Ethnic composition of the population of Russia. How many peoples live on the territory of Russia? Small and large peoples of Siberia What peoples inhabit our country

For many centuries, the peoples of Siberia lived in small settlements. Each individual settlement had its own clan. The inhabitants of Siberia were friends with each other, ran a joint household, were often relatives to each other and led an active lifestyle. But due to the vast territory of the Siberian region, these villages were far from each other. So, for example, the inhabitants of one village already led their own way of life and spoke a language incomprehensible to their neighbors. Over time, some settlements disappeared, while others became larger and actively developed.

History of population in Siberia.

The Samoyed tribes are considered to be the first indigenous inhabitants of Siberia. They inhabited the northern part. Their main occupations include reindeer herding and fishing. To the south lived the Mansi tribes, who lived by hunting. Their main trade was the extraction of furs, with which they paid for their future wives and bought goods necessary for life.

The upper reaches of the Ob were inhabited by Turkic tribes. Their main occupation was nomadic cattle breeding and blacksmithing. To the west of Baikal lived the Buryats, who became famous for their iron-making craft.

The largest territory from the Yenisei to the Sea of ​​Okhotsk was inhabited by Tungus tribes. Among them were many hunters, fishermen, reindeer herders, some were engaged in crafts.

Along the shore of the Chukchi Sea, the Eskimos (about 4 thousand people) settled down. Compared to other peoples of the time, the Eskimos had the slowest social development. The tool was made of stone or wood. The main economic activities include gathering and hunting.

The main way of survival of the first settlers of the Siberian region was hunting, reindeer herding and extraction of furs, which was the currency of that time.

By the end of the 17th century, the most developed peoples of Siberia were the Buryats and Yakuts. The Tatars were the only people who, before the arrival of the Russians, managed to organize state power.

The largest peoples before Russian colonization include the following peoples: Itelmens (indigenous inhabitants of Kamchatka), Yukagirs (inhabited the main territory of the tundra), Nivkhs (inhabitants of Sakhalin), Tuvinians (indigenous population of the Republic of Tuva), Siberian Tatars (located in the territory of Southern Siberia from Ural to Yenisei) and Selkups (residents of Western Siberia).

Indigenous peoples of Siberia in the modern world.

According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, every people of Russia received the right to national self-determination and identification. Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has officially turned into a multinational state and the preservation of the culture of small and endangered nationalities has become one of the state priorities. The Siberian indigenous peoples were not left out here either: some of them received the right to self-government in autonomous okrugs, while others formed their own republics as part of the new Russia. Very small and endangered nationalities enjoy full support from the state, and the efforts of many people are aimed at preserving their culture and traditions.

As part of this review, we will give a brief description of each Siberian people whose population is more than or approaching 7 thousand people. Smaller peoples are difficult to characterize, so we will limit ourselves to their name and number. So, let's begin.

