Based on the materials in the table, the national composition of the population. What peoples live in Russia? How many peoples live in Russia? Language families and groups
regional migration interethnic
By the beginning of the 20th century, the territory of the Russian Empire reached 22.4 million km2. Accordingly, with the increase in territory, the population also grew and during this period of time amounted to 128.2 million people. Thus, according to the 1897 census, the ethnic composition included 196 peoples, with the share of Russians being 44.3%.
In 1926, according to the USSR population census, about 160 ethnic groups were identified, including 30 with a population of less than 1 thousand people. A characteristic feature of the peoples of the USSR was the strong difference in their numbers. Twenty-two of them, numbering more than 1 million people each, accounted for 96% of the population of the entire country.
As for the population of modern Russia, it is also very rich and diverse. Today, more than 130 nations and nationalities live on the territory of the Russian Federation. Each nation has a different way of life, customs, historical traditions, culture, and work skills.
According to the 1989 census, the majority of the population were Russians (more than 80%), further, from the numerous nationalities inhabiting Russia, the following should be noted: Tatars (over 5 million people), Ukrainians (over 4 million people), Chuvash, Bashkirs, Belarusians, Mordovians and others.
As for the national composition of the Chita region, the 1989 population census recorded the following data (as a percentage of the total population of the region): Russians - 88.4%, Buryats - 4.8%, Ukrainians - 2.8%, Tatars - 0.9%, Belarusians - 0.7%, Chuvash - 0.2%, Bashkirs - 0.2%, Mordovians - 0.1%, Evenks - about 0.1%, other nationalities - 1.9%.
Current statistics indicated an increase in the share of Russians to 90.9%, Buryats to 5.4%, Evenks to 0.2% and a decrease in the share of representatives of other nationalities.
The overwhelming majority of representatives of the peoples of the north, primarily the Evenks, live in the Kalarsky, Tungir-Olyokminsky and Tungokochensky regions.
Settlement of peoples across the territory of the Russian Federation
All the peoples inhabiting our country can be divided into three groups. The first is ethnic groups, most of which live in Russia, and outside its borders there are only small groups (Russians, Chuvash, Bashkirs, Tatars, Yakuts, Buryats, Kalmyks and others). They, as a rule, form national-state units within the Russian Federation.
The second group is those peoples of neighboring countries (that is, the republics of the former USSR), as well as some other countries, which are represented on the territory of Russia by significant groups, in some cases compact settlements (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Kazakhs, Armenians, Poles, Greeks and others ).
And finally, the third group is formed by small subdivisions of ethnic groups, in most cases living outside of Russia (Romanians, Hungarians, Abkhazians, Chinese, Vietnamese, Albanians, Croats and others).
Thus, about 100 peoples (the first group) live mainly on the territory of the Russian Federation, the rest - representatives of the second and third groups - mainly in neighboring countries or other countries of the world, but are still a significant element of the Russian population.
Russia is a multinational republic, in its state structure it is a federation built on the national-territorial principle.
The federal structure of the Russian Federation is based on its state integrity, the unity of the system of power, the delimitation of jurisdiction and powers between government bodies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, equality and self-determination of peoples in the Russian Federation (Constitution of the Russian Federation, 1993).
As of January 1, 2007, the Russian Federation includes 86 constituent entities, of which 21 are republics, 7 territories, 48 regions, 2 federal cities (Moscow and St. Petersburg), 1 autonomous region, 7 autonomous districts.
The total area of 29 national entities (republics, autonomous okrugs, autonomous regions) makes up 53% of the country's territory. At the same time, only about 26 million people live here (including almost 12 million Russians).
All national entities have a complex population composition. Moreover, the share of the main or “titular” nation in some cases is relatively small. Thus, out of 21 republics of the Russian Federation, only in six the main peoples make up the majority (Ingushetia, Chuvashia, Tuva, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, the Chechen Republic). In multi-ethnic Dagestan, ten local peoples (Avars, Dargins, Kumyks, Lezgins, Laks, Tabasarans, Nogais, Rutuls, Aguls, Tsakhurs) form 80% of the total population. In nine republics, the peoples of the “titular” nation account for less than one-third of the population (including in Karelia and Kalmykia).
