Tuva

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Tuva Republic (English)
Республика Тыва (Russian)
Тыва Республика (Tuvan)

Location of Tuva in Russia
Coat of Arms Flag

Coat of arms of Tuva
Flag of Tuva
Anthem: Tooruktug Dolgay Tangdym
Capital Kyzyl
Established October 13, 1944
Political status
Federal district
Economic region		 Republic
Siberian
East Siberian
Code 17
Area
Area
- Rank within Russia		 170,500 km²
21st
Population (as of the 2002 Census)
Population
- Rank within Russia
- Density
- Urban
- Rural		 305,510 inhabitants
77th
1.8 inhab. / km²
51.5%
48.5%
Official languages Russian, Tuvan
Government
Chairman of the Government Sholban Kara-ool
First Vice-Chairman of the Government Sholban-ool Irgit
Legislative body Great Khural
Constitution Constitution of the Tuva Republic
Official website
http://gov.tuva.ru/

Tyva Republic (Russian: Респу́блика Тыва́, pronounced [rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə tɨˈva]; Tuvan: Тыва Республика), or Tuva (Тува́), is a federal subject of Russia (a republic).

Contents

[edit] Geography

The Republic is situated in extreme southern Siberia, with the capital city of Kyzyl being located at the geographic "center of Asia". The eastern part of the republic is forested and elevated, and the west is a drier lowland.

[edit] Biosphere reserve

[edit] Time zone

Tuva is located in the Krasnoyarsk Time Zone (KRAT/KRAST). UTC offset is +0700 (KRAT)/+0800 (KRAST).

[edit] Rivers

Map of the Tyva Republic, formerly the Tuvinian People's Republic
Map of the Tyva Republic, formerly the Tuvinian People's Republic

There are over 8,000 rivers in the republic. The area includes the upper course of the Yenisei River. Most of the republic's rivers are Yenisei tributaries. There are also numerous mineral springs in the area.

Major rivers include:

[edit] Lakes

There are numerous lakes on the republic's territory, many of which are glacial and salt lakes. Major lakes include:

[edit] Mountains

The area of the republic is a mountain basin, ca. 600 m high, encircled by the Sayan and Tannu-Ola ranges. Mountains cover over 80% of the republic's territory. Mount Mongun-Tayga (3,970 m) is the highest point in Siberia.

[edit] Natural resources

Major natural resources of Tuva include coal, iron ore, gold, and more.

[edit] Climate

  • Average January temperature: -32°C
  • Average July temperature: +18°C
  • Average annual precipitation: 150 mm (plains) to 1,000 mm (mountains)

[edit] History

For the history of the Tuvan people before 1860, see History of the Tuvan People

The historic region of Tannu Uriankhai (Chinese: 唐努乌梁海), which Tuva is part of, was controlled by the Mongols from 1207 to 1757, when it was brought under Manchu rule (Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China) until 1911.

During the 19th century, Russians began to settle in Tuva, resulting in an 1860 Chinese-Russian treaty, in which the Qing Dynasty allowed Russians to settle providing that they lived in boats or tents. In 1881 Russians were allowed to live in permanent buildings. By that time a sizeable Russian community had been established, whose affairs were managed by an official in Russia. (These officials also settled disputes and checked on Tuvan chiefs.) Russian interests in Tuva continued into the twentieth century.

During the 1911 revolution in China, tsarist Russia formed a separatist movement among the Tuvans. Tsar Nicholas II ordered Russian troops into Tuva in 1912, as Russian settlers were being attacked[citations needed]. Tuva became nominally independent as the Urjanchai Republic before being brought under Russian protectorate as Uryankhay Kray under Tsar Nicholas II on 17 April 1914. This move was apparently requested by a number of prominent Tuvans, including the High Lama, although it is possible they were actually acting under the coercion of Russian soldiers[citation needed]. A Tuvan capital was established, called Belotsarsk (Белоца́рск; literally, "Town of White Tsar"). Meanwhile, in 1911, Mongolia became independent, though under Russian protection.

Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 which ended the imperial autocracy, most of Tuva was occupied from 5 July 1918 to 15 July 1919 by Aleksandr Kolchak's "White" Russian troops. Pyotr Ivanovich Turchaninov was named governor of the territory. In the autumn of 1918 the southwestern part was occupied by Chinese troops and the southern part by Mongol troops led by Khatanbaatar Magsarjav.[citation needed]

From July 1919 to February 1920 the communist Red Army controlled Tuva, but from 19 February 1920 to June 1921 it was occupied by China (governor was Yan Shichao [traditional, Wade-Giles transliteration: Yan Shi-chao]). On August 14, 1921 the Bolsheviks (supported by Russia) established a Tuvinian People's Republic, popularly called Tannu-Tuva. In 1926, the capital (Belotsarsk; Khem-Beldyr since 1918) was renamed Kyzyl, meaning "Red"). Tuva was de jure an independent state between the World Wars.

