Tatarstan (; ), officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a republic of the Russian Federation, located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital and largest city is Kazan, an important cultural centre in Russia. The region's main source of wealth is oil with a strong petrochemical industry.
The republic borders the oblasts of Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg, as well as the republics of Mari El, Udmurtia, Chuvashia, and Bashkortostan. The area of the republic is , occupying 0.4% of the total surface of the country. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Tatarstan was 4,004,809.
Tatarstan has strong cultural, linguistic, and ethnic ties with its eastern neighbour, Bashkortostan.
The official languages of the republic are Tatar and Russian.
Etymology
"Tatarstan" derives from the name of the ethnic group—the Tatars—and the Persian suffix -stan (meaning "state" or "country" of, an ending common to many Eurasian countries). Another version of the Russian name is "" (), which was official along with "Tatar ASSR" during Soviet rule.
Geography
The republic is located in the centre of the East European Plain, approximately east of Moscow. It lies between the Volga River and the Kama River (a tributary of the Volga), and extends east to the Ural mountains.
Oak is the dominant tree species at 87% of the total area, followed by aspen, linden, birch, and Scots pine. The total forest cover has decreased from 51.2% to 17.1% over the last 300 years.
The Volga-Kama Nature Reserve is situated in Tatarstan.
Borders
Neighbours: Kirov Oblast (N), Udmurt Republic (N/NE), Republic of Bashkortostan (E/SE), Orenburg Oblast (SE), Samara Oblast (S), Ulyanovsk Oblast (S/SW), Chuvash Republic (W), Mari El Republic (W/NW).
Highest point: Maximum N–S distance: Maximum E–W distance:
Rivers
Major rivers include: Azevka River Belaya River Ik River Kama River Volga River Vyatka River Kazanka River Zay River
Lakes
Major reservoirs of the republic include: Kuybyshev Reservoir Lower Kama Reservoir Zainsk Reservoir The biggest lake is Kaban. The biggest swamp is Kulyagash.
Hills
Bugulma-Belebey Upland
Volga Upland
Vyatskiye Uvaly
Basins
Ulema basin
Mesha basin
Natural resources
Major natural resources of Tatarstan include oil, natural gas, gypsum, and more. It is estimated that the Republic has over one billion tons of oil deposits.
Climate
Average January temperature: Average July temperature: Average annual temperature: + Average annual precipitation: up to
Administrative divisions
Tatarstan's administrative and territorial divisions form 43 municipal districts and 2 urban districts (Kazan and Naberezhnye Chelny), as well as 39 urban settlements and 872 rural settlements. The republic also recognises cities of republican significance, the list of which is established by the Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan. The districts consist of cities of district significance, urban-type settlements and rural settlements with subordinate territories that make up the primary level in the system of administrative-territorial structure of the Republic. Cities of national significance can be geographically divided into districts in the city.
History
Middle Ages
The earliest known organised state within the boundaries of Tatarstan was Volga Bulgaria (c. 700–1238). The Volga Bulgars had an advanced mercantile state with trade contacts throughout Inner Eurasia, the Middle East, and the Baltic, which maintained its independence despite pressure by such nations as the Khazars, the Kievan Rus, and the Cuman-Kipchaks. Islam was introduced by missionaries from Baghdad around the time of Ibn Fadlan's journey in 922.
Volga Bulgaria finally fell to the armies of the Mongol prince Batu Khan in the late 1230s (see Mongol invasion of Volga Bulgaria). The inhabitants, a large amount of them killed and the rest mixing with the Golden Horde's Kipchaks, became known as the "Volga Tatars". In the 1430s, the region again became independent as the base of the Khanate of Kazan, a capital having been established in Kazan, up the Volga from the ruined capital of the Bulgars.