The picture of the settlement of peoples in the autonomous okrugs is significantly different. They are very sparsely populated and for many decades they attracted migrants from all the republics of the former USSR (Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Belarusians, Chechens and others) who came to work - to develop the richest mineral deposits, to build roads, industrial facilities and cities. As a result, the “titular” peoples in most autonomous okrugs and in the only autonomous region constitute only a small percentage of their total population. For example, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - 1.5%, in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - 6%, Chukotka - about 9%. The detailed national structure of the population of the autonomous regions of Russia can be traced from the data in Table 1.1 in the appendix of the work.
Language families and groups
A distinctive feature of a people is its language - the most important means of communication between people. Based on the similarity of languages, peoples are grouped into language groups, and close and related groups into language families. Based on language, all the peoples of Russia can be united into 4 language families:
1. Indo-European family (80% of all residents of the country). This family includes: - the Slavic group, the largest in Russia, including Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles and others.
Iranian group, including Tajiks, Ossetians, Kurds.
The Romanesque group, which includes Moldovans, Gypsies, and Romanians.
German group. It includes Germans and Jews.
2. Altai family (6.8% of all residents of the country). It includes the following groups: - Turkic group, which includes Tatars, Chuvash, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Yakuts, Tuvans, Karachais, Khakassians, Balkars, Altaians, Shors, Dolgans.
Mongolian group consisting of Buryats and Kalmyks.
Tungus-Manchu group. This group includes the Evens, Evenks, Nanais, Udeges and others.
Paleo-Asian group consisting of the Chukchi and Koryaks.
3. Ural family (2% of all residents of the country). They are divided into groups: - Finno-Ugric group, which includes Mordovians, Estonians, Udmurts, Mari, Komi, Komi-Permyaks, Karelians, Finns, Mansi, Hungarians, Sami.
Samoyed group, including Nenets, Selkups, Nganasans.
Yukaghir group (Yukaghirs).
4. North Caucasian family (2% of all residents of the country). Also includes several groups: - Nakh-Dagestan group. It includes Chechens, Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, and Ingush.
Kartvelian group · Georgians.
Adyghe-Abkhaz group, including Adygeis, Abkhazians, Circassians, Kabardians.
In addition to the above-mentioned families, representatives of the Chukchi-Kamchatka family (Chukchi, Koryaks, Itelmens) live in Russia; the Eskimo-Aleut family (Eskimos, Aleuts) and the peoples of other linguistic families and peoples (Chinese, Arabs, Vietnamese and others).
The languages of all the peoples of Russia have full rights, but the language of interethnic communication is Russian.
The census confirmed that the Russian Federation is one of the most multinational states in the world - representatives of over 160 nationalities live in the country. During the census, the implementation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation was ensured in terms of free self-determination of nationality. During the population census, more than 800 different answers were received from the population to the question about nationality.
The seven peoples inhabiting Russia - Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Chechens and Armenians - have a population exceeding 1 million people. Russians are the most numerous nationality, their number is 116 million people (80% of the country's inhabitants).
Theater of the Absurd 2010 Census
In October 2010, the government plans to conduct a population census of the Russian Federation. For these purposes, Rosstat issued order No. 74 on January 27 of this year, which approved lists of possible answers from citizens on issues of their nationality and language proficiency. The lists can be viewed on the website “All-Russian Population Census 2010”, www.perepis-2010.ru. According to media reports, the work on compiling these documents was carried out by the Moscow Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology. N. N. Miklukho-Maclay, director - full member of the RAS, academician Valery Tishkov.
The Institute is the leading Russian institution in the field of ethnology and anthropology. It seems like experienced specialists should work there. But if you read through the “lists” they compiled, you begin to grab your head: either something is missing in my head, or...
Let's take Appendix No. 1, which determines nationality. There are 1840 serial numbers, under which different nationalities appear. Each nationality has its own code. Although there are fewer codes, that is, nationalities - about 1750 (why such confusion?). Having read the contents of this document, you understand that the knowledge acquired at school and university pales in comparison with the ultra-modern knowledge of the avant-garde of ethno-anthropological thought.
The national palette presented here is amazing. “tundra peasants”, “Sloboda Udmurts”, “baptized” (code 222), “baptized” (820), “baptized” (232), “Old Believers” (264), “mamons”, “pharaohs”.
In addition to the “Papuans” and the “Khuli” people, apparently their descendants appeared - the “Papuans Khuli”, a people very relevant for Russia. In addition to “Ukrainians”, there are “crests”.