1. Yakuts- the most numerous of the Siberian peoples. According to the latest data, the number of Yakuts is 478,100 people. In modern Russia, the Yakuts are one of the few nationalities that have their own republic, and its area is comparable to the area of ​​the average European state. The Republic of Yakutia (Sakha) is geographically located in the Far Eastern Federal District, but the Yakut ethnic group has always been considered an indigenous Siberian people. The Yakuts have an interesting culture and traditions. This is one of the few peoples of Siberia that has its own epic.
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3. Buryats- this is another Siberian people with their own republic. The capital of Buryatia is the city of Ulan-Ude, located east of Lake Baikal. The number of Buryats is 461,389 people. Buryat cuisine is widely known in Siberia and is rightfully considered one of the best among ethnic cuisines. The history of this people, its legends and traditions is quite interesting. By the way, the Republic of Buryatia is one of the main centers of Buddhism in Russia.
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5. Tuvans. According to the latest census, 263,934 identified themselves as representatives of the Tuvan people. The Republic of Tyva is one of the four ethnic republics of the Siberian Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kyzyl with a population of 110 thousand people. The total population of the republic is approaching 300 thousand. Buddhism also flourishes here, and the Tuvan traditions also speak of shamanism.
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7. Khakassians- one of the indigenous peoples of Siberia numbering 72,959 people. Today they have their own republic within the Siberian Federal District and with its capital in the city of Abakan. This ancient people have long lived in the lands west of the Great Lake (Baikal). It was never numerous, but that did not prevent it from carrying its identity, culture and traditions through the centuries.
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9. Altaians. Their place of residence is quite compact - the Altai mountain system. Today Altaians live in two constituent entities of the Russian Federation - the Altai Republic and the Altai Territory. The number of the Altai ethnic group is about 71 thousand people, which allows us to speak of them as a fairly large people. Religion - shamanism and Buddhism. The Altaians have their own epic and a clearly defined national identity, which does not allow them to be confused with other Siberian peoples. This mountain people has a centuries-old history and interesting legends.
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11. Nenets- one of the small Siberian peoples living compactly in the area of ​​the Kola Peninsula. Its population of 44,640 people allows it to be classified as a small nation whose traditions and culture are protected by the state. The Nenets are nomadic reindeer herders. They belong to the so-called Samoyed folk group. Over the years of the 20th century, the number of Nenets approximately doubled, which indicates the effectiveness of state policy in the field of preserving the small peoples of the North. The Nenets have their own language and oral epic.
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13. Evenks- people predominantly living on the territory of the Republic of Sakha. The number of this people in Russia is 38,396 people, some of whom live in the regions adjacent to Yakutia. It is worth saying that this is approximately half of the total number of the ethnic group - approximately the same number of Evenks live in China and Mongolia. The Evenks are a people of the Manchu group who do not have their own language and epic. Tungusic is considered the native language of the Evenks. Evenks are born hunters and trackers.
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15. Khanty- the indigenous people of Siberia, belonging to the Ugric group. The majority of the Khanty live on the territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, which is part of the Ural Federal District of Russia. The total number of Khanty is 30,943 people. About 35% of the Khanty live in the Siberian Federal District, with the lion's share of them in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The traditional occupations of the Khanty are fishing, hunting and reindeer herding. The religion of their ancestors is shamanism, but recently more and more Khanty people consider themselves Orthodox Christians.
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17. Evens- people related to the Evenks. According to one version, they represent an Evenki group that was cut off from the main halo of residence by the Yakuts moving south. A long time away from the main ethnic group made the Evens a separate people. Today their number is 21,830 people. Language - Tungusic. Places of residence: Kamchatka, Magadan region, Republic of Sakha.
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19. Chukchi- nomadic Siberian people who are mainly engaged in reindeer herding and live on the territory of the Chukotka Peninsula. Their number is about 16 thousand people. The Chukchi belong to the Mongoloid race and, according to many anthropologists, are the indigenous aborigines of the Far North. The main religion is animism. Indigenous industries are hunting and reindeer herding.
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21. Shors- a Turkic-speaking people living in the southeastern part of Western Siberia, mainly in the south of the Kemerovo region (in Tashtagol, Novokuznetsk, Mezhdurechensky, Myskovsky, Osinnikovsky and other regions). Their number is about 13 thousand people. The main religion is shamanism. The Shor epic is of scientific interest primarily for its originality and antiquity. The history of the people dates back to the 6th century. Today, the traditions of the Shors have been preserved only in Sheregesh, since most of the ethnic group moved to the cities and were largely assimilated.
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23. Muncie. This people has been known to Russians since the beginning of the founding of Siberia. Ivan the Terrible also sent an army against the Mansi, which suggests that they were quite numerous and strong. The self-name of this people is Voguls. They have their own language, a fairly developed epic. Today, their place of residence is the territory of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. According to the latest census, 12,269 people identified themselves as belonging to the Mansi ethnic group.
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25. Nanai people- a small people living along the banks of the Amur River in the Russian Far East. Belonging to the Baikal ethnotype, the Nanais are rightfully considered one of the most ancient indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Far East. Today the number of Nanais in Russia is 12,160 people. The Nanais have their own language, rooted in Tungusic. Writing exists only among the Russian Nanais and is based on the Cyrillic alphabet.
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27. Koryaks- indigenous people of the Kamchatka Territory. There are coastal and tundra Koryaks. The Koryaks are mainly reindeer herders and fishermen. The religion of this ethnic group is shamanism. Number of people: 8,743 people.
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29. Dolgans- a people living in the Dolgan-Nenets municipal region of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Number of employees: 7,885 people.
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31. Siberian Tatars- perhaps the most famous, but today not numerous Siberian people. According to the latest census, 6,779 people self-identified as Siberian Tatars. However, scientists say that in fact their number is much larger - according to some estimates, up to 100,000 people.
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33. Soyots- an indigenous people of Siberia, a descendant of the Sayan Samoyeds. Lives compactly on the territory of modern Buryatia. The number of Soyots is 5,579 people.
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35. Nivkhi- indigenous people of Sakhalin Island. Now they live on the continental part at the mouth of the Amur River. As of 2010, the number of Nivkhs is 5,162 people.
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37. Selkups live in the northern parts of the Tyumen and Tomsk regions and in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The number of this ethnic group is about 4 thousand people.
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39. Itelmens- This is another indigenous people of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Today, almost all representatives of the ethnic group live in the west of Kamchatka and the Magadan Region. The number of Itelmens is 3,180 people.
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41. Teleuts- Turkic-speaking small Siberian people living in the south of the Kemerovo Region. The ethnos is very closely related to the Altaians. Its population is approaching 2 and a half thousand.
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43. Among other small peoples of Siberia, such ethnic groups are often distinguished as “Kets”, “Chuvans”, “Nganasans”, “Tofalgars”, “Orochs”, “Negidals”, “Aleuts”, “Chulyms”, “Oroks”, “Tazis”, “Enets”, “Alutors” and “Kereks”. It is worth saying that the number of each of them is less than 1 thousand people, so their culture and traditions have practically not been preserved.

