Ethnic composition population

The study of any country in geography is impossible without knowledge of the peoples who live it. Here it is important to know what language this nation speaks, and what features of spiritual and material culture distinguish it from other nations, what is the peculiarity of its demographic behavior. Many sciences are engaged in the past and present of peoples: archeology, geography, philosophy, and other sciences. But there is also a special science - ethnography (ethnology), which studies the origin of peoples, their main characteristics and properties, and the relationship between them.

The main concept in ethnography is the concept of ethnos.

Ethnos– (from the Greek éthnos - society, group, tribe, people) a historically established stable community of people, which has a set of characteristics: common territory and language, relatively stable features of material and spiritual culture and psyche, as well as the consciousness of its unity and difference from others of the same formations, i.e. self-awareness and self-designation (according to Yu.V. Bromley

Of the listed characteristics of an ethnic group, none is absolutely necessary for assigning a group of people to a particular people. So, one and the same people can speak two languages ​​(for example, Belarusians speak both Russian and Belarusian). And on English language Englishmen, Australians, New Zealanders, Americans of the USA, Irish and other peoples speak as well. As for the commonality of the territory, this feature is not always an obligatory feature of an ethnic group. For example, those emigrants who moved to permanent place residence in Canada, USA, Brazil. It is very difficult to find within a large group of people an absolute similarity in clothing, food, social and everyday behavior. People are always different. And maybe a resident of Moscow in the capital will be closer to a Parisian or Londoner in terms of material and spiritual culture than to the same Russian, but living in a village beyond the Urals. Rather, the commonality of the territory is necessary condition its emergence and existence.

Therefore, the most important element of the ethnic identification of any group of people is ethnic identity.

Under ethnic identity it is customary to understand a person's awareness of his belonging to a particular people (ethnos), and by self-name to designate the word this ethnos.

Sometimes ethnic self-awareness takes on hypertrophied forms, i.e. representatives of a certain people consider themselves more "significant" in comparison with other neighboring peoples, while achieving the privileges of one people over another in many spheres of life (in the sphere of power, economic structures, symbols, etc.). Such ethnic identity is called nationalism... An extremely aggressive form of nationalism is chauvinism, in which representatives of a certain ethnic group apply ethnic discrimination or forced assimilation to other peoples. Moreover, if these measures go to the destruction of people of a different nationality, then there is such a phenomenon as genocide.

The famous Russian scientist L.N. Gumilev believes that the ethnos is in the process of constant development and transformation, has a stage of origin, development, aging and disappearance (now such peoples as the Byzantines, Hellenes, Romans, Huns, Babylonians are forgotten, and after all, once they were great peoples who left us traces of their great culture). From the moment of inception to the moment of extinction, about 1200-1550 years pass, and the current "backward peoples", for example, the peoples of Africa or Oceania, are just ethnic groups at their stage of youth or, on the contrary, old age, and civilized Europeans are arrogant because they can use the accumulated culture of previous centuries its development.

In our ethnography, it is customary to distinguish three stages the formation of an ethnic group (the so-called stadial or temporary types).

The earliest and simplest stage in the development of an ethnos is considered clan and tribe. The clan and tribe has the following characteristics: a certain territory; common features economic activity; ancestral power. Ethnic identity among tribal members is reflected in the concept of a common ancestor. This category is a historical and classic example of the Evenki, Nenets (northern peoples living in the European north of our country) in the not too distant pre-revolutionary past. Examples of the modern period include some surviving tribes in remote isolated places among the Indians of South America, the aborigines of Australia, and the peoples of equatorial Africa.

With the growth of the social division of labor, with the emergence of a class society and the formation of states, began to take shape nationalities- the second stage of development of the ethnos. Nationality can be perceived in two senses:

1. The stage of development of an ethnos, which occupies an intermediate position between the tribe and the nation. In this case, this group of people has the following characteristics: a single territory, culture, the beginnings of a community of economic life and statehood; ethnic self-awareness is expressed already in the awareness of the community of origin from a particular tribe.

2. Modern ethnic groups that have lost the traits of a tribe and have not become nations.

The nation is the highest stage in the development of an ethnos.

Nation can also have two meanings:

§ The highest stage of development of the ethnos, characterized by the presence of statehood, community ethnic territory, economic life, the emergence and distribution literary language, recognized as a state, by the presence of ethnic identity;

§ The totality of citizens of one state.

Ethnic communities are in constant flux: their numbers change, age and sex composition changes, some communities disappear, others are emerging. All those processes that lead to a change either of some individual elements or of an ethnic group as a whole are called ethnic processes. They are ethno-uniting or ethno-dividing.

At the stage of the emergence and formation of states, ethno-uniting processes were most common. Specialists mainly distinguish two such processes: consolidation and assimilation. Consolidation is the fusion of linguistically and culturally similar groups into a larger ethnic community or inclusion in an ethnic community of a group close to it. So, from the related tribes of the Krivichi, Radimichi and Dregovichi, such a people as the Belarusians was subsequently formed. Ethnic assimilation is the process of “dissolution” of a previously independent ethnic group or some of its parts in the environment of another, usually larger ethnic group. It can be natural and violent. With natural assimilation due to a long stay in a foreign country, immigrants acquire the language, culture, and stereotype of the behavior of the people of the country of residence. In this case, the main route is interethnic marriages. An example of forcible assimilation can be the polonization of Belarusians during the annexation of the Belarusian lands to the Commonwealth, when our population was implanted Polish language, catholic faith, Polish schools.

Not today precise definition the number of peoples, however, the most common value of the number of peoples is 2000 - 2500, which are at various stages of development. The most widespread among geographers were spread classification of peoples by number and language.

By population the grouping of peoples was proposed by S.I. Brook. The largest peoples, the number of which exceeds 100 million people. are: Chinese, Hindus, US Americans, Bengalis, Russians, Brazilians, Japanese, Punjabis. These 8 peoples account for about 41% of the total population of the earth. For peoples with a population of 50 to 100 million - about 17% of the population. There are 12 such peoples today, but most of all (more than 180) peoples have a population of 1 to 5 million people. Although together they account for only 8% of the world's population.

The most common is linguistic classification of peoples the world (based on the relationship of languages). The taxonomic ranks of the peoples of the world adopted in the linguistic classification of peoples are as follows:

§ Subgroup

§ Subdivision

In the linguistic classification of the peoples of the world, it is customary to distinguish the following families: Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, Niger-Congo family, Semitic, Berber, Cushite, Chadian, Austronesian, Dravidian, Altai, Ural-Yukaghir, Austro-Asian, Paratai, Nilo-Saharan, North Caucasian, Kartvelian, Estonian-Yao family Aleutian, Chukotka-Kamchatka, Papuan families, families Indian peoples, andaman.

Some peoples occupy an isolated position, i.e. do not belong to any of the named families (Ainu, Basques, Nivkhs, Burishi, Hoti, Kusunda).

Russia is one of the most multinational, multi-ethnic states in the world. The ethnic composition of the population is an extremely complex variegated mosaic. The dynamics of change in the number of peoples can be established based on a comparison of the data of the first census of 1897 and subsequent ones, including the last one - 1989.

All peoples of Russia can be divided into 3 groups... The first is the indigenous ethnic groups that have formed on the territory of Russia, most of which live in Russia, and outside of it they are only small groups. The number of these peoples is more than 100. The second group is those peoples of the neighboring countries (i.e. republics the former USSR), as well as some other countries, which are represented on the territory of Russia by significant groups, in some cases with a compact settlement. These include 26 ethnic groups: Ukrainians, Belarusians, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Moldovans, Georgians, Koreans, Poles, Lithuanians, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Bulgarians, Gagauz, Greeks, etc. And finally, the third group is formed by small ethnic divisions, in the overwhelming majority of ethnic groups living outside Russia (in the near and far abroad), there are more than 30 ethnic groups. These are Meskhetian Turks, Assyrians, Abkhazians, Karakalpaks, Romanians, Hungarians, Chinese, Kurds, Czechs, Arabs, Uighurs, Iranians, Vietnamese , Khalkha Mongols, Serbs, Jews, Afghans, Slovaks, Dungans, Baluchis, Talysh, Livs, etc.

Indigenous ethnic groups include 94% of the total population of Russia... The peoples of the second group at the beginning of 1989 accounted for 5.5% of the total population within the Russian Federation. As for the peoples of the third group, their total number is 0.5% of the population of Russia.

In addition to Russians, who make up 81.5% of the total population (1989), the most numerous are Tatars - 3.8%, Ukrainians - 3%, Chuvash - 1.2%, peoples of Dagestan - 1.2% (among them Avars - 544 thousand .), Bashkirs - 0.9%, Belarusians - 0.8%, Mordovians - 0.7%.

The total population in 32 national entities in 1989 was 25.8 million people, 17.6% of the inhabitants of Russia, including in 21 republics - 23.1 million people, or 15.7%. All republics, autonomous regions and autonomous okrugs are distinguished by a complex ethnic composition of the population, and the share of the titular (who gave the name to the corresponding education) people in some cases is relatively small. Of the 27.2 million non-Russians in Russia, 9.7 million people of the titular peoples of the republics, autonomous regions and autonomous districts and 4.3 million representatives of other non-Russian peoples live within all national formations. Thus, almost half (48.5%) of the total population (except for Russians) lives outside their national formations, that is, in other regions of Russia. So, 70.8% of Mordovians, 68% of Tatars, 49.6% of Mari live outside their republics.

Of the 21 republics of Russia, only six titular peoples make up the majority (Chechnya, Ingushetia, Chuvashia, Tuva, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia). In addition, in multiethnic Dagestan, 10 indigenous peoples make up 80.2% of the total population. In 9 republics, the titular population is less than a third of the total population (including in Karelia - only 10% and Kalmykia - 11.8%). The increase in the share of titular peoples occurs both due to their higher natural increase in comparison with the Russians, and due to the departure of representatives of non-titular peoples.

The picture of the settlement of peoples in the autonomous okrugs is significantly different.... Inhabited very rarely and possessing huge reserves of minerals, they have been attracting immigrants for several decades, and not only Russians, but also Ukrainians, Belarusians, Tatars and representatives of other ethnic groups. As a result, over 30 years (1959 - 1989) the number of the titular peoples of the districts increased by only 5.7%, and the number of Russians - almost fourfold; as for the rest of the peoples, their number in the districts increased by 7.2 times. As a result, the ethnic structure of the population of the autonomous okrugs has changed dramatically and now the titular peoples in most of the okrugs make up only a small percentage. So, their share in all the districts decreased from 35.2 to 11.2%, and in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug in 1989 it was 1.5%, in the Yamalo-Nenetsky - 6. Chukotsky - 9.5, Nenetsky - 11.9%. At the same time, in the Komi-Permyak district, the Komi-Perm was 60.2%, in the Aginsky Buryat - 54.9% of the Buryats.

