Chuvashia
Encyclopedia
The Chuvash Republic or Chuvashia for short, is a federal subject
of Russia
(a republic
). It is the homeland of the Chuvash people
. Its capital
is the city of Cheboksary
. Population:
an part of Russia
, in the heart of the Volga-Vyatka
region, midway between Nizhny Novgorod
and Kazan
. The republic is not large, but is one of the most densely populated regions in the Russian Federation, with a total population of 1.35 million.
It is bordered by the Mari El Republic in the north, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
in the west, the Republic of Mordovia in the southwest, Ulyanovsk Oblast
in the south, and the Republic of Tatarstan in the east and southeast. Some of the Volga River
valley reservoirs are in the north of the republic, and the Sura River
flows towards the Volga along much of the republic's western boundary. The republic's central location gives companies located here access to some of the most industrially developed regions of the country.
The largest city is Cheboksary
, together with its neighbour Novocheboksarsk
. However the majority of the republic is rural. Forests, mostly in the south along the Sura River, cover approximately 30% of the land.
, sand, tripoli, clay
, sapropel
deposits, phosphorite
, and peat
.
. Average temperatures range from -13 C in January to 19 °C (66.2 °F) in July. Annual precipitation
can reach 500 millimetres (19.7 in) The varied climate offers both summer and winter recreational opportunities.
According to the 2002 Russian census
, the republic's total population was 1,346,300, with 794,800 (60.9%) residing in urban area
s and 510,200 (39.1%) in rural areas.
The largest city is the capital, Cheboksary
(population 453,700 in 2004). Cheboksary is situated mostly on the southern bank of the Volga in the northern part of the republic (one northern bank district was added in the second part of the 20th century), approximately 650 kilometres (403.9 mi) east of Moscow
. Nearby to the east is the next largest city, Novocheboksarsk
(population 125,600 in 2004). These two are the major industrialized cities. The next largest town is Kanash
.
According to the 2002 Census, ethnic Chuvash
make up 67.7% of the republic's population. Other groups include Russians
(26.5%), Tatars
(2.8%), Mordvins (1.2%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
Comb Ceramic Culture. Later, people of the Indo-European
Battle Axe Culture moved into the area and established several villages. These two peoples assimilated to become the Hillfort Culture of the Middle Volga Area. They had strong economic and linguistic ties with southern steppe peoples like the Scythians and Sarmatians
.
The ancestors of the Chuvash were Turkic
Bulgars
and Suars
residing in the Northern Caucasus
in the 5th to 8th centuries. In the 7th and 8th centuries, a part of the Bulgars left for the Balkans
, where, together with local Slavs, they established the state of modern Bulgaria
. Another part moved to the Middle Volga Region (see Volga Bulgaria
), where the Bulgar population that did not adopt Islam
formed part of the ethnic foundation of the Chuvash people.
During the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria
, the steppe-dwelling Suar migrated north, where Finnic
tribes, such as the Mordvins and Mari lived. The Chuvash claim to be descendants of these Suars who assimilated with the Mari.
They became vassals of the Golden Horde
in 1242, after a bloody uprising which the Mongols brutally suppressed with an army of 40,000 warriors. Later Mongol
and Tatar rulers did not intervene in local internal affairs as long as the annual tribute was paid to Sarai
. The Tokhtamysh–Timur war (1361–1395) devastated 80% of the Suar people. When the power of the Golden Horde began to diminish, the local Mişär Tatar Murzas from Piana
and Temnikov
tried to rule the Chuvash area.
, in August 1552, the Chuvash Orsai and Mari Akpar Tokari princes swore their loyalty to the Grand Duchy of Muscovy at Alatyr on the Suvarley River. This ended nearly 120 years under the rule of the Khanate of Kazan. In return, Ivan promised to honor all historic land rights of the Chuvash and Maris on both sides of the Volga River from the Kerzhenets
to the Sviyaga River
. In addition, Ivan ordered a five year period freedom from tribute for the Chuvash and Mari leaders. The Chuvash provided 15,000 soldiers and the Mari 10,000 to Ivan's army for the final attack against Kazan
, giving the Muscovites a force of 100,000 against the Khanate's 30,000 Nogai Tatars defending the fortified city.
Disappointed by Russian rule, a portion of the Chuvash population rebelled and joined with the Mari during the Kazan War
of 1552–1594. During the Time of Troubles
, they joined the troops of the False Dmitri.
Within the Russian Empire
, the territory of modern Chuvashia was divided into two administrative districts: the northern part under the Kazan Governorate
and the southern part under the Simbirsk Governorate. The border ran roughly from Kurmish to Buinsk
.
The Chuvash and Mari joined the Stenka Razin
and Pugachev
rebellions in 1667–1671 and 1773–1775 respectively, when the Volga area from Astrakhan
to Nizhni Novgorod was in open revolt. During these years, many Chuvash escaped east to the southern Urals.
Between 1650 and 1850, the Russian Orthodox Church
sent Chuvash
-speaking missionaries to try to convert the Chuvash to the Orthodox faith. A group of these missionaries created a written Chuvash language. The first Chuvash grammar was published in 1769. Chuvash had earlier been written with a Runic script or the Arabic alphabet. A revised Cyrillic alphabet for Chuvash was first introduced in 1873 by Ivan Yakovlevich Yakovlev. The Latin alphabet has been used as well, though there is no standard transcription. Most of the Chuvash who stayed in the area became Orthodox Christians, but some remained pagan.
A number of Russian noble families received large estates in the Chuvash lands as reward for their services to the Tsar. The formerly independent landowning Chuvash peasants became serfs
to rich Russian landowners. Russian became the official language. Few attempts were made to provide primary education in the Chuvash language, and all higher education was in Russian.
After Alexander II
abolished serfdom, many land-hungry Chuvash peasants moved to other areas in Russia to seek their own land. Between 1860 and 1914, nearly half of the Chuvash population left their home areas. The final wave of migration occurred during the Stolypin agrarian reforms
.
. They connected with other minority pro-independence movements in the middle Volga area. Marxist ideology gained popularity among the poorest peasants and industrial workers. On May 15, 1917, the Chuvash joined the Idel-Ural
Movement and in December 1917 joined the short-lived Idel-Ural State
, when an agreement was reached with Tatar
representatives to draw the eastern border of Chuvashia at the Sviyaga River
.
