The area of Mordovia in thousand km2. Interesting facts from the history of Mordovia
There are so many regions in Russia that sometimes the head of poorly educated young people is spinning, and they confuse Moldova with Mordovia. At the federal level, there is no big news from Saransk and its environs, so the population knows little about such a wonderful region.
Some people heard about Mordovia only in translations of the Goblin (a well-known translator of foreign films). In the goblin translation of The Lord of the Rings, Mordor was called Mordovia. It must be admitted that Mordovia became synonymous with God-forsakenness long before the first Goblin translations. For example, in the book of the famous writer Dovlatov "Branch", the wife says to her husband, who admires the coffee vending machine: "You are not in Mordovia, scarecrow!" And if we add to these images the Soviet Gulag, which had an extensive representation in Mordovia, then it is not at all surprising that the people consider this region to be something distant, cold, wild and frightening. But in fact, from Saransk to Moscow is within easy reach, and Saransk itself is the sweetest city. In 2011, he even won a competition for the most comfortable city in Russia. Of course, we know how these contests are held, but still. The city is really neat.
Saransk. Photo by naum-lidiya (http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/naum-lidiya)
Little was known about Mordovia even in Soviet times. The only thing that added fame to the region was a well-known anecdote:
"In the Supreme Council Soviet Union the question of the unification of the Jewish Autonomous Region and Mordovia was heard. In the end, it was decided not to unite them, since the disputing parties did not agree on the name of the new republic: one side proposed calling Zhido-Mordovskaya, and the second - Morda Zhidovskaya ... ”(The editorial board of the project is neither Semites, nor even anti-Semites No one needs to be offended. This is our folklore. This is our history.)
Let's go back to the region. As already mentioned, the first thing Mordovia is known for is its camps. Let me quote Dovlatov again:
“The solemn part lasted only twenty minutes. The manager himself spoke the longest. In the end, he said: - We will forever remain prisoners of fascism. After all, what we experienced is not forgotten ...
Is he also a prisoner of war? I asked the armless Gurchenko.
- This bastard from the theater, - the old man answered, - he was appointed by the party committee. For the fourth year he has been performing here ... In Mordovia, he would have been three years old ... For logging ... "
Camps in Mordovia are located mainly in the western part of the republic. As is known, Soviet authority very vindictive. At one time, Mordovia tried to resist the young revolutionaries, and as a punishment, the region was rewarded with a large number of camps. In those years, the communists suppressed the Mordovian uprisings with the help of chemical weapons.
Now only memory and history reminds of those terrible times. The current government in the republic is in excellent relations with United Russia and Putin. At all elections, there is a good turnout and abundant support from United Russia. On the territory of the republic there is a pretentious monument "Forever with Russia".
Until 2012, everything in the region was controlled by Governor Merkushkin. In fact, the whole republic was his principality. He led the region for 17 whole years and during this time he managed to place the people he needed in key positions and successfully establish all the processes in the republic for himself. Local residents say that not so long ago Merkushkin could have been imprisoned, but he found a compromise with the country's leadership, and began to develop sports in the region with his own money. So far, no great success has been achieved in this area. True, a large hockey stadium has been built in the republic, but the game with the puck is not yet very developed, there are no corresponding traditions and a good school.
A lot of money was invested in the Mordovia football team, which from the second division of domestic football reached the Premier League, but the Saransk footballers failed to stay there. The flow of money to the team has slightly decreased, and that's it, a fiasco. And all why? There are no traditions and a strong sports school. Money is invested - shabashniki athletes come. No money - no athletes - no victories.
The situation with the football stadium in Saransk characterizes the leadership of the region well. Until 2010, in the city, the local team played at the normal Svetotekhnika stadium, which accommodated 14,000 people, but it was suddenly demolished to create a square on this site. The stadium "Start" became the replacement for "Svetotekhnika", which accommodated only 5.3 seats. Is there any logic? There is no logic. When Svetotekhnika was being demolished, they officially announced that they would build a replacement stadium for 30,000 seats in Mordovia, but the promises have not come true yet.
Stadium Start. Photo by pe100v (http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/pe100v)
In 2018, during the World Cup, Saransk should become one of the host cities of the competition. No one will allow World Cup games to be held at Start, so the regional leadership will have to invest money and build a new stadium with a capacity of 44,000 spectators. Who will need it after the end of the championship is unknown. The local "Mordovia", which now plays in the second most important Russian league, will gather full stands only if it distributes free beer during matches, or shows striptease during the break.
Talking about the distinctive features of Mordovia, one cannot fail to mention the interesting situation with the anniversaries of the region. In 2012, Saransk celebrated the thousandth anniversary of the accession of Mordovia to Russia. It is curious that this date was already celebrated in 2006, and 500 years - in the eighties. How quickly time flies in this wonderful land.
However, despite all the oddities and curiosities, Mordovia is a region convenient for life, and its capital is one of best cities Russia.
Geographical position
Mordovia is located in the eastern part of the East European Plain, approximately halfway between Moscow and the Volga. Part of the republic is located on the Volga Upland, and part - on the Oka-Don Plain. The highest point of Mordovia rises to 324 meters. In the south, the region is bordered by Penza region, in the west - with the Ryazan region, in the northeast the neighbor is Chuvashia, in the east - the Ulyanovsk region, and in the north - the Nizhny Novgorod region.
It should be noted that Mordovia is the closest Russian republic to Moscow: from MKAD to the western border of Mordovia by road - 398 km, and if you fly directly by helicopter, then 330 km. However, despite the proximity to the capital, Mordovia belongs to the Volga Federal District, and not to the Central.
Population
The indigenous population of Mordovia is Mordva, which is divided into two nations: Moksha and Erzya. The Erzya language also has the Shoksha dialect. True, this is an almost extinct language, no one speaks it. There are also Karatai and Teryukhan dialects. Teryukhansky is a mixture of Tatar and Erzya languages.
Russians in Mordovia are about a little more than half of the total population, and therefore the Russian language is in use there. Indigenous Mordovian youth prefer to speak Russian and do not know their languages well. It is very difficult to distinguish outwardly a Mordvin from a Russian, we have all been mixed up for a long time.
In other regions of Russia, visitors from Mordovia can give out a characteristic accent - they stretch vowels at the end of a word, pronounce words in a singsong voice and can put several stresses in one word. In addition, in the Mordovian languages, nouns do not have a gender, and therefore native speakers often make mistakes in Russian: “I bought a cat, but he eats badly.” True, this applies mainly to the older generation, young people speak typical Russian.