According to the 1897 census in Russian Empire there were 146 languages ​​and dialects, which somewhat underestimated the real number ethnic communities due to insufficient ethnographic knowledge of the outskirts. Over 190 ethnic communities were taken into account by the general census of 1926 in the USSR. By the 1959 census, as a result of the arbitrary unification of closely related territorial and tribal groups, the number of officially recognized ethnic units had decreased to 110. This tendency towards a simplification of the national-ethnic structure was also manifested in the preparation of the 1970-1989 censuses. According to the 1989 census, 128 ethnic groups lived in Russia. However, experts believe that the number of nations, nationalities, ethnic groups in Russia is 176 units.

RACE AND ETHNIC COMPOSITION OF THE POPULATION

Human race- a historically developed group of people with similar, inherited external (bodily) signs.

Composition and structure human races, (%).

Ethnicities (peoples)- the established stable community of people united by language, territory, economy, culture, national identity and opposing itself to all other similar groups.

In total, there are 3-4 thousand peoples in the world, or ethnic groups, some of which have developed into a nation, while others are nationalities and tribes. Naturally, with such a number of peoples, their classification is necessary. For population geography greatest value have a classification of peoples, firstly, by number and, secondly, by language.

The classification of peoples by number indicates, first of all, extremely large differences between them: from the Chinese, of which there are already more than 1.3 billion, to the Vedda tribe in Sri Lanka or the Botokuds in Brazil, which number less than 1,000 people. The bulk of the world's population is made up of large and especially the most great nations while many hundreds of small peoples account for only a few percent of the population the globe... But both large and small peoples have made and are making their own contribution to world culture.

The classification of peoples by language is based on the principle of their relationship.

All languages ​​are grouped into language families, which are divided into language groups. The most common of these is the Indo-European family.

The languages ​​of this family are spoken by 150 peoples with a total number of more than 2.5 billion people belonging to 11 language groups and living in all parts of the world. V overseas Europe and America, the languages ​​of this family are spoken by 95% of the total population.

Over 1 billion people speak the languages ​​of the Sino-Tibetan family, mainly Chinese, more than 250 million speak the languages ​​of the Afrasian family, mainly Arabic. The majority of other families are much smaller.

In cases where national (ethnic) boundaries coincide with political ones, single national states; most of them are in Europe, in Latin America, in Australia and Oceania, in the Middle East. There are also bi-national states- Belgium, Canada. Along with these, there are many countries that represent multinational states; in some of them dozens and even hundreds of peoples live. In many cases, they have a federal or confederal administrative-territorial structure.

Problems and tests on the topic "Racial and ethnic composition of the population"

• Population size and composition - Earth population grade 7

  Lessons: 3 Assignments: 8 Tests: 1

• Population and countries of North America - North America 7th grade
• Population and countries of South America - South America 7th grade

  Lessons: 4 Assignments: 10 Tests: 1

• Brazil - South America grade 7

  Lessons: 4 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

• Accommodation of the population - Earth population grade 7

  Lessons: 3 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

Leading ideas: Population is the basis of the material life of society, an active element of our planet. People of all races, nations and nationalities are equally capable of participating in material production and in spiritual life.

Basic concepts: demography, growth rates and population growth rates, population reproduction, fertility (fertility rate), mortality (mortality rate), natural growth (natural growth rate), traditional, transitional, modern type reproduction, population explosion, demographic crisis, demographic policy, migration (emigration, immigration), demographic situation, sex and age structure of the population, sex and age pyramid, EAN, labor resources, structure of employment; resettlement and placement of the population; urbanization, agglomeration, megalopolis, race, ethnos, discrimination, apartheid, world and national religions.

Skills: be able to calculate and apply indicators of reproduction, labor supply (EAN), urbanization, etc. for individual countries and groups of countries, as well as analyze and draw conclusions (compare, generalize, determine the trends and consequences of these trends), read, compare and analyze age and sex pyramids of different countries and groups of countries; using maps of the atlas and other sources to characterize changes in the main indicators for the territory of the world, to characterize the population of the country (region) according to the plan using maps of the atlas.

The Russian Federation is a multinational state. The largest people are Russians, whose number is four times higher than all other peoples inhabiting the country. Russians, according to the 2002 census, are 115,889 thousand people, which is 79.8% of the total population. According to the results of the census, the list published by the Federal State Statistics Service contains 182 ethnic names, and in the 1989 census there were 128. This difference is not associated with a change in the number of peoples, but with the use of new census methods. But even a modern census cannot provide an absolutely accurate picture of ethnic diversity. For a variety of reasons, some of the peoples are included in the census with distortions. It is difficult to rewrite small communities, as well as those groups whose names are similar to each other: Arabs and Central Asian Arabs (the latter, apparently, were partially rewritten simply as Arabs), Gypsies and Central Asian Gypsies (many Central Asian Gypsies called themselves Gypsies), Turks and Turks - Meskhetians (most Meskhetians called themselves simply Turks). The majority of Rusyns, apparently, called themselves Ukrainians during the census (this is more familiar to them, because the name “Rusyns” was not recognized in Soviet times). Perhaps the information on the number of Taz, Kamchadals, Kereks, as well as peoples of immigrant origin (Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Moldovans, Azerbaijanis, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.) was also incomplete.

Sixteen small peoples of Dagestan (Andians, Botlikhs, Godoberins, Karatins, Akhvakhs, Bagulals, Chamalals, Tindals, Khvarshians, Didoians (Tsezes), Ginukhs, Bezhtins, Gunzibs, Archins, Kubachins, and Kakhaytagians were taught by the Peresentagians). In the 2002 All-Russian Population Census, these groups were counted separately, as well as together with the Avars and Dargins. Such calculations were carried out for the first time since the 1926 census. A significant number of Kryashens, who live mainly in Tatarstan, were also counted for the first time, and therefore inaccuracies were inevitable. The number of Kryashens is also included in the Tatars (in previous censuses, the Kryashens were recorded as Tatars).

Ethnic diversity in Russia is associated with linguistic diversity. The languages ​​spoken on the territory of Russia are classified by specialists in the following language families: Indo-European, Uralic, or Ural-Yukagir, Altai, North Caucasian, Kartvelian, Afrasian, Sino-Tibetan, Chukchi-Kamchatka, Austro-Asian, Eskimo-Aleutian and hypothetical Yenisetian language and several dead languages. In addition, one people - the Nivkhs - speak an isolated language. This language, as well as the language of the Kets, the Chukchi-Kamchatka and Eskimo-Aleutian languages, are conventionally combined into the Paleo-Asian group of languages. Sometimes this group also includes the Yukaghir languages, but here they are referred to the Uralic family of languages, which reflects the results of the latest linguistic research.

Indo-European language family

The most numerous language family in Russia is Indo-European. There are 8 of its branches in Russia: Slavic, Baltic, Germanic, Romanesque, Greek, Armenian, Iranian, Indo-Aryan. TO Slavic branch include Russians, Ukrainians and Rusyns (together - 2,943 thousand people), Belarusians (808 thousand people), forming with the Russians the East Slavic group, Poles (73 thousand people), Czechs (3 thousand) and Slovaks ( 0.6 thousand), which are part of the West Slavic group, as well as Bulgarians (32 thousand) and Serbs (4 thousand), belonging to the South Slavic group. Together, the Slavic peoples make up 82.5% of the country's population.

Of the 83 constituent entities of the Russian Federation, Russians form an absolute majority in 78. Russians are a numerical minority only in Ingushetia (where they make up 1% - the lowest share in the entire federation), Chechnya (4%), Dagestan (5%). In several other regions their share is less than half of the population - in Tyva (20%), North Ossetia - Alania (23%), Kabardino-Balkaria (25%), Chuvashia (27%), Kalmykia (34%), Bashkortostan (36 %), Tatarstan (39%) and Mari El (47%). In two subjects of the federation, the Russians, without forming an absolute majority, still constitute a relative majority, since they are the largest people there (Mari El and Bashkortostan).

There are ethnic and ethnographic groups in the Russian people. The most famous of them - the Cossacks - is very original, since it is an ethno-class formation that includes not only Russians (who are the overwhelming majority), but also representatives of other peoples: Ukrainians, Kalmyks, Ossetians, Bashkirs, etc. Pomors and Mezenians close to them, although their number determined by the census is obviously lower than the actual one. Groups of so-called local Russians, or old-timers, have also survived in a number of regions of Siberia and the Far East: Kerzhaks, masons, Ob, tundra peasants, Karyms, Semeyskie, Yakut, Lena, Indigir people, campers, Kolyma residents, Russian-Ustyinsky. True, the total number of all these groups, determined by the census, is very small - only 269 people.

Ukrainians are the third largest nation in the Russian Federation. They are generally dispersed throughout Russia and, with rare exceptions, do not form compact areas. The largest groups of Ukrainians live in the following federal subjects: Moscow (254 thousand), Tyumen region (211 thousand, including in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra - 123 thousand and Yamalo: Nenets Autonomous Okrug - 66 thousand) , Moscow region (148 thousand), Krasnodar region (132 thousand), Rostov region (118 thousand), Primorsky region (94 thousand), St. Petersburg (87 thousand), Omsk (78 thousand), Chelyabinsk (77 thousand), Orenburg (77 thousand), Voronezh (74 thousand) regions, Krasnoyarsk region (69 thousand), Saratov region(67 thousand), the Komi Republic (62 thousand), Samara (61 thousand), Belgorod (58 thousand), Murmansk (57 thousand), Volgograd (56 thousand), Sverdlovsk (55 thousand) regions, Bashkortostan (55 thousand), Irkutsk region (54 thousand), Altai Territory (53 thousand).

Belarusians are equally dispersedly settled in Russia. They live in Moscow (59 thousand), St. Petersburg (54 thousand), Kaliningrad (51 thousand), Moscow (42 thousand) regions, Karelia (38 thousand), Tyumen region (36 thousand) and in other places.