The Chuvash promised to respect the Islam
ic Tatars' religion and grant them local and cultural autonomy inside the League of Idel Ural States. The southern border with the Mordvins
was set along the Sura River
, with equal rights guaranteed to the Chuvash living west of the Sura. In the south, the border went along the Barysh
, Bolshoi Akla and Tsilna Rivers between the Sura and Sviyaga. In the north, there was a dispute with representatives of the Mari-populated Tsykma
(Kozmodemyansk) and other areas in Chuvashia.
In 1918–1919, the Russian Civil War
encompassed the area. This ended with victory for the Bolsheviks, who were mainly ethnic Russians
, with strong support from Nizhny Novgorod troops. The local Chuvash independence-minded politicians were executed by the Bolsheviks.
To gain support from the local population, Lenin ordered the creation of a Chuvash state within the Russian SFSR. On June 24, 1920, the Chuvash Autonomous Oblast was formed, which was transformed into the Chuvash ASSR in April 1925.
The 1930–1931 Communist campaign against the rich kulak
peasant class, which resulted in their deportation to Gulag
prison camps and the elimination of independent peasant farms, hit the Chuvash ASSR's agricultural production hard. The Great Purge
in 1936–1938 dealt a great blow to the Chuvash intelligentsia; many were shot or deported to prison camps. Most of the local Chuvash teachers were shot
, making it difficult to teach Chuvash, as the Russian replacements did not know the language. Ethnic Russians kept control of the area, and the Russification
of the Chuvash and Mari peoples intensified.
From 1930 to 1940, a shift from mainly agriculture to industry was initiated. By 1940, the Chuvash ASSR produced 35,000,000 kWh of electricity, 848,000 m2 raw timber, 369,000 m2 sawn timber, 40,000 m cotton cloth, 200,000 pairs of hosiery, 184,000 pairs of leather footwear, and 600 tons of animal fats.
According to an order dated May 28, 1940 by the Central Committee of Communist Party, 20,000 Kolkhoz
peasant families of Belorussian, Chuvash, Mordvin and Tatar origin were transferred to the "New districts of the Leningrad Oblast
and the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic", recently conquered in the Soviet-Finnish war. In 1941, another 20,000 families followed, each family averaging five persons. Lavrentiy Beria
even suggested to transfer the entire Chuvash population from Chuvashia to Karelia
to form a population security belt "against the Finnish Fascists".
During the Great Patriotic War and the postwar industrialization period, more and more Russians moved to the expanding towns of Chuvashia. The rural population remained mostly agriculturally oriented Chuvashians and Kuruk Maris. In the south of the republic, Russians and other minorities, such as Ukrainians, moved in to work in the newly created Chuvash Forest Industry Combinate.
In 1964, the Chuvash ASSR produced 350,000,000 kWh electricity, 1,073,000 m2 raw timber, 760,000 m2 sawn timber, 113,100,000 m cotton cloth, 28,800,000 pairs of hosiery, 1,800,000 pairs of leather footwear, and 3,200 tons of animal fats.
On January 1, 1966, the population of the Chuvash ASSR was 1,178,000.
In 1990, the republic was renamed the Chuvash Soviet Socialist Republic.
The Chuvash Republic is an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation. As a republic, the region has greater sovereignty than other areas of Russia in determining local policies and procedures. Nikolay Vasilyevich Fyodorov, a former minister of justice of the Russian Federation, was elected the first President of the Chuvash Republic in 1994. He has a reputation as a pro-market reformer and has pressed the region to establish closer economic ties with other countries. He has also encouraged the growth of small businesses. The mayor of Cheboksary, Anatoly Igumnov, is also eager to work with international companies. Both republic and city governments have departments of foreign economic relations to work with foreign businesspeople.
As of 2011, the President of the Republic is Mikhail Ignatyev
.
The Chuvash Republic is the most populous and fertile country in the middle Volga region. There are deciduous woodlands on fertile black earth. In agriculture, wheat and sugar-beet, pigs and beef cattle have become more important than the rye, oats, barley and dairy cattle which are typical for the whole area.
The republic is Russia's center for hops growing
and is famous throughout the country for its long history of beer
brewing
. It is also a major center for electrical engineering
, especially in the area of power transmission
and control system
s. Other leading industries are metalworking
, electricity generation
, and chemical manufacturing. There are also large timber-working mills at Shumerlin.
in the republic is one of the most developed in Russia. The republic's system of roads, railroads, waterways, and airports closely ties the region with others in and outside of Russia.
in the Republic of Tatarstan. It also forms a connection via Chuvashia through the southern suburbs of Cheboksary and Novocheboksary to the Mari El Republic and the Vyatka Highway
. Part of this road is classified as a motorway, the only one in the republic. From Yadrinsky Nikolskoye, the federal road P-178 runs through Yadrin
, Shumerlya
, Alatyr, to Surskoye in Ulyanovsk Oblast
and further to Ulyanovsk
. In the eastern part of Chuvashia, the federal road A-151 runs from Tsivilsk
through Kanash
, Komsomolskoye, Chkalovskoye, Karabay-Shemursha, Shemursha
to Ulyanovsk and Saratov
. All other roads in Chuvashia are classified as local area roads.
Automobiles, trucks, and buses are the major forms of transportation, with the republic ranking fourth in highway density in all of Russia. Cheboksary is situated on one of the main highways of the Russian Federation leading from Moscow
to the industrial areas of Tatarstan, the southern Urals
, and Siberia
. A recently completed bridge across the Volga River in the north connects the republic to the developed Ural
and Volga Federal District
s. To the south, highways connect Chuvashia with Saratov and Volgograd
. Extensive public and private bus systems connect all towns within the republic with each other and with the surrounding regions.
The standard speed of transportation of containers
by road is 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) per day. The average time of delivery from Cheboksary to Moscow is 1.5 days; to Saint Petersburg
, 2.5 days; and to Western Europe
, 10 to 15 days.
— is in the center of the republic. Via Kanash, the rail system connects the major towns in Chuvashia with the big industrial centers of eastern Siberia
, the Urals
, and Moscow. Express trains are reliable and provide a low-cost, comfortable way to travel. Express trains to and from Moscow are available every day, with the overnight journey taking approximately fourteen hours each way.
The following lines serve railway traffic in the Chuvash Republic:
In addition to these lines, there are 26 kilometres (16.2 mi) of 1520 mm gauge industrial lines running from Altyshevo station, on Alatyr-Kanash section, to Pervomaysky, located just west of Starye Aybesi in Alatyrsky District
.
All railway lines in Chuvashia are operated by the MPS Gorky Railway Division. Steam locomotives were mostly replaced in 1970 by diesel locomotives and when the main Arzamas
-Kanash-Sviyazhsk
line was electrified, the diesel locomotives were replaced by electric ones.
