| En Name: | Komi Republic |
| Ru Name: | Республика Коми |
| Loc Name1: | Коми Республика |
| Loc Lang1: | Komi |
| Coordinates: | 64.2833°N 82°W |
| Image Coa: | Coat of Arms of the Komi Republic.svg |
| Coa Caption: | Coat of arms |
| Flag Link: | Flag of the Komi Republic |
| Flag Caption: | Flag |
| Anthem: | State Anthem of the Komi Republic |
| Anthem Ref: | [1] |
| Political Status: | Republic |
| Political Status Link: | Republics of Russia |
| Federal District: | Northwestern |
| Economic Region: | Northern |
| Adm Ctr Type: | Capital |
| Adm Ctr Name: | Syktyvkar |
| Adm Ctr Ref: | [2] |
| Official Lang List: | Komi |
| Official Lang Ref: | [3] |
| Pop 2021Census: | 737853 |
| Pop 2021Census Rank: | 61st |
| Urban Pop 2021Census: | 77.5% |
| Rural Pop 2021Census: | 22.5% |
| Pop 2021Census Ref: | [4] |
| Pop Latest: | 880639 |
| Pop Latest Date: | January 2013 |
| Pop Latest Ref: | [5] |
| Area Km2: | 416774 |
| Area Km2 Rank: | 13th |
| Established Date: | December 5, 1936 |
| Established Date Ref: | [6] |
| License Plates: | 11 |
| Iso: | RU-KO |
| Gov As Of: | April 2015 |
| Leader Title: | Head |
| Leader Title Ref: | [7] |
| Leader Name Ref: | [8] |
| Legislature: | State Council |
| Website: | http://www.rkomi.ru |
| Date: | January 2014 |
The Komi Republic (Russian: Республика Коми; Komi: Коми Республика), sometimes simply referred to as Komi,[9] is a republic of Russia situated in the northeast of European Russia. Its capital is the city of Syktyvkar. The population of the republic at the 2021 census was 737,853,[10] down from 901,189 at the 2010 census.
The Komi people first feature in the records of the Novgorod Republic in the 11th century, when traders from Novgorod traveled to the Perm region in search of furs and animal hides. The Novgorodians called these lands Zavolochye ("beyond the portage"), from the Russian word volok ("portage"), and the Komi were referred to as "the Chud beyond the portage".[11] The Novgorodians penetrated deep into these lands, and the methods used were typical of those used by later Russians in subsequent campaigns.[11]
The Moscow principality also played an increasing role in the expansion into Komi territories, accompanied by a great increase in monastic activity in the 14th and 15th centuries under the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church.[11] The missionary Stephen of Perm, a native of Ustyug, created the first alphabet for the Komi, known by contemporary Russians as Zyrians (zyriane).[11] He settled in Ust-Vym and became the first bishop of Perm.[11] After Novgorod was annexed by Moscow, the Komi territories came under the influence of Moscow in the late 15th and early 16th century. 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,[12] 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."[13] On 21 March 1996, the Komi Republic signed a power-sharing agreement with the government of Russia, granting it autonomy.[14] The agreement was abolished on 20 May 2002.[15]
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.[16] 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.
Major rivers include:
There are many lakes in the republic. Major lakes include:
The republic's natural resources include coal, oil, natural gas, gold, diamonds, and timber.[17] [18] Native reindeer are in abundance and have been intentionally bred for human usage by the indigenous population.
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).
Winters in the republic are long and cold, and the summers, while short, are quite warm.
See main article: Manpupuner 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.
See main article: Administrative divisions of the Komi Republic.