Saranskaya embankment. Photo by or-lyuba (http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/or-lyuba/)
In addition to the speech of a real Mordvin, a surname can give out - in it the root of an incomprehensible meaning is combined with the suffix -kin, so the surname sounds funny and rustic. For example, Kaniskin. What is "kani" - one Mordovian knows. There are also surnames ending in -ev, which are formed from ancient Mordovian names. For example, Gundyaev. By the way, the name Gundyaev is borne by Patriarch Kirill, who in the world is Vladimir Gundyaev, a real Erzya.
Mordovians in Mordovia are about 40%. Russians are about 53%, there are still 5% Tatars. Many Mordovians can be found in Moscow. It is close to go from Saransk to the Mother See, and young people, at the first opportunity, try to go to the capital. Quite a lot in Moscow and cars with Mordovian numbers.
Crime
Now it is calm in Mordovia, because there is nothing to divide in the republic. There are no huge industries and minerals. However, things were different in the 1990s. Fighters from Mordovia were highly valued in the organized crime group. Local young people left in batches for Moscow to join one group or another. Mordovians were valued for their excellent physical shape, fearlessness and thirst for money. There was no work at all in Saransk and its environs in those years.
Unemployment rate
Mordovia was not lucky with minerals. There are oil reserves in Saransk itself, but it is not produced. Either the reserves are small, or it is expensive to extract.
The main industrial sectors in the region are lighting and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and metalworking, the production of medicines, and the food industry. In the 90s, Lisma, which produced a wide range of light sources, almost died, but the state helped it. Now the plant has become a state unitary enterprise, and at the very least it was possible to provide it with orders.
One of Lisma's workshops. Photo by proviandrey (http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/proviandrej/)
There are in Mordovia JSC Zavod Saranskkabel, JSC Biochemist, which produces antibiotics, and other enterprises. There are no special problems with work in the region. True, some villages have not yet recovered from long years of devastation, but this is observed everywhere in the country. The average salary in the republic is 21,000 rubles. To many, this amount seems small, and therefore people, especially young people, are trying to leave for Moscow. A night on the train - and you are in the capital, and there are completely different earnings.
Real estate value
Real estate in Mordovia is not cheap. The average price per square meter in Saransk exceeds 50 thousand rubles. Real estate in Ruzaevka is much cheaper. For 2 million there you can get a good two-room apartment. In Saransk, this will require 500-600 thousand more.
Climate
The climate in Mordovia is temperate continental. The average January temperature here is -10 °C, and July +20 °C. Living here is quite comfortable. True, due to the lack of relief, the weather can change dramatically. Northern air masses are replaced by southern air masses, and vice versa.
Cities of the Republic of Mordovia
Park zone of Saransk. Photo by or-lyuba (http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/or-lyuba/)
Ruzaevka- the second city of Mordovia in terms of population, industry and everything. The population of Ruzaevka is only 46 thousand people. And, in truth, the city resembles more a large village than small town. He even has a village name, Ruzaevka, and not some, for example, Ruzaevsk. The city is important railway junction. Except on the railway, local residents can work at the Ruzhkhimmash plant, the Wismut enterprise, Ruzteks and others. In principle, there is enough work here, but young people still try to leave here.
General information
Republic of Mordovia (Mordovia Respublikas, m., e.), Mordovia (Mordoviyas, m., e.), RM - republic (state), an equal subject of the Russian Federation. Located in the center. parts of East-Europe. (Russian) plain, in the interfluve of the Oka and Sura. The capital is Saransk.
According to the data of the All-Russian population census conducted as of October 14, 2010, the permanent population of the Republic of Mordovia was 834,755 people. In addition, 541 people who were temporarily on the territory of the Republic of Mordovia and permanently residing abroad were enumerated.
The Republic of Mordovia ranks thirteenth in the Volga Federal District in terms of population.
The official languages are Russian and Mordovian languages (Moksha language and Erzya language).
07/16/1928 as part of the Middle Volga region. the Mordovian Okrug was created, on 10.1.1930 it was transformed into the Mordovian Autonomous Region. From 12/20/1934 - Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, 12/7/1990 - Mordovian Soviet Socialist Republic, from 1/25/1994 - Republic of Mordovia. The current Constitution of Mordovia was adopted on September 21, 1995. RM meeting.
Territory and borders. The area of the Republic of Moldova is 26.1 thousand km2. Length from west to east approx. 280 km, from north to south from 55 to 140 km (coordinates 53°40" and 55°15" N, 42°12" and 46°43" E). It borders: in the west - with Ryazan, in the north - Nizhny Novgorod, V. - Ulyanovsk, in the south - Penza region, in the north-east. - with the Chuvash Republic. The distance from Moscow to Saransk is 642 km. Included in the Volga Federal District.
Economic and geographical position. The Republic of Moldova is included in the densely populated and well developed zone of the Russian Federation. On the territory The most important railroads, pipelines, and automobiles pass through the republics. highways linking Europe. part with the Urals, the north of the Russian Federation with the Volga region. Created developed nar.-hoz. complex, with a diversified industry and with. x-th.
Administrative-territorial division. The Republic of Moldova includes 22 rural districts, 1 urban district (Saransk) and 6 cities of district subordination.
The modern look of Mordovia
The Republic of Mordovia is a region with significant economic potential, modern social infrastructure which provides comfortable conditions for life, work and leisure of people.
In 1991, the post of president was established in Mordovia. At the national elections in the same year, Vasily Guslyannikov, who at that time headed the republican branch of the Democratic Russia political movement, was elected president.
In September 1995, Nikolai Merkushkin, who had been chairman of the State Assembly of Mordovia since January 1995, was elected Head of the Republic of Mordovia. N. Merkushkin also won the election of the head of the republic in 1998 and 2003.
On May 10, 2012, N. I. Merkushkin left the post of Head of the Republic of Mordovia due to his resignation and one-time appointment as the Governor of the Samara Region. Vladimir Volkov has been appointed Interim Acting Head of the Republic of Mordovia.
On May 14, 2012, the State Assembly of the Republic of Mordovia approved Vladimir Volkov as Head of the Republic of Mordovia.
Vladimir Sushkov has been the Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Mordovia since 2012.
In terms of the pace of socio-economic development, Mordovia is one of the leaders in the Volga Federal District.
In the pre-crisis period, annual economic growth in the republic was 10-12%, which was twice as high as the average for Russian Federation. The gained momentum allowed the republic to suffer much less losses in the context of the global financial and economic crisis. As early as the results of the first half of 2010, the volumes industrial production and shipments of products increased by more than 40% compared to last year, and compared to 2008, the increase was 3%. Such indicators are among the best in the Volga Federal District and exceed the growth of production in Russia as a whole by more than 2.5 times. This suggests that the industrial enterprises of the republic have successfully overcome the consequences of the crisis and reached the pre-crisis level of production.