The Arzamas-Kanash-Sviyazhsk line is a double track main line, while the others are single track lines. The 84 km (52 mi) Sviyazhsk-Kanash section was electrified in 1986, the 142 km (88 mi) Kanash-Sergach section in 1987.
In 1967, there were four daily passenger trains in both directions on the Alatyr-Kanash line. One of them was the semifast Sochi-Sverdlovsk-Sochi long distance transit train, halting only at Alatyr, Buinsk
, and Kanash
. Cheboksary was connected by daily semifast passenger train to Moscow. The travel time was 17.30 hours for the 758 km (471 mi) journey. 21 express and passenger trains used the Arzamas-Kanash-Sviyazhsk main line in the summer high season in both directions. Of these, four did not halt in Chuvashia. Most of the remaining semifast trains stopped at Shumerlya, Piner, Burnary, and Kanash. Four pairs of semifast trains also stopped at Tyurmari. In the 1999-2000 timetable, 11 pairs of Moscow-Kanash-Kazan express trains stopped at Kanash. The Chuvashia 53/54 express trains between Moscow and Kanash took 11.23 hours, back 10.57 hours.
In addition to Russian 1524 mm gauge railways, there were six 750 mm narrow gauge railway lines: two short peat
briquette industry lines at Severny and Sosnovka on the north side of the Volga, and four forest railways at Shumerlya, Atrat and Kirya. All opened in the 1930s. In 1965, their total length was 145 kilometres (90.1 mi):
All lines were closed in the economic uncertainty after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
and Sura River
s connect Chuvashia to a national and international water network. To the south, Volgograd
, Rostov-on-Don
, Astrakhan
, the Caspian Sea
, and Black Sea
are directly reachable. To the west, the Volga River connects Cheboksary with Nizhny Novgorod
, Yaroslavl
, Moscow and the northern regions of Russia. By using river-sea vessels, cargo transportation is possible from Chuvash river ports all the way to Saint Petersburg
, Novorossiysk
(on the Black Sea), Astrakhan
, and ports situated on the Danube River. However, the river is frozen from December through April.
Boat tours to the major cities along the Volga are of tourist interest, and Cheboksary is a frequent stop on the many boat tours that travel up and down the Volga.
, a city with international air connections through Lufthansa
.
is still spoken by many, especially in the country. The Chuvash language belongs to the Bulgar
subgroup of the Turkic language group
. In ancient times a runic
system of writing was used. Chuvashi now uses a modified Cyrillic script that was adopted in 1871.
There has been a resurgence of native Chuvash pride, with many people looking back to their Chuvash roots and exploring the culture and heritage and relearning the language. Most building signs, road signs, and announcements are in both Russian and Chuvash.
Cultural organizations include the Chuvash State Puppet Theater
and the Chuvash National Museum
.
Surhuri
is the true Chuvash
national heathenish holiday
.
, the Chuvash State Pedagogical Institute, and the Chuvash State Agricultural Academy located in Cheboksary. These, together with 28 colleges and technical schools, are currently attended by approximately 45,000 students.
Federal subjects of Russia
Russia is a federation which, since March 1, 2008, consists of 83 federal subjects . In 1993, when the Constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed...
of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(a republic
Republics of Russia
The Russian Federation is divided into 83 federal subjects , 21 of which are republics. The republics represent areas of non-Russian ethnicity. The indigenous ethnic group of a republic that gives it its name is referred to as the "titular nationality"...
). It is the homeland of the Chuvash people
Chuvash people
The Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although Chuvash communities may be found throughout all Russia.- Etymology :...
. Its capital
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
is the city of Cheboksary
Cheboksary
-Twin towns/sister cities:Cheboksary is twinned with: Eger in Hungary Antalya in Turkey Santa Clara in CubaAlso Partnerships are shown with: Rundu in Namibia -External links:****...
. Population:
Geography
The Chuvash Republic is located in the center of the EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an part of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, in the heart of the Volga-Vyatka
Kirov Oblast
Kirov Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kirov. Population: -History:In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vyatka remained a place of exile for opponents of the tsarist regime, including many prominent revolutionary figures.In 1920, a number of...
region, midway between Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
and Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
. The republic is not large, but is one of the most densely populated regions in the Russian Federation, with a total population of 1.35 million.
It is bordered by the Mari El Republic in the north, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: The oblast is crossed by the Volga River. Apart from Nizhny Novgorod's metropolitan area, the biggest city is Arzamas...
in the west, the Republic of Mordovia in the southwest, Ulyanovsk Oblast
Ulyanovsk Oblast
Ulyanovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Ulyanovsk...
in the south, and the Republic of Tatarstan in the east and southeast. Some of the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
valley reservoirs are in the north of the republic, and the Sura River
Sura River
Sura is a river in Russia, a right tributary of the Volga River. It flows through Penza Oblast, Mordovia, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Chuvashia and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Its length is 841 km, it is navigable for 394 km from the mouth....
flows towards the Volga along much of the republic's western boundary. The republic's central location gives companies located here access to some of the most industrially developed regions of the country.
The largest city is Cheboksary
Cheboksary
-Twin towns/sister cities:Cheboksary is twinned with: Eger in Hungary Antalya in Turkey Santa Clara in CubaAlso Partnerships are shown with: Rundu in Namibia -External links:****...
, together with its neighbour Novocheboksarsk
Novocheboksarsk
Novocheboksarsk is a city in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located about east of the republic's capital city of Cheboksary, on the southern bank of the Volga River. Population: -History:...
. However the majority of the republic is rural. Forests, mostly in the south along the Sura River, cover approximately 30% of the land.
Natural resources
The republic's natural resources include gypsumGypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
, sand, tripoli, clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, sapropel
Sapropel
Sapropel is a term used in marine geology to describe dark-coloured sediments that are rich in organic matter...
deposits, phosphorite
Phosphorite
Phosphorite, phosphate rock or rock phosphate is a non-detrital sedimentary rock which contains high amounts of phosphate bearing minerals. The phosphate content of phosphorite is at least 15 to 20% which is a large enrichment over the typical sedimentary rock content of less than 0.2%...
, and peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
.
Climate
The republic has a moderate continental climateContinental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
. Average temperatures range from -13 C in January to 19 °C (66.2 °F) in July. Annual precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
can reach 500 millimetres (19.7 in) The varied climate offers both summer and winter recreational opportunities.
Population
According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, Chuvashia is home to 1,251,599 people.According to the 2002 Russian census
Russian Census (2002)
Russian Census of 2002 was the first census of the Russian Federation carried out on October 9 through October 16, 2002. It was carried out by the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics .-Resident population:...