Russia is home to 776 nationalities, many of which number no more than a few hundred people, and some are on the verge of extinction. We remembered the small peoples of our country.

Chulym Turks or Yus Kizhiler (“Chulym people”) live on the banks of the Chulym River in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and have their own language. In former times, they lived in uluses, where they built dugouts (odyg), half-dugouts (kyshtag), yurts and tents. They were engaged in fishing, hunting fur-bearing animals, extracting medicinal herbs, pine nuts, growing barley and millet, harvesting birch bark and bast, weaving ropes and nets, making boats, skis, and sledges. Later they began to grow rye, oats and wheat and live in huts. Both women and men wore trousers made from burbot skins and shirts trimmed with fur. Women braided many braids and wore coin pendants and jewelry. Dwellings are characterized by chuvals with open hearths, low clay stoves (kemega), bunks and chests. Some Chulymch residents converted to Orthodoxy, others remained shamanists.
The people have preserved traditional folklore and crafts, but only 17% of 355 people speak their native language.

Indigenous people of Sakhalin. They call themselves Uilta, which means “deer”.
The Orok language has no written language and is spoken by almost half of the 295 remaining Oroks. The Japanese nicknamed the Orok people.
The Uilta are engaged in hunting - sea and taiga, fishing (they catch pink salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon and salmon), reindeer husbandry and gathering. Nowadays, reindeer husbandry has fallen into decline, and hunting and fishing are under threat due to oil development and land problems. Scientists assess the prospects for the continued existence of the nation with great caution.

The Enets shamanists, also known as the Yenisei Samoyeds, call themselves Encho, Mogadi or Pebai. They live on Taimyr at the mouth of the Yenisei in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The traditional dwelling is a conical tent. Of the 227 people, only a third speak their native language. The rest speak Russian or Nenets.
The national clothing of the Enets is a parka, fur pants and stockings. Women have a swing parka, men have a one-piece parka. Traditional food is fresh or frozen meat, fresh fish, fish meal - porsa.
From time immemorial, the Enets have been engaged in reindeer hunting, reindeer husbandry, and Arctic fox. Almost all modern Enets live in permanent settlements.

The Tazy (Tadzy, Datzy) are a small and fairly young people living on the Ussuri River in the Primorsky Territory. It was first mentioned in the 18th century. The Taz originated from the mixing of the Nanai and Udege with the Manchus and Chinese.

The language is similar to the dialects of northern China, but very different. Now there are 274 Tazis in Russia, and almost none of them speak their native language. If at the end of the 19th century it was known to 1,050 people, now it is owned by several elderly women in the village of Mikhailovka.
The Taz live by hunting, fishing, gathering, farming and animal husbandry.
Recently, they have been striving to revive the culture and customs of their ancestors.

The Finno-Ugric people Izhora (Izhora) lived on the tributary of the Neva of the same name. The self-name of the people is Karyalaysht, which means “Karelians”. The language is close to Karelian. They profess Orthodoxy.
During the Time of Troubles, the Izhorians fell under the rule of the Swedes, and fleeing the introduction of Lutheranism, they moved to Russian lands.
The main occupation of the Izhors was fishing, namely the production of smelt and herring. The Izhors worked as carpenters, weaving and basket weaving. In the middle of the 19th century, 18,000 Izhoras lived in the St. Petersburg and Vyborg provinces. The events of World War II had a catastrophic impact on the population. Some of the villages burned down, the Izhorians were taken to Finland, and those who returned from there were transported to Siberia. Those who remained in place disappeared among the Russian population. Now there are only 266 Izhors left.