In 2012, the volume of production of goods and services increased by 5%, investments in fixed capital increased by 10%. In 2013, it is planned to ensure the growth of the gross regional product by 10%, which is 2.5 times higher than the national level. A program for the construction of social facilities has been completed. Progress has been made in the agro-industrial complex. The situation on the labor market is stable. The level of registered unemployment in the republic remains one of the lowest in Russia and in the region.
The absence of raw material reserves in the region orients the republican economy towards the active growth of science-intensive, high-tech industries and the production of competitive products. Today, the bulk of industrial products in Mordovia are produced at modernized or newly built enterprises, and 18% of these products are innovative.
The priority areas of investment activity are the production of cable and wire products, semiconductor devices and power converter equipment, the development of car building, lighting engineering, cement production, food processing industries, mastering the production of new types of building products and materials. In general, over the past nine years, more than 160 billion rubles of investments have been invested in the economy of Mordovia. And in the period up to 2018, it is planned to attract 716 billion rubles to the region's economy.
Support for new projects is provided by the Venture Fund and the Mixed Investment Fund specially created in the republic. The regional innovation complex is supported on the basis of agreements with such major federal development institutions as Rosnano, Russian Technologies, MICEX, the Fund for Assistance to the Development of Small Forms of Enterprises in the Scientific and Technical Sphere, as well as a number of major companies and scientific organizations.
Particular attention is paid to the creation of effective elements of the innovation system in Mordovia. An Engineering and Design Company, an Innovation and Technology Center, an Engineering and Consulting Center, a Technology Transfer Center, a Small Business Incubator, etc. have been established.
The most important stage in the innovative development of the economy of Mordovia is the creation of a federal-level technopark in the field of high technologies on the territory of the republic.
The priority of the Mordovian "Naukograd" was the development of facilities that provide the maximum innovative return in the shortest period. The most important element of the technopark is intended to be the Innovation and Production Complex, which is being created on the basis of the Research Institute of Light Sources. A. N. Lodygin and includes companies implementing projects related to the development of materials and components of electronics and the element base for information and communication technologies. This complex makes it possible to support the development of a number of clusters of republican and federal significance.
These include: electronic instrumentation based on silicon carbide and gallium arsenide, optoelectronics, energy-saving lighting devices, including those based on bright LEDs. The structure of the technopark provides for the creation of an Information and Computing Complex, a Nanotechnology Center, the implementation of such promising directions like "Nanostructured Materials" and "Nanobiotechnology". DATA-center of the fourth category of reliability, which has no analogues in Russia, will become one of the key elements of the Information and Computing Complex, focused on the development of information and communication technologies. One of the base sites of the technopark should be the Mordovian State University them. N. P. Ogareva, which received the status of a national research university.
The largest companies from Moscow, St. Petersburg, other Russian regions and foreign countries have already become residents of the technopark. The first operating project in its structure was the Information and Computing Complex, on the basis of which technical conditions were created for the production of innovative IT products and comfortable environment for those companies whose activities are related to the development of software based on the latest world scientific achievements.
The project of Mordovian lighting engineers "Energy-efficient lighting technology and intelligent systems lighting control" was included in the list of the best programs for the development of innovative territorial clusters.
According to the terms of the competition, the best development programs will receive five billion rubles annually for five years, starting in 2013. Territorial innovation clusters are expected to become one of the key elements of the new, innovative and competitive economy of Mordovia and Russia.
The measures taken to create favorable conditions and support enterprises that produce competitive products contribute to maintaining positive trends and high growth rates in the basic sectors of the economy, primarily in engineering, allow increasing the tax base and revenues of budgets at all levels, and directing additional funds to solve social problems .
Largely due to state support for agriculture, today the agro-industrial complex of Mordovia is one of the leaders in the Volga Federal District.
In 2012, the volume of sales of agricultural products reached 20 billion rubles, with an increase of 18% compared to 2011. Meat production in live weight in agricultural organizations reached 113 thousand tons with an annual increase of 16 thousand tons. For the first time, the productivity of cows exceeded 4650 kilograms with an increase of 200 kilograms.
In 2012, 880 thousand tons of grain were harvested, including 37 thousand tons of corn grain. Its yield in a number of farms and in some areas has reached a record 115 - 120 centners per hectare. The gross harvest of sugar beets amounted to 1 million 70 thousand tons, or 6 times more than in the best Soviet years. And in terms of its yield - 483 centners per hectare - the region ranks second in the country after the Stavropol Territory.
Such indicators were achieved largely due to significant state support for agricultural producers. In 2012 alone, the village received more than 4 billion rubles of subsidies for development, including 2.7 billion rubles from federal budget, and 8.4 billion rubles of credit resources, of which 1.2 billion rubles are investment.
In terms of production of livestock and poultry, milk, eggs per inhabitant, the republic occupies a leading position in the Volga Federal District and is among the top five regions of Russia.
Programs for the development of meat and dairy cattle breeding are being implemented. Among the five Russian regions in Mordovia, an industry-specific target program is being implemented to create family livestock dairy farms based on peasant farms.
Much is being done in Mordovia to make housing affordable for every citizen.
There are several programs for providing affordable housing, including for young families and young professionals. Mortgage housing construction is being actively carried out, programs are being implemented for the overhaul of apartment buildings and the resettlement of citizens from emergency housing stock, mechanisms for creating a rental housing market are being formed.
Today the republic is one gigantic construction site. There has never been such a volume of work to be done by the builders of Mordovia in the history of the republic. The problem of leveling the standard of living in the city and in the countryside is being successfully solved. The republic is almost completely gasified. All villages are connected with regional centers by modern asphalt roads. New rural schools, hospitals and sports and health complexes are put into operation every year.
Digital technologies have come to Mordovian villages: schools have free access to the Internet, all villagers have the opportunity to use digital television and telephone services.
Large-scale housing construction has been launched in the village. The Republic is one of the leading regions of Russia in the development of communications and means of communication. Modern generations of the telephone network, electronic automatic telephone exchanges, digital information transmission systems have been introduced, and the number of Internet users is increasing.
Active development modern technologies contributed, in particular, to the fact that the first digital television project in Russia was launched in Mordovia, which will determine the future of television broadcasting in the country for the next 50 years.
According to the most important indicators of the quality of life - its high duration and low infant mortality - Mordovia is in the group of leaders in the Volga Federal District.
In recent years, thanks to active cooperation with federal center A number of new centers of high medical technologies have been created in the republic. In particular, in 2009, a specialized dialysis center was opened, created jointly with the German company Fresenius-Nefro. There are only four such clinics in Russia. In 2010, a regional vascular center was opened on the basis of the Saransk City Hospital No. 4, which is in no way inferior to the leading Russian and world clinics in terms of saturation with the latest medical technologies.