The two peoples of Russia belong to the Baltic (summer-Lithuanian) branch of the Indo-European language family. These are Lithuanians (46 thousand) and Latvians (29 thousand). Together they make up 0.05% of the population of Russia. Among the Latvians living in Russia (Siberia), there are Latgalians - an ethno-confessional group whose representatives profess predominantly Catholicism (most other Latvians are Lutherans). Latvians are settled in Russia in small groups (the largest group is in the Krasnoyarsk region - 4 thousand people), the largest number of Lithuanians is concentrated in the Kaliningrad region (14 thousand).

The Germanic language branch includes Germans (597 thousand), Americans (1.3 thousand), British (0.5 thousand) and conditionally Ashkenazi Jews (230 thousand). The conditional nature of the inclusion of Jews in this group is due to the fact that Yiddish, close to the German language, was previously native to the overwhelming majority of them, but now the bulk of Russian Jews consider Russian to be their native language. In their aggregate, representatives of the German branch make up 0.6% of the population of Russia. The majority of Germans are in the Altai Territory (80 thousand) and the Omsk Region (76 thousand), where, respectively, the German and Azov German national regions have been created. There are also many of them in Novosibirsk (47 thousand), Kemerovo (36 thousand), Chelyabinsk (28 thousand), Tyumen (27 thousand), Sverdlovsk (23 thousand), Orenburg (18 thousand), Volgograd (17 thousand .) regions, Krasnodar Territory (18 thousand). Among the Russian Germans, there is an ethno-confessional group of Mennonites (Orenburg and Omsk regions, Altai Territory and other regions) and a geographically separate group of Golendras (Zalarinsky District of Irkutsk Region). Most Jews live in Moscow (79 thousand) and St. Petersburg (37 thousand).

Also in large cities, Americans and British living in Russia are predominantly concentrated.

The Romance language branch in Russia is represented by Moldovans (172 thousand), Romanians (5 thousand), Spaniards (1.5 thousand), Cubans (0.7 thousand), Italians (0.9 thousand), French (0 , 8 thousand). In general, the peoples of this language family make up 0.1% of the population of Russia and are concentrated mainly in large cities, Moldovans also in rural areas. A significant number of Moldovans live in the Tyumen (18 thousand) and Rostov (8 thousand) regions, as well as in the Krasnodar Territory (7 thousand).

The Greek linguistic branch includes only one people. Greeks (98 thousand, i.e. 0.07% of the population of Russia) live primarily in the Stavropol (34 thousand) and Krasnodar (27 thousand) regions.

The Armenian branch unites Armenians with the Hemshils who are close to them in origin, professing Islam, in contrast to the Christian Armenians. The number of Armenians in Russia has grown greatly over the past two decades, and, according to the 2002 census, they number 1,130,000. Most Armenians are in Krasnodar (275 thousand) and Stavropol (149 thousand) regions, Rostov region(110 thousand), as well as in Moscow (124 thousand). There are a significant number of Armenians in the Moscow (40 thousand), Volgograd (27 thousand), Saratov (25 thousand), Samara (22 thousand) regions, St. Petersburg (19 thousand), the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania (17 thousand), the Republic of Adygea (15 thousand). There are very few Khemshils (1.5 thousand people), they are mainly concentrated in the Krasnodar Territory (1 thousand), as well as in the Rostov and Voronezh regions. In general, 0.8% of the total population of the country belongs to the Armenian language branch.

The Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family in Russia includes Ossetians, Tajiks, Pashtuns, Persians, Central Asian Gypsies, Central Asian Jews, Mountain Jews, Tats, Talysh, Kurds, Yezidis. Ossetians (515 thousand people) are concentrated mainly in the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania (445 thousand), although there are a significant number of them in some other places: Moscow (11 thousand), the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (10 thousand). Ossetians are divided into two ethno-confessional groups: Ironians, mainly professing Orthodoxy, and Digors, adhering to Islam (they live in the Digorsky and Irafsky districts of the republic). Between the 1989 and 2002 censuses. in Russia, the number of Pashtuns increased sharply, which was associated with the influx of refugees from Afghanistan into our country. According to the 2002 census, 10,000 Pashtuns lived in Russia, 6,000 of them in Moscow. Tajiks (120 thousand people) are dispersed in the country: in Moscow (35 thousand), the Tyumen region (8 thousand) and a number of other places.

The majority of Central Asian Roma speak Tajik as well. According to the 2002 census, there were 0.5 thousand of them, but their number should probably be large, since some of them, as noted, could call themselves simply Gypsies, and some generally avoided the census registration. Persians (4 thousand people) live mainly in the Republic of Dagestan (0.7 thousand), the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (0.5 thousand) and Moscow (0.7 thousand). The extremely small number of Central Asian (Bukhara) Jews (54 people) is most likely due to their underestimation, since during the census some of them could have identified themselves as simply Jews.

Mountain Jews (3 thousand people) live in the Republic of Dagestan (over 1,000), Moscow (about 1,000) and some other places. Perhaps some of them could call themselves tatami, and some - just Jews. The Tats (2 thousand people), Muslims by religion, speak the same language with the Mountain Jews, also live in Dagestan (0.8 thousand) and some other places. Talysh (2.5 thousand people) live mainly in Moscow (0.5 thousand), St. Petersburg (0.3 thousand) and the Tyumen region (0.3 thousand). Probably, their number is higher, since in Azerbaijan they are inclined to be ranked among Azerbaijanis (and some of them could call themselves that).

The most significant groups of Kurds (20 thousand people) are in the Krasnodar Territory (5 thousand), the Republic of Adygea (4 thousand) and the Saratov region (2 thousand). Yezidis (31 thousand people) are settled very dispersedly, there are small groups of them in the Krasnodar Territory (4 thousand), Nizhny Novgorod (3 thousand) and Yaroslavl (3 thousand) regions. In aggregate, the peoples speaking the languages ​​of the Iranian branch make up 0.5% of the total population in Russia.

The Indo-Aryan language branch includes Gypsies (excluding Central Asian) and Hindi-speaking Indians living in Russia. The number of Roma, according to the 2002 census, amounted to 183 thousand people. Most of them are in the Stavropol Territory (19 thousand), the Rostov Region (15 thousand) and the Krasnodar Territory (11 thousand). As for the Hindi-speaking Indians (5 thousand people), most of them are concentrated in Moscow (about 3 thousand). In general, representatives of the Indo-Aryan branch make up 0.1% of the population in Russia.

The total number of peoples living in Russia belonging to the Indo-European language family is 84.7% of the country's population.

Uralic-Yukaghir language family

The Uralic-Yukaghir language family is represented in Russia by all three groups: Finno: Ugric, Samoyed and Yukagir (some linguists do not recognize the existence of the Uralic-Yukaghir family and consider the Ural and Yukaghir families separately). The largest Finno-Ugric branch unites those living mainly in the north-west of Russia, in the Volga region and Western Siberia Karelians, Finns, Izhorians, Vods, Estonians, Vepsians, Sami, Mordovians, Mari, Udmurts, Besermyans, Komi, Permian Komi, Khanty, Mansi, Hungarians. There are 93 thousand Karelians. Of these, 66 thousand live in the Republic of Karelia, 15 thousand - in the Tver region, the rest are dispersedly settled throughout the country. Among the Karelians, in terms of language and some elements of culture, two groups stand out: Livviks and humans. The dialects of these groups are very different from the dialect of the bulk of the Karelians, and some linguists consider them to be independent languages. Finns (34 thousand people) are represented in Russia mainly by a group of Ingrian Finns. The most significant groups of Finns in our country are in the Republic of Karelia (14 thousand), the Leningrad region (8 thousand), they also live in St. Petersburg (4 thousand). The small Izhorians (0.3 thousand people) are concentrated mainly in the Leningrad region (0.2 thousand), they also live in St. Petersburg (53 people).

Vod (total 73 people) live mainly in the Leningrad region (12 people), St. Petersburg (12 people) and Moscow (10 people). Estonians (28 thousand people) are dispersed in Russia. Their groups are located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory (4 thousand), Omsk Region (3 thousand), St. Petersburg (2 thousand), Leningrad (1 thousand) and Novosibirsk (1 thousand) regions, Moscow (1 thousand) , Krasnodar Territory (1 thousand), Pskov Region (1 thousand). Setos closely related to Estonians (197 people) live in the Pskov region. Vepsians (8 thousand people) are settled in Karelia (5 thousand), Leningrad (2 thousand) and Vologda (0.4 thousand) regions. The Sami living in Russia (2 thousand) are mostly concentrated in the Murmansk region. The Sami dialects are very different from each other, and many linguists consider them to be different languages. The Russian Sami are divided into four main groups: Skolt, Terek, Babin (the last representative died in 2003) and Kildin. The largest Finno-Ugric people - the Mordovians (843 thousand) - are settled very dispersedly, only a third of its total number is concentrated in the Republic of Mordovia (284 thousand). A significant number of Mordovians are in the Samara (86 thousand), Penza (71 thousand), Orenburg (52 thousand), Ulyanovsk (50 thousand) regions, Bashkortostan (26 thousand), Nizhny Novgorod region (25 thousand), Tatarstan (24 thousand), Moscow (23 thousand), Moscow (22 thousand), Chelyabinsk (18 thousand), Saratov (17 thousand) regions, Chuvash Republic(16 thousand). Mordva is divided into two groups: Erzya and Moksha, who speak closely related languages. The closest are the Mordovians, the Mari (604 thousand). More than half of their total number (312 thousand) live in the Republic of Mari El. There is a large group of Mari (106 thousand) in Bashkortostan, they also live in the Kirov (39 thousand), Sverdlovsk (28 thousand) regions, Tatarstan (19 thousand). The Mari, like the Mordovians, are divided into two groups: meadow-eastern and mountain Mari, whose dialects are quite close, but still have two different literary forms. Another large Finno-Ugric people - the Udmurts (637 thousand people) - are concentrated mainly in the Udmurt Republic (461 thousand), they also live in Perm Territory(26 thousand), Tatarstan (24 thousand), Bashkortostan (23 thousand), Kirov (18 thousand), Sverdlovsk (18 thousand) regions. The ethnographic division of the Udmurts into northern and southern ones has largely disappeared. The Udmurt language is also spoken by Besermians (3 thousand people). They are settled in the north of Udmurtia (along the Cheptse river) and in the neighboring districts of the Kirov region. Two close peoples - the Komi (293 thousand people) and the Permian Komi (125 thousand people) - are concentrated mainly within two subjects of the Federation - the Komi Republic and the Perm Territory (256 and 103 thousand people, respectively). Komi, otherwise called Komi-Zyryans, also inhabit the Tyumen region (11 thousand). The Komi-Zyryans, like the Komi-Perm, have different groups in their composition. Ethnographic group of Komi-Zyryans - Komi-Izhemtsy differ from the majority of Komi in their main economic occupation (reindeer husbandry). Komi-Izhemtsy live in the northern regions of the Komi Republic (along the course of the Pechora River and its tributary Izhma), in the Tyumen region (mainly in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra), as well as in the Murmansk region. Among the Komi-Permians, the Komi-Yazvins stand out (they live in the Perm region, along the course of the Yazva River) and the Komi-Zyuzdins (they are settled in the Afanasyevsky district of the Kirov region). Khanty (29 thousand people) and Mansi (11 thousand people) are mainly settled within the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra (17 and 10 thousand, respectively). A notable group of Khanty (9 thousand) also lives in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The Khanty language is divided into a number of dialects, mutual understanding between which is difficult. Literature has been created in several dialects of this language (Kazym, Shuryshkar, Middle Ob). In terms of language, the Hungarians (4 thousand) are close to the Khanty and Mansi, who are not found anywhere in Russia in significant numbers. In their totality, the peoples of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic-Yukagir language family, according to the 2002 census, form about 1.9% of the population of Russia.

