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Mari El

First-level administrative division of Russia

  • 7 min read
  • 8 chapters

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Mari El, one of Russia's ethnic republics, was established for the indigenous Mari people, a Finno-Ugric nation who have traditionally lived along the Volga and Kama Rivers. The majority of the republic's population are ethnic Russians (52.5%), with a significant Mari minority (40.1%), and smaller minority populations of Tatars and Chuvash. The official languages are Russian and Mari. Mari El is bordered by Nizhny Novgorod Oblast to the west, Kirov Oblast to the north, Tatarstan to the east, and Chuvashia to the south.

Geography

The republic is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain of Russia, along and mostly to the north of the Volga River. The swampy Mari Depression is in the west of the republic, contrasted by hillier landscapes in the east where the highest point of the republic (at 278 metres (912 ft)) is located. The republic borders with Kirov Oblast in the north and east, the Republic of Tatarstan in the southeast and south, the Chuvash Republic in the south, and with Nizhny Novgorod Oblast in the west and north.

There are 476 rivers in the republic, with the Volga and its tributaries being the major water arteries. Most rivers are considered to be minor—10–50 m (33–164 ft) wide and 0.5–1.4 m (1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 7 in) deep—and usually freeze between mid-November and mid-April. There are over 700 lakes and ponds; many located in the swampy areas and have areas of less than 1 km2 (0.39 sq mi) and depths of 1–3 m (3 ft 3 in – 9 ft 10 in). Lake Yalchik, occupying 150 hectares (370 acres), is the largest by area, while Lake Tabashinskoye is the deepest. Swamps cover large areas—10–70 km2 (3.9–27.0 sq mi) and up to 100 km2 (39 sq mi)—and usually freeze in December. While swamps tend to be shallow, with an average depth of 0.5–1.5 m (1 ft 8 in – 4 ft 11 in), they are impassable in fall and spring due to flooding.

Climate is moderately continental, with moderately cold and snowy winters and warm and often rainy summers. The average temperatures range from 18–20 °C (64–68 °F) in summer to −18 – −20 °C (0 – −4 °F) in winter. November is the windiest month of the year. Annual precipitation varies from 450 to 500 mm (18 to 20 in).

There are virtually no natural resources of industrial significance in the republic. Other resources include peat, mineral waters, and limestone. About 50% of the republic's territory is forested, although the level of forestation varies significantly from one district to another.

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