Mari El

Mari El

      republic within Russia, in the basin of the middle Volga River.

      Extending north from the left bank of the Volga and drained by its tributaries, the Vetluga, Bolshaya and Malaya Kokshaga, and Ilet, the republic consists of a level, often swampy, plain that rises gently toward the east, where it merges with the low Vyatka Hills. Winters are long and cold in the markedly continental climate, with an average January temperature of 9° F (−13° C), and incursions of Arctic air often result in temperature readings as low as -44° F (−42° C). Summers are mild, with a July average of 68° F (20° C). Precipitation is greatest in the summer and generally ranges from 18 to 20 inches (450 to 500 mm) annually. Forests, mostly spruce, birch, and pine, cover about one-half of the surface. Floodplain meadows line the Volga and other rivers, which are subject to annual flooding in the spring. Podzol-type soils prevail, except in the many peat bogs, marshes, and swampy forests that are scattered over the boulder clay (till) plain.

      A Finno-Ugric people related to the Udmurt and Mordvin, the Mari were colonized by the Russians in the 16th century. Mari was first established as a Soviet autonomous oblast (region) in 1920 and became the Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1936. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 it became the republic of Mari El, part of the Russian Federation. The population, predominantly Russian and Mari with a scattering of other nationalities, is about two-thirds urban. Chief cities are Yoshkar-Ola (the capital), Volzhsk, and Kozmodemyansk.

      The manufacture of electrical instruments and machinery, refrigeration equipment, machine tools, and other machinery is the principal economic activity, together with timber cutting and processing. Timber, floated down rivers to sawmills located along the railway to Yoshkar-Ola and to cities downstream on the Volga, is processed into prefabricated homes at Krasnogorsky, into furniture at Yoshkar-Ola, and into paper and pulp at Volzhsk. The wood-chemical industry produces turpentine and alcohol. Other industries are glassmaking and the manufacture of clothing, with food processing concentrated at Yoshkar-Ola.

      Arable land constitutes about 30 percent of the total land area and is located mainly along the Volga and in the northeastern part of the Vyatka Hills. Most of this area is given over to grains (rye, oats, spring wheat, barley, buckwheat, and corn [maize] for silage). Other crops include flax, potatoes, and other vegetables. Cattle are raised for meat and milk, with sheep, goats, and pigs also kept. Roads connect Yoshkar-Ola with Orshanka and Yaransk in the Kirov oblast and with Sernur and Kozmodemyansk in the republic. The only railway is a branch line passing through Yoshkar-Ola. Area 9,000 square miles (23,200 square km). Pop. (2006 est.) 711,540.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • mari — mari …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • MARI — (aujourd’hui tell Hariri) est à 12 kilomètres au nord nord ouest d’Abou Kémal, ville de la République syrienne, à quelques kilomètres de la frontière de l’Iraq, sur la rive droite de l’Euphrate, qui coule actuellement à l’est à 2,5 km, alors que… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • MARI — MARI, one of the principal centers of Mesopotamia during the third and early second millennia B.C.E. The archaeological and epigraphical discoveries there are of prime significance for the history of Mesopotamia and Upper Syria. The Akkadian… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Mari — steht für: Mari (Stadt), Syrien, ein sumerischer Stadtstaat in Syrien Mari (Volk), ein Volk in der Teilrepublik Mari El in Russland, zu den Wolga Finnen gehörend Mari (Sprache), veraltet: Tscheremissisch, die Sprache der Mari Mari (Göttin), eine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mari — may refer to: Mari (given name) Mari language, Uralic language Mari people, Volga Finnic people Places Mari El Republic, a federal subject of Russia Mari Autonomous Oblast (1920–1936), an administrative division of the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union… …   Wikipedia

  • mari — MARI. s. m. Espoux. Celuy qui est joint avec une femme par le lien conjugal. Bon mari. meschant mari. mauvais mari. mari fascheux. mari commode. mari jaloux. vieux mari. un jeune mari. on luy a destiné, donné un tel pour mari. la femme est en… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Mari — puede referirse a: Mari, una antigua ciudad de la actual Siria. Mari, diosa principal de la mitología vasca precristiana. República de Mari El, un sujeto federal de Rusia. Mari, un idioma fino ugrio hablado en la república de Mari El. Mari, un… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mari — n. p. f. Forma apocopada de «María» muy usada como forma hipocorística. * * * Mari. □ V. gata de Mari Ramos. * * * Diosa principal de la mitología vasca pre cristiana. Divinidad de carácter femenino que habita en varias cumbres de las montañas… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Mari-El — Forma recomendada en español del nombre de esta república de la Federación Rusa, cuya transcripción literal es Marij El: «El resto de los intérpretes [...] son parte de otra compañía: el Ballet de Mari El de Rusia» (Universal@ [Méx.] 4.10.03). Su …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

  • Mari — Si le nom est catalan, c est une variante de Mary (voir ce nom). Mais, le plus souvent, Mari est un nom italien ou corse, pluriel filiatif de Mario (nom de personne issu du latin Marius) …   Noms de famille

  • mari — → Mari El …   Diccionario panhispánico de dudas

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”