There are nationalities hitherto unknown to science - “citizen of the earth” (452), “citizen of the world” (453), “inhabitants of the universe”, “earthlings”, “foreigners”, “Soviet”, “internationalists”, “cosmopolitans”, “mulattoes” , "mestizo", "half-breed". The list of African nationalities is varied - “Afro”, “Afro-American” (how could Russia live without them?), “Afro-Russian”. There are 9 nationalities of Bulgarians. For example, Volga and Volga. Working tirelessly, the Institute's workers found the difference between them. Just as they defined the differences between the peoples of “Bangladesh” (441) and “Bangladeshi” (569).
There are “Belarusians” (80) and “Belarusians” (11). Diversity is introduced among Russians - “Rusnaki” (1466), “Rusnyaki” (1467), “Russians” (2), “Russian Cossacks” (186), “Russian Germans” (137), “Russian Pomors” (190), “Russko-Ustintsy” (328), “Russian-Ustintsy” (908), “Vedorossy” (741), “Vedo-Russy” (740), “Vedrussy” (742), “Great Russian” (180), “Katsapy” ( 1163), simply “Vitebsk” (1202). The Adyghe people are divided into 13 nationalities, the Mari into 10 - “Mari”, “meadow Mari”, “forest Mari”, “mountain Mari”, etc. Lithuanians are represented by 7 components.
Let's move on to Appendix-List No. 2 - about language proficiency. There are 855 sequence numbers for different languages.
Each language has its own code, there are only 770 (?) codes. It turns out that the Tatars speak different languages. There are, according to the Institute’s workers, “Crimean Tatar” (146), “Crimean Tatar” (147), “Siberian-Tatar” (413), “Siberian-Tatar” (415), “Tatar-Yurt” (174), languages of “Yurt Tatars” (173), “Yurt Tatars” (176), “Siberian Tatars” (414). The list goes on. Numerous Mari have “mountain Mari” (90), “mountain Mari” (107), “mountain Mari” (108) and several more languages.
And for “Belarusians” and “Belarusians” there is only one language - “Belarusian” (13), for the rich palette of Bulgarians and Lithuanians there is also one language each - “Bulgarian” (95) and “Lithuanian” (84). Some kind of discrimination.
The inhabitants of Luxembourg speak hitherto unknown languages - “Luxembourgish” (691) and “Luxembourgish” (692). Pioneer scientists apparently found such things in Russia. Russian citizens whose native languages are “Malaysian” (635) and “Malaysian” (634) were not spared. Scientists came to the conclusion that the “Tajik-Jewish” and “Tajik-Jewish” languages turned out to be the same, having different serial numbers, but the same code - 299. However, there is also a “Tajik” language (44). A place was found for the “Russian” language (198).
The uniqueness of the development is confirmed by the identification of about 15 sign languages: “sign language”, “digital language of the deaf”, “digital language of the deaf-mute”, “Russian language of the deaf”, “Russian sign language”, etc.
I will no longer bore the reader with amazing details that contradict common sense. It's rare to see anything like this. But these developments are carried out by representatives of science with taxpayers’ money, that is, with our money. They are not being introduced in the national interests, but in someone else’s dubious and group interests. And do we need such science?
I believe that certain forces are not satisfied with the results of the 2002 population census, according to which the state-forming nation - Russians (Great Russians, Belarusians, Little Russians) make up 85% of the country's population. Only Russian-Great Russians are 80%. So they decided to fragment it in order to make Russia more like a multinational state. And at the same time, other nationalities were fragmented - Lithuanians, Maris and others. The principle of “divide and conquer” is in effect.
According to international practice, a monoethnic (national) state is considered to be a state where 2/3 or more of its population belongs to one ethnic group. Which, by the way, was discussed in his speeches by the president of the non-governmental organization Freedom House (founded in 1941) with headquarters in Washington, Adrian Karatnicki. That. Russia is a mono-ethnic state. This must be firmly understood. Despite the fact that people of many nationalities live in our country. And they live no worse than us.
Huge amounts of money, so needed for the implementation of social programs, will be spent on the upcoming census. Conducting censuses at 8-year intervals is not justified by any social or economic needs. But, despite the absurdity of the “regulatory” documents for this event, I think there is no need to shy away from it. And for all Russian people, write in your own hand the wonderful word “Russian” in the “nationality” column.