The self-name of this Orthodox Finno-Ugric vanishing people of Russia is Vodyalayn, Vaddyalaizyd. In the 2010 census, only 64 people classified themselves as Vod. The language of the nationality is close to the southeastern dialect of the Estonian language and to the Livonian language.
From time immemorial, the Vods lived south of the Gulf of Finland, on the territory of the so-called Vodskaya Pyatina, which is mentioned in the chronicles. The nationality itself was formed in the 1st millennium AD.

The basis of life was agriculture. They grew rye, oats, barley, raised livestock and poultry, and were engaged in fishing. They lived in barns, like Estonian ones, and from the 19th century - in huts. The girls wore a sundress made of white canvas and a short “ihad” jacket. Young people chose their own bride and groom. Married women had their hair cut short, while older women shaved their heads and wore a paykas headdress. Many pagan remnants have been preserved in the rituals of the people. Now Vodi culture is being studied, a museum has been created, and the language is being taught.

Vanishing people. There are only four of them left in the entire territory of Russia. And in 2002 there were eight. The tragedy of this Paleo-Asian people was that from ancient times they lived on the border of Chukotka and Kamchatka and found themselves between two fires: the Chukchi fought with the Koryaks, and the Ankalgakku got the worst of it - that’s what the Kereks call themselves. Translated, this means “people living by the sea.”

Enemies burned houses, women were taken into slavery, men were killed. Many Kerek people died during the epidemics that swept the lands at the end of the 18th century.
The Kereks themselves led a sedentary lifestyle, obtained food by fishing and hunting, and killed sea and fur-bearing animals. They were engaged in reindeer herding. The Kereks contributed to dog riding. Harnessing dogs in a train is their invention. The Chukchi harnessed dogs in a fan style.
The Kerek language belongs to the Chukchi-Kamchatka language. In 1991, there were only three people left in Chukotka who spoke it. To preserve it, a dictionary was recorded, which included about 5,000 words.

In the modern world, Russia is the largest country, occupying a vast area - more than seventeen thousand square kilometers. Two continents divide it into parts - European and Asian. Each of them is larger in territory than many not-so-small states of the Earth.

In terms of population, however, our country is only in ninth place. The number of Russians today does not reach one hundred and fifty million people. The problem is that most of the country's territory lies under deserted steppes and taiga, for example, these are the most remote regions of Siberia.

However, this is compensated by the number of peoples living here. This was predetermined by the past. Historically, Russia is a multinational state, which it became by absorbing neighboring peoples, attracting strangers with large territories and wealth. According to official data, almost two hundred peoples now live in the Russian state, differing sharply in numbers: from Russians (more than one hundred and ten million people) to Kerek (less than ten representatives).

How many of us are there?

How many peoples live in Russia? How to find out? The leading sources of useful information about the population of our country are statistical censuses, regularly conducted in recent years. At the same time, according to modern methods and according to democratic approaches, data on the nationality of Russian residents by origin is not noted in documents, which is why digital material for the census appeared on the basis of self-determination of Russians.

In total, in recent years, a little more than 80% of the country’s citizens declared themselves Russian by nationality, leaving only 19.1% as representatives of other nations. Almost six million census participants were unable to identify their nationality at all or defined it as a fantastic people (elves, for example).

Summing up the final calculations, it should be noted that the total number of peoples of the country who do not consider themselves Russian population did not exceed twenty-five million citizens.

This suggests that the ethnic composition of the Russian population is very complex and requires constant special attention. On the other hand, there is one large ethnic group that serves as a kind of core of the entire system.

Ethnic composition

The basis of the national composition of Russia is, of course, Russians. This people has its historical roots from the Eastern Slavs, who lived on the territory of Rus' since ancient times. A significant part of Russians exist, of course, in Russia, but there are large layers in a number of former Soviet republics and in the USA. This is the most significant European ethnic group. Today there are more than one hundred thirty-three million Russians living in the world.

Russians are the titular people of our country; their representatives dominate a significant number of regions of the modern Russian state. Of course, this led to side effects. The spread of this nation over several centuries over a vast territory in the course of historical development led to the formation of dialects, as well as separate ethnic groups. For example, on the coast of the White Sea live the Pomors, who form a subethnic group of local Karelians and Russians who arrived in the past.

Among the more complex ethnic associations, groups of peoples can be noted. The largest group of peoples are the Slavs, mainly from the eastern subgroup.

In total, representatives of nine large language families live in Russia, differing greatly in language, culture, and way of life. With the exception of the Indo-European family, they are mainly of Asian origin.

This is the approximate ethnic composition of the Russian population today according to official data. What can be said definitely is that our country is distinguished by a significant diversity of nationalities.

