The Altai Republic is located in the center of Eurasia, in the southwestern part of Siberia. Here is the external border of Russia with China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan; the republic borders with the subjects of the Russian Federation: the republics of Tyva and Khakassia, the Altai Territory and the Kemerovo region. According to the All-Russian Census of 2002, the number of permanent residents of the republic reached 202.9 thousand people, including 53.5 thousand-urban, 149.4 thousand - rural population. The territory of the republic is divided into ten districts. Of its 244 localities, 243 are located in rural areas. The central, western, and southern parts of the republic are dominated by the Altai population (Ongudai, Ust-Kansky, Ulagan, Shebalinsky, and Kosh-Agachsky districts); the share of indigenous people is about 33 %. Russians are settled mainly in the northern part of the republic (Maiminsky, Choysky, Turachaksky, Chemalsky and the south-eastern part of Ust-Koksinsky district) and make up 63 %. The formation of the Oirot Autonomous Region in 1922 and the Gorno - Altaisk Autonomous Region in 1948 contributed to the formation of stable territorial, economic, and cultural ties between the various ethnic communities of Altai, which preserved their linguistic and cultural identity. In July 1991, the autonomous region was transformed into the Gorno-Altaisk Soviet Socialist Republic, and in May 1992 - into the Altai Republic. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Altai has seen an increase in the ethnic identity of the indigenous population. The ideas of national revival determined the direction of the socio-political movement in the republic. In the mid-1990s, among more than 20 officially registered organizations, about half were foundations, associations, and centers that advocate for the social, economic, and cultural rights of the indigenous population. The search for models of the future was focused on the values of the traditional way of life. These provisions are ... Read more