The Finno-Ugric branch is significantly inferior in number to the second branch of the Uralic-Yukagir language family - Samoyed. It includes the Nenets, Enets, Nganasans and Selkups. The Nenets (41 thousand) live mainly in two autonomous regions: Yamalo-Nenets (26 thousand) and Nenets (8 thousand). The Enets (0.2 thousand) are settled mainly in Taimyr. The Nganasans (0.8 thousand people) mostly live there. Selkups (4 thousand people) live mainly in two geographically separate regions: the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (about 2 thousand) and the Tomsk region (about 2 thousand). The peoples of the Samoyed branch of the Uralic-Yukaghir language family in aggregate make up only 0.03% of the population of Russia.

The Yukaghir linguistic branch is even smaller in number, to which only two peoples can be attributed, and even then one of them is conditional: Yukaghirs (1.5 thousand) and Chuvans (1.1 thousand).

The fact is that the Chuvans used to speak a language close to Yukaghir, but have lost it, and one part of them now speaks Russian, and the other in Chukchi.

The Yukaghirs themselves speak two very different, poorly understood dialects, which some linguists consider to be separate languages ​​- North Yukagir (tundra) and South Yukagir (Kolyma). The bulk of the Yukaghirs (1.1 thousand people) live in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Chuvans are concentrated in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (about 1 thousand). The two peoples of the Yukaghir branch of the Ural-Yukaghir language family make up only 0.002% of the population of Russia. In general, the Ural-Yukaghir family covers more than 1.9% of the country's population.

Altai language family

The Altai language family is sometimes brought together with the Uralic-Yukaghir language family. However, some linguists question the very existence of the latter, believing that the Altaic languages ​​form not a family, but a "linguistic union", and believing that the similarity of these languages ​​is due not to the presence of common roots, but to long-term mutual influence. This family is divided into 5 branches: Turkic, Mongolian, Tungus-Manchu, Korean, Japanese (Korean and Japanese languages ​​do not include a number of linguists in the Altai family and are considered isolated).

The most numerous of the named branches is the Turkic. In Russia, it includes the Chuvash, Tatars, Kryashens, Nagaybaks, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Nogays, Kumyks, Karachais, Balkars, Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks, Karaites, Azerbaijanis, Turks, Meskhetian Turks, Gagauz, Uzbeks, Turkmens Kyrgyz, Altai, Telengits, Teleuts, Tubalars, Chelkans, Kumandins, Chulyms, Shors, Khakassians, Tuvinians, Tofalars, Soyots, Yakuts, Dolgans.

More than half of the Chuvashes (their total number is 1,637 thousand) live in the Chuvash Republic (889 thousand), large groups of them are in Tatarstan (127 thousand), Bashkortostan (117 thousand), Ulyanovsk (111 thousand) and Samara (101 thousand) regions. 30 thousand Chuvash live in the Tyumen region (half - in the Khanty: Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Ugra). The division of the Chuvashes into three groups - viryal in the north and north-west, anat enchi in the north-east and in the center, anatri in the south - is now poorly traced. Tatars (5 555 thousand) are settled very dispersed throughout the country. Only a little more than a third of them (2 million) live in the Republic of Tatarstan. 991 thousand Tatars live in Bashkortostan, they are also settled in Tyumen (242 thousand), Chelyabinsk (205 thousand), Ulyanovsk (169 thousand), Sverdlovsk (168 thousand) regions, Moscow (166 thousand), Orenburg region (166 thousand), Perm Territory (137 thousand), Samara region(128 thousand), Udmurtia (109 thousand), Penza (87 thousand), Astrakhan (71 thousand), Saratov (58 thousand), Moscow (53 thousand), Kemerovo (51 thousand) regions. Most of the Siberian Tatars are concentrated in the Tyumen region. They are subdivided into a number of groups: Tyumen-Turin, Yaskolbinsk (swamp), Tobolsk, Tevriz, Tara Tatars, Barabin, Kalmaks, chats, Eushta. Another group of Tatars, which is also sometimes considered a separate people, are the Astrakhan Tatars. They are concentrated mainly in the Astrakhan region (Kharabalinsky, Privolzhsky, Narimanovsky, Krasnoyarsky, Volodarsky districts). A small number of Astrakhan Tatars live in the Caspian region of Kalmykia. Astrakhan Tatars are divided into groups: Yurts, Kundra, Karagash (the latter consider themselves more Nogai than Tatars), Alabugats, etc. The two most numerous groups Volga Tatars- Kazan Tatars and Mishars, differing from the Kazan Tatars by the peculiarities of their language and culture. Mishars live in general a little to the west of the Kazan Tatars, in a number of regions of Tatarstan (Chistopolsky, etc.), as well as in the Nizhny Novgorod, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Penza, Saratov regions, Mordovia, Chuvashia and Bashkortostan.

The bulk of the Kryashens are concentrated in Tatarstan (Kazan and Naberezhnye Chelny, Zainsky, Mamadyshsky, Nizhnekamsky, Kukmorsky, Kaibitsky, Pestrechensky and other regions), but they also live in Bashkortostan (mainly in the Bakalinsky district), Udmurtia (mainly in the Grakhovsky district), Mari El (in Mari: Turek region), Kirov region (in Kilmez region) and other places. The people close to the Kryashens - the Nagaybaks (about 10 thousand people) - also speak the dialect Tatar language... Almost all Nagaybaks live in the Chelyabinsk region (over 9 thousand), mainly in the Nagaybatsky and Chebarkulsky districts.

A large people of the Turkic branch of the Altai language family are the Bashkirs (1,673 thousand people). The Bashkirs are not as dispersed as the Tatars. The Republic of Bashkortostan is home to 1,221 thousand Bashkirs (more than three quarters of their total number). There are significant groups of Bashkirs in Chelyabinsk (166 thousand), Orenburg (53 thousand), Tyumen (47 thousand, including in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra - 36 thousand) regions, Perm Territory (41 thousand), Sverdlovsk region (37 thousand).

Kazakhs (654 thousand people) are settled in those regions of Russia that adjoin Kazakhstan: Astrakhan (143 thousand), Orenburg (126 thousand), Omsk (82 thousand). Volgograd (45 thousand) and others.

Among the Kazakhs, there are three very small groups - the Russified Tuatinsky and Steppe, as well as the Kosh-Agach. Turata Kazakhs, or in another way - baptized Kazakhs, live in the Altai Republic (Ust-Kansk region). Steppe Kazakhs by the 2002 census in the Altai Territory,

where they previously lived were not identified. The Kosh-Agach Kazakhs are compactly settled in the region of the same name (numerically prevailing over the local Altai), as well as in the Ulagan region of the Altai Republic. Karakalpaks, close to Kazakhs (1.6 thousand), live mainly in the border regions - Volgograd, Saratov, Orenburg.

Karachais (192.2 thousand) live mainly in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (169.2 thousand) and the Stavropol Territory (15.1 thousand). Balkars speaking the same language with them (108 thousand people) live in Kabardino-Balkaria.

Nogays (91 thousand people) are settled in several regions that are territorially separated from each other: Dagestan (38 thousand), Stavropol Territory (21 thousand), Karachay-Cherkessia (15 thousand) and other Kumyks (422 thousand people) are concentrated mainly in Dagestan (366 thousand), they are also in North Ossetia - Alania (13 thousand) and the Tyumen region (12 thousand, including in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra - 10 thousand). Crimean Tatars currently live in the Crimea and Krasnodar Territory (about 3 thousand). Krymchaks, close to them in language (157 people), professing Judaism, after the departure of most of them to Israel, remained in small groups in the Krasnodar Territory (32 people), Moscow and the Moscow Region (36 people), St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region ( 21 people) and in some other places. There are few Karaites left in Russia (366 people, including 117 in Moscow and 53 in St. Petersburg).

Azerbaijanis (622 thousand people) are settled across Russia very widely, there are significant groups of them in Dagestan (112 thousand), Moscow (96 thousand), Tyumen region (42 thousand, including in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Ugra - 25 thousand), in the Krasnoyarsk Territory (19 thousand), St. Petersburg (17 thousand), Rostov (16 thousand), Saratov (16 thousand), Sverdlovsk (15 thousand) regions, Stavropol Territory ( 15 thousand), Samara (15 thousand), Moscow (15 thousand), Volgograd (14 thousand) regions, Krasnodar Territory (12 thousand). Due to the active migration inflow of Azerbaijanis in the Russian Federation, there are significantly more than the 2002 census. ... According to the census, the most significant groups of Turks live in the North Caucasus: in the Krasnodar (13 thousand) and Stavropol (7 thousand) regions, Kabardino-Balkaria (9 thousand).

The Gagauz (12 thousand people) are also settled in Russia, mostly dispersed. The largest number of Gagauz people in Russia live in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra (1.6 thousand people) and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (0.9 thousand), in Moscow and the Moscow Region (1.7 thousand) ...

There are 33 thousand Turkmen in Russia. Among them, a compact rural group in the Stavropol Territory stands out, the so-called Stavropol Turkmens, or Trukhmen, of which there are 14 thousand people. 3.5 thousand Turkmen also live in Moscow and 2.1 thousand - in the Astrakhan region. Uzbeks (123 thousand) are widely settled in Russia, the most significant groups are in Moscow and the Moscow region (28.5 thousand), Samara region (5.5 thousand), Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra (5.2 thousand .), Bashkortostan (5.1 thousand) and Tatarstan (4.9 thousand). The Uighurs close to them (3 thousand people, including 2 thousand in Moscow and the Moscow region) do not form large groups anywhere. The Kirghiz (32 thousand people) are also dispersedly settled on the territory of Russia, the most noticeable groups of which are in Moscow (4 thousand), the Krasnoyarsk Territory (4 thousand) and the Tyumen region (3 thousand).