The largest nations of Russia

The nationalities living in Russia are quite clearly divided into numerous and small. The first ones, in particular, include:

• The Russian inhabitants of the country number (according to the latest census) more than one hundred and ten million people.
• Tatars of several groups, reaching 5.4 million people.
• Ukrainians number two million. The bulk of the Ukrainian people live on the territory of Ukraine; in Russia, representatives of this people appeared in the course of historical development in the pre-revolutionary, Soviet, and modern periods.
• Bashkirs, another nomadic people in the past. Their number is 1.6 million people.
• Chuvash, residents of the Volga region - 1.4 million.
• Chechens, one of the peoples of the Caucasus, - 1.4 million, etc.

There are other peoples of similar numbers who played an important role in the past and, possibly, the future of the country.

Small nations of Russia

How many small nations live on the territory of Russia? There are many such ethnic groups in the country, but they are poorly represented in the total population because they are very few in number. These national groups include the peoples of the Finno-Ugric, Samoyed, Turkic, and Sino-Tibetan groups. Particularly small are the Kereks (a tiny people - only four people), the Vod people (sixty-four people), the Enets (two hundred and seventy-seven), the Ults (almost three hundred people), the Chulyms (a little more than three and a half hundred), the Aleuts (almost half a thousand) , Negidals (just over five hundred), Orochi (almost six hundred). For all of them, the problem of survival is a pressing and everyday issue.

Map of the peoples of Russia

In addition to the strong dispersion in the size of the national composition of Russia and the inability of many ethnic groups in modern times to maintain their numbers independently, there is also the problem of distribution within the country. The population of Russia is distributed very heterogeneously, which is caused primarily by economic incentives both in the historical past and in the present.

The bulk is in the area between Baltic St. Petersburg, Siberian Krasnoyarsk, Black Sea Novorossiysk and the Far Eastern Primorsky Territory, where all the big cities lie. The reasons for this are the good climate and favorable economic background. To the north of this territory there is permafrost caused by eternal cold, and to the south there are vast expanses of lifeless desert.

In terms of population density, Siberia has one of the last places in the modern world. Its vast territory is home to less than 30 million inhabitants. This represents only 20% of the country's total population. While in its vast area Siberia reaches three-quarters of the expanses of Russia. The most densely populated areas are the directions Derbent - Sochi and Ufa - Moscow.

In the Far East, a significant population density runs along the entire length of the Trans-Siberian Highway. Increased standards of population density are also observed in the Kuznechny coal basin region. All these areas attract Russians with their economic and natural wealth.

The country's largest peoples: Russians, and to a lesser extent Tatars and Ukrainians, are mainly located in the southwest of the state. Ukrainians today are mostly located on the territory of the Chukotka Peninsula and in the Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug, in the distant Magadan region.

Other small peoples of the Slavic ethnic group, such as the Poles and Bulgarians, do not create large compact groups and are scattered throughout the country. The Polish population is found in a fairly compact group only in the Omsk region.

Tatars

The number of Tatars living in Russia, as noted above, exceeded the level of three percent of the total Russian population. About a third of them live compactly in the region of the Russian Federation called the Republic of Tatarstan. Group settlements exist in the Volga regions, in the far north, etc.

A significant part of the Tatars are supporters of Sunni Islam. Certain groups of Tatars have differences in language, culture and way of life. The common language is within the Turkic group of languages ​​of the Altaic language family, it has three dialects: Mishar (western), the more widespread Kazan (middle), and the slightly distant Siberian-Tatar (eastern). In Tatarstan, this language appears as an official one.

Ukrainians

One of the many East Slavic peoples is the Ukrainians. More than forty million Ukrainians live in their historical homeland. In addition, significant diasporas exist not only in Russia, but also in the countries of Europe and America.

Ukrainians living in Russia, including labor migrants, number about five million people. A significant number of them are located in cities. Particularly large groups of this ethnic group are located in the capital, in oil- and gas-bearing regions of Siberia, the Far North, etc.

Belarusians

In modern Russia, Belarusians, taking into account their total number in the world, constitute a large number. As the 2010 census of the Russian population shows, there are a little more than half a million Belarusians living in Russia. A significant proportion of white people are located in the capitals, as well as in a number of regions, for example in Karelia and the Kaliningrad region.

In the pre-revolutionary years, a large number of Belarusians moved to Siberia and the Far East, and later national administrative units existed there. By the end of the eighties, there were more than one million Belarusians on the territory of the RSFSR. Nowadays, their number has been halved, but it is obvious that the Belarusian stratum in Russia will be preserved.