, the republic's total population was 1,346,300, with 794,800 (60.9%) residing in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 510,200 (39.1%) in rural areas.
The largest city is the capital, Cheboksary
Cheboksary
-Twin towns/sister cities:Cheboksary is twinned with: Eger in Hungary Antalya in Turkey Santa Clara in CubaAlso Partnerships are shown with: Rundu in Namibia -External links:****...
(population 453,700 in 2004). Cheboksary is situated mostly on the southern bank of the Volga in the northern part of the republic (one northern bank district was added in the second part of the 20th century), approximately 650 kilometres (403.9 mi) east of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Nearby to the east is the next largest city, Novocheboksarsk
Novocheboksarsk
Novocheboksarsk is a city in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located about east of the republic's capital city of Cheboksary, on the southern bank of the Volga River. Population: -History:...
(population 125,600 in 2004). These two are the major industrialized cities. The next largest town is Kanash
Kanash
Kanash is a town in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located from the republic's capital city of Cheboksary at a major railway junction. It serves as the administrative center of Kanashsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population: Area: .Kanash was founded in 1891...
.
Vital statistics
- Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service
| Births | Deaths | Birth rate | Death rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 22,465 | 10,993 | 18.3 | 9.0 |
| 1975 | 22,956 | 12,450 | 18.1 | 9.8 |
| 1980 | 22,612 | 13,908 | 17.4 | 10.7 |
| 1985 | 24,385 | 13,913 | 18.6 | 10.6 |
| 1990 | 21,116 | 13,545 | 15.8 | 10.1 |
| 1991 | 19,113 | 13,459 | 14.2 | 10.0 |
| 1992 | 16,673 | 14,141 | 12.4 | 10.5 |
| 1993 | 14,410 | 16,876 | 10.7 | 12.5 |
| 1994 | 14,498 | 18,003 | 10.8 | 13.4 |
| 1995 | 13,842 | 17,727 | 10.3 | 13.2 |
| 1996 | 13,542 | 16,880 | 10.1 | 12.6 |
| 1997 | 12,822 | 16,762 | 9.6 | 12.5 |
| 1998 | 13,300 | 15,957 | 9.9 | 11.9 |
| 1999 | 12,129 | 17,997 | 9.1 | 13.5 |
| 2000 | 12,363 | 18,640 | 9.3 | 14.0 |
| 2001 | 11,986 | 18,980 | 9.1 | 14.3 |
| 2002 | 12,956 | 19,808 | 9.8 | 15.1 |
| 2003 | 13,171 | 19,978 | 10.1 | 15.3 |
| 2004 | 13,734 | 19,371 | 10.5 | 14.9 |
| 2005 | 13,133 | 19,682 | 10.1 | 15.2 |
| 2006 | 13,291 | 18,900 | 10.3 | 14.7 |
| 2007 | 14,835 | 18,642 | 11.6 | 14.5 |
| 2008 | 14,967 | 18,436 | 11.7 | 14.4 |
- Ethnic groups
According to the 2002 Census, ethnic Chuvash
Chuvash people
The Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although Chuvash communities may be found throughout all Russia.- Etymology :...
make up 67.7% of the republic's population. Other groups include Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
(26.5%), Tatars
Tatars
Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,...
(2.8%), Mordvins (1.2%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
| census 1926 | census 1939 | census 1959 | census 1970 | census 1979 | census 1989 | census 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuvash Chuvash people The Chuvash people are a Turkic ethnic group, native to an area stretching from the Volga Region to Siberia. Most of them live in Republic of Chuvashia and surrounding areas, although Chuvash communities may be found throughout all Russia.- Etymology :... |
667,695 (74.6%) | 777,202 (72.2%) | 770,351 (70.2%) | 856,246 (70.0%) | 887,738 (68.4%) | 906,922 (67.8%) | 889,268 (67.7%) |
| Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
178,890 (20.0%) | 241,386 (22.4%) | 263,692 (24.0%) | 299,241 (24.5%) | 338,150 (26.0%) | 357,120 (26.7%) | 348,515 (26.5%) |
| Tatars Tatars Tatars are a Turkic speaking ethnic group , numbering roughly 7 million.The majority of Tatars live in the Russian Federation, with a population of around 5.5 million, about 2 million of which in the republic of Tatarstan.Significant minority populations are found in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,... |
22,635 (2.5%) | 29,007 (2.7%) | 31,357 (2.9%) | 36,217 (3.0%) | 37,573 (2.9%) | 35,689 (2.7%) | 36,379 (2.8%) |
| Mordvins | 23,958 (2.7%) | 22,512 (2.1%) | 23,863 (2.2%) | 21,041 (1.7%) | 20,276 (1.6%) | 18,686 (1.4%) | 15,993 (1.2%) |
| Others | 1,301 (0.1%) | 6,703 (0.6%) | 8,596 (0.7%) | 10,930 (0.9%) | 14,874 (1.3%) | 19,606 (1.4%) | 23,599 (1.8%) |
Religion
Study of religion is compulsory for schoolchildren in Chuvashia. Of the students, 36.9% enrolled for Secular Studies, 36.0% for Orthodox studies, 25.7% for World Religions and 1.4% for Islamic studies.Early history
The first inhabitants to leave traces in the area later known as Chuvashia were of the Finno-UgricFinno-Ugric peoples
The Finno-Ugric peoples are any of several peoples of Europe who speak languages of the proposed Finno-Ugric language family, such as the Finns, Estonians, Mordvins, and Hungarians...
Comb Ceramic Culture. Later, people of the Indo-European
Proto-Indo-Europeans
The Proto-Indo-Europeans were the speakers of the Proto-Indo-European language , a reconstructed prehistoric language of Eurasia.Knowledge of them comes chiefly from the linguistic reconstruction, along with material evidence from archaeology and archaeogenetics...
Battle Axe Culture moved into the area and established several villages. These two peoples assimilated to become the Hillfort Culture of the Middle Volga Area. They had strong economic and linguistic ties with southern steppe peoples like the Scythians and Sarmatians
Sarmatians
The Iron Age Sarmatians were an Iranian people in Classical Antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD....
.
The ancestors of the Chuvash were Turkic
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
Bulgars
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
and Suars
Suars
The Suars were a Turkic-speaking people, probably of Hunnish descent, who lived in Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages....
residing in the Northern Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
in the 5th to 8th centuries. In the 7th and 8th centuries, a part of the Bulgars left for the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, where, together with local Slavs, they established the state of modern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. Another part moved to the Middle Volga Region (see Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria
Volga Bulgaria, or Volga–Kama Bolghar, is a historic Bulgar state that existed between the seventh and thirteenth centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now Russia.-Origin:...
