Mari El

The Mari El Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Мари́й Эл, Respublika Mariy El; Meadow Mari: Марий Эл Республик; Hill Mari: Мары Эл Республик) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). It is geographically located in the European Russia region of the country, along the northern bank of the Volga River, and is administratively part of the Volga Federal District. The Mari El Republic has a population of 696,459 (2010 Census).[9]

For other uses, see Mari and Mariel.
Mari El Republic
Republic
Республика Марий Эл
Other transcription(s)
 • Meadow MariМарий Эл Республик
 • Hill MariМары Эл Республик
Coat of arms
Anthem: "National Anthem of the Mari El Republic"[1]
Coordinates: 56°42′N 47°52′E
CountryRussia
Federal districtVolga[2]
Economic regionVolga-Vyatka[3]
EstablishedDecember 5, 1936[4]
CapitalYoshkar-Ola
Government
 • BodyState Assembly[5]
 • Head[5]Alexander Yevstifeyev[6][7]
Area
 • Total23,200 km2 (9,000 sq mi)
Area rank72nd
Population
 (2010 Census)[9]
 • Total696,459
 • Estimate 
(2018)[10]
682,333 (−2%)
 • Rank65th
 • Density30/km2 (78/sq mi)
 • Urban
63.1%
 • Rural
36.9%
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK [11])
ISO 3166 codeRU-ME
License plates12
OKTMO ID88000000
Official languagesRussian;[12] Mari (Meadow and Hill variants)[13]
Websitehttp://gov.mari.ru

Yoshkar-Ola is the capital and the largest city of the Republic.

Mari El is one of Russia's ethnic republics, primarily representing the indigenous Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group who have traditionally lived along the Volga River and Kama River. The majority of the Republic's population are ethnic Russians (47.4%) and Mari (43.9%), with minority populations of Tatars and Chuvash. The official languages of Mari El are Russian and the Mari language. Mari El is bordered by Nizhny Novgorod Oblast to the west, Kirov Oblast to the north, Tatarstan Republic to the east, and Chuvashia Republic to the south.

Geography
Bolshaya Kokshaga River

The Republic is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain of Russia, along and mostly to the north of the Volga River. The swampy Mari Depression is in the west of the Republic, contrasted by more hilly landscapes in the east where the highest point of the Republic (at 278 meters (912 ft)[14]) is located. The Republic borders with Kirov Oblast in the north and east, the Republic of Tatarstan in the southeast and south, the Chuvash Republic in the south, and with Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in the west and north.

There are 476 rivers in the Republic, with the Volga and its tributaries being the major water arteries. Most rivers are considered to be minor—10–50 meters (33–164 ft) wide and 0.5–1.4 meters (1 ft 8 in–4 ft 7 in) deep—and usually freeze between mid-November and mid-April. There are over 700 lakes and ponds; many located in the swampy areas and having areas of less than 1 square kilometer (0.39 sq mi) and depths between 1 and 3 meters (3 ft 3 in and 9 ft 10 in). Lake Yalchik, occupying 150 hectares (370 acres), is the largest by area, while Lake Tabashinskoye is the deepest. Swamps cover large areas—10–70 square kilometers (3.9–27.0 sq mi) and up to 100 square kilometers (39 sq mi)—and usually freeze in December. While swamps tend to be shallow, with an average depth of 0.5–1.5 meters (1 ft 8 in–4 ft 11 in), they are impassable in fall and spring due to flooding.

Climate is moderately continental, with moderately cold and snowy winters and warm and often rainy summers. The average temperatures range from 18–20 °C (64–68 °F) in summer to −18 – −20 °C (0 – −4 °F) in winter. November is the windiest month of the year. Annual precipitation varies from 450 to 500 millimeters (18 to 20 in).

There are virtually no natural resources of industrial significance in the Republic. Other resources include peat, mineral waters, and limestone. About 50% of the Republic's territory is forested, although the level of forestation varies significantly from one district to another.

History
Map of the Mari El Republic.