Today, residents of the republic have access to the treatment of the most complex diseases - cardiovascular (up to cardiological operations), oncological, musculoskeletal system, eye.
The range of medical services will be greatly expanded with the commissioning of a new republican clinical hospital, which will be equipped with the latest technology.
The republican perinatal center operates effectively. The nine-storey complex is equipped with the latest technology. The latest air conditioning system, an independent diesel generator station, an oxygen supply system, and a helipad are installed here. A system of so-called "clean rooms" based on the latest German technology is provided. The perinatal center is designed not only for patients from our republic, but also for residents of neighboring regions.
The equipment of most district hospitals today is not much inferior to the level of city medical institutions.
In Mordovia, there are medical institutions that, in terms of their level, can claim the role of interregional medical centers. According to the results of an independent survey conducted by the Department of Roszdravnadzor of the Russian Federation, Mordovia took one of the leading places in Russia in terms of access to medical care.
Mordovia is one of the intellectual, educational centers Russia. Mordovian State University named after N.P. Ogarev is located in Saransk - one of the largest universities in the Volga region and Russia, which received the status of a national research university.
The material base of institutions and educational institutions of culture and art is being strengthened. The State Russian Drama Theatre, the Republican Museum of Fine Arts named after SD Erzya, the Republican Children's Musical Boarding School, and the Republican Children's Choreographic School were reconstructed.
In 2007, a new national drama theater opened. Currently, the construction of a new eight-story building of the National Library named after A. S. Pushkin is nearing completion.
New cultural centers have been opened in several district centers and rural settlements, and only modern, high-quality and beautiful finishing materials and technologies were used in their construction.
There are several theaters in Saransk - Russian drama, national drama, music, puppet, opera and ballet. In recent years, Saransk has regained its former glory as a theater city. Every year, the international festival of Russian theaters of the CIS countries and abroad "Compatriots" takes place here. One of the main directions of the republican policy is the development of mass sports. Small Olympic Games of Mordovia, winter and summer Spartakiads, rural sports games, educational establishments provided with sports equipment.
Since 2002, more than 80 sports facilities, some of which have no analogues in the world. Among them are the Sports Palace and the Ice Palace in Saransk, a tennis stadium, the Start stadium, the Mordovia sports complex, the Ski and Biathlon Complex, the BMX Cycling Center, an indoor velodrome and many others. There are the Center for Olympic Training in Race Walking, the Republican School of Higher Sportsmanship, specialized youth sports schools in Greco-Roman wrestling, gymnastics, boxing, tennis, hockey, figure skating and short track, BMX cycling. Each rural area has a modern sports and recreation complex, and in some of them there is an Ice Palace. In the near future, football fields with artificial turf will appear in all regions of Mordovia.
In terms of the provision of the population with sports facilities, Mordovia already now occupies one of the leading places among the regions of the Volga Federal District. In addition, Saransk has become one of the cities that will host matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
For the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Saransk, a new Yubileiny stadium is being built, designed for 45,000 seats.
After the 2018 Championship, the stadium's capacity will be reduced to 26 thousand seats due to unique collapsible structures, and the vacated space will be occupied by retail pavilions, cinema halls, and food outlets. Within walking distance from the stadium - on the central square of the capital - there will be a fan zone for fans for tens of thousands of people. Several new hotels will be built, as well as student dormitories will be reconstructed to accommodate football fans. At the end of the Championship, students of Mordovian universities will again settle in the renovated rooms of a high level of comfort.
Of course, the new stadium will host rivals FC "Mordovia" - the leader of the republican football.
There is a large-scale construction and reconstruction of road infrastructure, the creation of new road junctions and European-level parking lots.
The city airport is being reconstructed, which will soon receive international flights, and its passenger traffic will be increased several times.
The new modern railway station already welcomes guests of Mordovia from all over the world. It should be noted that the region will be connected with other participating cities by high-speed railway lines.
The republic is very conveniently located geographically. (642 km from Moscow). Therefore, it will not be difficult for fans to quickly and comfortably get to Mordovia. The city has repeatedly been recognized as one of the most comfortable in the Russian Federation, including this year.
In the coming years, new hotels will be built for guests of the Mordovian capital, with a total capacity of several thousand beds. A student campus is being created at Moscow State University. N.P. Ogareva, which can also be used for accommodation of tourists.
Volunteers are being trained in Mordovian universities, including those with knowledge foreign language, history and culture of Mordovia.
The Republic of Mordovia became the first region to sign a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation. One of the fundamental directions of its implementation is the opening of inter-regional centers for 22 sports to train the reserve of Russian national teams.
in the republic great importance promoted a healthy lifestyle. Today, 28.3% of the population in Mordovia systematically go in for physical culture and sports. Over the past five years, this figure has increased by more than 2.5 times, which is a key point in the prevention of juvenile delinquency, alcoholism and drug addiction. The level of crime in the republic is now the lowest in the Volga Federal District, it is two times lower than the national average, and the rate of child crime is three times lower. The level of youth drug addiction in Mordovia is one of the lowest in the country. This figure is two times lower than the average for the Volga Federal District and Russia. In terms of the percentage of conscripts fit for service, Mordovia has been ranked first among 19 regions of the Volga-Urals Military District for the past five years.
Mass physical education and sports are also reflected in high performance sports. Over the past six years, 8 champions and prize-winners of the Olympic Games have been trained in Mordovia.
Mordovia is one of the most interesting, original centers of national culture in Russia. A unique ethno-cultural environment has developed in the republic, characterized by an atmosphere of interethnic harmony and cooperation. This was confirmed by the 1st international festival “Shumbrat, Finno-Ugria!” held in Saransk in the summer of 2007, in which representatives of Finno-Ugric peoples from all over the world took part. Our republic was visited by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin with his colleagues - the President of Finland Tarja Halonen and the Prime Minister of Hungary Ferenc Gyurcsany.
The topic of Finno-Ugric cooperation and the revival of national culture is very important for Mordovia.
In 2007, the Volga Center for the Culture of the Finno-Ugric Peoples was opened in Saransk and, as part of it, the Interregional science Center Finno-Ugric studies, the all-Russian "Finno-Ugric newspaper" began to appear.
Saransk also acts as a coordinating center for the activities of the All-Russian public movement "Association of Finno-Ugric peoples of the Russian Federation", since for several years this organization has been headed by representatives of Mordovia.
In September 2009, Saransk hosted the 4th Congress of the Finno-Ugric Peoples of Russia, which, both in its ideology and in the scale of organization, was in tune with the 1st International Festival of the Cultures of the Finno-Ugric Peoples.
