Sacha-Yakutia - Sacha-Jacuzia

Sacha-Yakutia or Republic of Sacha (Yakutia), (Республика Саха (Якутия)) is a region of the Russia.

To know

Geographical notes

The vast territory of this region (more than 3 million km²) makes it the largest administrative unit in the world. It includes the eastern part of the Central Siberian plateau, the Verchojansk and Čerskij mountains and a section of the Stanovoj; from the hydrographic point of view, the major hydrographic basins affecting the territory are those of the rivers Olenëk, Jana, Indigirka, Lena and Kolyma.

The territory is bordered to the north by a very long coastal strip on the Laptev Sea to the west and the East Siberian Sea to the east; the land borders are shared with the Krasnoyarsk Territory to the west, the Irkutsk and Amur oblasts to the south, the Khabarovsk and Transbajkalia Territories to the east, the Magadan oblast and the Čukotka Autonomous District to the northeast.

When to go

Background

In the thirteenth century the Sacha occupied, in addition to all its current territory, also a part of Central Asia. It was mainly inhabited by hunters and gatherers, whose territories were subsequently conquered by people from Mongolia. They called the indigenous population Sacha population, whose origins are still unknown. In the years preceding the arrival of the Russians, the most widespread ethnic groups in the Lena basin were, in addition to the Yakuts, settled in the middle basin of the Lena between the confluence of the Aldan and that of Viljuj, the Evenks (also called Tungus), settled on a vast territory in the upper Lena basin and some communities of Eveni in the lower course and in the area of ​​the mouth. In the seventeenth century Russian colonization began: the oldest cities of Yakutia (Lensk, Yakutsk, Viljuysk) date back to this period. In the years of the Russian civil war, Yakutia declared itself independent from both Russia and the Republic of Siberia, in alliance with the states of Transbaikalia, Buryatia, and the Ukrainian Republic of the Far East. The Jakut revolt was only put down in 1923. The creation of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Yakutia (RSSA Jakuta), within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, dates back to April 27, 1922; in the following years there was an impetuous development and a large increase in population (from 287,000 inhabitants in 1926 to 1,099,000 in 1990). [18] The second great wave of city founding dates back to this century, among which the largest are Aldan, Njurba, Mirnyj and Nerjungri.In 1991, with the fall of the Soviet Union, the Republic was renamed with its current name. After the disastrous fall of the Soviet Union, Yakutia (like many other regions of the newly formed Russian Federation) demanded secession from Russia. The citizens of Yakutia claimed their ethnic difference from the Russians, but the real reason they wanted to create an independent Yakutia was the huge reserves of natural gas, hydrocarbons, minerals, stones and timber, which made (and make) the inhabitants of Yakutia. Yakutia among the richest in Russia, with an income 8 times higher than a normal Russian citizen [citation needed]. The independence pressures were stopped almost immediately, recognizing to Yakutia a certain independence from Moscow (obviously within the Russian Federation).

Spoken languages

Although this immense region is not very populated, here you can meet different ethnic groups, each with its own language; it is mainly about Russians is Ukrainian (arrived from the west during the Russian colonization) and of jakuti (the indigenous people, who call themselves sacha), as well as minorities belonging to ethnic groups such as eveni, evenchi, čukči and jukaghiri.

Culture and traditions

Yakutia takes its name from its indigenous people, the Yakut people (in the Jakuto language "sacha" hence the second name). The Jakutis are a population of Turkish origin, and although almost everyone here is now Orthodox Christians, there is no lack of vestiges of their ancestral religion attributable to shamanism. In several areas of the region, the sun, the moon, fire and many other natural elements are worshiped with rituals that are nothing short of picturesque that are enjoying increasing success both among tourists interested in these ancient religions and among many locals who are returning. to the ancient shamanic religion by forming new religious groups.

Territories and tourist destinations

Urban centers

Other destinations

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  Theater square a Yakutsk

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  Main station of Tommot

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  Mine of Mirny

How to get

By plane

The three major airports serving the region are located at Nerjungri, Yakutsk is Mirny.

How to get around

What see

Itineraries

• Street of Kolyma - the name is reminiscent of a famous book of tales of the gulags of Šalamov, The tales of Kolyma. This road, in fact, was built by prisoners of war of the Stalin era and embraces - in evident contrast to its terrible history - wonderful and uncontaminated landscapes. Today, in addition to being an important way of communication between the oblasts of Magadan and this of Jakutia has become an important itinerary capable of combining history and nature.

What to do

At the table

Safety

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Sacha-Yakutia
• Commons contains images or other files on Sacha-Yakutia

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