), where the Bulgar population that did not adopt Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
formed part of the ethnic foundation of the Chuvash people.
During the Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria
Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria
The Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria lasted from 1223 to 1236.-The Mongol campaigns:In 1223, after defeating Russian and Cuman/Kipchak armies at the Battle of Kalka, a Mongol army under the generals Subutai and Jebe was sent to subdue Volga Bulgaria. At that point in history Genghis Khan's troops...
, the steppe-dwelling Suar migrated north, where Finnic
Finnic peoples
The Finnic or Fennic peoples were historic ethnic groups who spoke various languages traditionally classified as Finno-Permic...
tribes, such as the Mordvins and Mari lived. The Chuvash claim to be descendants of these Suars who assimilated with the Mari.
They became vassals of the Golden Horde
Golden Horde
The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...
in 1242, after a bloody uprising which the Mongols brutally suppressed with an army of 40,000 warriors. Later Mongol
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire , initially named as Greater Mongol State was a great empire during the 13th and 14th centuries...
and Tatar rulers did not intervene in local internal affairs as long as the annual tribute was paid to Sarai
Sarai (city)
Sarai was the name of two cities, which were successively capital cities of the Golden Horde, the Mongol kingdom which ruled Russia and much of central Asia in the 13th and 14th centuries...
. The Tokhtamysh–Timur war (1361–1395) devastated 80% of the Suar people. When the power of the Golden Horde began to diminish, the local Mişär Tatar Murzas from Piana
Piana
Piana is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Corse-du-Sud department* Calanques de Piana, UNESCO World Heritage Site* Torra di Turghju-References:*...
and Temnikov
Temnikov
Temnikov is a town and the administrative center of Temnikovsky District of the Republic of Mordovia, Russia. Population:...
tried to rule the Chuvash area.
Russian Empire
During Ivan the Terrible's war of conquest against the Khanate of KazanKhanate of Kazan
The Khanate of Kazan was a medieval Tatar state which occupied the territory of former Volga Bulgaria between 1438 and 1552. Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan. The khanate covered contemporary Tatarstan, Mari El,...
, in August 1552, the Chuvash Orsai and Mari Akpar Tokari princes swore their loyalty to the Grand Duchy of Muscovy at Alatyr on the Suvarley River. This ended nearly 120 years under the rule of the Khanate of Kazan. In return, Ivan promised to honor all historic land rights of the Chuvash and Maris on both sides of the Volga River from the Kerzhenets
Kerzhenets River
Kerzhenets River is a river in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in Russia. It is a left tributary of the Volga, joining the Volga near Lyskovo, about 70 km east of Nizhny Novgorod.-History:...
to the Sviyaga River
Sviyaga River
The Sviyaga is a river in the Ulyanovsk Oblast and Tatarstan, a right tributary of the Volga River. It has a length of 375 km. The area of the basin is 16,700 km². The Sviyaga River flows into the Sviyaga Cove of the Kuybyshev Reservoir, west of Kazan. It freezes up in November-December and stays...
. In addition, Ivan ordered a five year period freedom from tribute for the Chuvash and Mari leaders. The Chuvash provided 15,000 soldiers and the Mari 10,000 to Ivan's army for the final attack against Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
, giving the Muscovites a force of 100,000 against the Khanate's 30,000 Nogai Tatars defending the fortified city.
Disappointed by Russian rule, a portion of the Chuvash population rebelled and joined with the Mari during the Kazan War
Kazan War
The First Cheremis War or Kazan War 1552-1556 was a rebel war against the Muscovite Russia for the restoration of the Kazan Khanate.The rebel armies mostly consisted of Tatars, Chuvashes, Cheremises, Mordvins and Udmurts. Some Nogays were also involved to the war. Independent rebel governments...
of 1552–1594. During the Time of Troubles
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles was a period of Russian history comprising the years of interregnum between the death of the last Russian Tsar of the Rurik Dynasty, Feodor Ivanovich, in 1598, and the establishment of the Romanov Dynasty in 1613. In 1601-1603, Russia suffered a famine that killed one-third...
, they joined the troops of the False Dmitri.
Within the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, the territory of modern Chuvashia was divided into two administrative districts: the northern part under the Kazan Governorate
Kazan Governorate
The Kazan Governorate or Government of Kazan was a governorate of Imperial Russia from 1708–1920, with the city of Kazan as its capital.-History:...
and the southern part under the Simbirsk Governorate. The border ran roughly from Kurmish to Buinsk
Buinsk
Buinsk is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.Urban localities*Buinsk, Republic of Tatarstan, a town of republic significance in the Republic of Tatarstan...
.
The Chuvash and Mari joined the Stenka Razin
Stenka Razin
Stepan Timofeyevich Razin Тимофеевич Разин, ; 1630 – ) was a Cossack leader who led a major uprising against the nobility and Tsar's bureaucracy in South Russia.-Early life:...
and Pugachev
Pugachev's Rebellion
Pugachev's Rebellion of 1774-75 was the principal revolt in a series of popular rebellions that took place in Russia after Catherine II seized power in 1762...
rebellions in 1667–1671 and 1773–1775 respectively, when the Volga area from Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
to Nizhni Novgorod was in open revolt. During these years, many Chuvash escaped east to the southern Urals.
Between 1650 and 1850, the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
sent Chuvash
Chuvash language
Chuvash is a Turkic language spoken in central Russia, primarily in the Chuvash Republic and adjacent areas. It is the only surviving member of the Oghur branch of Turkic languages....
-speaking missionaries to try to convert the Chuvash to the Orthodox faith. A group of these missionaries created a written Chuvash language. The first Chuvash grammar was published in 1769. Chuvash had earlier been written with a Runic script or the Arabic alphabet. A revised Cyrillic alphabet for Chuvash was first introduced in 1873 by Ivan Yakovlevich Yakovlev. The Latin alphabet has been used as well, though there is no standard transcription. Most of the Chuvash who stayed in the area became Orthodox Christians, but some remained pagan.
A number of Russian noble families received large estates in the Chuvash lands as reward for their services to the Tsar. The formerly independent landowning Chuvash peasants became serfs
Serfdom
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to Manorialism. It was a condition of bondage or modified slavery which developed primarily during the High Middle Ages in Europe and lasted to the mid-19th century...
to rich Russian landowners. Russian became the official language. Few attempts were made to provide primary education in the Chuvash language, and all higher education was in Russian.
