Republic of bashkortostan

The Republic of Bashkortostan - а sovereign republic within the Russian Federation - is located along the South Urals and the adjacent plains. Its territory is 143,600 square kilometers and the population is over 4 million people. In terms of population, Bashkortostan ranks seventh among Russia's republics, territories and regions. About а hundred nationalities inhabit the Republic. The indigenous population is Bashkirs.

From the point of natural conditions Bashkortostan can be divided into three parts - western, mountainous and Bashkir Trans Urals. The western part is located upon the Russian Plains. It is most favourable for life and business activities. It is here that the majority of the population lives. Highland Bashkortostan encompasses the South Ural Mountains, least auspicious to farming and manufacturing and thus least developed. Bashkir Тгans-Urals forms а narrow strip to the east of the Ural Mountains along the Republic's eastern border merging with the West Siberian Plains.

Bashkortostan's climate is continental with moderately warm, sometimes hot, summers and cold winters.

More than 600 rivers and 800 lakes trim the beauty of the Republic's nature. Many of the rivers, including the largest - the Ural and the Aghidel belong to the Caspian Sea basin.

Bashkortostan is rich in forests, the predominant species being birch-tree, conifers, lime-tree, oak and maple. About 6 million cubic meters of timber are annually procured and more than half of these are subsequently processed. The Republic accounts for nearly а third of all lime-tree forests of Russia. It is the lime-tree that makes Bashkir honey world-famous. The latter's taste and bouquet, as well as the superb quality of the famous healing koumiss (fermented mare's milk) are contributed to by а гаге combination of the vegetation growing in Bashkortostan.

The mineral riches of Bashkortostan include iron ore, copper, gold, zinc, aluminum, chromium, brown coal, natural gas, salt, manganese, gypsum, lime-stone and many other deposits numbering well over three thousand.

OiI is the main mineral resource of the land. Oil related industries - power generation, oil refining, chemical, gas and petrochemical - have become most prominent.

Diverse natural riches, а favourable pattern of population distribution, and а convenient geographical location promote the development of manufacturing and agribusiness. Bashkortostan ranks second in the Urals region as regards its manufacturing potential, and outstrips Russia's republics аnd many of the CIS countries in terms of national income.

Being the focal point of the major cargo traffic between the European and Asian parts of the country, the Republic of Bashkortostan offers extensive facilities for exports and imports of raw materials, fuel and manufactured items, maintaining trade and business ties with both the West and the East.

The BAL (Bashkir Airlines) carrier connects Ufa with the largest cities in Russia, the post-Soviet republics and abroad.

The length of railways is 2,900 km, and that of navigable river routes is 960 km.

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Adoption on October 11, 1990, of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Bashkortostan opened up а new phase in the evolution of our Republic as а sovereign state within the Russian Federation, а state possessing an immense economic and spiritual potential. The Republic has established itself as а reliable, economically and politically stable region, which is prepared to соoperate and interact on an equal footing with all regions of Russia, with the federal authorities, and foreign partners.

Sovereignty has given to the Republic an opportunity to independently determine its economic policy, to rationally manage its natural riches, production capability and earnings in the best mterest аnd for the benefit of the people. legislative body of the Republic According to the Constitution of the Republic of Bashkortostan, only the State Assembly is entitled to adopt а Constitution, Codes, Laws, and any amendments thereto; it determines, jointly with the President, the domestic and foreign policies of the Republic, endorses the State Budget, supervises its execution; gives its consent to the President's nomination of а Prime Minister; passes а decision to hold elections of the President, deputies of the State Assembly and local authorities; elects the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Arbitration; appoints the Procurator and the Commissioner of the Republic of Bashkortostan for Нuman Rights. At least once а year the Parliament shall hear and discuss the President's message on the main guidelines of the home and foreign policies. The State Assembly wields many оther powers and authority as well.

The State Assembly is elected for the term of five years.

А Secretariat is formed to maintain its activities.

The republican legislative base will have to eliminate imperfections and conflicts existing with federal laws, со create а comprehensive system for legal regulation of the economy conforming to up-tо-date conditions and requirements the reforms. Streamlining is required for the legislation on investment activities (including those involving foreign capital), on consumer and manufacturing cooperatives, on finance-industrial groups, and on registration by the state of real еstate and on transactions therewith.

Against the background of political tension in many of the country' s regions Bashkortostan stands out for stability and peaceful atmosphere.

The Republic numbers 21 cities, the largest being Ufa, Sterlitamak, Salavat, Neftekamsk, Oktyabrski.