Population:
| 17-12-1926 | 17-01-1939 | 17-01-1959 | 15-01-1970 | 17-01-1979 | 17-01-1989 | 09-10-2002 | 14-10-2010 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 207,314 | 318,996 | 806,199 | 964,802 | 1,110,361 | 1,250,847 | 1,018,674 | 901,189 | |
| Average annual population growth | +1.7% | +1.6% | +1.3% | -1.6% | -1.5% | ||||
| Males | 46% | 49% | 52% | 50% | 51% | 50% | 48% | ||
| Females | 54% | 51% | 48% | 50% | 49% | 50% | 52% | ||
| Females per 1000 males | |||||||||
| Proportion urban | 4.4% | 9.1% | 59.4% | 61.9% | 70.8% | 75.5% | 75.3% | ||
| Territory (km2) | 434,150 | 415,900 | 415,900 | 415,900 | 415,900 | 415,900 | 415,900 | 415,900 | |
| Population density/km2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
Source: Russian Federal State Statistics Service
| Average population (x 1000) | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 4 760 | 4 353 | 407 | ||||||||
| 1930 | 10 256 | 6 574 | 3 682 | ||||||||
| 1940 | 14 976 | 12 134 | 2 842 | ||||||||
| 1945 | 6 432 | 6 185 | 247 | ||||||||
| 1950 | 534 | 20 087 | 6 002 | 14 085 | 37.6 | 11.2 | 26.4 | ||||
| 1960 | 836 | 25 578 | 5 010 | 20 568 | 30.6 | 6.0 | 24.6 | ||||
| 1965 | 938 | 18 956 | 5 241 | 13 715 | 20.2 | 5.6 | 14.6 | ||||
| 1970 | 970 | 16 462 | 6 276 | 10 186 | 17.0 | 6.5 | 10.5 | ||||
| 1975 | 1 044 | 18 899 | 7 284 | 11 615 | 18.1 | 7.0 | 11.1 | ||||
| 1980 | 1 137 | 20 685 | 9 169 | 11 516 | 18.2 | 8.1 | 10.1 | ||||
| 1981 | 1 153 | 21 244 | 9 103 | 12 141 | 18.4 | 7.9 | 10.5 | ||||
| 1982 | 1 169 | 23 420 | 8 758 | 14 662 | 20.0 | 7.5 | 12.5 | ||||
| 1983 | 1 185 | 23 806 | 9 250 | 14 556 | 20.1 | 7.8 | 12.3 | ||||
| 1984 | 1 199 | 24 217 | 9 486 | 14 731 | 20.2 | 7.9 | 12.3 | ||||
| 1985 | 1 213 | 23 303 | 9 334 | 13 969 | 19.2 | 7.7 | 11.5 | ||||
| 1986 | 1 228 | 24 176 | 8 112 | 16 064 | 19.7 | 6.6 | 13.1 | ||||
| 1987 | 1 242 | 23 616 | 8 544 | 15 072 | 19.0 | 6.9 | 12.1 | ||||
| 1988 | 1 256 | 20 916 | 8 930 | 11 986 | 16.7 | 7.1 | 9.5 | ||||
| 1989 | 1 256 | 18 481 | 8 857 | 9 624 | 14.7 | 7.1 | 7.7 | ||||
| 1990 | 1 244 | 16 930 | 9 321 | 7 609 | 13.6 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 1.873 | |||
| 1991 | 1 231 | 15 589 | 9 665 | 5 924 | 12.7 | 7.9 | 4.8 | ||||
| 1992 | 1 214 | 13 880 | 11 426 | 2 454 | 11.4 | 9.4 | 2.0 | ||||
| 1993 | 1 199 | 12 158 | 14 642 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2 484 | 10.1 | 12.2 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2.1 | ||
| 1994 | 1 174 | 11 835 | 16 074 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 4 239 | 10.1 | 13.7 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3.6 | ||
| 1995 | 1 145 | 11 105 | 15 057 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3 952 | 9.7 | 13.2 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3.5 | 1.317 | |
| 1996 | 1 124 | 10 900 | 13 674 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2 774 | 9.7 | 12.2 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2.5 | ||
| 1997 | 1 106 | 10 388 | 12 244 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 1 856 | 9.4 | 11.1 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 1.7 | ||
| 1998 | 1 087 | 10 793 | 11 545 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 752 | 9.9 | 10.6 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 0.7 | ||
| 1999 | 1 068 | 9 680 | 12 253 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2 573 | 9.1 | 11.5 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2.4 | ||
| 2000 | 1 050 | 9 906 | 13 594 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3 688 | 9.4 | 12.9 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3.5 | 1.219 | |
| 2001 | 1 036 | 10 325 | 13 968 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3 643 | 10.0 | 13.5 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3.5 | 1.272 | |