In 2012, Saransk city district took 1st place in the All-Russian competition for the title of "The most comfortable urban (rural) settlement in Russia" following the results of 2011 among cities of the 1st category. Saransk has been taking part in the competition since 2004, 4 times the city became the owner of a diploma of the II degree and 2 times - of the III degree.
The capital of Mordovia is recognized as one of the best Russian cities for doing business according to the results of the authoritative Doing business rating (investment attractiveness rating). The Doing business rating, based on the results of a study by World Bank experts, has received wide recognition and is one of the main ones used by investors when making decisions about investing in the regional economy.
Folk holidays are of great importance for the formation of national self-consciousness. For the first time in the history of Mordovia, the Decree of the Head of the Republic provides for the annual holding of national folklore holidays "Aksha kelu", "Rasken ozks", "Velen ozks", "Sabantuy", "Day of Slavic writing and culture". In 2006, the All-Russian holiday "Sabantuy" was held in Saransk.
A special role in the preservation and continuation of national traditions of life and culture is given to museum and ethnographic complexes operating in the villages of Staraya Terizmorga and Podlesnaya Tavla. In Old Terizmorga, there is a Center for National Culture, which includes a workshop for crafts. An open-air ethnographic museum has been created. An experimental art school of wood carving operates in Podlesnaya Tavla. In order to train personnel for national cultural institutions, the Institute of National Philology and Culture was established at Mordovian State University, where they study folk dances, the history of national costume, and applied arts. Wide opportunities for the development of culture and languages, information exchange are provided by the republican National Library them. A. S. Pushkin.
A new powerful impetus to the development of the national color of the region was given during the celebration in August 2012 of the 1000th anniversary of the Unity of the Mordovian people with the peoples Russian state. A significant block of anniversary events was aimed specifically at preserving and enriching the language and culture of the Mordovians and other peoples living in Mordovia. Support for all forms of folk art, strengthening the material and technical base of institutions of culture, art, education and science, cultural interaction with Mordovians living outside of Mordovia, and, in general, expanding cultural exchange with other regions.
"Shumbrat!" - this is how we welcome guests to our Mordovian land.
The Mordovian people took an active part in the formation of the Russian state, and today, like other peoples of the republic, they make a significant contribution to the strengthening and development of a great country. Therefore, in 2012, the 1000th anniversary of the unity of the Mordovian people with the peoples of the Russian state will become a real holiday for all of Russia.
Mordovia was glorified all over the world by its outstanding natives - the brilliant sculptor Stepan Erzya and the legendary pilot Mikhail Devyatayev. The fate of the admiral is connected with the Mordovian land Russian fleet Fyodor Ushakov and the great philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin, the Russian poet Alexander Polezhaev and the famous ophthalmologist Vladimir Filatov.
Highlights include the Museum visual arts named after Erzya, the Cathedral of St. Theodore Ushakov - the highest place of worship in the Volga region, the Sanaksar Monastery, the Mordovian National Drama Theatre, the Republican United Museum of Local Lore, the national cultural center in the village of Staraya Terizmorga, the Ice Palace and the Mordovia sports complex.
The capital of Mordovia - Saransk is located 642 km from Moscow. For several recent years Saransk is officially recognized as one of the most comfortable cities in Russia.
Mordovia is a rapidly developing region, one of the leaders in terms of economic and social development Volga Federal District. Now about 200 large investment projects are already being implemented in Mordovia. The plans include new projects to create high-tech industries in the leading sectors of the economy, the construction of a technopark of federal significance.
The sports glory of Mordovia today is associated with the names of the Olympic champion wrestler Alexei Mishin, a whole galaxy of representatives of race walking led by their legendary coach Viktor Chegin - Olympic champions Olga Kaniskina and Valery Borchin, two-time Olympic medalist Denis Nizhegorodov, two-time world champion Sergei Kirdyapkin. Mordovia is proud of its outstanding fellow athletes - Peter Bolotnikov, Evgeny Maskinskov, Shamil Tarpishchev, Alexei Nemov, Svetlana Khorkina, Alexander Ovechkin, Oleg Maskaev, Yuri Borzakovsky.
On September 29, 2012, by the decision of the International Union of Football Associations, Saransk received the right to host matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Large-scale preparations are being made for this event in the republic in full compliance with FIFA requirements: a new 45,000-seat Yubileiny stadium is being built (after the championship it will be transformed into a 26,000-seat stadium), road infrastructure, transport hubs are being reconstructed, hotels are being built, etc.
Much attention in the republic is paid to the preservation and development of the original culture of the Mordovian people. In the atmosphere of celebration and interethnic accord, the 1st international festival “Shumbrat, Finno-Ugria!” was held in Saransk in the summer of 2007, which brought together the leaders of three states - Russia, Hungary and Finland, as well as representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples from all over the world.
In 2012, a large-scale celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Unity of the Mordovian people with the peoples of the Russian state took place in Mordovia. During August 23-25, 2012, exhibitions, theatrical performances, performances by creative teams, presentations of trades and crafts were held.
One of the main events of the holiday was the Forum of the Peoples of Russia, which was held at the Opera House in the capital of Mordovia. Residents of Saransk and guests of the Mordovian capital from 60 regions of the country witnessed a march-parade of the peoples of Russia, the participants of which marched along the central street of the city in national costumes. The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Kirill took part in the solemn events.
The hearts of the inhabitants of Mordovia are open to communication. We are always glad to see you on our hospitable land!
In the XI-XIII centuries. the rulers of the Volga-Kama Bulgaria and Russian princes fought for control over the lands of the Mordovians. In the XII-XIII centuries. new Mordovian settlements appeared (“firmament”, according to Russian chronicles) with powerful fortifications (Vindreyskoye, Fedorovskoye). A category of professional warriors stood out among the population, who had equestrian equipment, shields, etc. In the face of a growing external threat, a large military alliance of the Mordovian tribes was formed and, on its basis, an early state association (according to the Hungarian missionary Julian of the middle of the 13th century - "the kingdom of the Mordvans"). One of its divisions was the “Purgas Volost” mentioned in the Russian chronicle, headed by Purgas. According to researchers, the “Purgas volost” occupied the interfluve of the Moksha and Tesha rivers, where numerous Mordovian settlements were located (including the Sarov settlement, a large craft and trade and, apparently, a political center). Archaeological data testify to the influx of mainly Erzya and Moksha population into these lands, which indicates the ethnic consolidation of the Mordovian people. In the 1220-1230s. Vladimir princes made several trips to the territory of modern Mordovia, the most significant of them - to the "Purgas volost" (1228). Another Mordovian formation took shape in the upper and middle Primokshanye. Some researchers believe that it was led by Puresh. On the southern border of the lands of the Mordovians (the territory of the modern Penza region), settlements were located - strongholds on the trade route from the Volga-Kama Bulgaria to Kiev (Zolotarevskoye, Yulovskoye, etc.).