The state's first ruler, Prime Minister Donduk, sought to strengthen ties with Mongolia and establish Buddhism as the state religion. This unsettled the Kremlin, which orchestrated a coup carried out in 1929 by five young Tuvan graduates of Moscow's Communist University of the Toilers of the East. In 1930 the pro-Soviet region discarded the state's Tibetan-Mongol script in favor of a Latin alphabet designed for Tuva by Russian linguists, and in 1943 Cyrillic script replaced the Latin. Under the leadership of Party Secretary Salchak Toka, ethnic Russians were granted full citizenship rights and Buddhist and Mongol influences on the Tuvan state and society were systematically reduced.[2]

The Soviet Union annexed Tuva outright in 1944, apparently with the approval of Tuva's Little Khural (parliament), though there was no Tuva-wide vote on the issue. The exact circumstances surrounding Tannu-Tuva's incorporation into the USSR in 1944 remain obscure. Salchak Toka, the leader of Tuvan communists, was given the title of First Secretary of the Tuvan Communist Party, and became the de-facto ruler of Tuva until his death in 1973. Tuva was made the Tuvan Autonomous Oblast and then became the Tuva ASSR on October 10, 1961. The Soviet Union kept Tuva closed to the outside world for nearly fifty years.

In February 1990, the Tuvan Democratic Movement was founded by Kaadyr-ool Bicheldei, a philologist at Kyzyl University. The party aimed to provide jobs and housing (both were in short supply), and also to improve the status of Tuvan language and culture. Later on in the year there was a wave of attacks against Tuva's sizeable Russian community, resulting in 88 deaths. Russian troops eventually were called in. Many Russians moved out of the republic during this period. To this day, Tuva remains remote and difficult to access.[3]

Tuva was a signatory to the March 31, 1992 treaty that created the Russian Federation. A new constitution for the republic was drawn up on October 22, 1993. This created a 32-member parliament (Supreme Khural) and a Grand Khural, which is responsible for foreign policy and any possible changes to the constitution, and ensures that Tuvan law is given precedence. The constitution also allowed for a referendum if Tuva ever sought independence. This constitution was passed by 62.2% of Tuvans in a referendum on December 12, 1993. At the same time the official name was changed from Tuva (Тува) to Tyva (Тыва).

The Republic of China (Taiwan) has never officially recognized the Russian claim, and maps made in Taiwan have often included Tuva (along with Outer Mongolia) as part of China. This claim, along with the Taiwanese claim to mainland China, has been largely ignored since the early 1990s.

[edit] Politics

The head of the government in Tuva is the Chairman of the Government, who is elected for a four-year term. The first Chairman of the Government was Sherig-ool Oorzhak. As of 2007, the Chairman of the Government is Kara-ool Sholban. Tuva's legislature, the Great Khural, has 162 seats; each deputy is elected to serve a four-year term.

The present flag of Tuva — yellow for prosperity, blue for courage and strength, white for purity — was adopted on September 17, 1992. See below under Religion.

The republic's Constitution was adopted on October 23, 1993.

On April 3, 2007, Russian president Vladimir Putin nominated Sholban Kara-ool, 40, a former champion wrestler, as the Chairman of the Government of Tuva.[1] Sholban's candidacy was approved by the Khural on April 9, 2007.[4]

[edit] Economy

Tuva has a developed mining industry (coal, cobalt, gold, and more). Food processing, timber, and metal working industries are also well-developed. Most of the industrial production is concentrated in the capital Kyzyl and in Ak-Dovurak.

[edit] Culture

The Tuvan people are famous for their throat singing.

Khuresh, the Tuvan form of wrestling, is a very popular sport. Competitions are held at the annual Naadym festival at Tos-Bulak.

Sainkho Namtchylak is one of the few singers from Tuva to have an international following. She is also very involved with Tuvan culture. Every year she invites western musicians to perform in Kyzyl and to learn about the country, its culture and its music. In recent years Kongar-ool Ondar has become well-known in the West as well, in large part because of the film Genghis Blues featuring Ondar and American blues singer Paul Pena.

[edit] Oral traditions

The Tuvan people have a rich tradition of orally transmitted folklore, including many genres, ranging from very brief riddles and aphorisms, to tongue twisters, magical tales, hero tales, scary stories, and epics that would take many hours to recite. A few examples and excerpts of the epic genres, such as Boktu-Kirish, Bora-Sheelei have been published. This art form is now endangered as the traditional tale-tellers grow old and are not replaced by younger practitioners.