Armenians

There are quite a lot of Armenians living in Russia, although according to different sources, their number differs. Thus, according to the 2010 census, there were slightly more than one million people in Russia, that is, less than one percent of the total population. According to the assumptions of Armenian public organizations, the number of the Armenian stratum in the country at the beginning of the twentieth century exceeded two and a half million people. And Russian President V.V. Putin, speaking about the number of Armenians in Russia, voiced the figure of three million people.

In any case, Armenians play a serious role in the social and cultural life of Russia. Thus, Armenians work in the Russian government (Chilingarov, Bagdasarov, etc.), in show business (I. Allegrova, V. Dobrynin, etc.), and in other fields of activity. There are regional organizations of the Union of Armenians of Russia in sixty-three regions of Russia.

Germans

The Germans living in Russia are representatives of an ethnic group that has experienced a contradictory and in some ways even tragic history. Migrating en masse in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries at the invitation of the Russian government, they mainly settled in the Volga region and the western and southern provinces of the Russian Empire. Life on good lands was easy, but in the twentieth century, historical events hit the Germans hard. First the First World War, then the Great Patriotic War led to mass repressions. In the fifties and eighties of the last century, the history of this ethnic group was hushed up. It is not for nothing that the mass migration of Germans began in the nineties, the number of which, according to some sources, barely exceeds half a million.

True, in recent years, episodic re-evacuations from Europe to Russia have begun, but so far they have not reached large proportions.

Jews

It is difficult to say how many Jews currently live in Russia due to their active migration both to Israel and back to the Russian state. In the historical past, there were many Jews in our country - several million in the Soviet era. But with the collapse of the USSR and significant migration to their historical homeland, their number decreased. Now, according to public Jewish organizations, there are approximately one million Jews in Russia, half of them are residents of the capital.

Yakuts

They are a fairly numerous Turkic-speaking people, an indigenous population of the region adapted to local conditions.

How many Yakuts are there in Russia? According to the 2010 All-Russian Census of the Domestic Population, there were slightly less than half a million people, mainly in Yakutia and surrounding regions. The Yakuts are the largest (about half the population) people and the most significant of the indigenous peoples of Russian Siberia.

In the traditional economy and material culture of this people there are many close similarities with the pastoralists of southern Asia. On the territory of the Middle Lena, a version of the Yakut economy was formed, combining nomadic cattle breeding and the most important extensive types of fisheries (meat and fish production), similar to the local one. In the north of the region there is also a distinctive form of harness reindeer herding.

Reasons for resettlement

The history of the ethnic composition of the population of Russia in the course of its development is extremely ambiguous. The accelerated settlement of the Russian state by Ukrainians occurred back in the Middle Ages. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, on instructions from government agencies, settlers from the southern lands headed east to develop new territories. After some time, representatives of social classes from different regions began to be sent there.

Representatives of the intelligentsia voluntarily moved to St. Petersburg in an era when this city had the status of the capital of the state. Nowadays, Ukrainians constitute the largest ethnic group in Russia in terms of number of people after, of course, the Russians.

At the other pole are representatives of small nations. The Kereks, who have the smallest numbers, are in particular danger. According to the latest census, there are only four representatives left, although fifty years ago there were only one hundred Kerek people. The leading languages ​​for these people are Chukchi and common Russian; their native Kerek is found only in the form of an ordinary passive language. The Kereks, in terms of their level of culture and ordinary daily activities, are very close to the Chukchi people, which is why they were in constant assimilation with them.

Problems and future

The ethnic composition of the Russian population will undoubtedly develop in the future. In modern conditions, the revival of ethnographic traditions and the culture of peoples is clearly visible. However, the development of ethnic groups experiences a number of problems:

• poor fertility and gradual decline of most peoples;
• globalization, and at the same time the influence of the culture and life of large nations (Russian and Anglo-Saxon);
• general economic problems that undermine the economic base of peoples, and so on.

Much in such a situation depends on the national governments themselves, including the Russian one, and on global opinion.

But I want to believe that the small peoples of Russia will further develop and grow in size in the coming centuries.

No science has yet given an exact definition of such a concept as “people,” but everyone understands by this concept a large community of people living compactly in a certain territory.

The science of ethnography, which studies peoples and ethnic groups, including the most numerous peoples, identifies today from 2.4 to 2.7 thousand nationalities living on earth. But in such a delicate matter, ethnographers can rely on statistical data, which put the figure at 5 and a half thousand peoples on Earth.