Ancient Mari tribes were known since the 5th century, though archaeologists suspect that the Mari culture is much older in its roots. Later their area was a tributary of Volga Bulgaria and the Golden Horde. In the 1440s it was incorporated into the Khanate of Kazan and was occupied by the Tsardom of Russia (governed by Ivan the Terrible) after the fall of Kazan in 1552.

After the Russian Revolution, under the Bolshevik regime, the Mari Autonomous Oblast was established on November 4, 1920. It was re-organized into the Mari ASSR on December 5, 1936, at the same time as the enactment of the 1936 Soviet Constitution (a.k.a. the "Stalin Constitution"). In its present form, the Mari El Republic was formed on December 22, 1990. On 21 May 1998, Mari El alongside Amur, Ivanovo, Kostroma, and Voronezh Oblast signed a power-sharing agreement with the federal government, granting it autonomy.[15] This agreement was abolished on 31 December 2001.[16]

Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of the Mari El Republic

Politics
Building of the Government of Mari El.

The head of government in the Mari El Republic is the Head (formerly President). As of 2017, the Head is Alexander Yevstifeyev, who was appointed in April 2017.[17]

The government of Mari El has been pursuing Russification in recent years, with the former head of the republic, Leonid Markelov, ordering many Mari language newspapers to close. Many ethnic Mari activists live in fear of violence. The Mari activist and chief editor Vladimir Kozlov was badly beaten after he criticized Markelov's government. Other Mari leaders have been subject to violence, legal persecution, and intimidation.[18]

The Mari people's native religion has encountered hostility as well. Vitaly Tanakov was charged with inciting religious, national, social and linguistic hatred after publishing the book The Priest Speaks.[19]

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Moscow Helsinki Group (MHG),in an exhaustive 2006 report Russian Federation: The Human Rights Situation of the Mari Minority of the Republic of Mari El, found widespread evidence of political and cultural persecution of Mari people, and of "a broader trend of repression of dissidents in the republic".[20]

Demographics

Population: 696,459 (2010 Census);[9] 727,979 (2002 Census);[21] 749,386 (1989 Census).[22]

Vital statistics
Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service
Average population (x 1000) Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Fertility rates
1970 686 10,505 6,364 4,141 15.3 9.3 6.0
1975 695 11,816 7,190 4,626 17.0 10.3 6.7
1980 710 13,169 8,091 5,078 18.5 11.4 7.2
1985 728 14,198 8,529 5,669 19.5 11.7 7.8
1990 755 11,953 7,775 4,178 15.8 10.3 5.5 2,16
1991 756 10,578 7,786 2,792 14.0 10.3 3.7 1,97
1992 758 9,227 8,330 897 12.2 11.0 1.2 1,76
1993 758 8,019 9,622 - 1,603 10.6 12.7 - 2.1 1,56
1994 758 7,851 10,788 - 2,937 10.4 14.2 - 3.9 1,53
1995 757 7,337 9,999 - 2,662 9.7 13.2 - 3.5 1,43
1996 755 6,952 9,495 - 2,543 9.2 12.6 - 3.4 1,35
1997 752 6,782 9,625 - 2,843 9.0 12.8 - 3.8 1,32
1998 749 6,657 9,623 - 2,966 8.9 12.8 - 4.0 1,29
1999 746 6,597 10,674 - 4,077 8.8 14.3 - 5.5 1,28
2000 741 6,784 11,040 - 4,256 9.1 14.9 - 5.7 1,30
2001 736 6,832 11,434 - 4,602 9.3 15.5 - 6.3 1,30
2002 729 7,300 12,105 - 4,805 10.0 16.6 - 6.6 1,38
2003 723 7,515 11,861 - 4,346 10.4 16.4 - 6.0 1,40
2004 718 7,715 12,098 - 4,383 10.7 16.9 - 6.1 1,40
2005 713 7,475 12,256 - 4,781 10.5 17.2 - 6.7 1,34
2006 708 7,550 11,286 - 3,736 10.7 15.9 - 5.3 1,32
2007 704 8,306 10,745 - 2,439 11.8 15.3 - 3.5 1,45
2008 701 8,620 10,699 - 2,079 12.3 15.3 - 3.0 1,50
2009 699 8,896 10,435 - 1,539 12.7 14.9 - 2.2 1,60
2010 696 8,857 10,572 - 1,715 12.7 15.2 - 2.5 1,59
2011 694 9,066 9,816 - 750 13.0 14.1 - 1.1 1,66
2012 691 9,834 9,449 385 14.2 13.7 0.5 1,83
2013 689 10,088 9,444 644 14.6 13.7 0.9 1,93
2014 688 10,081 9,411 670 14.7 13.7 1.0 1,98
2015 687 9,951 9,448 503 14.5 13.7 0.8 1,99
2016 685 9,567 9,025 542 13.9 13.2 0.7 1,98
2017 683 8,147 8,493 -346 11.9 12.4 -0.5 1,75

