THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN
Fact Sheet
Geographical Features:
The Republic of Bashkortostan is part of the Russian Federation and lies in the South Ural mountains next to Tatarstan, the Udmurt Republic and the provinces of Perm, Yekaterinburg, Cheliabinsk and Orenburg. It is 143,600 square km, the size of Iowa.
Population:
The population is 4.2 million. The capital, Ufa, has 1.1 million. Beloreck (where the Latvians work with a tiny Baptist church) has 120,000. Many Bashkirs live in other parts of Russia.
Ethnic Diversity:
112 ethnic groups are represented: Russians (39%), Tatars (28%), Bashkirs (22%), Chuvashes (3%). During Stalin's regime, Latvians were sentenced to slave labor camps in Bashkortostan. Several thousand Latvians live there today.
Languages:
The Bashkir language is the second language in the Republic and belongs to the Turkic group of languages. Russian remains the official language.
Religion:
The main religion of the Tatars and Bashkirs is Islam. The Russian Orthodox Church has a strong presence nationwide. There are 6,000 Protestants representing about .12% of the population.
Political System:
Parliament of the Republic is the highest representative body of Bashkortostan, which is a two-chamber parliament.
Economy:
As one-third of the territory is forest, the leading industry is timber. It is one of the largest agricultural regions in Russia. Natural resources include oil, gas, copper, iron, chromium and manganese.
Brief History of Bashkortostan
 1400's - The Bashkir people emerged as a distinct ethnic group.
1557 - The territory of Bashkiria was annexed by Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Many lost everything and were forced into servitude.
1750 - The first evangelical missionary presence was established.
1773 - A major rebellion against Russian control was brutally defeated resulting in great oppression.
1919 - The Bashkir were formally recognized as an ethnic group and declared autonomy.
1921 - Under Lenin, Bashkortostan was forced to become an official Autonomous Soviet Republic as a part of the Russian Federation.
1937 - Under Stalin, Bashkortostan was forced to accept the Soviet constitution and was declared a state of the USSR.
1980 - A movement for improving the political-legal status for an autonomous Bashkortostan began.
1990 - Bashkortostan declared its state sovereignty. A treaty was signed with the Russian Federation in which the Bashkortostan's sovereignty was partially recognized by Russia. It remains, however, subject to the Russian Federation.
1995 - The Parliament of the Republic of Bashkortostan was elected.
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