The 2002 census took into account the Altai peoples who were united in the previous censuses under the name of Altaians, living mainly in the Altai Republic and neighboring regions: the Altai proper, or Altai-Kizhi (67 thousand), Telengits (2.4 thousand), Teleuts (2 , 6 thousand), Tubalars (1.6 thousand), Chelkans (0.9 thousand) and Kumandins (3.1 thousand). Altai-kizhi are concentrated in the Altai Republic (62 thousand), almost all Telengits, Tubalars and Chelkans are also in the Altai Republic, the overwhelming majority of Teleuts are in the Kemerovo Region (mainly in the Belovsky District), the Kumandins are in the Altai Territory, the Altai Republic and Kemerovo region. The Chulyms (0.7 thousand), who were included in the Tatars or Khakass, did not stand out earlier either. The Chulyms are settled along the course of the Chulym River (hence their name) in the Tomsk Region (0.5 thousand) and the Krasnoyarsk Territory (about 0.2 thousand). Another small Turkic-speaking people - the Shors (14 thousand) - live in the neighboring Kemerovo region (about 12 thousand), mainly in the area known as Gornaya Shoria. 1 thousand Shors live in Khakassia. Khakass (76 thousand) are settled mainly in the Republic of Khakassia (65 thousand), where they make up 12% of the population. The previous division of the Khakass into four or five groups - Kyzyl, Kachin, Sagay, Koibals, and sometimes also Beltirs - has largely been erased, although most Khakass still remember which group they belong to. More than 4 thousand Khakass live in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, another 1 thousand are settled in neighboring Tyva. The Tuvans themselves (243 thousand people) are overwhelmingly concentrated in the Republic of Tuva (235 thousand), where they form about 4/5 of the population. In terms of their economic and cultural structure, the Tuvans-Todzhins stand out, living mainly in the Todzha region of the republic. Tofalars (0.8 thousand people) are close to Tuvans, concentrated mainly in the Irkutsk region (0.7 thousand), mainly in the Nizhneudinsk region. Sometimes the Soyots (2.8 thousand people), who in the past spoke Turkic language, but now have switched to the Buryat language. Soyots are compactly settled in the Okinsky region of Buryatia.

The Yakuts (444 thousand people) are one of the most significant Turkic-speaking peoples of Russia - almost exclusively (97%) are concentrated in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and make up about half of the population there. Dolgans (7 thousand people), who speak a language very close to Yakut, are concentrated mainly in the Krasnoyarsk Territory (about 6 thousand), and, first of all, in the former Taimyr (Dolgan-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug (now the municipal region ), mainly in the Khatanga and Dudinsky regions. They also exist in the Anabar region of Yakutia. In general, the peoples of the Turkic branch of the Altai language family make up 8.4% of the population of all of Russia.

The Mongolian branch of the Altai language family is represented in Russia by the Buryats, Kalmyks and Mongols. Buryats (445 thousand people) live mainly in the Republic of Buryatia (273 thousand), the Aginsk Buryat Autonomous District of the Trans-Baikal Territory (45 thousand) and the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous District of the Irkutsk Region (54 thousand). In addition, there is a significant number of Buryats in the Irkutsk Region and the Trans-Baikal Territory outside these autonomous okrugs (27 thousand and 25 thousand, respectively). In the Republic of Buryatia and the Aginsky district, the Buryats make up about 3/5 of the population, in the Ust-Orda district they do not form the majority, being inferior in number to the Russians. Kalmyks (174 thousand people) are concentrated mainly in the Republic of Kalmykia (156 thousand, i.e. 90% of all Kalmyks). 7 thousand Kalmyks live in the Astrakhan region, mainly in the areas adjacent to Kalmykia. Kalmyks are divided into several groups: large derbets, small derbets, torguts, khoshuts, buzavs (Don Kalmyks). Mongols (2.7 thousand people) are dispersed in Russia: in Moscow (0.5 thousand), Irkutsk region (0.5 thousand), Buryatia (0.3 thousand) and other places. The Mongolian language branch includes 0.4% of the population of Russia.

The Tungus-Manchu branch of the Altai language family in the Russian Federation includes the Evenks, Evens, Negidal, Nanai, Ulchi, Uilta, Orochi, Udege and (conditionally) Tazy. The largest of these peoples is the Evenki (36 thousand people). Only a small part of them (1/10) is concentrated in the former Evenki Autonomous Okrug (now the Krasnoyarsk Territory region) (3.8 thousand). Half of all Evenks (18 thousand) live in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Evenks are also settled in the Khabarovsk Territory (4.5 thousand), Buryatia (2.3 thousand), Amur (1.5 thousand), Irkutsk (1.4 thousand) regions and in other places. The Evens (19 thousand people) live in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (2.5 thousand), in particular in the Eveno-Bytantaysky national area, as well as in the Kamchatka Territory (1.8 thousand), the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (1.4 thousand), the Khabarovsk Territory (1.3 thousand). Negidal (0.6 thousand people) are concentrated mainly in the Khabarovsk Territory (0.5 thousand), along the course of the Amgun River. The overwhelming majority (90%) of the Nanais (12 thousand people) live in the Khabarovsk Territory (11 thousand), mainly along the course of the Amur River. There are small groups of Nanai in the Primorsky Territory (0.4 thousand) and the Sakhalin Region (0.2 thousand). Ulchi (2.9 thousand people) settled mainly in the Ulchsky district of the Khabarovsk Territory (2.7 thousand). Uilta, or, in other words, Oroks (0.3 thousand people), live in the Sakhalin region. Orochi (0.7 thousand people) live in the Khabarovsk Territory (0.4 thousand), in Vaninsky, Komsomolsky and Sovetsko-Gavansky districts. The Udege (1.7 thousand people) are settled in the Primorsky (0.9 thousand) and Khabarovsk (0.6 thousand) regions. The Tazy (0.3 thousand people) - of mixed origin, previously spoke the Nanai and Udege languages, but later switched to Chinese, and then to Russian - now they mainly live in the Primorsky Territory, in the village of Mikhailovka, Olginsky District.

Koreans (149 thousand people, 0.1% of the country's population) form a separate Korean branch of the Altai language family. The largest number There are Koreans in Russia in the Sakhalin Region (30 thousand), they also live in the Primorsky Territory (18 thousand), Rostov Region (12 thousand), Khabarovsk Territory (10 thousand), Moscow (9 thousand), Stavropol Territory (7 thousand), the Volgograd region (6 thousand), the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (5 thousand) and other places. Like the Korean language branch, which is formed by one people, the Japanese branch consists of only Japanese (in Russia, 0.8 thousand people).

There are very few Japanese in Russia, mostly they live in the Sakhalin region (0.3 thousand) and Moscow (0.2 thousand). In general, 9% of the population of Russia belongs to the Altai language family.

North Caucasian language family

The third largest (after Indo-European and Altai) language family is the North Caucasian one, which is subdivided into two branches: Abkhazian-Adyghe and Nakh-Dagestan. The Abkhazian-Adyghe branch unites Abkhazians, Abazins, Kabardians, Circassians, Adyghes and Shapsugs. Abkhazians live mainly in Abkhazia, while in Russia there are not many of them (11 thousand people). They are dispersed in the Russian Federation and do not form compact areas anywhere. Most of all Abkhazians are in Moscow (4 thousand) and Krasnodar Territory (2 thousand). Abazins (38 thousand people), mainly living in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (32 thousand people), are close to the Abkhaz in language. Four closely related peoples - Kabardians, Circassians, Adyghe and Shapsugs - are sometimes called by the common name of the Adyghe. The largest of them - Kabardians (520 thousand people) - mainly live in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (499 thousand, i.e. 96% of their total number). There are notable groups of Kabardians in the Stavropol Territory (7 thousand) and North Ossetia - Alania (3 thousand). Among the Kabardians, a group of Mozdok Kabardians is distinguished, living in the Mozdok region of North Ossetia - Alania and professing Christianity, in contrast to the majority of Kabardians who adhere to Islam. The Circassians (61 thousand people) who speak the same language as the Kabardians of the Kabardino-Circassian language live mainly in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (50 thousand people). 4 thousand Circassians are settled in the Krasnodar Territory. Adygeis (129 thousand people) live mainly in the Republic of Adygea (108 thousand) and make up 24% of the population in it. The small people of the Shapsugs (3 thousand people) are almost entirely concentrated in the Krasnodar Territory, in the Tuapse and Lazarevsky districts. The peoples of the Abkhazian-Adyghe branch make up 0.5% of the population of our country.

The second branch of the North Caucasian language family - Nakh-Dagestan - unites Chechens, Ingush, Avars, 13 Andocez peoples, as well as Archins, Laks, Dargins, Kubachins, Kaitags, Tabasaran, Lezgins, Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs, Udins. The largest of these peoples are Chechens (1,360 thousand people), who mostly live in Chechen Republic(1,032 thousand), there are also notable groups of Chechens in Ingushetia (95 thousand), Dagestan (88 thousand), Rostov region (15 thousand), Moscow (14 thousand), Stavropol Territory (13 thousand), Volgograd (12 thousand), Tyumen (11 thousand), Astrakhan (10 thousand) regions. The Chechens of Dagestan form a group of Akkintsy (Aukhovites), inhabiting mainly Novolaksky, Kazbekovsky, Khasavyurt and Babayurtovsky regions of the republic. Ingush (413 thousand people) are settled mainly in the Republic of Ingushetia (361 thousand). The most prominent group of Ingush outside the republic lives in North Ossetia - Alania (21 thousand).

Indigenous Dagestan peoples concentrated mainly in the Republic of Dagestan. Avars, including Ando-Tsezes and Archins, in Russia 814 thousand people. Of these, 758 thousand in Dagestan. The number of the second largest people of Dagestan - the Dargins - is 489 thousand. Like other Dagestan peoples, the Dargins live mainly on the territory of the Republic of Dagestan (405 thousand). There is a noticeable group of them in the Stavropol Territory (40 thousand). As for the number of Kubachins and Kaitags, according to some Dagestani scientists, there are 4 thousand and 17 thousand people, respectively, although the 2002 census took into account much less. Another 6 peoples are settled mainly in Dagestan. These are Laks (157 thousand people in Russia, 140 thousand of them in Dagestan), Tabasaran (132 and 110 thousand, respectively), Lezgins (412 and 337 thousand), Aguls (28 and 23 thousand), Rutuls ( 30 and 24 thousand), Tsakhurs (10 and 8 thousand). Notable groups of Tabasaran (5 thousand) and Lezgins (7 thousand) are found in the Stavropol Territory. Lezgins also live in Tyumen (11 thousand, including in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra - 9 thousand) and Saratov (5 thousand) regions.

