Republic of Mordovia (, Respublika Mordoviya;
Moksha/
Erzya: Мордовия Республикась, Mordoviya Respublikas') or
Mordvinia is a
federal subject of
Russia (a
republic). The direct
romanization of the republic's name is
Respublika Mordoviya.
Geography
The Republic is located in the eastern part of the
East European Plain of the Russian Federation. The western part of the republic is situated in the
Oka Don Plain; its eastern and central parts in the
Volga Elevation.
Time zone
Mordovia is located in the
Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD).
UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD).
Rivers
There are 114 rivers in Mordovia. Major rivers include:
Lakes
There are approximately five hundred lakes in Mordovia.
Natural resources
Natural resources include
peat,
mineral waters, and others.
Climate
Climate is moderately
continental.
- Average January temperature:
- Average July temperature:
Administrative divisions
Demographics
- Population: 888,766 (2002)
- Females per 1000 males: 1,175
- Number of households: 332,995 (with 866,749 people)
- *Urban: 197,923 (with 525,808 people)
- *Rural: 135,072 (with 340,941 people)
- *Births: 7,394 (birth rate 8.6)
- *Deaths: 14,823 (death rate 17.2)
For the first half of 2007, the birth rate was 8.9 per 1000
The Mordvin people are a
Finnic group speaking two related languages,
Moksha and
Erzya. The two languages have been dealt with at various times as dialects of one Mordvinian language. In reality there are two orthographies with parallel newsmedia in the Republic of Mordovia where approximately only one third of all Mordvinian live. During the Soviet period, school textbooks were published in each language.
According to the
2002 Census,
Russians make up 60.8% of the republic's population, while ethnic
Mordvins are only 31.9%. Other groups include
Tatars (5.2%),
Ukrainians (0.5%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population. 3,700 people (0.4%) did not indicate their nationalities during the Census.
History
Mordovia map
Early history
Earliest archaeological signs of human beings in the area of Mordovia are from the
Neolithic era.
Finno-Ugric Mordvins are mentioned in written sources in 6th century. Later, Mordvins were under the influence of both
Volga Bulgaria and
Kievan Rus. Mordvin princes sometimes raided Muroma and Volga Bulgaria, and often despoiled each other's holdings.
Mongol rule
The
Mongols conquered vast areas of Eastern Europe in 13th century. They established the
khanate of the Golden Horde in 1241, subjugating the area of Mordovia. Mordvins fought against Mongols and later alongside with
Russians. Mordvin lands territorially belonged to
Mukhsha Ulus. The Golden Horde disintegrated in 1430s, which resulted in some Mordvins becoming subjects of
Khanate of Kazan, whereas other were incorporated to the
Muscovy.
Russian rule
When
Ivan IV of Russia annexed the khanate of Kazan in 1552, the Mordovin lands were subjugated to the Russian tsars. The Mordvin elite rapidly assumed Russian language and customs, whereas 1821 saw the publication of the New Testament in Erzya to address the non-elite population. In rural areas, Mordvin culture was preserved. Russians started to convert Mordvins to
Orthodox Christianity in mid-1700s. Mordvins gave up their own shamanist religion only slowly, however, and many of shamanist features were preserved as parts of local culture though the population became nominally Christian. Translations of literature to Mordvin languages were mostly religious books. In 1700s, the Latin alphabet was used in writing Mordvin, but from the mid-1800s, Cyrillic was used.
Part of the Soviet Union
During the Russian
revolution and
civil war, Mordovia was held mostly by opponents of
Bolsheviks. When the Bolsheviks prevailed in the war, Mordovia became a part of the Soviet Union. In 1925, the Soviet government founded autonomous districts and village councils in the area of Mordvins. During the Soviet era, two written languages were developed: based on the Erzya dialect in 1922 and on the Moksha dialect in 1923, both using
Cyrillic script. The autonomous district of Mordvins was founded on
16 July 1928 and it was elevated to autonomous area on
10 January 1930. The autonomous area was formed as the Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic of Mordovia on
20 December 1934.
Part of the Russian Federation
When the Soviet Union disintegrated, ASSR of Mordvins proclaimed itself the Republic of Mordovia in 1991, and remained a part of
Federation of Russia. The Republic of Mordovia in its present form has existed since
January 25,
1994.
Politics
The head of government in the Republic of Mordovia is the Head of the Republic. , the head of the republic is
Nikolay Merkushkin, who was elected in 1995.
The State Assembly is the legislature of the republic.
Economy
The most developed industries are machine building, chemical, woodworking, and food industries. Most of the industrial enterprises are located in the capital
Saransk, as well as in the towns of
Kovylkino and
Ruzayevka, and in the urban settlements of
Chamzinka (Erzya: Chaunza) and the adjacent
Komsomolsky.
Culture
There are many museums in Mordovia. The largest ones include the
Mordovian Republican United Museum of Regional Studies and the
Museum of Mordvinian Culture in Saransk.
The
National Library of the Republic of Mordovia is the largest library in the republic.
, located in Saransk, is well-known in Russia. Most of the plays played in this theater are Russian fairy-tales.
Erzya literature experienced a renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s.
Education
The most important facilities of higher education include
Mordovian State University and
Mordovian State Pedagogical Institute in Saransk.
Religion
The prevailing confession is the
Russian Orthodox Church.
Sunni Islam, practiced mostly by
Tatars, is the biggest religious minority.