Political and economic development Mordovian people was interrupted by the Mongol-Tatar invasion. The first blow to the Mordovian lands was dealt in 1237, in 1239 they were again devastated; Mordva was finally conquered in 1242.
In the middle of the XIII - the middle of the XV century. a significant part of the modern territory of Mordovia was part of the Golden Horde. At the beginning of the XIV century. a large administrative center of the Horde arose here - the city of Mokhshi, in which, since 1313, its own coin was minted. The settlements of the local feudal nobility were usually located near big rivers in high, hard-to-reach places. On one of them, the Ityakovsky settlement, a bronze plaque was found, which was issued to officials of the Golden Horde administration. In the 2nd half of the 14th century, during the period of civil strife in the Golden Horde, some Horde princes tried to establish independent uluses on the territory of modern Mordovia: on Moksha - Tagay, in the Surye - Segiz-bey, in Primokshanye - Bekhan, etc. After the campaigns of Timur V late XIV V. Mohshi lost its importance as an outpost of the khan's power. From the middle of the XV century. after the collapse of the Golden Horde, these territories became part of the Kazan Khanate.
In the 1480s a significant part of the Mordovian lands was already part of the Russian state. In connection with the aggravation of relations with the Kazan Khanate and the frequent raids of the Nogai biys and Crimean khans, the rulers strengthened the eastern borders. To this end, the construction of new fortress cities on the Mordovian outskirts began. Kazan campaigns were undertaken against the Kazan Khanate, as a result of which in 1552 it was annexed to the Russian state (about 10 thousand Mordovian warriors participated in the campaign).
After 1552, a system of all-Russian voivodship administration was introduced in the region, which absorbed military, administrative and judicial functions. Participation of the local nobility as volost centurions, Pentecostals was allowed. In some cases, special officials were appointed to manage the Mordovians - "Mordovian heads", clerks, etc. Finally, the system of voivodeship administration took shape during the construction of serif lines (Shatsk - Kadom - Temnikov - Alatyr - the second half of the 16th century; Insar - Atemar - Saransk - Trinity prison - 40s of the 17th century), which contributed to increased centralization in the region local government. The governor was entrusted with the task of building fortresses and notches; they had full power in the region. Russian villages appeared on the lands granted to the nobles for their service on the notch line. Land ownership was formed, while land allotments and population grew. Mordovian and Tatar princes were involved in military, border guard service, to participate in administrative management, for which they received land and monetary rewards.
In the era of the Time of Troubles, the Mordovian region provided significant support to the 2nd militia. In the summer of 1612, the Mordovian Murza Bayush, leading a detachment of Alatyr Murzas, Mordovians and service people, opposed the Crimean and Nogai Tatars, who broke through the guard lines near the river. Alatyr and moved to Arzamas and Nizhny Novgorod. Having won battles with Chukaly and in the Ardatovsky forest, the detachment saved the rear of the militia.
2nd half of the 17th century characterized by the expansion of landownership and patrimony due to the mass distribution of estates from state funds and by unauthorized seizure of land from Mordovian peasants by landlords. In 1661-1700. in Penza, Insar, Temnikovsky counties, they were given 75% of the land from its total amount. Lands on the territory of modern Mordovia were received by the princes Golitsyn, Romodanovsky, Trubetskoy, the noble families of the Naryshkins, and others. Mordva was engaged in carting, trading, logging, and tar smoking. Carpentry, coal-burning, milling, tanning, cooperage and other crafts, trade in agricultural and livestock products, honey, wax, furs, and fish were developed.
In 1708, Peter I carried out a provincial reform, according to which the Mordovian region was divided between Kazan (Temnikov) and Azov (Saransk, Krasnaya Sloboda, Insar, Troitsk, Atemar, Shishkeevo) provinces. In 1719 the provinces were divided into provinces and districts. The Azov province included Insar (3rd province), Temnikovsky, Kadomsky and Krasnoslobodsky counties (4th); in the Kazan province - Saransk district (3rd province). In the newly formed Nizhny Novgorod province the lands of Arzamas (2nd province) and Alatyr (3rd) counties were included. In 1725, the Azov province was transformed into the Voronezh province, which included Insarsky from the Tambov province, Temnikovsky and Krasnoslobodsky counties from Shatsk. The provincial reform of Catherine II (1775) also made changes to the administrative-territorial division of the Mordovian region. It ended up in the Tambov governorship (Temnikovsky, Spassky districts), Nizhny Novgorod (Lukoyanovskiy, Sergachsky districts), Simbirsk (Ardatovsky district), Penza (Krasnoslobodsky, Insarsky, Saransky counties). In 1796, the governorships were transformed into provinces. By decree of Paul I (1797), the Penza province was liquidated, the Saransk district was transferred to the Simbirsk province, Krasnoslobodsky and Insarsky - to Tambov. In 1801, the Penza province was restored to its former composition. Throughout the 19th century The administrative-territorial division of the Mordovian region did not change. His lands belonged to Penza (Krasnoslobodsky, Insarsky, Saransky districts), Simbirsk (Ardatovsky, part of Karsunsky), Nizhny Novgorod (part of Lukoyanovsky, Sergachsky) and Tambovskaya (Temnikovsky, part of Spassky) provinces. In 1917-1918. Ruzaevsky uyezd was separated from the composition of the mainly Insari uyezd.
In 1717, the territory of modern Mordovia was devastated during the Great Kuban pogrom, which became the last raid of nomads into the region. In the 2nd half of the XVIII - early XIX V. Orthodoxy was entrenched in the Mordovian environment, becoming integral part way of life.
In the XVIII century. potash production and distillation (1.5 million buckets of wine per year) reached significant development, large state distilleries operated - Brilovsky and Shtyrmensky, small metallurgical enterprises functioned (Ryabkinsky, Sivinsky, Windreisky, Insarsky plants, etc.). In the 1st half of the XIX century. the state Troitsko-Ostrozhsky distillery, the Augursky metallurgical plant of N. D. Manukhin arose. At the end of XIX - beginning of XX century. the timber industry developed rapidly. Its main centers were concentrated in the Spassky and Temnikovsky counties, rich in forests. The development of the forest industry was stimulated by the conduction of the Moscow-Kazan railway (1893-1902).
The first representatives of the Mordovian intelligentsia appeared, mostly rural teachers. In 1905 he began his creative way one of the founders of Mordovian literature is Z. F. Dorofeev. In 1906, the publisher of the first newspaper of the region "Muzhik" V. V. Bazhanov, the sculptor S. D. Erzya, the public figure and prose writer S. V. Anikin, and the teacher G. K. Ulyanov declared themselves.