After Alexander II
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
abolished serfdom, many land-hungry Chuvash peasants moved to other areas in Russia to seek their own land. Between 1860 and 1914, nearly half of the Chuvash population left their home areas. The final wave of migration occurred during the Stolypin agrarian reforms
Stolypin reform
The Stolypin agrarian reforms were a series of changes to Imperial Russia's agricultural sector instituted during the tenure of Pyotr Stolypin, Chairman of the Council of Ministers...
.
Soviet Union
During the 19th and early 20th century, national feelings started to grow among the Chuvash intelligentsiaIntelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
. They connected with other minority pro-independence movements in the middle Volga area. Marxist ideology gained popularity among the poorest peasants and industrial workers. On May 15, 1917, the Chuvash joined the Idel-Ural
Idel-Ural
Idel-Ural is a historical region in Eastern Europe, in what is today Russia. The name literally means Volga-Urals in the Tatar language. The frequently used Russian variant is Volgo-Uralye...
Movement and in December 1917 joined the short-lived Idel-Ural State
Idel-Ural State
The Idel-Ural State was a short-lived Tatar republic with its centre in Kazan that united Tatars, Bashkirs and the Chuvash in the turmoil of the Russian Civil War. Often viewed as an attempt to recreate the Khanate of Kazan, the republic was proclaimed on December 12, 1917, by a Congress of Muslims...
, when an agreement was reached with Tatar
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
representatives to draw the eastern border of Chuvashia at the Sviyaga River
Sviyaga River
The Sviyaga is a river in the Ulyanovsk Oblast and Tatarstan, a right tributary of the Volga River. It has a length of 375 km. The area of the basin is 16,700 km². The Sviyaga River flows into the Sviyaga Cove of the Kuybyshev Reservoir, west of Kazan. It freezes up in November-December and stays...
.
The Chuvash promised to respect the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic Tatars' religion and grant them local and cultural autonomy inside the League of Idel Ural States. The southern border with the Mordvins
Mordovia
The Republic of Mordovia , also known as Mordvinia, is a federal subject of Russia . Its capital is the city of Saransk. Population: -Geography:The republic is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain of Russia...
was set along the Sura River
Sura River
Sura is a river in Russia, a right tributary of the Volga River. It flows through Penza Oblast, Mordovia, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Chuvashia and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Its length is 841 km, it is navigable for 394 km from the mouth....
, with equal rights guaranteed to the Chuvash living west of the Sura. In the south, the border went along the Barysh
Barysh
Barysh is a town and the administrative center of Baryshsky District of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Barysh River southwest of Ulyanovsk. Population:...
, Bolshoi Akla and Tsilna Rivers between the Sura and Sviyaga. In the north, there was a dispute with representatives of the Mari-populated Tsykma
Kozmodemyansk
Kozmodemyansk is a town in the Mari El Republic, Russia, located at the confluence of the Vetluga and the Volga Rivers. It serves as the administrative center of Gornomariysky District, although it is not administratively a part of it...
(Kozmodemyansk) and other areas in Chuvashia.
In 1918–1919, the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
encompassed the area. This ended with victory for the Bolsheviks, who were mainly ethnic Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, with strong support from Nizhny Novgorod troops. The local Chuvash independence-minded politicians were executed by the Bolsheviks.
To gain support from the local population, Lenin ordered the creation of a Chuvash state within the Russian SFSR. On June 24, 1920, the Chuvash Autonomous Oblast was formed, which was transformed into the Chuvash ASSR in April 1925.
The 1930–1931 Communist campaign against the rich kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
peasant class, which resulted in their deportation to Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
prison camps and the elimination of independent peasant farms, hit the Chuvash ASSR's agricultural production hard. The Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
in 1936–1938 dealt a great blow to the Chuvash intelligentsia; many were shot or deported to prison camps. Most of the local Chuvash teachers were shot
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
, making it difficult to teach Chuvash, as the Russian replacements did not know the language. Ethnic Russians kept control of the area, and the Russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
of the Chuvash and Mari peoples intensified.
From 1930 to 1940, a shift from mainly agriculture to industry was initiated. By 1940, the Chuvash ASSR produced 35,000,000 kWh of electricity, 848,000 m2 raw timber, 369,000 m2 sawn timber, 40,000 m cotton cloth, 200,000 pairs of hosiery, 184,000 pairs of leather footwear, and 600 tons of animal fats.
According to an order dated May 28, 1940 by the Central Committee of Communist Party, 20,000 Kolkhoz
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
peasant families of Belorussian, Chuvash, Mordvin and Tatar origin were transferred to the "New districts of the Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast
Leningrad Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It was established on August 1, 1927, although it was not until 1946 that the oblast's borders had been mostly settled in their present position...
and the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic", recently conquered in the Soviet-Finnish war. In 1941, another 20,000 families followed, each family averaging five persons. Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian Soviet politician and state security administrator, chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus under Joseph Stalin during World War II, and Deputy Premier in the postwar years ....
even suggested to transfer the entire Chuvash population from Chuvashia to Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
to form a population security belt "against the Finnish Fascists".
During the Great Patriotic War and the postwar industrialization period, more and more Russians moved to the expanding towns of Chuvashia. The rural population remained mostly agriculturally oriented Chuvashians and Kuruk Maris. In the south of the republic, Russians and other minorities, such as Ukrainians, moved in to work in the newly created Chuvash Forest Industry Combinate.
In 1964, the Chuvash ASSR produced 350,000,000 kWh electricity, 1,073,000 m2 raw timber, 760,000 m2 sawn timber, 113,100,000 m cotton cloth, 28,800,000 pairs of hosiery, 1,800,000 pairs of leather footwear, and 3,200 tons of animal fats.
On January 1, 1966, the population of the Chuvash ASSR was 1,178,000.
In 1990, the republic was renamed the Chuvash Soviet Socialist Republic.
Post-Soviet period
In 1992, it was given its present name.The Chuvash Republic is an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation. As a republic, the region has greater sovereignty than other areas of Russia in determining local policies and procedures. Nikolay Vasilyevich Fyodorov, a former minister of justice of the Russian Federation, was elected the first President of the Chuvash Republic in 1994. He has a reputation as a pro-market reformer and has pressed the region to establish closer economic ties with other countries. He has also encouraged the growth of small businesses. The mayor of Cheboksary, Anatoly Igumnov, is also eager to work with international companies. Both republic and city governments have departments of foreign economic relations to work with foreign businesspeople.
