Komi Republic
Republic
Республика Коми
Other transcription(s)
• Komi	Коми Республика
Kozhim river, Yugyd Va National Park
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: State Anthem of the Komi Republic[3]
Coordinates: 64°17′N 54°28′E / 64.283°N 54.467°E / 64.283; 54.467
Country	Russia
Federal district	Northwestern[1]
Economic region	Northern[2]
Capital	Syktyvkar[4]
Government
• Body	State Council[5]
• Head[5]	Vladimir Uyba[6]
Area [7]
• Total	416,774 km2 (160,917 sq mi)
• Rank	13th
Population  (2021 Census)[8]
• Total	737,853
• Estimate  (2018)[9]	840,873
• Rank	61st
• Density	1.8/km2 (4.6/sq mi)
• Urban	77.5%
• Rural	22.5%
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK [10])
ISO 3166 code	RU-KO
License plates	11
OKTMO ID	87000000
Official languages	Russian;[11] Komi[12]
Website	http://www.rkomi.ru

The Komi Republic (Russian: Республика Коми; Komi: Коми Республика), sometimes simply referred to as Komi,^[14] is a republic of Russia. Its capital is the city of Syktyvkar. The population of the republic as of the 2010 Census was 901,189,^[15] while the 2021 Census showed a decline to 737,853, a loss of 163,336 people.^[8]

History

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The Komi people first feature in the records of the Novgorod Republic in the 12th century, when East Slavic traders from Novgorod traveled to the Perm region in search of furs and animal hides. The Komi territories came under the influence of Muscovy in the late Middle Ages (late 15th to early 16th centuries). The site of Syktyvkar, settled from the 16th century, was known as Sysolskoye (Сысольскoe). In 1780, under Catherine the Great, it was renamed to Ust-Sysolsk (Усть-Сысольск) and used as a penal colony.

Russians explored the Komi territory most extensively in the 19th and early 20th centuries, starting with the expedition led by Alexander 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, the Komi-Zyryan Autonomous Oblast was established on August 22, 1921,^[16] and on December 5, 1936, it was reorganized into the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic with its administrative center located at the town of Syktyvkar.

Many of the "settlers" who arrived in the early 20th century were prisoners of the Gulag – 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 untouched tundra and taiga. The first mine, "Rudnik No. 1", became the city of Vorkuta, 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."^[17] On 21 March 1996, the Komi Republic signed a power-sharing agreement with the government of Russia, granting it autonomy.^[18] The agreement was abolished on 20 May 2002.^[19]

Geography

The republic is situated to the west of the Ural mountains, in the north-east of the East European Plain. The Polar Urals rise in the northeastern part.^[20] Forests cover over 70% of the territory, and swamps cover approximately 15%. The Komi Republic is the second-largest federal region by area in European Russia after Arkhangelsk Oblast.

• Area: 415,900 square kilometers (160,600 sq mi)
• Borders (all internal): Nenets (NW/N), Yamalo-Nenets (NE/E), Khanty–Mansi (E), Sverdlovsk (SE), Perm Krai (S), Kirov (S/SW), and Arkhangelsk (W).
• Highest point: Mount Narodnaya (1,894 m)
• Maximum N→S distance: 785 kilometers (488 mi)
• Maximum E→W distance: 695 kilometers (432 mi)

Rivers

Major rivers include:

• Izhma River
• Mezen River
• Pechora River
• Sysola River
• Usa River
• Vashka River
• Vychegda River
• Vym River

Lakes

There are many lakes in the republic. Major lakes include:

• Sindorskoye Lake
• Yam-Ozero Lake

Natural resources

The republic's natural resources include coal, oil, natural gas, gold, diamonds, and timber.^[21][22] Native reindeer are in abundance and have been intentionally bred for human usage by the indigenous population.^{[citation needed]}

Around 32,800 km² of mostly boreal forest (as well as some alpine tundra and meadows) in the Republic's Northern Ural Mountains have been recognized in 1995 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Virgin Komi Forests. It is the first natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Russia and the largest expanse of virgin forests in Europe. The site includes two pre-existing protected areas: Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve (created in 1930) and Yugyd Va National Park (created in 1994).

Climate

Winters in the republic are long and cold, and the summers, while short, are quite warm.

• Average January temperature: −17 °C (1 °F) (southern parts) to −20 °C (−4 °F) (northern parts)
• Average July temperature: 11 °C (52 °F) (northern parts) to 15 °C (59 °F) (southern parts)
• Lowest recorded temperature: −58.1 °C (−72.6 °F) (village of Ust-Shchuger)
• Average annual precipitation: 625 mm (24.6 in)

Manpupuner and the 7 Strong Men rock formations

Deemed one of the Seven Wonders of Russia, the Komi Republic is home to Manpupuner (Man-Pupu-Nyer), a mysterious site in the northern Ural mountains, in the Troitsko-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.

Administrative divisions

Demographics

Population: 737,853 (2021 Census);^[23] 901,189 (2010 Russian census);^[15] 1,018,674 (2002 Census);^[24] 1,261,024 (1989 Soviet census).^[25]

Settlements

Largest cities or towns in the Komi Republic 2010 Russian Census
	Rank		Administrative Division	Municipal pop.
Ukhta	1	Syktyvkar	City of republic significance of Syktyvkar	235,006	Vorkuta Pechora
	2	Ukhta	Town of republic significance of Ukhta	99,591
	3	Vorkuta	Town of republic significance of Vorkuta	70,548
	4	Pechora	Town of republic significance of Pechora	43,105
	5	Usinsk	Town of republic significance of Usinsk	40,827
	6	Inta	Town of republic significance of Inta	32,080
	7	Sosnogorsk	Town of republic significance of Sosnogorsk	27,757
	8	Yemva	Knyazhpogostsky District	14,570
	9	Vuktyl	Town of republic significance of Vuktyl	12,356
	10	Mikun	Ust-Vymsky District	10,730

Vital statistics

Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service