[edit] Religion

Three religions are widespread among the people of Tuva: Tibetan Buddhism, Orthodox Christianity and shamanism. Tibetan Buddhism's present-day spiritual leader is Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama. In September 1992, the fourteenth Dalai Lama visited Tuva for three days.[5][6] On September 20, he blessed and consecrated the new yellow-blue-white flag of Tuva, which had just been officially adopted three days previously.[7]

The people are mainly adherents to Tibetan Buddhism, combined with native Shamanism.[8] During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Tibetan Buddhism gained increasing popularity in Tuva.

Religious practice declined under the restrictive policies of the Soviet period but revived somewhat in the early 1990s.[9] Tuva is also the only country in the world to have shamanism as an official religion.

[edit] Education

The most important facilities of higher education include the Tuvan State University and the Tuvan Institute of Humanitarian Research, both located in the capital Kyzyl.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Tuva

[edit] Demographics

Tuvan family in traditional clothing
Tuvan family in traditional clothing
  • Population: 305,510 (2002)
    • Urban: 157,299 (51.5%)
    • Rural: 148,211 (48.5%)
    • Male: 144,961 (47.4%)
    • Female: 160,549 (52.6%)
  • Females per 1000 males: 1,108
  • Average age: 25.5 years
    • Urban: 26.4 years
    • Rural: 24.5 years
    • Male: 25.2 years
    • Female: 27.6 years
  • Number of households: 82,882 (with 299,510 people)
    • Urban: 47,073 (with 152,542 people)
    • Rural: 35,809 (with 146,968 people)
  • Vital statistics (2005)
    • Births: 5,979 (birth rate 19.4)
    • Deaths: 4,326 (death rate 14.0)

For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 21.7 [2]

Vital Statistics for 2007: Source

Birth Rate: 23.83 per 1000

Death Rate: 11.73 per 1000

Net Immigration: -5.5 per 1000

NGR: +1.21% per Year

PGR: +0.66% per Year


[edit] Ethnic groups

According to the 2002 Census, Tuvans, a group of Turkic people, make up 77.0% of the republic's population. Other groups include Russians (20.1%), Komi (1,404, or 0.5%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.

census 1959 census 1970 census 1979 census 1989 census 2002
Tuvans 97,996 (57.0%) 135,306 (58.6%) 161,888 (60.5%) 198,448 (64.3%) 235,313 (77.0%)
Russians 68,924 (40.1%) 88,385 (38.3%) 96,793 (36.2%) 98,831 (32.0%) 61,442 (20.1%)
Khakas 1,726 (1.0%) 2,120 (0.9%) 2,193 (0.8%) 2,258 (0.7%) 1,219 (0.4%)
Others 3,282 (1.9%) 5,053 (2.2%) 6,725 (2.5%) 9,020 (2.9%) 7,526 (2.5%)

Official languages are Tuvan and Russian.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Tuva Stamp from 1927
  • In the 1920s and 1930s, postage stamps from Tuva were issued. Many philatelists, including famous physicist Richard Feynman, have been fascinated with the far-away and obscure land of Tuva because of these stamps. The stamps were issued mainly during the brief period of Tuvan independence, and had many philatelists in a furor, as they did not conform to philatelic standards. Feynman's efforts to reach Tuva are chronicled in the book Tuva or Bust!.
  • Tuva was featured prominently in the award-winning documentary Genghis Blues.
  • Tuvan stamps are mentioned in a line of Gregory Corso's poem Marriage.
  • Sergey Shoygu, Russia's Emergencies minister, is Tuvan.
  • According to Ilya Zakharov of Moscow's Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, genetic evidence suggests that the modern Tuvan people are the closest genetic relatives to the native peoples of North and South America. [10]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Top Attractions of Russia. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  2. ^ Tuva: Russia's Tibet or the Next Lithuania?
  3. ^ Tuva and Sayan Mountains. Geographic Bureau — Siberia and Pacific. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
  4. ^ Tuva on-line
  5. ^ Dalai Lama, Avant Art.
  6. ^ Fotuva.
  7. ^ The World Encyclopedia of Flags, ISBN 1840384158.
  8. ^ Kommersant.
  9. ^ World Heritage.
  10. ^ "Central Asian Origins of the Ancestor of First Americans", by I. Zakharov (Russian)

[edit] References

  • DONAHOE, Brian 2002. "Hey, you! Get offa my taiga!": Comparing the sense of property rights among the Tofa and Tozhu-Tyva. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology working papers, nº 38. Halle/Saale: Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. ISSN 1615-4568.

[edit] Sources and external links

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1 Includes the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.    2 Recognized only by Turkey; see Cyprus dispute.

Coordinates: 51°30′N 95°5′E / 51.5, 95.083

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