No less interesting is ethnogenesis, which studies the emergence and development of various ethnic groups. Let us present in a small overview the largest nations that emerged in ancient times, and their total number exceeds 100 million people.

Chinese (1,320 million)

The generalized concept of “Chinese people” includes all residents of China, including people of other nationalities, as well as those who have Chinese citizenship but live abroad.

Nevertheless, the Chinese people are the largest, both in the concept of “nation” and in the concept of “nationality”. Today, there are 1 billion 320 million Chinese living in the world, which is 19% of the total population of the planet. So, the list of the largest nations in the world, by all indicators, is rightfully headed by the Chinese.

Although in fact, those whom we call “Chinese” are ethnically representatives of the Han people. China is a multinational country.

The very name of the people is “Han”, which means “Milky Way”, and comes from the name of the country “Celestial Empire”. They are also the most ancient people on Earth, whose roots go back to the distant past. The Han people in China make up the absolute majority, about 92% of the country's population.

Interesting Facts:

• The Chinese Zhuang people, who are a national minority in the country, number about 18 million people, which is comparable to the population of Kazakhstan and larger than the population of the Netherlands.
• Another Chinese people, Huizu, has a population of about 10.5 million, which is earlier than the population of countries such as Belgium, Tunisia, the Czech Republic or Portugal.

Arabs (330-340 million)

The Arabs, who occupy second place, are defined in ethnographic science as a group of nationalities, but from the point of view of ethnogenesis, they are one people of the Semitic language group.

The nation developed in the Middle Ages, when the Arabs settled in the Middle East and northern Africa. All of them are united by a single Arabic language and a unique writing system - Arabic script. The people have long gone beyond the boundaries of their historical homeland, and at the present stage, due to various circumstances, they have settled in other regions of the globe.

Today the number of Arabs is estimated at 330-340 million people. They mostly adhere to Islam, but there are also Christians.

Did you know that:

• There are more Arabs living in Brazil than in the United Arab Emirates.
• Arabs consider the gesture to be a sexually suggestive insult.

Americans (317 million)

Here is a striking example when it is possible to accurately define a people, given the practically non-existent concept of “American nation”. In a narrow sense, this is a group of different nationalities that make up the population of the United States and have American citizenship.

Over the course of its 200-year history, a single culture, mentality, and common language used in communication have developed, which makes it possible to unite the population of the United States into one people.

Today there are 317 million US Americans. For the indigenous population of America, Indians, the name Americans may be used, but in terms of ethnic identification this is a completely different ethnic group.

By the way, read about the most interesting sights of the USA.

Hindustani (265 million)

At the moment, Hindustanis have settled compactly in three neighboring countries in the South-Eastern region of the planet - India, Nepal and Pakistan.

As for India, the largest number of them live in the northern part of the state. In total, ethnology numbers about 265 million Hindustanis, and their main language of communication is various dialects of the Hindi language.

It is interesting that of the related nationalities, the gypsies and Dravidians inhabiting the southern regions of India are closest to them.

Bengalis (over 250 million)

Among the numerous peoples, the Bengalis, numbering more than 250 million, also occupy a leading position. They mostly live in Asian countries, but there are small diasporas in the USA and Great Britain, and they also exist in other European countries.

Over the centuries-old history, the Bengalis have preserved their national culture, identity and language, as well as their main activities. In the Asian region, they live mainly in rural areas, as they have been engaged in agriculture since ancient times.

The Bengali language is one of the most complex on earth; it was formed as a result of the synthesis of the Indo-Aryan language and numerous local dialects.

Brazilians (197 million)

A group of different ethnic groups living in Latin America have formed into a single Brazilian people. There are currently about 197 million Brazilians, most of whom live in Brazil itself.

The people went through a difficult path of ethnogenesis, which began to take shape as a result of the European conquest of the South American continent. Indian nationalities lived interspersed over vast territories, and with the arrival of Europeans, most of them were destroyed, the rest assimilated.

And so it happened that the religion of the Brazilians became Catholicism, and the language of communication became Portuguese.

Russians (about 150 million)

The name of the most numerous people of Russia occurred as a result of the transition of the adjective “Russian people”, “Russian people” into the generalizing noun “Russians”, in the concept of people.

Modern statistical studies indicate that there are about 150 million Russians on Earth, most of whom live in Russia. The largest people in Russia belong to the linguistic group of East Slavic languages, and today more than 180 million people consider Russian their native language.

Russians are practically homogeneous in anthropological terms, although they are spread over a large territory and are divided into several ethnographic groups. The ethnos emerged during the development of the Russian state from different ethnic groups of the Slavs.