Andrey Antonov, lawyer
The 2002 census confirmed that the Russian Federation is one of the most multinational - representatives of over 160 nationalities live in the country. During the census, the implementation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation was ensured in terms of free self-determination of nationality. During the population census, more than 800 different answers were received from the population to the question about nationality.
The seven peoples inhabiting Russia - Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Chechens and Armenians - have a population exceeding 1 million people. Russians are the most numerous nationality, their number is 116 million people (about 80% of the country's inhabitants).
For the first time after the 1897 population census, the number of people who identified themselves as Cossacks was obtained (140 thousand people), and also for the first time after the 1926 population census, the number of people who called themselves Kryashens was obtained (about 25 thousand people). About 1.5 million people did not indicate their nationality.
Population of Russia by ethnic composition
79.8% (115,868.5 thousand) are Russians;
1% (1457.7 thousand) - nationality not specified;
19.2% (27838.1) – other nationalities. Of them:
All the peoples inhabiting our country can be divided into three groups:
- The first is ethnic groups, most of which live in Russia, and outside of it there are only small groups (Russians, Chuvash, Bashkirs, Tatars, Komi, Yakuts, Buryats, etc.). They, as a rule, form national-state units.
- The second group is those peoples of the countries of the “near abroad” (i.e., the republics of the former USSR), as well as some other countries that are represented on the territory of Russia in significant groups, in some cases in compact settlements (Ukrainians, Belarusians, Kazakhs, Armenians, Poles , Greeks, etc.).
- And finally, the third group is formed by small subdivisions of ethnic groups, most living outside Russia (Hungarians, Abkhazians, Chinese, etc.).
Thus, about 100 peoples (the first group) live mainly on the territory of Russia, the rest (representatives of the second and third groups) live mainly in the countries of the “near abroad” or other countries of the world, but are still a significant element of the population of Russia.
The peoples living in Russia (representatives of all three groups identified earlier) speak languages that belong to different language families . The most numerous of them are representatives of four language families: Indo-European (89%), Altai (7%), North Caucasian (2%) and Uralic (2%).
Indo-European family
The most numerous in Russia - Slavic group, including Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, etc. Originally Russian regions are the territories of the European North, North-West and central regions of Russia, but they live everywhere and predominate in most regions (77 out of 88 regions), especially in the Urals, in southern Siberia and the Far East. Among other peoples of this linguistic group, Ukrainians (2.9 million people - 2.5%), Belarusians (0.8 million) stand out.
Thus, it can be argued that it is, first of all, a Slavic state (the share of Slavs is over 85%) and the largest Slavic state in the world.
Second largest among the Indo-European family German group (Germans).Since 1989, their number has decreased from 800 to 600 thousand people as a result of...
The Iranian group is Ossetians. Their number increased from 400 to 515 thousand, largely as a result of emigration from the territory as a result of the armed conflict in South Ossetia.
In addition to those listed, the Indo-European family is also represented in Russia by other peoples: Armenians ( Armenian group); and Romanians ( Romanesque group) and etc.
Altai family
The largest Turkic group in the Altai family (11.2 million people out of 12), which includes Tatars, Chuvashs, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Yakuts, Shors, Azerbaijanis, etc. Representatives of this group, the Tatars, are the second largest people in Russia after the Russians.
The largest Turkic peoples (Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashs) are concentrated in the Ural-Volga region.
Other Turkic peoples are settled in the south of Siberia (Altaians, Shors, Khakassians, Tuvans) all the way to the Far East (Yakuts).
The third area of settlement of Turkic peoples is (, Karachais, Balkars).
The Altai family also includes: group (Buryats, Kalmyks);Tungus-Manchu group(Evens, Nanais, Ulchi, Udege, Orochi),
Ural family
The largest of this family Finno-Ugric group, which includes Mordovians, Udmurts, Mari, Komi, Komi-Permyaks, Finns, Hungarians, and Sami. In addition, this family includesSamoyed group(, Selkups, Nganasans),Yukaghir group(). The main area of residence of the peoples of the Uralic language family is the Ural-Volga region and the north of the European part of the country.
North Caucasian family
North Caucasian family represented mainly by peoplesNakh-Dagestan group(Chechens, Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Ingush, etc.) andAbkhaz-Adyghe group(Kabardians, Abazas). The peoples of this family live more compactly, mainly in the North Caucasus.
