TheKomi people first feature in the records of theNovgorod Republic in the 11th century, when traders fromNovgorod traveled to thePerm region in search of furs and animal hides. The Novgorodians called these landsZavolochye ("beyond the portage"), from the Russian wordvolok ("portage"), and the Komi were referred to as "theChud beyond the portage".[12] The Novgorodians penetrated deep into these lands, and the methods used were typical of those used by later Russians in subsequent campaigns.[12]
TheMoscow principality also played an increasing role in the expansion into Komi territories, accompanied by a great increase in monastic activity in the 14th and 15th centuries under the influence of theRussian Orthodox Church.[12] The missionaryStephen of Perm, a native ofUstyug, created the first alphabet for the Komi, known by contemporary Russians as Zyrians (zyriane).[12] He settled inUst-Vym and became the first bishop of Perm.[12] After Novgorod was annexed by Moscow, the Komi territories came under the influence of Moscow in the late 15th and early 16th century. The site ofSyktyvkar, settled from the 16th century, was known as Sysolskoye (Сысольскoe). In 1780, underCatherine the Great, it was renamed to Ust-Sysolsk (Усть-Сысольск) and used as apenal colony.
Russians explored the Komi territory most extensively in the 19th and early 20th centuries, starting with the expedition led byAlexander von Keyserling in 1843. They found ample reservoirs of various minerals, as well as timber, to exploit. After the founding of the Soviet Union in 1922, theKomi-Zyryan Autonomous Oblast was established on August 22, 1921,[13] and on December 5, 1936, it was reorganized into theKomi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic with its administrative center located at the town ofSyktyvkar.
Many of the "settlers" who arrived in the early 20th century were prisoners of theGulag – sent by the hundreds of thousands to perform forced labor in the Arctic regions of the USSR. Towns sprang up around labor-camp sites, which gangs of prisoners initially carved out of the untouchedtundra andtaiga. The first mine, "Rudnik No. 1", became the city ofVorkuta, and other towns of the region have similar origins: "Prisoners planned and built all of the republic's major cities, not just Ukhta but also Syktyvkar, Pechora, Vorkuta, and Inta. Prisoners built Komi's railways and roads, as well as its original industrial infrastructure."[14] On 21 March 1996, the Komi Republic signed a power-sharing agreement with the government of Russia, granting it autonomy.[15] The agreement was abolished on 20 May 2002.[16]
The republic is situated to the west of theUral Mountains, in the north-east of theEast European Plain. ThePolar Urals rise in the northeastern part.[17] Forests cover over 70% of the territory, andswamps cover approximately 15%. The Komi Republic is the second-largest federal region by area in European Russia afterArkhangelsk Oblast.
Deemed one of theSeven Wonders of Russia, the Komi Republic is home to Manpupuner (Man-Pupu-Nyer), a mysterious site in the northernUral Mountains, in theTroitsko-Pechorsky District, made out of seven rock towers bursting out of the flat plateau known as the "7 Strong Men". Manpupuner is a very popular attraction in Russia, but not on an international level. Information regarding its origin is scarce. However, it is known that their height and abnormal shapes make the top of these rock giants inaccessible even to experienced rock-climbers.
According to the2010 Census,[11] ethnicRussians make up 65.1% of the republic's population, while the ethnicKomi make up 23.7%. Other groups includeUkrainians (4.2%),Tatars (1.3%),Belarusians (1%),Ethnic Germans (0.6%),Chuvash (0.6%),Azeris (0.6%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
1The territory of the Komi AO was different from the Komi Republic.
2Excluding 46,886 people who were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.[26]
There are over 450 secondary schools in the republic (with ~180,000 students). The most important higher education facilities include Komi Republican Academy of State Service and Administration,Syktyvkar State University andUkhta State Technical University.
The Komi Republic's major industries include oil processing, timber, woodworking, paper, natural gas and electric power industries. Major industrial centers areSyktyvkar,Inta,Pechora,Sosnogorsk,Ukhta, andVorkuta.
Railroad transportation is very well developed. The most important railroad line isKotlas–Vorkuta–Salekhard, which is used to ship most goods in and out of the republic. The riversVychegda andPechora are navigable. There are airports inSyktyvkar,Ukhta, andVorkuta.
In 1997, total railroad trackage was 1,708 km, automobile roads 4,677 km.
^Walker, T. R., Crittenden, P. D., Dauvalter, V. A., Jones, V., Kuhry, P., Loskutova, O., ... & Pystina, T. (2009). Multiple indicators of human impacts on the environment in the Pechora Basin, north-eastern European Russia. Ecological Indicators, 9(4), 765-779.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2008.09.008
^Walker, T. R., Habeck, J. O., Karjalainen, T. P., Virtanen, T., Solovieva, N., Jones, V., ... & Patova, E. (2006). Perceived and measured levels of environmental pollution: interdisciplinary research in the subarctic lowlands of northeast European Russia. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment, 35(5), 220-228.https://doi.org/10.1579/06-A-127R.1
17 февраля 1994 г. «Конституция Республики Коми», в ред. Закона №67-РЗ от 23 октября 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Конституцию Республики Коми». Вступил в силу 10 марта 1994 г. (за исключением отдельных положений). Опубликован: "Красное знамя", №45, 10 марта 1994 г. (February 17, 1994Constitution of the Komi Republic, as amended by the Law #67-RZ of October 23, 2015On Amending the Constitution of the Komi Republic. Effective as of March 10, 1994 (with the exception of several clauses).).
Государственный Совет Республики Коми. Закон №XII-20/5 от 6 июня 1994 г. «О государственном гимне Республики Коми», в ред. Закона №44-РЗ от 4 июля 2006 г «О внесении изменений и дополнения в Закон Республики Коми "О Государственном гимне Республики Коми"pp». Вступил в силу 11 июня 1994 г. (за исключением отдельных положений). Опубликован: "Красное Знамя", No.109, 11 июня 1994 г. (State Council of the Komi Republic. Law #XII-20/5 of June 6, 1994On the State Anthem of the Komi Republic, as amended by the Law #44-RZ of July 4, 2006On Amending and Supplementing the Law of the Komi Republic "On the State Anthem of the Komi Republic". Effective as of June 11, 1994 (with the exception of certain clauses).).
"Коми АССР. Административно-территориальное деление на 1 июля 1968 г." Коми книжное издательство. Сыктывкар, 1968. (Komi ASSR. Administrative-Territorial Structure as of July 1, 1968)
Pearson, M., Ojanen, P., Havimo, M., Kuuluvainen, T. & Vasander, H. (eds.) 2007.On the European Edge: Journey through Komi Nature and Culture. University of Helsinki Department of Forest Ecology Publications 36. 216 pp.ISBN978-952-10-3898-3.
Strogoff, M., Brochet, P. & Auzias, D. 2005.Guidebook Komi Republic. Avant-Garde Publishers, Moscow. 176 pp.ISBN5-86394-255-X.
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