In late 1917 - early 1918, Soviet power was established on the territory of modern Mordovia. In 1918 and 1919 Mordovian counties were the front line, the nearest rear of the Eastern Front of the Red Army during civil war 1917-1922; in April - May 1919, the Bashkir Revolutionary Committee was located in Saransk. The actions of food detachments and commanders became the pretext for peasant uprisings in the spring and summer of 1918, unrest and uprisings of peasants in the villages of Bolshoy Azyas, Yakovshchina, Barancheevka, Lada, Pyatina, Gumny, Staroe Sindrovo and others. The policy of war communism, especially food requisitioning, increased the discontent of the peasantry . Major uprisings took place in the region in 1919. Along with the peasant uprisings, there were performances in military units, deserters became participants in the unrest. By 1920, desertion in the region had grown into a "green movement". A difficult situation arose on the territory of modern Mordovia during the Tambov uprising of 1920-1921. under the direction of A. S. Antonov. Temnikovsky and Krasnoslobodsky counties were declared under martial law, a tense situation was created in Ardatovsky, Karsunsky, Saransky, Insarsky and Spassky counties. In 1921-1922. the region was struck by famine, accompanied by outbreaks of epidemics of typhoid, malaria, etc.
In 1926, the Mordovian counties became leaders in terms of gross agricultural output in the Middle Volga region, and by 1928 the restoration of agriculture was completed. The restoration of industry was slow and uneven, many enterprises of the region were closed (including the iron foundry and sawmill in Zubova Polyana, the Sivinsky ironworks, the Temnikovskaya faience factory, etc.). At the same time, in the 1920-1930s. a cannery, a cotton factory, a hemp plant in Saransk, and a machine-building plant in Sarov were built.
On July 16, 1928, the Mordovian District was formed as part of the Middle Volga Region with the center in the city of Saransk. On January 10, 1930, the Mordovian District was transformed into the Mordovian Autonomous Region, and on December 20, 1934, into the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
In the late 1920s - early 1930s. in the economy of Mordovia, the labor of prisoners began to be actively used. The main directions of their economic activity were logging, sawmilling and railway construction. The largest camp of the Gulag system on the territory of Mordovia was the Temnikovsky ITL (Temlag, administration in the village of Yavas), created in 1931 (in 1948-1954 - Special Camp No. 3, or Dubravlag). By the beginning of the 1940s. Mordovia was one of the main producers of cottonine, ropes and ropes in the Volga region; the textile, food, processing, logging and woodworking industries developed.
During the Great Patriotic War, units of the 6th sapper army, 9 divisions, 3 regiments, 5 battalions, a special division of armored trains, 7 air units, the 178th branch of the communications battalion, etc. were stationed on the territory of Mordovia, 14 hospitals were also located here (including 6 - in Saransk). On the territory of Mordovia, the 326th Roslavl Rifle Division was formed, a flight of combat aircraft and tank column Mordovian collective farmer. In 1941, the equipment of 17 enterprises from the Ukrainian SSR, BSSR, as well as the Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol regions, etc. was evacuated to Mordovia. Thanks to the commissioning of the Saransk Mechanical Plant and the Elektrovypryamitel plant, the foundation was laid for the post-war development of large-scale industry in Mordovia. The republic accepted about 80 thousand people of the evacuated population (including 25 thousand children under 15 years old).
In the spring of 1946, a drought swept Mordovia, which led to famine. Gradually, the development of industry went on: the placement of a complex of enterprises in the chemical and lighting industries, a foundry began, the expansion of the construction base (Kovylka plant of silicate brick and slate brick in the working settlement of Komsomolsky), an instrument-making plant, a reconstruction of cable, instrumental and other plants was put into operation, 1- I am the turbine of the Saransk CHPP-2, the workshop of the dump truck plant, the pasta and furniture factories. By the mid 1960s. Mordovia has turned from an agrarian-industrial region into an industrial-agrarian one. Industrial development was facilitated by the construction of the Saratov-Gorky gas pipeline through its territory (1959-1960).
In the second half of the 1980s - the first half of the 1990s. in Mordovia, social forces have become more active in defense of national languages, culture, and the identity of the Mordovian people; 3 congresses of the Mordovian people were held (1992, 1995, 1999), a number of public organizations arose, such as the Council for the Revival of the Mordovian People (1992), the Fund for Saving the Erzya Language named after. A.P. Ryabova (1993) and others.
On December 7, 1990, at the session of the Supreme Council of the Mordovian ASSR, the Declaration on the state-legal status of the republic was adopted, the Mordovian ASSR was transformed into the Mordovian SSR. On December 25, 1991, the post of president was established, V.D. Guslyannikov was elected to this post. On April 7, 1993, the Supreme Soviet of the MSSR abolished this position. On January 25, 1994, the Mordovian SSR was renamed the Republic of Mordovia. On September 21, 1995, the Constitution of the Republic of Mordovia was adopted, approved new system public authorities. On September 22, 1995, N. I. Merkushkin was elected Head of the Republic of Mordovia (since January 1995, Chairman of the State Assembly of the Republic of Mordovia; popularly elected Head of the Republic of Mordovia in 1998, re-elected in 2003, empowered by the President of the Russian Federation V. V. Putin in 2005, in 2010 he was approved for the post of the Head of the Republic for the next term). On May 14, 2012, at the seventh session of the State Assembly of the fifth convocation, V. D. Volkov was approved as the Head of the Republic of Mordovia.
Transition to market relations in the 1st half of the 1990s. led to a decrease in the level of socio-economic development of the republic. Only since 1997 in Mordovia there has been a tendency for the growth of industrial production based on restructuring, the introduction of advanced technologies, attracting investments, and the agro-industrial complex has been developed. The non-state sector has become dominant in the economy.
Volga Federal District. The Republic of Mordovia. The area is 26.12 thousand square kilometers. Formed on January 10, 1930.
The administrative center of the federal district - the city of Saransk.
Cities of the Republic of Mordovia:
The Republic of Mordovia- a subject of the Russian Federation, part of the Volga Federal District, located in the eastern part of the East European Plain. The rivers belong to the basins of the Oka and Volga rivers, the largest of the Mordovian rivers are Moksha, Vad, Satis and Sivin. There are several thousand lakes, ponds and reservoirs.
The Republic of Mordovia is part of the Volga-Vyatka economic region. The main branches of industry are mechanical engineering and metalworking; light and food industries are also developed. In addition, iron foundry, chemical and petrochemical industries, and light industry are developed. Agriculture of the republic specializes in animal husbandry of the meat and dairy direction and the cultivation of grain and fodder crops. Developed poultry farming.