The Udins are also included in the Nakh-Dagestan group (there are 3.7 thousand of them in Russia). There are groups of udins in the Rostov Region (1.6 thousand) and the Krasnodar Territory (0.8 thousand). The Udins also live outside Russia - in Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as the Lezgins and Tsakhurs, many of whom are settled in the regions of Azerbaijan bordering on Russia. The Nakh-Dagestan language branch includes 2.7% of the population of the Russian Federation. In general, 3.2% of the country's inhabitants belong to the North Caucasian family.

Scientists conventionally call 10 peoples of Russia Paleo-Asian. These are probably the descendants of the most ancient, Dotungus, population of Eastern Eurasia. Of these, only 5 peoples of the Chukchi-Kamchatka language family speak related languages. Some linguists also distinguish the Yenisei and Eskimo-Aleutian language families, but this division is not generally accepted. The Chukchi-Kamchatka family includes the Chukchi, Koryaks, Kereks, which make up the Chukchi-Koryak linguistic branch, and Itelmens with Kamchadals, which form the Itelmen linguistic branch. The most numerous of them is the Chukchi people (16 thousand people), which are settled within the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (13 thousand people). In addition, 1.5 thousand Chukchi live in the neighboring Kamchatka Territory. The Koryaks (9 thousand people) are also settled mainly within the Kamchatka Territory (7 thousand). There are also Koryaks in the neighboring Magadan Oblast (0.9 thousand people). Among the Koryaks, a group of Alyutors is distinguished (the number, according to one estimate, is about 3 thousand people, while the census took into account only 12 people), who live mainly along the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Isthmus.

Some ethnologists consider the Alyutors to be an independent people. Koryak-related Kereks (8 people) - the smallest indigenous people of Russia - lived in the village of Maino-Pilgino of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Now most of them have dispersed to different regions of our country, and only 3 people remained in Chukotka. The Itelmen (3.2 thousand people) belong to the Itelmen branch of the Chukchi-Kamchatka language family. They live mainly in the Kamchatka Territory (2.3 thousand), and half of them are settled on the territory of the former Koryak Autonomous Okrug. 0.6 thousand Itelmens live within the neighboring Magadan region. As for the Kamchadals (2.3 thousand people), they can be attributed to the Itelmen branch, and to the entire Chukchi-Kamchatka language family, conditionally, since this people, formed as a result of the mixing of Russians and Itelmens, now speaks Russian language. The overwhelming majority of Kamchadals (1.9 thousand people) are concentrated in the Kamchatka Territory, 0.3 thousand live in the Magadan Region. Eskimos in Russia 1.8 thousand people. Russian Eskimos live mainly in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (1.5 thousand). They are subdivided into three groups (Naukans, Chaplins and Sireniks), the languages ​​of which are very different from each other. The Naukans live in the city of Anadyr, as well as in the villages of Lorino, Lavrentia and Uelen in the northeast of the Chukotka Peninsula, the Chaplins live in the villages of Novoye Chaplino, Sireniki, Providence and Uelkal in the southeast of the Chukotka Peninsula, the Sireniks - in the village of Sireniki) (their language is almost extinct) ...

Aleuts (0.5 thousand people) live in the Kamchatka region (0.4 thousand), mainly on the Commander Islands. Russian Aleuts are divided into two groups: Bering and Mednov. The Bering people are concentrated in the village of Nikolskoye on the Bering Island (one of the Commander Islands). Nowadays, their Aleut language has almost disappeared, and the vast majority of them speak Russian. The second group of Russian Aleuts - Mednovtsy - until the end of the 1960s. lived on Medny Island (Commander Islands), in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Then they were resettled to the village of Nikolskoye on the Bering Island, where Aleuts-Beringians and Russians live. Mednovtsy can be included in the Aleutian group only conditionally, since they spoke not one of the Aleutian languages, but a kind of "mixed" language formed as a result of mixing a number of Aleut dialects with Russian. Now this language, like Bering, has almost disappeared, and most of the Mednovists speak Russian.

Kets (1.5 thousand people), which some linguists attribute to a hypothetical Yenisei language family, are settled mainly in the Krasnoyarsk Territory (1.2 thousand) along the Yenisei River. The extremely small yugas (19 people) are nowhere densely settled: in their old place of residence in the village of Vorogovo, Krasnoyarsk Territory, only three people remained, the rest dispersed to different settlements of Russia. Nivkhov in Russia 5 thousand people. They live in the Khabarovsk Territory (2.5 thousand) and the Sakhalin Region (2.4 thousand).

Kartvelian language family

Georgians (198 thousand people) and Georgian Jews (53 people) form the Kartvelian language family. In Russia, Georgians are dispersed. Most of them are in Moscow (54 thousand), Krasnodar Territory (20 thousand), the Republic of North Ossetia - Alania (11 thousand), Rostov Region (11 thousand), St. Petersburg (10 thousand), Moscow region ( 10 thousand), Stavropol Territory (9 thousand). The Georgians also include a number of groups that some scientists recognize as separate peoples - these are Mingrelians, Lazes, Svans, Adjarians, Ingiloys.

Afrasian language family

Among the small families in Russia is the Afrasian (Semitic-Hamitic) language family, to which the Arabs, Central Asian Arabs (conventionally) and Assyrians belong. During the census, about 11,000 Arabs were counted. Apparently, they are somewhat smaller, since they included a part of the Central Asian Arabs, who, on the contrary, are actually more than the census showed (less than 0.2 thousand people). Most of the Arabs are in Moscow (3 thousand) and the Rostov region (2 thousand), Central Asian Arabs live in small groups throughout the country. Assyrians (total number - 14 thousand people), as well as Arabs, most of all in Moscow (about 4 thousand)

Sino-Tibetan language family

The Sino-Tibetan language family is represented in Russia by the Chinese and Dungans. The Dungans speak one of the dialects of the Chinese language, but, unlike the Chinese, they practice Islam. According to the 2002 census, there are only 35 thousand Chinese in Russia, but not all of them were taken into account during the census. Most of the Chinese are in Moscow (13 thousand), in Primorsky (4 thousand) and Khabarovsk (4 thousand) regions, Sverdlovsk (2 thousand), Irkutsk (1 thousand) and Rostov (1 thousand) regions , St. Petersburg (1,000 people) and other regions. As for the Dungans, the representatives of this people in our country are very small in number (0.8 thousand people) and nowhere do they form compact areas. The most prominent group is in Ingushetia (0.2 thousand).

Austro-Asian language family

There are also representatives of the Austro-Asian family in Russia, these are the Vietnamese living in our country, whose number has noticeably increased in recent years. The census recorded over 26,000 Vietnamese. Most of the Vietnamese (about 16 thousand people) are concentrated in Moscow.

The Russian Federation belongs to the multinational states of the world.

More than 160 ethnic groups are identified in the list of nationalities.

All peoples inhabiting the Russian Federation belong to nine linguistic families: Indo-European, Kartvelian, Ural-Yukagir, Altai, Eskimo-Aleutian, North Caucasian, Yenisei, Sino-Tibetan, Chukchi-Kamchatka.

In addition, one people (Nivkhs) occupies a linguistically isolated position.

The overwhelming majority of ethnic groups in Russia, totaling 122.9 million people. (84.7% of the country's population) belongs to the Indo-European peoples.

The Indo-European family is divided into several groups, of which the following are represented in Russia: Slavic, Baltic, Germanic, Romanesque, Greek, Armenian, Iranian and Indo-Aryan.

The largest of these groups is Slavic (119.7 million people - 82.5% of the total). First of all, it includes the main people of the country - the Russians, who, according to the 2002 census, number 115.9 million people, accounting for 79.8% of the total population of Russia. The Slavs are also Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles, Bulgarians, and representatives of some other peoples living on the territory of Russia. Russians dominate sharply in the overwhelming majority of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Of all the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the share of Russians is the lowest in the Republic of Dagestan, and after the well-known military events, it probably became even lower in the Chechen Republic.
Such a large and widely settled people like the Russians, despite their significant monolithicity, naturally includes sub-ethnic groups of different hierarchical levels. First of all, the northern and southern Great Russians are distinguished, significantly differing from each other in dialect, individual elements of material and spiritual culture. but common features in the culture of different groups of the Russian people there are much more than differences. The unity of Russians is also emphasized by the fact that, along with the northern and southern Great Russians, there is a transitional Central Russian group, in whose culture and language both northern and southern elements are combined.

The area of ​​settlement of northern Great Russians stretches from the Gulf of Finland to the Urals and more eastern regions, covering the Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Vologda, Leningrad, Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo regions, the northeast of the Tver region, the northern and central parts of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Kirov region, Perm Territory, Sverdlovsk, Orenburg, Ulyanovsk regions, the eastern part of the Saratov region, the Astrakhan region, as well as the Republic, the Republic of Komi, the Udmurt Republic, the Republic of Mari El, the Chuvash Republic - Chuvashia, the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatarstan), the Republic of Bashkortostan (along with the indigenous population of these republics).

In the composition of the Northern Great Russians, a number of ethnographic groups lower hierarchical level. These are, first of all, the Pomors, as well as the Mezenians, Pustozers and Ust-Tsilems, close to them in origin and culture. Several separate groups of northern Great Russians are also Kargopol, Zaonezhans, Ilmen poozeri, Poshekhonts, Kerzhaks.

The area of ​​the Central Russian group is located mainly in the interfluve of the Volga and Oka rivers. Within this group, there are Tudovlyans living in the Tver region along the Tud River (a tributary of the Volga River) and representing Russified Belarusians by origin, and the Russian Meshchera, settled in the north of the Ryazan region and in a number of other regions and, possibly, genetically related to the Chronicle of the Finnish-speaking mesher.

A special position is occupied by the transitional group living in the Pskov and Smolensk regions and the neighboring districts of the Tver and Kaluga regions and possesses a number of linguistic and cultural features that bring it closer to Belarusians. This is especially true of the population of the Smolensk region, whose spoken language is closer to the language than to Russian (although the group is undoubtedly Russian in terms of ethnic identity).