| 2002 | 1 021 | 11 177 | 15 265 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 4 088 | 10.9 | 15.0 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 4.0 | 1.374 | |
| 2003 | 1 004 | 11 462 | 15 810 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 4 348 | 11.4 | 15.8 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 4.3 | 1.401 | |
| 2004 | 987 | 11 489 | 15 210 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3 721 | 11.6 | 15.4 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 3.8 | 1.397 | |
| 2005 | 971 | 10 975 | 15 074 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 4 099 | 11.3 | 15.5 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 4.2 | 1.332 | |
| 2006 | 955 | 10 872 | 13 519 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2 647 | 11.4 | 14.1 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 2.8 | 1.318 | |
| 2007 | 941 | 11 523 | 12 304 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 781 | 12.2 | 13.1 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 0.8 | 1.406 | |
| 2008 | 928 | 11 719 | 12 270 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 551 | 12.6 | 13.2 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 0.6 | 1.452 | |
| 2009 | 916 | 11 868 | 12 182 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 314 | 13.0 | 13.3 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 0.3 | 1.62 | |
| 2010 | 903 | 11 648 | 11 819 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 171 | 12.9 | 13.1 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 0.2 | 1.63 | |
| 2011 | 11 715 | 11 097 | + 443 | 13.0 | 12.4 | + 0.6 | 1.71 | ||||
| 2012 | 890 | 12 418 | 10 830 | + 1 588 | 14.0 | 12.2 | + 1.8 | 1.88 | |||
| 2013 | 876 | 12 436 | 10 484 | + 1 952 | 14.2 | 12.0 | + 2.2 | 1.96 | |||
| 2014 | 868 | 12 291 | 10 621 | + 1 670 | 14.2 | 12.2 | + 2.0 | 2.01 | |||
| 2015 | 861 | 11 797 | 10 666 | + 1 131 | 13.6 | 12.3 | + 1.3 | 2.00 | |||
| 2016 | 854 | 11 239 | 10 523 | + 716 | 13.1 | 12.3 | + 0.8 | 1.97 | |||
| 2017 | 845 | 9 766 | 9 958 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 192 | 11.5 | 11.8 | align="right" style="color: red" | - 0.3 | 1.78 |
Source:[19]
| District | Birth Rate | Death Rate | Natural Growth Rate | Russians as % of Pop | Native Komi and Nenets as % of Pop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Komi Republic | 13.0 | 12.4 | 0.06% | 96.05% | 3.95% |
| Syktyvkar | 12.5 | 10.2 | 0.23% | 97.61% | 2.39% |
| Vorkuta | 11.8 | 9.7 | 0.21% | 92.33% | 7.67% |
| Vuktyl | 11.2 | 12.6 | -0.14% | 95.27% | 4.73% |
| Inta | 11.1 | 12.6 | -0.15% | 95.40% | 4.60% |
| Pechora | 13.0 | 13.6 | -0.06% | 96.89% | 3.11% |
| Sosnogorsk | 12.6 | 14.4 | -0.18% | 97.02% | 2.98% |
| Usinsk | 14.7 | 9.0 | 0.57% | 86.04% | 13.96% |
| Ukhta | 11.0 | 10.7 | 0.03% | 96.20% | 3.80% |
| Izhemsky | 19.1 | 18.8 | 0.03% | 99.62% | 0.38% |
| Knyazhpogostsky | 11.6 | 15.9 | -0.43% | 95.50% | 4.50% |
| Koygorodsky | 16.2 | 18.3 | -0.21% | 97.89% | 2.11% |
| Kortkerossky | 16.9 | 18.6 | -0.17% | 98.86% | 1.14% |
| Priluzsky | 15.6 | 18.4 | -0.28% | 98.98% | 1.02% |
| Syktyvdinsky | 17.3 | 13.3 | 0.40% | 98.11% | 1.89% |
| Sysolsky | 16.4 | 17.6 | -0.12% | 98.37% | 1.63% |
| Troitsko-Pechorsky | 14.0 | 17.9 | -0.39% | 97.80% | 2.20% |
| Udorsky | 15.6 | 13.1 | 0.25% | 95.33% | 4.67% |
| Ust-Vymsky | 12.0 | 15.8 | -0.38% | 96.48% | 3.52% |
| Ust-Kulomsky | 19.2 | 18.9 | 0.03% | 98.96% | 1.04% |
| Ust-Tsilemsky | 16.1 | 15.4 | 0.07% | 99.62% | 0.38% |
According to the 2010 Census, ethnic Russians make up 65.1% of the republic's population, while the ethnic Komi make up 23.7%. Other groups include Ukrainians (4.2%), Tatars (1.3%), Belarusians (1%), Ethnic Germans (0.6%), Chuvash (0.6%), Azeris (0.6%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
