Buryatia

The republic of Buryatia being a subject of the Russian Federation is included in the Siberian Federative region (okrug). Ulan-Ude is its administrative, economic and cultural center.

The distance from Ulan-Ude to Moscow by railroad is 5519 km and 3500 km to the Pacific Ocean. The climate of Buryatia is sharply continental with cold winter and hot summer. Winter is severely cold with dry frosts and a small amount of snowfall. Spring is windy also with slight frost and nearly without any precipitation. Summer is short when days are hot and nights are cool, in July and August there are heavy precipitations. Autumn comes slowly, in some years it can be long and warm.

The average temperature in summer is 18° C above zero, in winter -22° C below zero, and annual average t° is 1,6°C below zero.
The annual average amount of precipitations is 244mm. The major part of Baikal Lake (about 60% of its coastline), the deepest fresh water lake in the world is situated on the territory of Buryatia.

The length of the Baikal is 636km, the width ranges from 25 to 79 km. The total length of Baikal coastline is 2100 km and the square of its aquatorium is 31,5 thousand sq.m

The maximal depth is 1637m., its average depth is 730m. Baikal is a natural reservoir for 1/5 part of world fresh water store of high quality.
2500 different species of animals and fish inhabit this lake, 250 of them are endemic.

Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

After the October Revolution in 1917 in Russia the integration between Zabaykalye and Far East was intensive. And in 1920 Far Eastern Republic (Dalnevostochnaya republica) with the center in Verkhneudinsk was formed here. In 1923 Buryat- Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed instead. In 1958 Mongolia became an independent state. Due to the reorganization of the administrative arrangement of the East- Siberian District in 1937 some regions were excluded from the Republic and two new Buryat Autonomous okrug were formed on their basis, now they are included into neighboughring administrative regions: Aginsky national okrug is included into Chita region and Ust- Ordynsky national okrug is included into Irkutsk region. The republic was
Renamed as Buryat autonomous Socialist Republic

Buryat Autonomous Socialist Republic

Highly developed agriculture was created during the Soviet power in the Republic. Large enterprises in 60 branches of economy were built including aircraft industry, maching-building industry, energy power coal and ore mining, timber processing and other kinds of industry, they were closely connected with all economic regions of the USSR.
Many large enterprises in Buryatia belonged to military complex, it caused the definite isolation of the Republic. Till the 80-s of the XXth century the republic was forbidden for visit of foreign citizens.

During this period the systems of education and science, health service were created.
The Buryat scientific center of the Siberian department of Academy of Sciences with its research branches, four high institutions, more than 20 technical and vocational schools were founded in the republic.

The Republic of Buryatia

In 1990 the Buryat Soviet Socialist Republic declared its state sovereignity and gave up the status of autonomous republic. Nowadays it is called the Republic of Buryatia and is the subject of the Russian Federation.
Those events that happened in the history of Buryatia influenced the life its inhabitants greatly. Specific public relations have been formed they include patience and respect national dignity, history, religion and culture of other neighbouring people.
It was reflected in religious and cultural merging, mixed marriages, joint Labour and protection of State frontier, mutual penetration of cultures, local customs and so on. Buryatia is a multinational republic, different religions and confessions exist here peacefully. The most widely-spread and traditional are Buddhism and Orthodoxy including one of its branched-ancient Orthodoxy. There is traditional Buddhist Sangkha of Russia and the Buddhist institute of Dashi Choynkhorlyn. Ancient system of religions and philosophic ideas-shamanism, the main confession of aborigines before coming of Buddhism and Orthodoxy to Buryatia, is being revived.

Some brief information of the Republic of Buryatia:

• The Republic occupies 351,3 thousand sq.km
• there are 23 municipal formations: 6 towns 29 urban settlements, 615 villages
• According to the preliminary results of the All-Russian Census in 2002 the number of population in the Republic of Buryatia is 979,4 thousand people. Urban population is about 60% and rural population is about 40%, about 1/3 of its number live in the capital of the republic The native people are Buryats, Evenks and Soyots
• The capital of the Republic is the city of Ulan-Ude
• State languages are Russian and Buryat
• The Republic has its own Constitution, State symbols: Coat-of-arms, flag and Anthem
• The Supreme Legislative organ is People’s Khural, the highest organ of executive power is the Government
• The head of the executive power is the President, the first one was elected in 1994
• Present Buryatia is located in the central part of the Asian continent in the South of Siberia. It borders on the Irkutsk region(oblast) in the North-west, on the Chita region in the East, on the Republic of Tyva in the North and on Mongolia in the South. Buryatia is situated in the cross-roads. Which connect European and Eastern region of Russia and countries of Asian Pacific region as Mongolia and China first of all with our country.

The future of Buryatia is connected with its stable development on the ground of rational use of unique natural complex of Lake Baikal and Pribaykalye and rich cultural and historic legacy as well. One of the most important ways of social and economic development of the Republic is tourism. Buryatia possesses a significant share of the most attractive natural historic and cultural resources of tourism in Eastern Siberia. The largest center for tourists attraction is Lake Baikal, unique culture of people of Buryatia with monuments of world importance also cause great interest.

Nowadays a developed net of specially protected natural territories
Has been formed. The natural reserves are 3262,2 thousand ha (6% of the whole territory of the republic) and they include the following categories of protected territories: state natural reservations (3), national parks (2), state natural reserves (17) natural monuments (266), medicative and curative places and resorts.

In recent years some measures directed to the creation of the largest modern tourist-recreational complex have been made.
Legislative acts and the Conception of the development of tourism till 2010 were adopted.

The functions of the state governing of tourism were given to the Committee on Tourism of the Ministry of Economic Development and foreign Affairs of the Republic of Buryatia. Ten administrative districts of Buryatia were recognized as perspective for the development of tourism. The process of the formation of relatively independent tourist centers and regions with specific specialization take place nowadays. They are the ciry of Ulan-Ude, Podlemorye, North Baikal, and Barguzin valley, Pribaykalye, Kabansky region, Tunka valley, Mountaineous Oka, the Sayans, the town of Kyakhta, Mukhorshibir. The whole system of tourist information is also formed.