Interesting Fact: The largest number of Russians outside the borders of the Russian Federation and the countries of the former USSR are in Germany (∼ 3.7 million) and in the USA (∼ 3 million).

Mexicans (148 million)

Mexicans, who number about 148 million people, are united by a common territory of residence, a single Spanish language of communication, as well as an amazing national culture that has developed on the basis of the heritage of the ancient civilizations of Central America.

This people is also a vivid example of duality, since those Mexicans who live in the United States can simultaneously be considered Americans.
The people are also unique in that they are Latin Americans by ethnicity, but their language of communication classifies them as a Romance group. It is also the nation on our planet that is growing at the fastest pace.

Japanese (132 million)

There are 132 million conservative Japanese on Earth, and they live mainly in their historical homeland. After World War II, some Japanese settled around the world, and now only 3 million people live outside Japan.

The Japanese people are distinguished by isolation, high diligence, and a special attitude towards the historical past and national culture. Over many centuries, the Japanese have managed to preserve and, most importantly, increase their heritage, both spiritual and material and technical.

The Japanese treat foreigners in a special way, with some suspicion, and are reluctant to allow them into their lives.

Punjabis (130 million)

Another of the largest nations lives compactly in the territories of India and Pakistan. Of the 130 million Punjabis in the Asian regions, a small portion settled in Europe and Africa.

For many centuries, the hardworking people created an extensive irrigation system for irrigated fields, and their main occupation has always been agriculture.

It was the Punjabis who were one of the first peoples on earth to create a highly developed and cultural civilization in the valleys of Indian rivers. But, as a result of cruel colonial policies, much of the heritage of this people was lost.

Biharis (115 million)

The amazing Bihari people, living mainly in the Indian state of Bihar, today number about 115 million people. A small part settled in other Indian states and neighboring countries.

Modern representatives of the people are direct descendants of those. Who created the first agricultural civilizations on Earth in the Indus and Ganges valleys.

Today, there is an active process of urbanization of Biharis, and, leaving their main occupations and ancient crafts and trades, they are moving en masse to cities.

Javanese (105 million)

The last major nation on earth, numbering more than 100 million people. According to the latest data from ethnology and statistics, there are about 105 million Javanese people on the planet.

In the 19th century, only the Russian ethnographer and traveler Miklouho-Maclay provided data on the origin, but today quite a lot is known about the ethnogenesis of the Javanese.

They settled mainly on the islands of Oceania, and are the indigenous population of the large island of Java and the state of Indonesia. Over many centuries they have created a unique and inimitable culture.

Thais (over 90 million)

Just by the name of the ethnic group, it is clear that the Thais are the indigenous population of the kingdom of Thailand, and today there are more than 90 million of them.

The etymology of the origin of the word “tai” is interesting, which in local dialects means “free person”. Ethnographers and archaeologists, studying the culture of the Thais, have determined that it was formed during the early Middle Ages.

Among other nations, this nation is distinguished by its sincere love, sometimes bordering on fanaticism, for theatrical art.

Koreans (83 million)

The people formed many centuries ago and at one time populated the Korean Peninsula of Asia. They managed to create a highly developed culture and carefully preserve national traditions.

The total number of people is 83 million, but the confrontation led to the formation of two states with one ethnic group, which is an unresolved tragedy for the Koreans today.

More than 65 million Koreans live in South Korea, the rest in North Korea, and have also settled in other Asian and European countries.

Marathi (83 million)

India, among all its uniqueness, is also the record holder for the number of numerous nationalities living on its territory. For example, the state of Maharashtra is home to the amazing Marakhti people.

A very talented people, people from whom occupy high positions in India, Indian cinema is filled with Marakhti.

In addition, the Marakhti are a very purposeful and united ethnic group, which in the 50s of the twentieth century achieved the creation of their own state, and today, numbering 83 million people, this is the main population of the Indian state.

European peoples

It is worth separately touching upon the largest peoples of Europe, among which the leaders are the descendants of the ancient Germans, the Germans, whose number, according to various sources, ranges from 80 to 95 million. Second place is firmly held by Italians, of whom there are 75 million on earth. But the French are firmly established in third place, with a population of about 65 million.

Summarize

In the photo: Fountain of Friendship of Peoples in Moscow.

Large nations living on the globe, however, like small ones, have their own cultural and national traditions that have developed over a long historical process.

Today, the process of erasing ethnic and national boundaries is increasingly observed. There are practically no mono-national states left on Earth, it’s just that in each of them there is one dominant nation, and all the different national people are united under the general concept of “resident of the country.”