Southern Great Russians are settled in the southern zone of Russia, from the Desna river basin in the west to the upper reaches of the Khoper and Medveditsa rivers in the east, from the middle course of the Oka river in the north to the Main Caucasian ridge on South.
Of the ethnographic groups of southern Great Russians, Polekhs live on the territory of the European part of Russia, who are considered descendants ancient population Russia, who never left with other South Russian groups to the north from the attack of the nomads; besides them, Sayan and Tsukans stand out as several separate groups.

The Russian population of Siberia and the Far East was formed as a result of resettlement from different regions of Russia, and the share of these regions in different historical periods was not the same. The Siberian old-time population is represented mainly by northern Great Russians of the 16th-18th centuries, the “new settlers,” or, as the old-timers call them, the “Russians,” come mainly from the southern provinces of Russia (second half of the 19th century).

Among the old-timers, there are several very specific groups, many of which, in terms of economic activities, culture and language, have strongly isolated themselves from the main part of the Russian population. These are the so-called Ob old-timers, herdings and mountaineers, tundy peasants who have mastered the language, Russian-Ustyns or Indigirs, Kolymians or Nizhny Kolymsky, who partly switched to the Yakut language from the Hikers or Srednekolymsky, Markovites.

Resettlement of Russians

Cossacks occupy a very special position among the sub-ethnic groups of the Russian population. Having a number of common cultural and everyday features, they are nevertheless a single whole. Don Cossacks settled in Rostov and Volgograd regions, Kuban - in Krasnodar Territory (they have a very significant component), Terek - in Stavropol Territory, as well as in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, in the Chechen Republic and in the Republic of Dagestan , Astrakhan - in the Astrakhan region, Orenburg - in the Orenburg, Chelyabinsk and Kurgan regions, Transbaikal (have a significant admixture) - in the Chita region and the Republic of Buryatia, Amur - in the Amur region and the Jewish Autonomous Region, Ussuriysk - in the Primorsky and territories. The Ural Cossacks living in Russia are concentrated in a number of southwestern regions of the Orenburg region, the Siberian Cossacks - in some areas of the Omsk region.
Ukrainians (2.9 million people - 2% of the population of Russia) form the highest share in the population of some northern constituent entities of the Russian Federation: in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Magadan Oblast and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra. Specific gravity Belarusians (in the whole country there are 815 thousand people, which is 0.6% of the population) is relatively high in the Kaliningrad region and the Republic of Karelia. (73 thousand people) are dispersed across the territory of Russia, forming large groups in the cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow; Omsk Oblast has a small rural enclave dominated by the Polish population. Bulgarians and Czechs are also very scattered.

Of the peoples of the Romanesque group, Moldovans live in Russia (172 thousand people - 0.1% of the country's population), Romanians, Spaniards and Cubans (6 thousand people, 2 thousand people and 1.6 thousand people, respectively) dispersedly settled throughout the country.

The Greek group includes only Greeks (98 thousand people), mainly concentrated in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories.

The Armenian group is also represented by one ethnic group - the Armenians (1.1 million people - 0.8% of the population of Russia). Armenians are widely settled throughout the country, but most of them live in the south of the European part of Russia. A significant group of Armenians live in Moscow.

The Baltic group is represented by a relatively small number of Latvians (45 thousand people and 29 thousand people, respectively), settled in a number of regions of the country. With a fairly dispersed settlement, they form small compact massifs in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. A significant number of Latvians, in addition, live in the Omsk region, Lithuanians - in the Kaliningrad region. and Lithuanians also live in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Among the Latvians there are representatives of the ethnic group Latgalians (mostly Catholics), who were previously considered a separate people.

The German group includes, first of all, the Germans (597 thousand people - 0.4% of the population of Russia). They are settled across the country rather dispersedly, but their main area of ​​residence is the south of Western and Central Siberia. Russian Germans are heterogeneous: among them, in terms of language and some cultural features, the descendants of immigrants from the South and North stand out first of all, and among the latter, the Mennonites form a special ethno-graphic group.

Jews can be nominally included in the German group (230 thousand people - 0.2% of the population of Russia). The overwhelming majority of Russian Jews belong to those who once spoke Yiddish, but among them there are also a small number of Sephardim integrated into the Ashkenazi. Among Jews in cities, mainly in large ones, the most numerous of their groups are concentrated in Moscow, Samara, Chelyabinsk, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov,.

The Iranian group includes primarily Ossetians (515 thousand people - 0.4% of the population of Russia) and Mountain Jews (3 thousand people). mainly concentrated in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania; they also exist in the neighboring regions. Mountain Jews live mainly in the Republic of Dagestan and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Iranian speakers are dispersed in Russia.

The Indo-Aryan group is represented in Russia in the first place (183 thousand people - 0.1% of the population of Russia). Roma are widely settled throughout the country and are found in almost all constituent entities of the Russian Federation. However, partially preserving the traditions of nomadic life, they gravitate more towards the southern, "warm" regions. The most significant groups of Roma form in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, as well as in the Rostov Region.
Georgians belong to the Kartvelian family (198 thousand people - 0.1% of the country's population). They do not constitute significant groups anywhere in the country. The highest share of Georgians in the population of a number of regions of the North Caucasus (Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory), as well as in Moscow; but even in these places there are few of them. Among the Georgians in Russia there are Mingrelians (and a small number of Svans) and Jews (1.2 thousand people).
The Ural-Yukaghir family is quite widely represented in Russia, although it is very much inferior to the Indo-European family in terms of its size. It includes 2.8 million people. - 1.9% of the population of Russia. The Ural-Yukaghir family is divided into three groups: the Finnish-Ugric (most of the peoples of this family belong to it), the Samo-Diya and the Yukaghir.

The Finno-Ugric group includes Karelians (125 thousand people - 0.1%), Izhorians (0.4 thousand people), Finns (overwhelmingly Ingermanladians - 47 thousand people), Estonians (46 thousand people). people), (probably 0.2 thousand people), Vepsians (12 thousand people), Sami, or Lapps (2 thousand people), Mordovians (935 thousand people - 0.6%) , (595 thousand people - 0.4%), Udmurts (713 thousand people - 0.5%), Besermyans (10 thousand people), Komi (358 thousand people - 0.2%) , Permian Komi (141 thousand people - 0.1%), (22 thousand people), (8 thousand people) and Hungarians (6 thousand people).

The Karelians are concentrated, first of all, in the Republic of Karelia, however, they constitute a minority of the population. The second important place of residence of the Karelians is the Tver region, where the Karelians occupy a fairly compact area. Karelians also live in the Murmansk and Leningrad regions and the city of St. Petersburg. The close, small people of the Izhorians are mainly concentrated in the Leningrad region. Finns live mainly in the Republic of Karelia, the Leningrad Region and the city of St. Petersburg. dispersed throughout the country. The most significant groups of them are in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the city of St. Petersburg. Quickly assimilated by the surrounding Russian population, the small ethnic group Vod (the overwhelming majority of whom do not know their native language and speak only Russian) lives in several villages of the Leningrad Region. Vepsians are concentrated mainly in the Republic of Karelia, Leningrad and Vologda regions. The Sami are represented in Russia by a small group, the overwhelming majority of whom are concentrated in the Murmansk region. The largest people of the Ural-Yukaghir family in Russia are the Mordovians. occupies the eighth place among the peoples of the Russian Federation. The people are very dispersed, and about a third of all Mordovians live in the Republic of Mordovia. There are significant groups of Mordovians in the Penza, Ulyanovsk, Samara, Orenburg and Nizhny Novgorod regions. In the Volga region, a little to the north of the Mordovians, the Mari live, whose settlement is also dispersed. Only half of all Mari in Russia live in the Republic of Mari El. The share of Mari in the population of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Kirov region, Sverdlovsk region and the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatarstan) is significant. The Udmurts living in the Urals are mainly concentrated in the Udmurt Republic, although they make up about a third of the population in it. Among other subjects of the Russian Federation in which the Udmurts live, the Kirov region, the Perm region, the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatarstan), the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Sverdlovsk region should be noted. In the northern part of the Udmurt Republic lives a small people of Besermyans, assimilated linguistically (but not ethnically!) By the surrounding population. Living in the north of the European part of Russia, the Komi, or Komi-Zyryans, are overwhelmingly concentrated in their Komi Republic. Outside the republic, the most significant Komi groups are found in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra. Close to the Komi-Zyryans are the Komi-Perm, which are also mainly concentrated in the Perm region. Khanty living in Western Siberia are mainly concentrated in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Settled southwest of Mansi, the overwhelming majority live in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra.

Much less another group of the Ural-Yukaghir family is the Samoyed. Only four peoples belong to it: Nenets, Enets, Nganasans, Selkups. (41 thousand people), mainly concentrated in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory (the former Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) Autonomous Okrug). In these regions, they make up a small proportion of the population. The Enets are one of the smallest. According to the 2002 census, there were just over 300 of them. The Nganasans are mainly concentrated in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Selkups (4 thousand people) are mainly settled in two rather distant places: the northern (Taz) Selkups live in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the southern (Tym, Naryn) - in the north of the Tomsk region.

The group unites two peoples: Yukaghirs (about 2 thousand people) and Chuvans (more than 1 thousand people). Most of the Yukaghirs are settled in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). A relatively small group of them lives in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Most of the Chuans are concentrated in it. All have lost their native language, close to Yukaghir, and now speak either Russian (sedentary Chuvans living in the area of ​​the village of Markovo) or Chukchi (nomadic Chuvans living in the upper reaches of the Anadyr River).

The Altai family is the second largest in Russia after the Indo-European, although it is almost ten times inferior to it. It includes 12.7 million of all residents of Russia (8.7% of the total population). It includes five groups, of which four are widely represented in our country: Turkic, Mongolian, Tungus-Manchu and Korean.
The largest of these groups is the Turkic, which in the Russian Federation includes the following peoples: Chuvash (1.6 million people - 1.1% of the population of Russia), Tatars including Siberians (5.3 million people - 3.6%) Crimean Tatars who moved to Russia,
(6 thousand people), Kryashens (about 300 thousand people - 0.2%), Nagaybaks (10 thousand people), Bashkirs
(1.7 million people - 1.2%), Kazakhs (654 thousand people - 0.5%), (6 thousand people), Nogais (91 thousand people), Kumyks (423 thousand people). people - 0.2%), Karachais (192 thousand people - 0.1%), (78 thousand people), Azerbaijanis (622 thousand people - 0.4%), Turkmens (33 thousand people). people), (123 thousand people), or Altai-kizhi (about 45 thousand people), Telengits (about 5 thousand people), (1.7 thousand people), Tubalars (1.6 thousand people), Kumandins (3 thousand people), Chelkans (0.9 thousand people), Chulyms (0.7 thousand people), Shors (14 thousand people), Khakassians (76 thousand people) people), Tuvans (243 thousand people - about 0.2%), Tofalars (0.8 thousand people), Soyots (3 thousand people), Yakuts (444 thousand people - 0, 3%), Dolgans (7 thousand people).