Representatives also live in Russia Chukotka-Kamchatka family(, Itelmen); Eskimo-Aleut family(, Aleuts); Kartvelian family() and peoples of other language families and nations (Chinese, Arabs, Vietnamese, etc.).
The languages of all peoples of Russia are equal, but the language of interethnic communication is Russian.
Russia, being a multinational republic in its own way state structure, is a federation built on a national-territorial principle. The federal structure of the Russian Federation is based on its state integrity, the unity of the system of state power, the delimitation of jurisdiction and powers between the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation and the bodies of state power of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, equality and self-determination of peoples in the Russian Federation (Constitution of the Russian Federation, 1993). The Russian Federation includes 88 subjects, of which 31 are national entities (republics, autonomous okrugs, autonomous region). The total area of national entities is 53% of the territory of the Russian Federation. At the same time, only about 26 million people live here, of which almost 12 million are Russian. At the same time, many peoples of Russia are dispersed across various regions of Russia. As a result, a situation has arisen where, on the one hand, some of the peoples of Russia are settled outside their national formations, and on the other hand, within many national formations, the share of the main or “titular” (which gives the name to the corresponding formation) nation is relatively small. Thus, of the 21 republics of the Russian Federation, only in eight the main peoples make up the majority (Chechen Republic, Ingushetia, Tyva, Chuvashia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Tatarstan and Kalmykia. In multi-ethnic Dagestan, ten local peoples (Avars, Dargins, Kumyks, Lezgins, Laks , Tabasarans, Nogais, Rutuls, Aguls, Tsakhurs) form 80% of the total population. Khakassia (11%) has the lowest proportion of “titular” peoples (10%).
A peculiar picture of the settlement of peoples in the autonomous okrugs. They are very sparsely populated and for many decades they attracted migrants from all the republics of the former USSR (Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Belarusians, Chechens, etc.), who came to work - to develop the richest deposits, build roads, industrial facilities and cities. As a result, the major peoples in most autonomous okrugs (and the only autonomous region) constitute only a small percentage of their total population. For example, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - 2%, in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - 6%, Chukotka - about 9%, etc. Only in one Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug do titular peoples make up the majority (62%).
The dispersion of many peoples and their intensive contacts with other peoples, especially Russians, contribute to their assimilation.
1. Features of the national composition of Russia………………………………………2
2. Brief history of the settlement of Russia…………………………………………………………….5
3. Distribution of nations and nationalities by regions of Russia…………………….…..…7
4. Problems associated with the development of nationalism that exist at the present stage in Russia…………………………………………………………………….…….……..14
5. List of references………………………………………………………………19
Features of the national composition of Russia
One of the main indicators characterizing the population is the total number and trends in its change.
The Russian population in our country is still the largest (about 116 million people) and accounts for almost 80% of the total population. Compared to 1989, its share in the entire population of the country decreased by 1.7 percentage points. This happened mainly due to natural loss, amounting to almost 8 million people, which could not be compensated by the slightly more than three million migration increase of Russians.
The second largest population in the country is occupied by the Tatars, whose number is 5.56 million people (almost 4% of the country's population), the third place is occupied, oddly enough, by the Ukrainians, their number is approximately 2.9 million people.
Due to emigration and natural decline, the number of Jews (from 0.54 million people to 0.23 million people) and Germans (from 0.84 million people to 0.60 million people) decreased during the intercensal period.
Mainly due to migration growth, the number of Armenians (from 0.53 million people to 1.13 million people), Azerbaijanis (from 0.34 million people to 0.62 million people), Tajiks (from 0.34 million people) increased significantly 04 million people to 0.12 million people), Chinese (from 5 thousand people to 35 thousand people).
For the first time since the 1926 population census, the number of people who classified themselves as Kryashens was obtained (about 25 thousand people). Also, for the first time since the 1897 census, the number of people who called themselves Cossacks (about 140 thousand people) and a number of small peoples of Dagestan was obtained.
The number of citizens of the Russian Federation amounted to 142.4 million people (98% of all residents of the country), 1.0 million people have citizenship of other states and 0.4 million people are stateless persons. Of the total number of citizens of the Russian Federation, 44 thousand people have dual citizenship. Approximately 1.3 million people did not indicate their nationality.
The national composition fully characterizes the ethnic structure of the population.