Note: Total fertility rate source.[23]

Ethnic groups
Main article: Mari people

Though the Mari people have lived in the area for millennia, they did not have a designated territory before the Russian Revolution of 1917. According to the 2002 Census, only 51.7% of the Mari within Russia live in the Mari El Republic, while 17.5% live in the Republic of Bashkortostan. During the last Soviet Census (1989), 4% of the Mari of the Soviet Union lived outside of Russia.

Since World War II, more ethnic Russians and Tatars have moved into the area. According to the 2010 Census,[9] Russians make up 47.4% of the republic's population, while the ethnic Mari make up 43.9%. Other groups include Tatars (5.8%), Chuvash (0.9%), Ukrainians (0.6%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.

Ethnic
group		 1926 Census 1939 Census 1959 Census 1970 Census 1979 Census 1989 Census 2002 Census 2010 Census1
Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % Number %
Mari 247,979 51.4% 273,332 47.2% 279,450 43.1% 299,179 43.7% 306,627 43.5% 324,349 43.3% 312,178 42.9% 290,863 43.9%
Russians 210,016 43.6% 266,951 46.1% 309,514 47.8% 320,825 46.9% 334,561 47.5% 355,973 47.5% 345,513 47.5% 313,947 47.4%
Tatars 20,219 4.2% 27,149 4.7% 38,821 6.0% 40,279 5.9% 40,917 5.8% 43,850 5.9% 43,377 6.0% 38,357 5.8%
Chuvash 2,184 0.5% 5,504 0.9% 9,065 1.4% 9,032 1.3% 8,087 1.1% 8,993 1.2% 7,418 1.0% 6,025 0.9%
Others 1,703 0.4% 6,674 1.2% 10,830 1.7% 15,433 2.3% 14,015 2.0% 16,167 2.2% 19,943 2.7% 13,138 2.0%
1 34,129 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.[24]

Religion
Religion in Mari El as of 2012 (Sreda Arena Atlas)[25][26]
Russian Orthodoxy
 
 47.8%
Other Orthodox
 
 1.2%
Old Believers
 
 1%
Other Christians
 
 4.8%
Islam
 
 6%
Rodnovery, Mari Native Religion and other native faiths
 
 5.6%
Spiritual but not religious
 
 24.8%
Atheism and irreligion
 
 5.8%
Other and undeclared
 
 3%
Orthodox church in Yoshkar-Ola

The religions with the most adherents in the republic are Russian Orthodoxy, the Mari native religion, the Old Believers, and Islam. The traditional Mari religion (Chimari yula) is still practised today by many Mari people and is the main religion of the Mari of Bashkortostan, also practised is a syncretism with Christianity. The Czars took drastic measures to force Christianity on the Mari, going so far as blowing up a holy mountain, and the persecution of the religion went on under the Soviet Union.

