty of the fortress-town ...". The appearance of richly ornamented stone grave steles, metal works, and decorations with elements of the "eastern" baroque that was prevalent in Azerbaijani and Asian art was typical of the time.
In the second half of the 16th century, the Kazan Khanate joined the Russian state. Migrants from Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov and other Russian cities arriving in Kazan introduced some elements of Russian culture, which in turn had not escaped the influence of Eastern culture. This became apparent in altered church architecture (decorative methods, oriental ornamentation), the appearance of magnificent oriental designs, and polychrome, which were unusual in Russian art, but took root in it through borrowing the art patterns of Tatar culture. Thus, according to the assumption of historian M.Hudyakov, the eight-minareted Kul-Sharif mosque destroyed in the Kazan Kremlin in 1552 served as a prototype of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square. The ninth central dome of this cathedral, towering above the other eight, personified victory of the cross over the crescent. The cathedral had no analogues in Russian architecture of that time, but had much in common with oriental architecture.
The architecture of Kazan's Petropavlovsky (Peter and Paul) Cathedral also has many oriental elements in addition to Russian and European ones. Scientist I. Khalitov wrote: "We did not meet such coloration in church architecture of other Russian regions, while it prevailed in Tatar mosques: a yellow ochre background and light blue, green, white, and red details". Architect S. Aidarov considers the cathedral to be a monument of Russian baroque employing the most typical features of Bulgar-Tatar architecture, with its Eastern and Asian components.
Other brilliant samples of historical and cultural interaction between Russia and the Kazan Khanate are the famous "Kazan cap" and "Monomakh's cap", the crowns of Russian tsars. Both crowns passed on to the Russian tsars from the Tatar khans and are classical examples of Tatar decorative and applied art, with rich incrustation of precious jewels and gems and elaborate decorations of typical plant ornamental designs. The Kazan cap, as well as the khan's throne brought from Kazan by Ivan the Terrible and known as Boris Godunov's throne, are stored in the Moscow Armory Museum.
Tatar influence evolved in the culture of everyday life as well. This is reflected in the Turkic names of certain clothing, trade, and household objects. Many famous Russian names are of Tatar origin: Aksakov, Derzhavin, Karamzin, and Turgenev.
The Russians also acquired some bases of state culture from the Tatars. Population was registered by means of a census, and a harmonious system of taxes and duties appeared.
These are evidence of close interaction between the cultures of Moscow, the Bulgar and Golden Horde states, and later the Kazan Khanate, which traded, waged wars, and exchanged skilled craftsmen and architects.
By the 19th century, with the rise of manufacture, decorative art was flourishing. Classical samples of gold and tambour embroidery with rich ornamentation, jewelry with graceful filigree, and colorful female headgear known as kalfaks, and decorative towels with fine patterns were produced. This was the period of creation of the Tatar national costume, a uniform national dwelling style, and ritual and household articles.
Today, the original traditions of the Tatar national arts have acquired a special artistic significance. Owing to research work and expeditions, the collections of Kazan and other museums have been enriched with exhibits of cultural and historical value. As a form of the national arts, there is production of mosaic footwear (Arsk Association) and artistic weaving (Alekseyevsk Factory). By studying national artworks, modern artists create jewelry employing filigree technique, embroidered tablecloths and towels, incrusted leather footwear, national souvenirs, and memorable gifts.
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