The REPUBLIC OF TATARSTAN

The Republic is located in the center of the East European Plain, on the crossroads of transport networks connecting East and West, North and South of the country, approximately 800 km East from Moscow. It lies between the Volga River and the Kama River (a tributary of the Volga), and extends East to the Ural mountains. Maximum North-South distance is 290 km, maximum East-West  distance is 460 km. The highest point: 343 m.

Borders (internal): Kirov Oblast (N), Udmurt Republic (N/NE), Republic of Bashkortostan (E/SE), Orenburg Oblast (SE), Samara Oblast (S), Ulyanovsk Oblast (S/SW), Chuvash Republic (W), Mari El Republic (W/NW).
Major rivers include (Tatar names are given in parentheses): Volga River (Idel) - navigable, Kama River (Culman) - navigable, Belaya River (Agidel) - navigable, Ik River (Iq), Vyatka River (Noqrat) - navigable. The biggest lake is Qaban.

Major natural resources of Tatarstan include oil (30 mln. ton a year), natural gas, gypsum, etc. It is estimated that the Republic has over 1 bln. ton of oil deposits.

Average January temperature: -15°C.  Average July temperature: +20°C.  Average annual precipitation: up to 500 mm.

Time zone: Tatarstan is located within the Moscow Time Zone.

Tatarstan is one of the most economically developed federal units of Russia (among 87) and the second most industrialized one. Industrial production constitutes 45% of the Republic's gross regional domestic product. The most developed branches are chemical and oil processing, machine building, truck- and automobile production, fine mechanics and wood processing industries.

There are 60 universities and higher education institutions and about 200,000 under- and graduate students in Tatarstan.

The most common faiths include Sunni Islam, variants of Shi'a and Sufi belief, and Russian Orthodox Church.

There are about 1,200 buildings used for religious purposes in Tatarstan, both Islamic and Russian Orthodox.

TATARSTAN in BRIEF

CITY of KAZAN

Kazan (Russian: Казaнь; Tatar: Qazan, Казан) is the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan, and one of the Russian Federation's largest cities. It is a major industrial, commercial and cultural center, and remains the most important center of Tatar culture. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga (Idel) and Kazanka (Qazansu) rivers in central European Russia.

Kazan is a city with powerful enterprises of aircraft-, helicopter-, aviation-engines building, polyethilene and synthetic rubber production, precision machinery, optical mechanics industry, etc. 50% of goods produced in Kazan are sold inside the Republic of Tatarstan, 30% are sold within the Russian Federation, and 20% is exported to the CIS and "far abroad" countries. Kazan is the main economic centre of Tatarstan. 35% of population employed in economic branches, concentrates in Kazan. Hundreds large and medium-size companies are situated in the city, including more than 100 JSCs.

There are five state theaters, including Opera and Ballet, Tatar and Russian Drama, State Concert Hall, Conservatory, etc. 25 universities and higher education institutions teach about 100,000 under- and graduate students in Kazan city.

Russian and Tatar languages are widely spoken in the city. Russian is understood by practically all the population. Tatar is widely spoken only by Tatars. Native Tatars are also bilingual in Kazan.

Kazan is a large railway, highway and airway knot, the largest port on the Volga River. Kazan is served by Kazan Airport, approximately 30 min. driving from the city centre. Kazan is directly connected with Moscow, Ul'yanovsk and Yekaterinburg by railways and highways. There are highway connections to Samara, Orenburg, Ufa, Cheboksary, Naberezhnye Chelny, etc.

There are municipal tramways, trolleybuses and buses, and also a lot of private mini-buses. There are four bridges connecting banks of Kazanka (Qazansu), and one bridge connecting Kazan with another bank of Volga. The Kazan Metro was opened in 2005, and will be extended.

KAZAN in BRIEF