During the 1990s the religion was officially recognized by the State and began to revive. The Mari gather at around 520 holy groves where they offer animal and vegetable sacrifices, there are about 20 festivals yearly. Although traditional religion is one of Mari El's three officially recognized religions (along with Orthodoxy and Islam) Mari religious practises have come under increasing pressure, according to human rights groups.[27]

According to a 2012 survey,[25] 47.8% of the population of Mari El adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 6-15% adheres to the Mari native religion, 6% adheres to Islam, 4% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 1% are Old Believers and 1% are Orthodox Christian believers without church affiliation or members of other Orthodox churches. In addition, 25% of the population is "spiritual but not religious", 6% is atheist and 4.2% follows other religions or did not answer the question.[25]

Economy

The most developed industries are machine construction, metalworking, timber, woodworking, and food industries. Most of the industrial enterprises are located in the capital Yoshkar-Ola, as well as in the towns of Kozmodemyansk, Volzhsk, and Zvenigovo.

The largest companies in the region include Mariysky Oil Refinery (revenues of $502.23 million in 2017), Mari Pulp and Paper Mill ($137.13 million), Shelanger Chemical Plant "Siver" ($14.52 million), Marbiopharm ($14.02 million).[28]

Transportation

Traveling cheaply and quickly to various towns and villages within the Republic is made possible through a network of fifteen train stations, fifty-three bus stations, and numerous marshrutkas. The republic is connected to different regions throughout Russia by daily trains to and from Moscow and Kazan, flights on one commercial airline from Yoshkar-Ola Airport, located near Yoshkar-Ola, and a port on the Volga River in Kozmodemyansk. There are also four other minor river ports in the republic. Regional automobile code is 12.

Communication

Telephony, Internet service, and cable television are provided by VolgaTelecom.

Culture
Mari people in Yoshkar-Ola

There are many museums located throughout the territory of the republic. The largest ones include the National Museum, the Museum of History, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Yoshkar-Ola; the Museum of Arts and History, the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, and the Merchant Life Museum in Kozmodemyansk; and the Sheremetyev Castle Museum-reserve in Yurino. There are also museums dedicated to the poet Nikolay Mukhin and the composer Ivan Klyuchnikov-Palantay in Yoshkar-Ola and the house-museum of writer Sergei Chavayn in Chavaynur.

Five theaters are located in Yoshkar-Ola with performances in both the Russian and Mari languages.

Education

The most important facilities of higher education are Mari State Technical University and Mari State University,[29] both located in Yoshkar-Ola. There are also more than 900 primary and secondary schools located throughout the republic.