By linguistic affiliation, the peoples of Russia belong to four language families: Indo-European (89%) - Slavic, Germanic, Romance groups; Altai (6.8%) – Turkic, Mongolian groups; Caucasian (2.4%) - Abkhaz-Adyghe, Nakh-Dagestan groups; Ural (1.8%) – Finno-Ugric, Samoyed groups. Some small peoples (Kets, Nivkhs) do not belong to any of the existing language families and stand out as isolated. The rapid pace of urbanization, migration processes and the growth of interethnic marriages contributed to assimilation and integration processes.
The original Russian regions in Russia are territories stretching from the European North, North-West to the central regions of Russia. The Russian population also predominates in the regions of the Urals, southern Siberia and the Far East. Russia as a whole is characterized by a diversity of national composition in many regions.
In the Russian Federation, 32 subjects of the Federation are distinguished on a national basis (21 republics, 10 autonomous okrugs and 1 autonomous region). The total area of 32 national entities makes up 53% of the territory of Russia.
All national entities have a complex population composition. However, the share of the titular nation is in some cases relatively small. Only in 9 subjects of the Federation the share of the titular nation exceeds 50%, for example, in Ingushetia - 74.5, in Kabardino-Balkaria -57.6%, in North Ossetia-Alania -53.0%, etc. The lowest share of the titular nation is in Khanty -Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – 1.6%.
Processes of ethnicity have become widespread in the Russian Federation.
assimilation. The objects of assimilation are small ethnic groups, peoples living in strong territorial mixing with other peoples, as well as national groups (often consisting of representatives of fairly large and well-consolidated ethnic groups living separately), which are characterized by dispersed settlement. Interethnic marriages are an important channel of the assimilation process in Russia, but “extra-family” assimilation also takes place.
From the small peoples of Russia in the 20th century. The Turkic-speaking Soyots were assimilated and merged with the Buryat people. The Yugas, close to the Kets, disappeared among the surrounding Russian population; the process of assimilation (linguistic and then ethnic) partially affected many other small peoples of Siberia and the Far East. Assimilation also included representatives of many ethnic
communities, mainly concentrated outside of Russia, and within it
itself - dispersedly settled. True, the speed of development of assimilation processes varies among different national groups living in Russia. The fastest to merge with the Russians are representatives of two East Slavic peoples close to them in language and culture - Belarusians and Ukrainians. In 1989, 63% of Belarusians and 57% of Ukrainians living in our country considered Russian their native language.
Those living in the Russian Federation undergo fairly rapid assimilation
representatives of other Slavic peoples: Poles, Bulgarians, Czechs,
Serbs. All these ethnic groups live dispersedly in Russia, which facilitates the process of their assimilation. Representatives of other non-indigenous ethnic groups in Russia are assimilating
Russians to a much weaker extent. So, the Germans, despite
long-term residence in our country, and a high proportion of people who have transferred
into Russian (58%), quite staunchly retain their ethnic
self-awareness. The process of assimilation of Koreans is proceeding even more slowly, which
is hampered by the pronounced cultural specificity of this ethnic
community, as well as its anthropological isolation. Although Koreans have been living in Russia for a long time and the majority of them (63%) consider Russian their native language, they, like the Germans, maintain their ethnic identity well and show high intra-ethnic solidarity.
Representatives of Turkic-speaking ethnic groups living in Russia, who make up the main population of several republics of the former USSR, also show ethnic resilience ( Kazakhs, Azerbaijanis, Uzbeks), which is facilitated by their significant cultural specificity. The vast majority of representatives of these peoples retain their national language.
A Brief History of the Settlement of Russia
The history of settlement and development of land, differences in the types of population reproduction, the vastness of the territory and the diversity of natural conditions have led to a very uneven distribution of the population of Russia. The European part (about 30% of the area) is home to 78.5% of the population, and the Asian part is 21.5%. In addition, in the zone of continuous settlement, or the “main zone of settlement” (the European part of Russia without the European North, the south of Siberia and the Far East), which occupies only 1/3 of the territory, 93% of the population is concentrated.
The average population density in Russia is 8.5 people. per 1 km 2, it is four times less than the world average. At the same time, population density ranges from less than one person per 1 m 2 in some areas of the Eastern macroregion to 354 people per 1 km 2 in the Moscow region.
The main settlement zone is very different from the rest of the country, which belongs to the Northern zone. The first has historically been economically developed due to the favorable natural and climatic conditions and the advantages of its geographical location; a large number of large cities are located here and the majority of the population is concentrated. The Northern zone is a territory developed relatively recently (“newly developed”), with focal settlement; only about 7% of the population lives there.