| Ethnic group | 1926 census (1926 territory)1 | 1926 census (present territory) | 1939 census | 1959 census | 1970 census | 1979 census | 1989 census | 2002 census | 2010 census2 | 2021 census | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | ||
| Komi | 191,245 | 92.2% | 195,400 | 86.9% | 231,301 | 72.5% | 245,074 | 30.4% | 276,178 | 28.6% | 280,798 | 25.3% | 291,542 | 23.3% | 256,464 | 25.2% | 202,348 | 23.7% | 127,350 | 22.3% | |
| Russians | 13,731 | 6.6% | 28,300 | 12.6% | 70,226 | 22.0% | 389,995 | 48.4% | 512,203 | 53.1% | 629,523 | 56.7% | 721,780 | 57.7% | 607,021 | 59.6% | 555,963 | 65.1% | 398,547 | 69.7% | |
| Ukrainians | 34 | 0.0% | 200 | 0.1% | 6,010 | 1.9% | 80,132 | 9.9% | 82,955 | 8.6% | 94,154 | 8.5% | 104,170 | 8.3% | 62,115 | 6.1% | 36,082 | 4.2% | 11,041 | 1.9% | |
| Nenets | 2,080 | 1.0% | 1,000 | 0.4% | 508 | 0.2% | 374 | 0.0% | 369 | 0.0% | 366 | 0.0% | 376 | 0.0% | 708 | 0.1% | 215 | 0.0% | |||
| Tatars | 33 | 0.0% | 709 | 0.2% | 8,459 | 1.0% | 11,906 | 1.2% | 17,836 | 1.6% | 25,980 | 2.1% | 15,680 | 1.5% | 10,779 | 1.3% | 4,083 | 0.7% | |||
| Belarusians | 11 | 0.0% | 3,323 | 1.0% | 22,339 | 2.8% | 24,706 | 2.6% | 24,763 | 2.2% | 26,730 | 2.1% | 15,212 | 1.5% | 8,859 | 1.0% | 2,639 | 0.5% | |||
| Others | 180 | 0.1% | 6,919 | 2.2% | 59,826 | 7.4% | 56,485 | 5.9% | 62,921 | 5.7% | 80,269 | 6.4% | 61,474 | 6.0% | 40,272 | 4.7% | 39,564 | 4.6% | 28,008 | 4.9% | |
| 1 The territory of the Komi AO was different from the Komi Republic. 2 Excluding 46,886 people who were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.[20] | |||||||||||||||||||||
According to a 2012 survey, 30.2% of the population of Komi adheres to the Russian Orthodox Church, 4% are unaffiliated generic Christians, 1% are Rodnovers or Komi native religious believers, 1% are Muslims, 1% are Orthodox Christians not belonging to churches or members of non-Russian Orthodox churches, 1% are Old Believers, and 0.4% are members of the Catholic Church. In addition, 41% of the population declared to be "spiritual but not religious", 14% is atheist, and 6.4% follows other religions or failed to answer the question.
There are over 450 secondary schools in the republic (with ~180,000 students). The most important higher education facilities include Komi Republican Academy of State Service and Administration, Syktyvkar State University and Ukhta State Technical University.
The head of government in the Komi Republic is the Head of the Republic. As of 2021, the current Head is Vladimir Uyba who took office after his predecessor Sergey Gaplikov resigned.
The State Council is the legislature.
The Komi Republic's major industries include oil processing, timber, woodworking, paper, natural gas and electric power industries. Major industrial centers are Syktyvkar, Inta, Pechora, Sosnogorsk, Ukhta, and Vorkuta.
Komigaz conducts natural gas transportation and distribution. Further information: Yaregskoye oil field[21]
The petroleum, wood and paper industries made up 94.5% of the Republic’s exports in 2021.
Railroad transportation is very well developed. The most important railroad line is Kotlas–Vorkuta–Salekhard, which is used to ship most goods in and out of the republic. The rivers Vychegda and Pechora are navigable. There are airports in Syktyvkar, Ukhta, and Vorkuta.
In 1997, total railroad trackage was 1,708 km, automobile roads 4,677 km.
Stroitel plays again in the Russian Bandy Super League in the 2017–18 season, after several years in Russian Bandy Supreme League, the second highest division. In 2015 a bandy federation for the republic was founded.[22] In 2016 the authorities presented a five-year plan to develop bandy in the republic.[23] There was an application in place to host the 2021 Bandy World Championship,[24] but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then cancelled after many participants pulled out after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.[25]