Kalmoukie

The Republic of Kalmoukie of the federal district of the South of the Russia (xal. Haljmg Taŋč - Haljmg Respublik , Russian Kalmykija - Kalmyckaja Riespublika ) is a small republic of the North-Caucasus, member of the Federation of Russia which has the effect of being the only European State (in the west of the the Ural) to have a population mainly language Mongolian E, the Kalmouks, and Buddhist.

History and company

The population kalmouke is mainly made up, on the ethnic level, of Kalmouks, i.e. the Mongol descendants originating in the Chinese Turkestan, in Central Asia, who were driven back towards the west by the Chinese Emperor at the 17th century. They were established then in the area of the delta of the the Volga in the neighborhoods of Astrakhan.

At the 18th century, some of them initiated a migration towards their ancestral territories. The small number which reached China is today called Oyirad (term which indicates the alliance of the Western Mongols). Those which remained in the area of the Caspian Sea indicated then under the name of Kalmyks (literally those which remained ). Kalmouks, subjected to the Tsar S then with the Soviet mode, were slowly sédentarisés while keeping their culture and their language.

With the beginning of the XX {{E}} century, many Kalmouks engaged in the army of the white Russians had to flee Russia after the revolution Bolshevik. A few tens of thousands of them have French nationality today. Jean Djorkaeff, father of Youri Djorkaeff, is of origin kalmouke. Others gained the the United States. Lastly, a minority kalmouk converted with the Islam lives today with the Kirghizstan.

Economy

Kalmoukie is located in the area of low the the Volga which borders the Caspian Sea: its population, still mainly rural (the urban population accounts for 55.7% total depopulation) saw mainly breeding of the sheep, fishing and production of Caviar. The natural resources of the country include/understand Pétrole and Gaz.

Geography

The country, whose surface is of 76 100 km ², are dominated by the Steppe. The climate is continental there, with an average temperature which varies -7°C in winter with 24°C in summer. Precipitations vary as for them on average of 170 mm per annum (in the east) to 400 mm per annum (in the west).

Policy

Since 1993, with several re-elections and prolongations of its mandate, the president of Kalmoukie is Kirsan Ilioumjinov, also president of the International federation of the failures (F.I.D.E.). This last posts a liberal face and supported the revival of the religions, in particular Bouddhisme Tibetan in the country. More than one about thirty Buddhist temples were counted in Kalmoukie in the middle of the Années 1990.

Since the seizure on the capacity by this young billionaire pro-Westerner who decided to attract costs that costs the foreign investors, freedom of the press in Kalmoukie is called in question by many observers, in particular following the assassination of editor association Larissa Youdina of the only newspaper of opposition, the Sovietskaïa Kalmykia Sevodnia , in June 1998.

Subdivisions of the Republic of Kalmoukie.

Language

See Kalmouk.

Arts and Culture

It is in Elista that takes place the match for the championship of the world of failures between Veselin Topalov and Vladimir Kramnik. It is held in 12 parts, from September 21st to October 13rd, 2006.

The teaching of the failures became obligatory today in the schools kalmoukes.

With the president Kirsan Ilioumjinov, ex-champion of failures, Okna Tsahan Zam is certainly the most known Kalmouk abroad. It is poet and traditional singer. Jean Djorkaeff, ex-footballer French has origins kalmoukes.

Religion

Three principal religions are widespread in Kalmoukie: the Buddhism Tibetan, orthodoxe Christendom and the Shamanisme.

There is nearly a million Buddhists in Russia, mainly in Bouriatie, in the area of Touva, and in Kalmoukie.

Kalmouks Buddhists are the descendants of the Mongolian tribes, and represent half of the Kalmouk population.

Buddhism appeared at the beginning of the 18th century in Kalmoukie. Before the revolution of 1917, Kalmoukie counted 105 Buddhist monasteries. The majority of the Buddhist monasteries were destroyed and plundered under the Stalinist mode and of the hundreds of spangled were imprisoned. After the Second world war, the Soviet capacity stopped persecutions of the Buddhists. The practice of Buddhism was tolerated after the return of Kalmouks which had been off-set in Siberia, where half of them perished.

The 14th Dalaï Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, visited Kalmoukie into 1991,1992 and 2004, in particular to bless the monastery of Elista build in the interval of its visits. He visited the Bouriatie and the area of Touva in 1992. Yeshe Lodoi Rinpoché, a large LAMA Tibetan which had as a spiritual Master a Buriat LAMA, came from India to give lesson in Bouriatie since 1993.

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