Historical migrations of the Russian population to Siberia, the Urals, the North, and the Far East began in the 16th and 17th centuries. in connection with the development of new lands. The flow of immigrants to the eastern regions of Russia especially increased at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries. in connection with the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Historical migrations were about forced relocations of peoples: in 1937, Koreans were resettled from the Primorsky Territory to Central Asia; in the 30s, Germans, Kalmyks, Chechens, Ingush, and Crimean Tatars were evicted to the eastern regions, Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia. In the pre-war years, organized resettlement to the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, where mineral deposits were developed and factories were built. In the 50s, there was a massive development of huge tracts of land in Kazakhstan and Western Siberia. In connection with the collapse of the USSR and the aggravation of interethnic relations in a number of republics of the new abroad, the re-emigration of the Russian-speaking population from the republics of Central Asia and Transcaucasia intensified.
The most numerous and constant migrations of the population in Russia in the 20th century. There were internal migrations of the population from rural areas to cities, from small towns to large ones.
Currently, internal migrations account for 80% of the migration turnover of the Russian population. The determining direction of internal migration is the Center, the Volga region and the South of the country, which as a result has led to a significant reduction in the population of the regions of the North, Siberia and the Far East.
In 23 regions of the Federation, the population has increased over the past period. The greatest growth was observed in the Republic of Dagestan - by 43%, Moscow - 17%, Krasnodar Territory - by 11%, Belgorod and Kaliningrad regions - 10% each. The increase in population occurred due to natural growth and the influx of migrants.
In economic geography and regional studies, the main issues in the study of population are the causes, patterns and features of the spatial and functional behavior of the population depending on trends in changes in the external environment.
Great and varied. In its vastness there is nature, beautiful in its versatility, and other miracles created by man. In addition, the territories of the largest country in the world shelter dozens of different peoples. This is the greatest wealth of an amazing hospitable state.
We know that many nationalities live in Russia - Russians, Udmurts, Ukrainians. What other peoples live in Russia? After all, in the far corners of the country, small and little-known, but interesting nationalities with their own unique culture have lived for centuries.
National composition of the population of Russia
Let's say right away that Russians make up approximately 80% of the total population. A full one would be very large. According to some reports, more than 200 different nationalities are registered. This information corresponds to the state of 2010.
We will begin our acquaintance with the rest of the national composition of Russia with the most common ones. Large nationalities are those that are present on the territory of the state in numbers of more than 1 million.
Tatars
The ratio of the Tatar people among all others in the country is 3.8%. has its own language and regions of greatest distribution.
In addition, it includes several ethnic groups: Crimean Tatars, Volga-Urals, Siberians and Astrakhan. Most of them live in the Volga region.
Ukrainians
Let's continue our short excursion on the topic of what peoples live in Russia and move on to the Ukrainians. Their number in Russia is 2% of the total population. According to some historical references, the name of the nationality comes from the word “outskirts”, which served as the basis for the name of the country - Ukraine.
Ukrainians living in Russia continue to honor their traditions, celebrating holidays according to their customs and wearing folk clothes. A special feature of Ukrainian clothing is embroidery in a variety of colors. The main symbolic colors in the ornaments are red and black.
Bashkirs
The ratio of the Bashkirs to the entire population of the country is 1.2%. The territories where most of these people live are Altai, Tyumen, and other regions of Russia (Orenburg, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan and others).
Ethnologists to this day do not agree on where the name of the nationality came from and what it means. The most common interpretations are “main wolf”, “separate people”, “brother-in-law of the Ugrians”. In total there are about 40 different assumptions.
The culture of the Bashkirs is significant for their songs, fairy tales, and ditties.
Chuvash
Next we’ll talk about the Chuvash, answering the question about what peoples live in Russia. The Chuvash people make up 1.1% of the Russian population. Most Chuvash live in Tatarstan, Samara and many other regions of the country, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. And today their main occupation is handicrafts, animal husbandry and agriculture.
The Chuvash culture is amazingly beautiful and interesting. They have their own ancient, developed mythology. National clothing is extremely diverse, with many dozens of different cuts and color options.
Chechens
Chechens in Russia make up about 0.9% of the total population. This is one of the harshest people in the country. At the same time, they are distinguished by wit, they are characterized by courage and endurance.