As of 2011, the President of the Republic is Mikhail Ignatyev
Mikhail Vasilyevich Ignatyev
Mikhail Vasilyevich Ignatyev is a Chuvash politician who is currently serving as the President of the Chuvash Republic.-External links:**...
.
Economy
The republic is Russia's center for hops growing
Hop (plant)
Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...
and is famous throughout the country for its long history of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
. It is also a major center for electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, especially in the area of power transmission
Power transmission
Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to performing useful work.Power is defined formally as units of energy per unit time...
and control system
Control system
A control system is a device, or set of devices to manage, command, direct or regulate the behavior of other devices or system.There are two common classes of control systems, with many variations and combinations: logic or sequential controls, and feedback or linear controls...
s. Other leading industries are metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
, electricity generation
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
, and chemical manufacturing. There are also large timber-working mills at Shumerlin.
Transportation
The transport networkTransport network
A transport network, or transportation network in American English, is typically a network of roads, streets, pipes, aqueducts, power lines, or nearly any structure which permits either vehicular movement or flow of some commodity....
in the republic is one of the most developed in Russia. The republic's system of roads, railroads, waterways, and airports closely ties the region with others in and outside of Russia.
Roads
Only four roads in the Chuvash Republic are classified as important federal highways. The most important is Highway M-7, which runs from Nizhny Novgorod through the northern parts of the republic from Yadrinsky Nikolskoye via Malye Tyumerli, Kalmykovo, Khyrkasy, Novye Lapsary, Kugesi, Shivlinsk, Staraya Tyurlema, to KazanKazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
in the Republic of Tatarstan. It also forms a connection via Chuvashia through the southern suburbs of Cheboksary and Novocheboksary to the Mari El Republic and the Vyatka Highway
Vyatka Highway
Russian route A119 or Vyatka Highway is a Russian federal motorway Cheboksary—Syktyvkar, of length 872 km. The name comes from the Vyatka River and the historical name of the city of Kirov....
. Part of this road is classified as a motorway, the only one in the republic. From Yadrinsky Nikolskoye, the federal road P-178 runs through Yadrin
Yadrin
Yadrin is a town and the administrative center of Yadrinsky District of the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sura River, southwest of Cheboksary. Population:...
, Shumerlya
Shumerlya
Shumerlya is a town in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located on the right bank of the Sura River on the Nizhny Novgorod–Ulyanovsk highway. Population: 35,000 ....
, Alatyr, to Surskoye in Ulyanovsk Oblast
Ulyanovsk Oblast
Ulyanovsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Ulyanovsk...
and further to Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk
Ulyanovsk The city is the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin , for whom it is named.-History:Simbirsk was founded in 1648 by the boyar Bogdan Khitrovo. The fort of "Simbirsk" was strategically placed on a hill on the Western bank of the Volga River...
. In the eastern part of Chuvashia, the federal road A-151 runs from Tsivilsk
Tsivilsk
Tsivilsk is a town and the administrative center of Tsivilsky District of the Chuvash Republic of Russia, located from the republic's capital city of Cheboksary, at the crossroad of the highways from Nizhny Novgorod to Kazan and from Tsivilsk to Ulyanovsk. Population:...
through Kanash
Kanash
Kanash is a town in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located from the republic's capital city of Cheboksary at a major railway junction. It serves as the administrative center of Kanashsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population: Area: .Kanash was founded in 1891...
, Komsomolskoye, Chkalovskoye, Karabay-Shemursha, Shemursha
Shemursha
Shemursha is the name of two rural localities in Russia:*Shemursha, Chuvash Republic, a selo in the Chuvash Republic*Shemursha, Ulyanovsk Oblast, a selo in Ulyanovsk Oblast...
to Ulyanovsk and Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
. All other roads in Chuvashia are classified as local area roads.
Automobiles, trucks, and buses are the major forms of transportation, with the republic ranking fourth in highway density in all of Russia. Cheboksary is situated on one of the main highways of the Russian Federation leading from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to the industrial areas of Tatarstan, the southern Urals
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
, and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. A recently completed bridge across the Volga River in the north connects the republic to the developed Ural
Urals Federal District
Ural Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. The district was established on 13 May 2000 by a decree of the President of Russia. The district is mostly located in the geographical region of Ural, but also includes some parts of the Volga Region; its extent is different...
and Volga Federal District
Volga Federal District
Volga Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. It forms the southeastern part of European Russia. Its population was 29,900,400 according to the 2010 Census, living on an area of...
s. To the south, highways connect Chuvashia with Saratov and Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
. Extensive public and private bus systems connect all towns within the republic with each other and with the surrounding regions.
The standard speed of transportation of containers
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
by road is 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) per day. The average time of delivery from Cheboksary to Moscow is 1.5 days; to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, 2.5 days; and to Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, 10 to 15 days.
Railways
The railway network is highly developed, convenient, and accessible year-round. One of the largest railway junctions of Russia - KanashKanash
Kanash is a town in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located from the republic's capital city of Cheboksary at a major railway junction. It serves as the administrative center of Kanashsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population: Area: .Kanash was founded in 1891...
— is in the center of the republic. Via Kanash, the rail system connects the major towns in Chuvashia with the big industrial centers of eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, the Urals
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
, and Moscow. Express trains are reliable and provide a low-cost, comfortable way to travel. Express trains to and from Moscow are available every day, with the overnight journey taking approximately fourteen hours each way.
The following lines serve railway traffic in the Chuvash Republic:
- ArzamasArzamasArzamas is a city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Tyosha River , east of Moscow. Population: -History:Arzamas was founded in 1578 by Ivan the Terrible in the lands populated at the time by the Mordvin people...
-Kanash line - Krasny Usel - Kanash -SviyazhskSviyazhskSviyazhsk or Zöyä is a rural locality in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located at the confluence of the Volga and Sviyaga Rivers...
line - Kanash - Cheboksary II - Cheboksary I - Cheboksary II - NovocheboksarskNovocheboksarskNovocheboksarsk is a city in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located about east of the republic's capital city of Cheboksary, on the southern bank of the Volga River. Population: -History:...
line
In addition to these lines, there are 26 kilometres (16.2 mi) of 1520 mm gauge industrial lines running from Altyshevo station, on Alatyr-Kanash section, to Pervomaysky, located just west of Starye Aybesi in Alatyrsky District
Alatyrsky District
Alatyrsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the twenty-one in the Chuvash Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the town of Alatyr . District's population: 21,630 ;...
.
