| Tuva | |
 | |
Location  | |
Coat of arms and flag   | |
| State | Russia |
|---|---|
| Region | Siberia |
| Capital | Kyzyl |
| Surface | 168,604 km² |
| Inhabitants | 311.761 (2014 census) |
| Tourism site | |
| Institutional website | |
Tuva is a region of the Russia.
To know
Geographical notes
Tuva (in Tuvan: Тыва Республика, Tyva Respublika) is one of the twenty-one federal republics of Russian Federation. It is located in Siberia, along the border with the Mongolia80% of the Tuva's surface is covered by high mountains reaching 4000m. It is crossed from east to west by the Yenisei River, which flows into the Arctic Ocean after more than 3,300 km; there are numerous lakes (about 400). The landscape is characterized by vast forests of conifers and birches.
When to go
The republic of Tuva has a Siberian climate with very cold winters (average of -32 °) and quite warm summers (18 °).
Background
Tuva was an independent republic, with the name of the Tuva People's Republic, from 1921 until the Russian annexation (1944).
Spoken languages
In Tuva we speak the Tuvan, language of Turkish stock, while the Russian it is used by the Russians and as a lingua franca.
Culture and traditions
The widespread religions are Tibetan Buddhism and Tuvan shamanism, in some inaccessible areas there are communities of Old Believers, Orthodox schismatics.Tuva is famous for the characteristic guttural song xöömej (widespread only in Tuva, Mongolia and Tibet).
Territories and tourist destinations
Tuva: full screen map.Urban centers
- 1 Ak-Dovurak (Ак-Довурак) - City located on the left bank of the Chemčik River, 301 km west of the capital Kyzyl, in a valley between the Western Saians and the Tannu-Ola mountains. It was founded in 1964 at the same time as the construction of a large kombinat for the treatment of asbestos (Tuvaasbest, Туваасбест). Its name, in Tuvan language, means white earth
- 2 Kyzyl (Кызыл) — Capital of the region. It is located along the banks of the Enisej river, more or less at the exact point where its two spring branches join, the Big (Bol'šoj) and the Small (Malyj) Enisej; it would also seem (at least to the residents) that the site of the city is the geographical center of the Asian continent. The city was founded in 1914 with the name of Belocarsk (Белоцаярск); the first name change dates back to 1918 (Chem-Beldyr, Хем-Белдыыр) and to 1926 the second (the current Kyzyl, which in Tuvan language simply means red) .The city is the administrative and cultural center of the Republic of Tuva, ever since this (at the time Tuva People's Republic) became part of the Soviet Union in 1944; it houses the Tuvan Parliament, the National Theater and a center dedicated to the study and teaching of xöömej, a traditional Tuvan song.
Tuvan National Theater - 3 Čadan (Чадан) - Town attested since 1873, it is located on the homonymous river is located on the road connecting road between Kyzyl is Tėėli.
- 4 Šagonar (Шагонар) - The town has been known since 1888. During the seventies, following the construction of the Sajano-Šušenskoj hydroelectric power station, the town was flooded and completely rebuilt seven kilometers away. The town has an airport.
Other destinations
- 1 Uvs Lake (Увс Нуур озеро) - The lake is located in the homonymous province of the UVS, in the north-west of Mongolia and a small north-eastern part of the lake is located in the Tuvana republic of the Russian federation. This shallow and very salty lake is the last reminder of an immense salty sea that covered the area thousands of years ago. It is the largest natural heritage protected byUNESCO.
- 2 Azas Nature Reserve (Азас Заповедник) - It is the most important nature reserve of the republic, it was created with the intention of protecting the beaver species that have their habitat here but today it contains a myriad of naturalistic, fauna, floristic and archaeological treasures.
How to get
By plane
Kyzil is served by the largest airport in the region but does not fly to or from European Russia for which you will have to rely on the airport of Ufa in Bashkiria. From Kyzyl it is possible to reach only the other internal airports or the cities of the neighboring republics.
On the train
There Trans-Siberian Railway also stops in this region.
By bus
The most comfortable option to reach this region is to somehow arrive to Abakan, the capital of the neighbor Chakassia and then take one of the many buses to Tuva. If they offer you a night ride, perhaps at a low price, you should refuse, because the route includes the obligatory passage through the Sajany Mountains region which is one of the wonders of Russia and it would be crazy to miss it because of the dark.
How to get around
Even if there are small buses or shuttles that circulate to Tuva you should be careful because they are not absolutely well organized and often you will have to expressly request the return trip if you do not want to be alone in a remote location. Locals often offer rides on pack animals which are still the most popular method of getting around here. But remember to dress in very warm clothes because here the winters can be very harsh and the summers are barely warm if compared with the Italian ones.
What see
What to do
- Listen to a performance by some local cantor performing the typical Tuvan guttural song.
- Attend wrestling matches (the most popular sport here). They attract a lot of people and the overall winner of the fighting series comes home in a jeep, which is the first prize here.
- Ride one of the many horses that can be rented here as a means of transport in the region.
- Participate in šagaa, the local lunar new year.
At the table
Tuva's cuisine makes a disproportionate use of pine nuts, which are also present in an ultra abundant way given the huge pine forests.
Drinks
Kumiss - The national drink, made from fermented milk. Pine tea - very special tea with a resin aftertaste.
