Chuvashia is a republic within the Russian Federation, located 700 kilometers from Moscow. The population of Chuvashia is over 1.2 million people. The article will talk about who inhabits the republic, as well as demographic problems and cities of the region.
general information
Chuvashia is one of them. It is located in the center of the European part of the country. The Volga River flows in the north of the republic. The distance from the “capital” of the region to the capital of Russia is 630 km.
The republic occupies a small (by Russian standards) area: about 18,000 square kilometers. The population of Chuvashia is 1.23 million people. The republic is quite well connected with other regions of Russia by road, rail, and water transport routes.
Most of Chuvashia is located between the Sura and Sviyaga rivers, within the forest and forest-steppe natural zones. The relief of the territory is flat, the climate is temperate continental. Of the mineral resources in the region, there are deposits of phosphorites.
Chuvashia is a land with rich culture and traditions. It is often called "the land of a hundred thousand songs." Researchers focus on the uniqueness of local musical culture, which is expressed not only in a special style of singing, but also in a set of instruments.
Dynamics and population of the republic
Chuvashia is one of the most populated subjects of the Russian Federation. As of 2016, 1 million 237 thousand people live here. At the same time, the average population density of Chuvashia is one of the highest in Russia (almost 68 people/sq. km.).
However, the demographic situation in the republic has remained very difficult for twenty years. Since 1994, the population of Chuvashia has been gradually dying out. During this period of time, the region lost almost 100 thousand of its inhabitants! True, by 2016 the rate of population extinction had slowed down, primarily due to an increase in the birth rate.
Another serious problem in the region is the “aging” of the population. The fact is that young people are actively leaving the republic. Accordingly, the proportion of people of retirement age in the age structure of the population is increasing.
The level of urbanization in the region is relatively low - 61.3%. However, recently the urban population of the Republic of Chuvashia is increasing every year.
Age, sex composition of the population and migration
As mentioned above, in Chuvashia the proportion of pensioners is increasing every year. Accordingly, the proportion of minors is decreasing. If in 1989 it was almost 27%, then in 2002 it was only 19.9%.
If we talk about the gender structure of the population, women predominate in Chuvashia (53.7%). However, in recent years there has been a tendency towards equalizing the overall ratio of men and women.
The population of Chuvashia is declining not only due to natural demographic processes, but also due to active emigration. Over the past five years, the region has seen negative migration dynamics. On average, every year 2-5 thousand more people leave Chuvashia than enter the republic. The main centers of attraction for migrants from this region are Moscow, Ulyanovsk region, Tatarstan and the Moscow region.
Ethnic composition of the population. Who are the Chuvash?
The national composition of the republic is dominated by the Chuvash (67.7%). Next come Russians (26.7%), Tatars (2.8%) and Mordovians (about 1%). Also on the territory of Chuvashia there are quite numerous diasporas of Ukrainians, Belarusians and Armenians.
Chuvash are the indigenous population of the republic. This is a Turkic ethnic group, the origin of which scientists associate with the Volga Bulgars. The total number of Chuvash in the world is estimated at one and a half million people. Half of them live within the Chuvash Republic. The remaining representatives of this ethnic group are scattered throughout the territory of Russia; they also live in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and some other countries.
The Chuvash speak their own language - Chuvash, which has three dialects. In 65% of schools in the region, children are taught in this language. Most of the Chuvash are Orthodox Christians. However, among them there are also adherents of traditional pagan beliefs.
According to ancient Chuvash myths, the Earth has the shape of a square. The firmament rests on four pillars (copper, stone, gold and silver). Each of the four corners of the Earth is reliably guarded by a hero-defender.
Modern territorial structure of the republic. Population of Chuvashia by region
The Republic of Chuvashia today is divided into 21 administrative districts. There are nine cities, eight urban settlements and 1,720 villages. The capital of the republic is the city of Cheboksary. According to the latter, every third resident of Chuvashia lives there.
The regions of the republic vary in size. The largest in area is Alatyrsky, and the smallest is Krasnoarmeysky. The table below presents all regions of Chuvashia, indicating the population for each of them:
District name | Number of inhabitants (thousand people) |
Alatyrsky | |
Alikovsky | |
Batyrevsky | |
Vurnarsky | |
Ibresinsky | |
Kanashsky | |
Krasnoarmeisky | |
Krasnochetaysky | |
Kozlovsky | |
Komsomol | |
Marposadsky | |
Morgaushsky | |
Poretsky | |
Urmarsky | |
Tsivilsky | |
Cheboksary | |
Shumerlinsky | |
Shemurshinsky | |
Yadrinsky | |
Yantikovsky | |
Yalchiksky |
Cities of Chuvashia
The list of cities in Chuvashia includes nine settlements. Two of them are large cities. But the smallest is home to only 8.5 thousand people.
Cheboksary is considered the oldest city within the republic (first mentioned in written documents in 1469). In the 16th century, three more cities arose - Alatyr, Yadrin and Tsivilsk.
Below are all the cities of Chuvashia by population (from largest to smallest):
- Cheboksary.
- Novocheboksarsk.
- Kanash.
- Alatyr.
- Shumerlya.
- Tsivilsk.
- Kozlovka.