All railway lines in Chuvashia are operated by the MPS Gorky Railway Division. Steam locomotives were mostly replaced in 1970 by diesel locomotives and when the main Arzamas
Arzamas
Arzamas is a city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Tyosha River , east of Moscow. Population: -History:Arzamas was founded in 1578 by Ivan the Terrible in the lands populated at the time by the Mordvin people...
-Kanash-Sviyazhsk
Sviyazhsk
Sviyazhsk or Zöyä is a rural locality in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located at the confluence of the Volga and Sviyaga Rivers...
line was electrified, the diesel locomotives were replaced by electric ones.
The Arzamas-Kanash-Sviyazhsk line is a double track main line, while the others are single track lines. The 84 km (52 mi) Sviyazhsk-Kanash section was electrified in 1986, the 142 km (88 mi) Kanash-Sergach section in 1987.
In 1967, there were four daily passenger trains in both directions on the Alatyr-Kanash line. One of them was the semifast Sochi-Sverdlovsk-Sochi long distance transit train, halting only at Alatyr, Buinsk
Buinsk
Buinsk is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia.Urban localities*Buinsk, Republic of Tatarstan, a town of republic significance in the Republic of Tatarstan...
, and Kanash
Kanash
Kanash is a town in the Chuvash Republic, Russia, located from the republic's capital city of Cheboksary at a major railway junction. It serves as the administrative center of Kanashsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population: Area: .Kanash was founded in 1891...
. Cheboksary was connected by daily semifast passenger train to Moscow. The travel time was 17.30 hours for the 758 km (471 mi) journey. 21 express and passenger trains used the Arzamas-Kanash-Sviyazhsk main line in the summer high season in both directions. Of these, four did not halt in Chuvashia. Most of the remaining semifast trains stopped at Shumerlya, Piner, Burnary, and Kanash. Four pairs of semifast trains also stopped at Tyurmari. In the 1999-2000 timetable, 11 pairs of Moscow-Kanash-Kazan express trains stopped at Kanash. The Chuvashia 53/54 express trains between Moscow and Kanash took 11.23 hours, back 10.57 hours.
In addition to Russian 1524 mm gauge railways, there were six 750 mm narrow gauge railway lines: two short peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
briquette industry lines at Severny and Sosnovka on the north side of the Volga, and four forest railways at Shumerlya, Atrat and Kirya. All opened in the 1930s. In 1965, their total length was 145 kilometres (90.1 mi):
- Shumerlya-Kabanovo-Rechnoy-Burak-Krasnobar forest railway - total length 72 kilometres (44.7 mi)
- Shumerlya-Kumashka-Salantshik-Yakhaykino forest railway - 46 kilometres (28.6 mi)
- Kirya-Lesopunkt Lyulya forest railway - 13 kilometres (8.1 mi)
- Atrat-Dolnaya Polyana-Lesozavod Gart forest railway - 14 kilometres (8.7 mi)
All lines were closed in the economic uncertainty after the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Rivers
The VolgaVolga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
and Sura River
Sura River
Sura is a river in Russia, a right tributary of the Volga River. It flows through Penza Oblast, Mordovia, Ulyanovsk Oblast, Chuvashia and Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Its length is 841 km, it is navigable for 394 km from the mouth....
s connect Chuvashia to a national and international water network. To the south, Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
, Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
, Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
, the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, and Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
are directly reachable. To the west, the Volga River connects Cheboksary with Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
, Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
, Moscow and the northern regions of Russia. By using river-sea vessels, cargo transportation is possible from Chuvash river ports all the way to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:...
(on the Black Sea), Astrakhan
Astrakhan
Astrakhan is a major city in southern European Russia and the administrative center of Astrakhan Oblast. The city lies on the left bank of the Volga River, close to where it discharges into the Caspian Sea at an altitude of below the sea level. Population:...
, and ports situated on the Danube River. However, the river is frozen from December through April.
Boat tours to the major cities along the Volga are of tourist interest, and Cheboksary is a frequent stop on the many boat tours that travel up and down the Volga.
Air
The international Cheboksary Airport receives both cargo and passenger aircraft of practically all types and sizes. There are regularly scheduled flights to Moscow and other destinations. Cheboksary is also about a four-hour drive from Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
, a city with international air connections through Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
.
Culture
While Russian is the predominant business language, the Chuvash languageChuvash language
Chuvash is a Turkic language spoken in central Russia, primarily in the Chuvash Republic and adjacent areas. It is the only surviving member of the Oghur branch of Turkic languages....
is still spoken by many, especially in the country. The Chuvash language belongs to the Bulgar
Bolgar language
Bulgar , also Oghur, is a historical group of Turkic languages, the only extant member of which is the Chuvash language.Suggested extinct members of the group are Volga-Bulgarian and Khazar ....
subgroup of the Turkic language group
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
. In ancient times a runic
Orkhon script
The Old Turkic script is the alphabet used by the Göktürk and other early Turkic Khanates from at least the 7th century to record the Old Turkic language. It was later used by the Uyghur Empire...
system of writing was used. Chuvashi now uses a modified Cyrillic script that was adopted in 1871.
There has been a resurgence of native Chuvash pride, with many people looking back to their Chuvash roots and exploring the culture and heritage and relearning the language. Most building signs, road signs, and announcements are in both Russian and Chuvash.
Cultural organizations include the Chuvash State Puppet Theater
Chuvash State Puppet Theater
The Chuvash State Puppet Theater is a puppet theater, located in Cheboksary, Chuvash Republic, Russia. The group combines traditional European and national styles....
and the Chuvash National Museum
Chuvash National Museum
The Chuvash National Museum in Cheboksary, Russia is a cultural, educational and research center of the Chuvash Republic. It is the largest repository of natural, historical, cultural, and theological artefacts of the Chuvash people and other ethnic groups....
.
Surhuri
Surhuri
Surhuri is the true Chuvash national heathenish holiday.Surhuri celebrated in the middle of winter. The word Surhuri means "a sheep leg"....
is the true Chuvash
Chuvash
Chuvash may refer to:*Chuvash people*Chuvash language*Chuvashia, a republic in Russia*Çuvaş, Azerbaijan...
national heathenish holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
.
Education
There are five higher educational institutions, including the Chuvash State UniversityChuvash State University
The I. N. Ulianov Chuvash State University is the main university of Chuvashia in the Russian Federation. It is located in Cheboksary, the capital of the Chuvash Republic, on the Volga River northeast of Moscow....
, the Chuvash State Pedagogical Institute, and the Chuvash State Agricultural Academy located in Cheboksary. These, together with 28 colleges and technical schools, are currently attended by approximately 45,000 students.