Chuvash

Autonomous republic in the western Russian Federation; area 18,300 sq km/7,066 sq mi; population (1990) 1,340,000 (68% Chuvash, 25% Russian). The main cities are Cheboksary (capital), Alatyr, and Shumerla. Chuvash lies south of the Volga River, 560 km/350 mi east of Moscow. The main industries are textiles, lumbering, electrical and engineering industries, phosphates, and limestone; there is grain and fruit farming.

The area was annexed by Russia in the mid-16th century. Chuvash became an autonomous region in 1920, and a Soviet autonomous republic from 1925. It was made an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation in 1991.

Physical The area of the Volga upland known as the Chuvash Plateau consists of wooded steppe covered with mixed forests and traversed by deep ravines.

Chuvash

Member of the majority ethnic group inhabiting the autonomous republic of Chuvash, Russia. The Chuvash have lived in the middle Volga region since the 8th century and are probably descended from the medieval Volga Bulgarians. They are Russian Orthodox Christians and most work on collective farms. Their language belongs to the Altaic family, although whether it is a member of the Turkic branch or constitutes a branch on its own is uncertain. A Chuvash alphabet dates from 1872.