- Mariinsky Posad.
- Yadrin.
The city of Cheboksary is the capital of the republic
Cheboksary is the largest city in Chuvashia. In addition to its capital status, it is also an important cultural, scientific and transport center of the region. In 2001, the city received the honorary title of “the most comfortable” in Russia.
Cheboksary is located on the Volga River. The transport gates of the city are the airport, railway station and river port.
The city arose in the middle of the 15th century. By the beginning of the 18th century, it turned into a major center of trade in the Volga region. Bread, furs, fish, honey and salt are actively traded here. Currently, more than a dozen large enterprises operate in Cheboksary. Industrial tractors, electronic devices and optical equipment, textiles, and confectionery products are produced here. Two local factories produce a wide range of alcoholic products.
Cheboksary is also known as a recreational center in the region. Thus, on the left bank of the Volga there is the Chuvashia sanatorium, which provides health services, as well as services for the treatment and diagnosis of various diseases.
Cheboksary is an important educational and cultural center of Chuvashia. There are five universities operating here, as well as a number of out-of-town branches. There are eight museums, five theaters and more than 30 public libraries in the city. Several major festivals are held in Cheboksary every year.
Among the architectural monuments of the city, it is worth noting several beautiful ancient temple buildings and complexes. In particular, the Vvedensky Cathedral of 1651, the Holy Trinity Monastery, founded in the 17th century, the Assumption Church (1763). More than thirty monuments, sculptural compositions and monuments were installed in the city at different times. The most beautiful and famous of them are the Mother monument (which is considered the main tourist symbol of Cheboksary), the magnificent equestrian monument to Chapaev, the bust of the poet Nizami Ganjavi and others.
In conclusion
1,236,628 - this is the exact population of Chuvashia (as of 2016). The main ethnic group within the republic are the Chuvash - the indigenous inhabitants of the region. Here they number about 68%. The city of Cheboksary is the largest city in Chuvashia and its capital.
Today, this republic is characterized by a number of acute demographic problems: extinction and aging of the population, as well as the outflow of young people to other, more promising regions of the country.
It’s been a long time since I analyzed statistical data on Chuvashia in my LiveJournal. Of course, due to constant transformations and changes in methodology, they do not correspond to reality a little, especially socio-economic indicators, but they can show us the dynamics and direction of movement (trend).
I will start with the data that is most difficult to falsify - about the population of Chuvashia.
According to estimates, The permanent population of the Chuvash Republic as of January 1, 2017 was 1,235,863 people, including the urban population - 766,514 people (62.0%), rural - 469,349 people (32.0%). In 2016, the population of the republic decreased by 765 people (0.1%).
The city of Cheboksary, more precisely the Cheboksary urban district, has really become half a million - 500052 people. And that's where the good news ends.
Since 2016, a natural population decline began in the republic (mortality is greater than birth rate). 
Data for 2016 are worse than expected - this is most likely due to worsening socio-economic conditions. 
Throughout Russia, the situation with the birth rate is even worse. The number of young families is decreasing, and children do not appear spontaneously. 
1. On the population of the Chuvash Republic as of January 1, 2017. - CHUVASHSTAT. -
2. About the demographic situation in the Chuvash Republic in January 2017. - CHUVASHSTAT. -
3. Population - CHUVASHSTAT. -
Cheboksary is a city in the Russian Federation, it is the capital of the Chuvash Republic, as well as the scientific, administrative, cultural and industrial center of the Chuvash Republic. The population has been growing since 2009 and as of 2013 is approximately 464 thousand people. The main population of Cheboksary is the Chuvash, who number more than sixty percent, and the rest of the Russians in the city, about thirty-five percent. The city is located on the upper part of the Cheboksary Hydroelectric Power Plant. In the national language - Chuvash it sounds like Shupashkar.
The city also has a satellite city called Novocheboksarsk. A referendum was held to merge the two cities in March 2008, but the majority of satellite city residents voted against the merger.
Population of Cheboksary for 2018 and 2019. Number of inhabitants of Cheboksary
Data on the number of city residents are taken from the Federal State Statistics Service. The official website of the Rosstat service is www.gks.ru. The data was also taken from the unified interdepartmental information and statistical system, the official website of EMISS www.fedstat.ru. The website publishes data on the number of residents of Cheboksary. The table shows the distribution of the number of residents of Cheboksary by year; the graph below shows the demographic trend in different years.
Cheboksary population change chart:
Cheboksary city photo. Photo of Cheboksary
Information about the city of Cheboksary on Wikipedia:
Link to the Cheboksary website. You can get a lot of additional information by reading it on the official website of Cheboksary, the official portal of Cheboksary and the government.
Official website Cheboksary
Map of the city of Cheboksary. Cheboksary Yandex maps
Created using the Yandex service People's Map (Yandex map), when zoomed out you can understand the location of Cheboksary on the map of Russia. Cheboksary Yandex maps. Interactive Yandex map of the city of Cheboksary with street names, as well as house numbers. The map has all the signs for Cheboksary, it is convenient and not difficult to use.
On the page you can find some descriptions of Cheboksary. You can also see the location of the city of Cheboksary on the Yandex map. Detailed with descriptions and labels of all city objects.