The fifth largest nation in the country is half concentrated in the Chuvash Republic - Chuvashia, where it makes up the majority of the population. Significant groups of Chuvashes live in the Ulyanovsk region, in the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatarstan), the Samara region, in the Republic of Bashkortostan, in the Tyumen, Orenburg and some other regions of the country.

The Tatars (the second largest people in Russia after the Russians) are fairly widely settled throughout the country. In addition to their republic and neighboring subjects - regions of their compact residence, many Tatars live in the West Siberian regions (Tyumen, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk and Kemerovo). The high proportion of Tatars in the Tyumen region is due to the fact that Siberian Tatars live here, who are the indigenous inhabitants of these places and are recognized by some scientists as a separate ethnic group. Siberian Tatars differ from Kazan and other European Tatars in their dialect and anthropological type (they are more Mongoloid). Siberian Tatars are very dispersedly settled and fall into a number of ethnographic groups: Tyumen-Turin, Tobolsk, Swamp (Yaskolbinsk), Tevriz (), Barabin, Tomsk, Chats, Kalmyks.

The Kryashens consider themselves to be a separate people. Two thirds of them are concentrated in the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatarstan) (mainly in the northern and eastern parts of it), one third in other constituent entities of the Russian Federation: in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories, in the Republic of Mari El and the Udmurt Republic. Nagaybaks living in two districts of the Chelyabinsk region are close to the Kryashens.

The fourth largest people of the Russian Federation, settled, like many peoples in the Cis-Urals, very dispersed. In the Republic of Bashkortostan itself, more than two-thirds of all Bashkirs of Russia live, but they constitute a minority of the population there.

Outside the Republic of Bashkortostan, the largest groups of Bashkir representatives are found in the Orenburg, Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Chelyabinsk regions, in the Perm Territory and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug - Yugra.
Kazakhs are concentrated primarily in the bordering regions: Astrakhan, Orenburg, Omsk, Saratov, Volgograd regions and in the Altai Territory.

Mostly concentrated in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, the Republic of Dagestan and the Stavropol Territory. overwhelmingly concentrated in the Republic of Dagestan. predominantly live in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, but they constitute a relatively small part of the population there.
Balkars mainly (90%) live in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.

To the Oguz, or southwestern, subgroup Turkic group Azerbaijanis living in Russia, Meskhetian Turks (25 thousand people), Ottoman Turks (21.5 thousand people), Gagauzians (10 thousand people) and Turkmen. Azerbaijanis are represented in almost all constituent entities of the Russian Federation, however, they form a significant share of the population only in the Republic of Dagestan. living in Russia, only in one place - the Stavropol Territory - form a noticeable "clot" of the population. The so-called Stavropol Turkmen, or Trukhmen, live there. The other Central Asian people, the Uzbeks, unlike the Turkmens, nowhere form a compact territorial massif and are settled extremely dispersedly.

Altaians (Altai-Kizhi) belong to the South Siberian subgroup of the Turkic group. Altaians are mainly concentrated in the Altai Republic. Five Turkic-speaking peoples were previously attached to the Altaians: Telengits, Teleuts, Tubalars, Kumandins and Chelkans. This subgroup also includes Chulym, Shor, Khakass, Tuvans and Tofalars.

Telengits live in the southeastern part of the Altai Republic, Teleuts - mainly in the Kemerovo Region, Tubalars - in the northeast of the Altai Republic, Kumandins - in the southeast of Altai Territory and far north Republic of Altai, Chelkans - also in the extreme north of this republic. Chulyms live in the Chulym River basin in the Tomsk Region and in the southwest of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The Shors are settled in the south of the Kemerovo region (Gornaya Shoria), as well as in Khakassia. The overwhelming majority (80%) are concentrated in the Republic of Khakassia, almost all Tuvans (96%) - in the Republic of Tyva. Among the Tuvans, a sub-ethnic group (36 thousand people) stands out, settled in the north-east of the Republic of Tuva. The small Turkic-speaking people of Tofalars, close to the Tuvans-Todjins, are mainly concentrated in the Irkutsk region. The Okinsky District of the Republic of Buryatia, adjacent to the Irkutsk Region, is home to the Soyot people, akin to the Tofalars, who are not counted in recent censuses. This people once spoke a language very close to Tofa-Larsk, but now they have almost completely switched to the Buryat language.

One of the most northern peoples- Yakuts - almost entirely concentrated on the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), where the Yakuts make up a third of the population, much inferior in number to the Russians. Dolgans are very close to the Yakuts in language, living mainly in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, as well as in the adjoining regions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Another one belonging to the Altai family - Mongolian group- is represented in Russia mainly by two rather significant peoples: Buryats (445 thousand people - 0.3% of the country's population) and (174 thousand people - 0.1% of the country's population). Buryats are mainly concentrated in three constituent entities of the Russian Federation: the Republic of Buryatia, the Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug and the Aginsky Buryat Autonomous Okrug. Between the eastern, Trans-Baikal, Buryats and western, Irkutsk, there are some differences in language and culture. The overwhelming majority of Kalmyks live in the Republic of Kalmykia. The group also includes a small group of Khalkha Mongols living in Russia (2 thousand people).

The third group of the Altai family - the Tungus-Manchurian - includes the Evenks (35 thousand people), Negidals (0.8 thousand people), Evens (19 thousand people), Nanais (12 thousand people), Ulchi (3 thousand people), (ulta) (0.1 thousand people), Orochi (0.8 thousand people), Udege (1.7 thousand people) and, conditionally, Tazy (0, 3 thousand people). settled very dispersed. About half of the total number of them live in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), they are also in the Khabaovsk Territory, in the north of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk and Amur regions and some other places. The majority of Negidal are concentrated in the valley of the Amgun River in the Khabarovsk Territory. The Evens live most of all in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia); they also live in the Magadan Region, Khabarovsk Territory, and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The overwhelming majority of the Nanais are concentrated along the Amur River and its tributaries in the Khabarovsk Territory. Ulchi are mainly settled in the Khabarovsk Territory; The Oroks mainly live in the Sakhalin Region, the Orochi in the Khabarovsk Territory, and the Udege in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories. Conventionally, the Tazi are referred to the Tungus-Manchu group - the people of Nanai-Udege origin, who switched to Chinese and borrowed many elements Chinese culture... Now the basins are concentrated in the village of Mikhailovka, Primorsky Territory. Russian became the main language of many cans.
The Korean group includes only one people - Koreans (148 thousand people - 0.1% of the country's population), who are dispersedly settled in Russia, but a significant group of them live in the Sakhalin Region, they also exist in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories and the Rostov Region.

A very small Eskimo-Aleutian family (it includes 2.4 thousand people, that is, only 0.002% of the population of Russia) unites two peoples: the Eskimos and the Aleuts. (1.8 thousand people) live mainly on the eastern coast of the peninsula and on the island, the Aleuts (0.6 thousand people) - in the Kamchatka Territory, mainly on the Kamandor Islands.

The North Caucasian family (which includes 4.6 million people, that is, 3.2% of the population of Russia), as reflected in its name, unites peoples, in their overwhelming majority settled in the North Caucasus. The family is divided into two groups: Abkhazian-Adyghe and Nakh-Dagestan.

The Abkhaz-Adyghe group includes four closely related Adyghe peoples, as well as the Abazins. Adyg peoples (, Dargins, Kubachins, Kaitags, Tabasaran, Lengiz, Aguls, Rutuls, Tsakhurs.

The Yenisei family (1.9 thousand people - 0.001% of the population of Russia) is very small: in Russia, its representatives are chum salmon (1.8 thousand people) and the southern regions close to them (0.1 thousand people), from which to some extent remembers native language only 2-3 people. Some scholars consider the Yugs to be an independent people, others believe that they are a subethnos of the Kets. Both chum salmon and yugs are settled along the middle and lower reaches of the Yenisei River and its tributaries, mainly in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The Sino-Tibetan family (36 thousand people - 0.02% of the population of Russia) is represented in Russia mainly by the Chinese (according to the 2002 census, 35 thousand people, although in reality there are apparently much more of them) ... There are Chinese in the Khabarovsk and Krasnoyarsk Territories, and the Irkutsk Region. On the whole, the Chinese in Russia are characterized by a dispersed settlement.

The small Chukchi-Kamchatka family (31 thousand people - 0.02% of the population of Russia) includes the Chukchi, Koryaks and Alyutors, Kereks, Itelmens and, conventionally,. The most significant of these peoples, the Chukchi (16 thousand people), is predominantly settled in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, where it makes up a relatively small part of the population. They also live in the north of the Kamchatka Territory (the former Koryak Autonomous Okrug). are divided into two groups: Chauchu - reindeer and Ankalyn - coastal. together with the Alyutors, according to the 2002 census, there were 9 thousand people. Among the Koryaks, there are nymylans (coastal) and chuchuvens (deer). Alyutors live in the area of ​​the Olyutorsky cape and in other areas in the north of the Kamchatka Territory. Kereks are one of the smallest peoples of the Russian Federation, there are only 22 of them, of which only 3 people speak Kerek. Another people of the Chukotka-Kamchatka family - the Itelmens (3 thousand people) - live in the north of the Kamchatka Territory and in the Magadan Region. Conventionally, the Kamchadals (2 thousand people) can be attributed to the Chukchi-Kamchatka family - a people of mixed Itelmen-Russian origin, speaking Russian, but retaining some elements of the Itelmen culture. Most Kamchadals live in the Kamchatka Territory. In previous censuses, they were included in the composition of the Russians.

The linguistically isolated people of the Nivkh (5 thousand people) are mainly settled within two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - in the Khabarovsk Territory and in the Sakhalin Region.

In Russia, there are still representatives of two language families, however, they are dispersed, and nowhere form compact massifs. These are Assyrians (14 thousand people) and Arabs (11 thousand people) belonging to a Semitic family (25 thousand people - 0.02% of the country's population) and belonging to the Austro-Asian family (26 thousand people - 0 , 02% of the country's population) Vietnamese.