Mordovia has no diversity natural resources. Its main wealth is fertile land. Of the minerals, there are deposits of limestone, various clays, peat, and chalk.
In the 1920s, after the end of the Civil War, the question of the formation of national autonomies of the peoples of the Volga and Ural regions began to be resolved.
In 1930, the Mordovian Okrug was transformed into the Mordovian Autonomous Region.
On December 20, 1934, the Mordovian ASSR was created by the Decree of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
In 1990, the Supreme Council of the Mordovian ASSR adopted the Declaration on the state status of the Mordovian Republic, according to which the Mordovian ASSR was transformed into the Mordovian Soviet Socialist Republic.
In January 1994, the MSSR, by decision of its Supreme Council, became known as the Republic of Mordovia.
Awards:
Order of Lenin (December 11, 1965)
Order of Lenin (July 10, 1985) - for the successes achieved by the working people of the MASSR in economic and cultural construction, and in connection with the 500th anniversary of the entry of the Mordovian people into the Russian state
Order of the October Revolution (1980)
Order of Friendship of Peoples (December 29, 1972)
Cities and districts of the Republic of Mordovia
Cities of the Republic of Mordovia: Ardatov, Insar, Kovylkino, Krasnoslobodsk, Ruzaevka, Temnikov.
Urban districts of the Republic of Mordovia: Saransk.
Municipal areas: Ardatovsky District, Atyuryevsky District, Atyashevsky District, Bolshebereznikovsky District, Bolsheignatovsky District, Dubensky District, Elnikovsky District, Zubovo-Polyansky District, Insarsky District, Ichalkovsky District, Kadoshkinsky District, Kovylkinsky District, Kochkurovsky District, Krasnoslobodsky District, Lyambirsky District, Romodanovsky District, Ruzaevsky district, Staroshaigovsky district, Temnikovsky district, Tengushevsky district, Torbeevsky district, Chamzinsky district.
MORDOVIA - Mordovian Republic, in the Russian Federation; in the East of European Russia. The area is 26.2 thousand km2. The population is 955.8 thousand people (1996): Mordovians (32%), Russians (60.8%), Tatars (4.9%), etc. The capital is Saransk. In the 13th century the territory of modern Moscow was part of the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod principalities; in the middle of the 13th century. captured by the Mongol-Tatars. With the fall of the Kazan Khanate (1552) as part of Russia. In November 1917 - March 1918 Soviet power was established. In 1928, the Mordovian Okrug (in the Middle Volga Territory) was created, which in January 1930 was transformed into an autonomous region, and since December 1934 - the Mordovian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In December 1990, the Declaration on the State-Legal Sovereignty of the Republic was adopted. In 1994, the modern name was introduced.
The Republic of Mordovia is located in the center of the East European Plain. Therefore, its relief is relatively simple - a plain, somewhat elevated and hilly in the southeastern part, flat and low, mainly in the valley of the Moksha River and its tributaries in the west and northwest. Mordovia is located at the junction of forest and steppe natural areas. Therefore, its nature is extremely diverse. These are the dense forests of Meshchera, and the forest-steppe, and black soil, and traces of the Central Russian Upland. Swamps and sands, rivers and lakes, chalk mountains and soft outlines of black earth regions. Hot days of summer and crackling Christmas frosts. More than one thousand species of only higher plants are found in the flora of Mordovia. Over two hundred species of birds, about sixty species of mammals. In the north-west of the republic, in the Temnikovsky district, there is the Mordovian State Reserve. P.G. Smidovich. On the territory of Mordovia, the Moksha and Sura flow with their tributaries belonging to the Volga River basin. In total, there are 114 large and small rivers in the republic, about 500 lakes. The soils of Mordovia vary in fertility and, if properly used, can produce high yields. Our territory is characterized by a combination of leached and podzolized chernozems and a complex of gray forest soils with a small distribution of soddy-podzolic soils. Agro-climatic resources Mordovia is quite favorable for the development of many branches of agriculture. There is enough heat for growing winter rye, spring and winter wheat, oats, potatoes, hemp, fodder crops.
Mordovia is located at the junction of forest and steppe natural zones.
The Republic of Mordovia is one of the densely populated regions of the center of Russia. In terms of population density (36 people per 1 sq. km), it ranks third in the Volga-Vyatka region after the Chuvash Republic (70) and the Nizhny Novgorod region (40 people per sq. km). The population density is almost five times higher than the Russian average.
Mordovia is a multinational republic. Mordovians, Russians, Tatars, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Udmurts, Armenians and other peoples live on its territory. Indigenous people- Mordvins are ethnically heterogeneous and consist of two groups: Erzi and Moksha. The ethnonym "Mordva" was first mentioned in the work of the Gothic historian Jordanes (VI century AD). The Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (X century) knew about the country of Mordia. The ethnonyms Erzya (Arisu), Moksha (Moksel) are found in the message of the Khazar Khagan Joseph (X century) and in the travel notes of the traveler-monk V. Rubruk (XIII century). Starting from the 11th century, the ethnonym "Mordva" in various spellings is repeatedly mentioned in Russian chronicles. “... and along the Otser river, where you flow into the Volga, Murom has its own language, and Cheremisi has its own language, Mordovian has its own language” (“The Tale of Bygone Years”, XII century) The long and complex process of the entry of Mordovian lands into the Russian state finally ends only with the fall of the Kazan Khanate (1552). The adaptation of the Mordovian people to the conditions of Russia was quite difficult. As a result, a significant part of the Mordovians from the end of the 16th century was drawn into the resettlement processes, which contributed to their settlement throughout the territory of the Russian state. On the indigenous territory, the Mordovians found themselves in an ethnic minority - the Russians became the predominant part of the population. In total, 1,117,492 people of Mordovian nationality live in Russia (according to the 1989 census). The most numerous diasporas are in the Samara region (116,475 people), in the Penza region (83,370 people), in the Orenburg region (68,879 people), in the Ulyanovsk region (61,061 people), in Moscow and the Moscow region (59,244 people).
The capital of the Republic of Mordovia is the city of Saransk
After 1917 the movement for the creation of a Mordovian national-state entity begins. In 1928, the Mordovian District was formed, and in January 1930. it was transformed into the Mordovian Autonomous Region. The territory acquired the status of a republic on December 20, 1934. In January 1994 The Mordovian ASSR was renamed the Republic of Mordovia.
The Republic of Mordovia is an industrial-agricultural region and maintains a strong position in Russia and in the international market for the production of light sources, power semiconductor equipment, electronics, excavators, rubber products, medical products, petrochemical engineering products, etc. More than 50 enterprises export their products to 100 countries of the world.