For the past few years, the Mari El Republic has been participating in the national project "Education" ("Oбразование"), which is designed to improve education throughout Russia by bringing new technology into the classroom, improving material conditions in schools, and providing financial awards to extraordinary students and teachers. Although the Mari language is officially a state language, Mari educators and administrators have been forced from their positions in recent years and Mari-language education has been defunded, according to the U.S. State Department,[30] the European Union, and others.[31]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. Constitution of the Mari El Republic, Article 16
  2. Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №849 от 13 мая 2000 г. «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в федеральном округе». Вступил в силу 13 мая 2000 г. Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", No. 20, ст. 2112, 15 мая 2000 г. (President of the Russian Federation. Decree #849 of May 13, 2000 On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in a Federal District. Effective as of May 13, 2000.).
  3. Госстандарт Российской Федерации. №ОК 024-95 27 декабря 1995 г. «Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов. 2. Экономические районы», в ред. Изменения №5/2001 ОКЭР. (Gosstandart of the Russian Federation. #OK 024-95 December 27, 1995 Russian Classification of Economic Regions. 2. Economic Regions, as amended by the Amendment #5/2001 OKER. ).
  4. Official website of the Mari El Republic. Ethnic and Historical Reference, mari.ru; accessed September 14, 2017. (in Russian)
  5. Constitution, Article 6.2
  6. Terekhov, Konstantin. "ИНАУГУРАЦИЯ АЛЕКСАНДРА ЕВСТИФЕЕВА: ПРЯМАЯ ТРАНСЛЯЦИЯ ЦЕРЕМОНИИ". potokmedia.ru. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  7. Official website of the Mari El Republic. Alexander Alexandrovich Yevstifeyev (in Russian)
  8. Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (May 21, 2004). "Территория, число районов, населённых пунктов и сельских администраций по субъектам Российской Федерации (Territory, Number of Districts, Inhabited Localities, and Rural Administration by Federal Subjects of the Russian Federation)". Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002) (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
  9. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том 1" [2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol. 1]. Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service.
  10. "26. Численность постоянного населения Российской Федерации по муниципальным образованиям на 1 января 2018 года". Federal State Statistics Service. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  11. "Об исчислении времени". Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  12. Official throughout the Russian Federation according to Article 68.1 of the Constitution of Russia.
  13. Constitution of the Mari El Republic, Article 15
  14. ="SportTourism">Спортивный туризм в Татарстане. По просторам Марий Эл. Справка о местности. (in Russian)
  15. "Newsline - May 22, 1998 Yeltsin Signs More Power-Sharing Agreements with Regions". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  16. Chuman, Mizuki. "The Rise and Fall of Power-Sharing Treaties Between Center and Regions in Post-Soviet Russia" (PDF). Demokratizatsiya: 146.
  17. "Alexander Yevstifeyev appointed Acting Head of Mari El". Kremlin.ru. April 6, 2017.
  18. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Russian Federation: Mari". Unhcr.org. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  19. Russia Moves to Ban Religious Rites of Indigenous Finno-Ugric People Mari Archived October 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  20. "Russian Federation: The Human Rights Situation of the Mari Minority of the Republic of Mari El : A Study of the Titular Nationality of One of Russia's Ethnic Regions" (PDF). Mhg.ru. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  21. Russian Federal State Statistics Service (May 21, 2004). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек" [Population of Russia, Its Federal Districts, Federal Subjects, Districts, Urban Localities, Rural Localities—Administrative Centers, and Rural Localities with Population of Over 3,000] (XLS). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года [All-Russia Population Census of 2002] (in Russian).
  22. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров" [All Union Population Census of 1989: Present Population of Union and Autonomous Republics, Autonomous Oblasts and Okrugs, Krais, Oblasts, Districts, Urban Settlements, and Villages Serving as District Administrative Centers]. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года [All-Union Population Census of 1989] (in Russian). Институт демографии Национального исследовательского университета: Высшая школа экономики [Institute of Demography at the National Research University: Higher School of Economics]. 1989 – via Demoscope Weekly.
  23. "Каталог публикаций::Федеральная служба государственной статистики". Gks.ru. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  24. "ВПН-2010". Perepis-2010.ru. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  25. "Arena: Atlas of Religions and Nationalities in Russia". Sreda, 2012.
  26. 2012 Arena Atlas Religion Maps. "Ogonek", № 34 (5243), 27/08/2012. Retrieved 21/04/2017. Archived.
  27. "Russian Federation: Amnesty International launches annual report and second Memorandum to President Medvedev". Amnesty.org. May 20, 2009. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  28. Выписки ЕГРЮЛ и ЕГРИП, проверка контрагентов, ИНН и КПП организаций, реквизиты ИП и ООО. СБИС (in Russian). Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  29. "marsu.ru". marsu.ru. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  30. "Human Rights Reports". State.gov. January 20, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  31. Fuller, Liz. "Russia: Marii El Begins To Look Like Belarus On The Volga". Rferl.org. Retrieved July 28, 2014.

Sources
  • 24 июня 1995 г. «Конституция Республики Марий Эл», в ред. Закона №21-З от 31 июля 2014 г. «О поправке 59 к Конституции Республики Марий Эл». Вступил в силу 7 июля 1995 г. (за исключением отдельных положений). Опубликован: "Марийская правда", 7 июля 1995 г. (June 24, 1995 Constitution of the Mari El Republic, as amended by the Law #21-Z of July 31, 2014 On Amendment 59 to the Constitution of the Mari El Republic. Effective as of July 7, 1995 (with the exception of several clauses).).

Further reading
  • Daniel Kalder. Lost Cosmonaut: Observations of an Anti-tourist

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