In the Urals there is a unique region with a distinctive culture and history - Udmurtia. The population of the region is declining today, which means there is a threat of losing such an unusual anthropological phenomenon as the Udmurts. We will tell you about the conditions in which the population of the region lives, what are its features and what are the demographic indicators of the republic.
Geographical position
The region borders on Bashkiria, Tatarstan, the Kirov region and the Perm region. The area of the republic is 42 thousand square meters. km, it is 57th in Russia in terms of region size. Udmurtia is located on the East European Plain, and this determines its relief, mainly flat with a slight hilly. The region is very rich in water resources, about 30 thousand kilometers of the rivers of the Kama and Vyatka basin flow here. In the republic sod-podzolic soils prevail, which, as a result of leaching of the fertile layer, require fertilizers for productive agricultural use. The population of Udmurtia has for centuries adapted to its geographical position and has learned to derive maximum benefits from it. Being almost in the center of Russia allowed the republic to find its place in the trade and transport relations of the regions.
Climate
The Udmurt Republic is located in the center of the continent, at a great distance from the seas and oceans, and this determined its climate - temperate continental. The average annual temperature in the region is 1.5 degrees Celsius. Here, seasonality is classic for central Russia. With a cold winter, which lasts about 5 months, and with a non-hot three-month summer. The warmest month is July, when the column of the thermometer rises to an average of 19 degrees of heat on average. Winter comes in mid-November, then the snow cover is established. In winter, the minus temperature is constantly held, the thermometer at night can show minus 25. Summer begins in late May and ends in early September. In July, the air can warm up to 23 degrees. A lot of precipitation will fall in the republic - about 600 mm per year. The wettest periods are summer and autumn. The population of Udmurtia believes that the climate here is excellent - there are no severe frosts and sweltering heat, the duration of the summer allows you to grow the crops necessary for food.
Administrative division
The population of Udmurtia lives in 25 administrative districts and in 5 cities of republican subordination. The capital of the republic is Izhevsk. In the regions of the republic there are 310 rural settlements and one city - Kambarka. Each subject of the region has its own manager, who reports to the head of the republic.
The population of Udmurtia and its dynamics
Since 1926, constant monitoring of the number of inhabitants has been carried out. Then 756 thousand people lived in Udmurtia. In Soviet times, the republic was developing steadily, which led to a positive dynamics in the number of inhabitants. In 1941, 1.1 million people lived here. Years of war led to a decrease in population to one million. But in subsequent years, Udmurtia is actively growing with new residents. In 1993, there were 1, 624 million inhabitants in the region. Years of change and perestroika brought many difficulties, and Udmurtia is beginning to lose population. To date, the republic has not been able to change the trend towards a decrease in the number of inhabitants. Currently, Udmurtia has 1.5 million people.
Population features
Udmurtia is a rare region for Russia, where the percentage of residents who consider themselves Russian is lower than in other regions. The number of Russians here is 62%, Udmurts - 28%, Tatars - about 7% (according to 2010 data). The remaining nationalities are represented by groups of less than 1%.
The population of Udmurtia differs from many regions in its religion. The indigenous people of the region were pagans. In the 13-14 centuries, Islam had a strong influence on them. The first attempts to spread Christianity in these lands began in the 16th century. In the 18-19 centuries, Orthodoxy was literally imposed by police measures. The population did not show visible resistance, but still continued to practice paganism. With the advent of Soviet power, the persecution of all forms of religion begins, which leads to the departure of religion to the periphery of the inhabitants of the region. With the beginning of perestroika, a wave of national self-consciousness rises, and with it begins the difficult era of religious search. Today, 33% of the population of the republic speak of themselves as Orthodox, 29% consider themselves believers, but cannot decide on religion, 19% do not believe in God at all.
The stability of the prospects for the development of the region is excellent. First of all, it is birth and mortality. In Udmurtia, the birth rate is slowly but growing, and mortality is almost unchanged. Life expectancy is growing slightly and averages 70 years. Negative migration is observed in the region, that is, it is gradually losing its inhabitants.
Native people
The ancient people of Udmurtia - the indigenous population of Udmurtia - were first mentioned in the annals of the 5th century BC. The tribes living on the territory between the Volga and Kama spoke the language of the Finno-Ugric language family and combined the genes of many peoples. But the aries became the basis for the formation of the ethnos, other nationalities supplemented the genotype and culture of the Udmurts. Today, a lot of work is being done in the republic to maintain and preserve the traditional national culture. The people had to endure many burdens of attacks, this helped to form a national character, the main features of which are hard work, modesty, patience, hospitality. Udmurts retained their language, unique traditions and folklore. Udmurts are a singing nation. The baggage of folk songs is huge, they reflect the history and worldview of this ethnic group.