The peculiarity of Chechen songs is a deep, incommensurable longing for one’s home. Their poetry and songs contain many motifs of exile. Such poetry cannot be found anywhere else in folklore.
You can notice the similarity of the Chechen people with the Circassian and Lezgin people. The explanation for this is simple: all three nationalities belong to the same Caucasian nationality.
And we continue to reveal the most interesting question about what peoples live in Russia.
Armenians
Armenians make up 0.8% of the Russian population. Their culture is very ancient. Its roots can be traced back to Greek culture. The special flavor of this nation is created by their irrepressible cheerfulness and hospitality.
Armenian music appeared before our era. And today we know many world singers with Armenian roots. Among them are the French singer David Tukhmanov, Dzhivad Gasparyan and many others.
Armenian clothing is luxurious and pretentious. And children's costumes are simply irresistible, something that has not been seen in other nations.
We now know what peoples inhabit Russia, but that’s not all. In the far corners of the vast country there are still peoples who are not so numerous in number, but their culture is so diverse and interesting that we simply cannot help but remember them.
Small nations
Russians know quite a lot about peoples whose number exceeds 1 million. But there are also small peoples of Russia that you may not even hear about in your entire life.
Thus, in the Volga-Vyatka region, such nationalities as the Mari and Mordovians have lived for many centuries. The server region is native to the Karelians, Komi, Sami, and Nenets. Komi-Permyaks and Udmurts live in the Urals. Kazakhs and Kalmyks settled in the Volga region long ago.
Western Siberia is the homeland of the Selkups, Altaians, Mansi, Khanty, Shors, Eastern Siberia is the homeland of the Tuvinians, Buryats, Khakassians, Dolgans, Evenks.
In the Far East live such nationalities as the Yakuts, Koryaks, Evens, Udeges, Nanais, Orochs and many other peoples, the number of which is very small.
The peculiarity of small nations is that they have preserved and still revere their ancient pagan beliefs. They are characterized by adherence to animism (animation of natural objects and animals) and shamanism (belief in shamans - people who speak with spirits).
How many peoples live in Russia in total?
A pan-European survey was carried out in 2002. The data collected also included information on the ethnic composition of the countries' populations. Then interesting information was received about what peoples live in Russia and their numbers.
Census figures in Russia showed that representatives of 160 different nationalities live in the country. This figure is simply huge compared to European countries. On average, they are home to people belonging to 9.5 nationalities. On a global scale, Russia's indicators are also high.
It is interesting that in 1989, when a similar census was carried out in Russia, a list of 129 nationalities was compiled. The reason for such a difference in indicators, according to experts, is the possibility of self-determination as belonging to one or another nationality. This opportunity arose in 1926. Previously, different peoples of Russia considered themselves Russians based on geopolitical factors.
Dynamics in the ratio of nationalities
According to demographic research experts, the number of Ukrainians in Russia has tripled in recent years. There are also much fewer Belarusians, as well as Mordovians.
The number of Armenians, Chechens, Azerbaijanis, and Tajiks has increased. Some of them were even among those who number more than a million in Russia.
The dynamics in the ratio of nationalities are believed to be influenced by several factors. One of them is the decline in the birth rate, which has affected the entire country. The other is emigration.
Jews left Russia. Russian Germans also emigrated from the country.
Positive dynamics are observed among small indigenous peoples. On the contrary, their number has increased over the past decades. Thus, we see that the question of what peoples inhabit Russia is always relevant for study due to its dynamics.
Do only Russians live somewhere?
We learned that many different nationalities live in Russia, in addition to Russians. Many who have discovered it may wonder if there is an area where only Russians live.
The answer is clear: there is no region with a completely homogeneous composition of the Russian population. Only the Central, Central Chernozem, and Northwestern regions are close to this. All other territories of the country are replete with different nationalities.
conclusions
In the article, we looked at what peoples live on the territory of Russia, found out what they are called and where they are most common. We have once again seen how rich the country is not only in natural resources, but also in human ones, and this is much more important.
In addition, we learned that the national composition of the Russian population is not somewhat static. It changes over the years under the influence of various factors (migration, the possibility of self-determination, etc.).
We hope that the article was interesting for you: it helped you take a mental journey across the expanses of Russia and introduced you to its different, but so hospitable and interesting inhabitants. Now we can tell anyone without hesitation, if they are interested, what peoples live in Russia.