Tatarstan

Tatarstan, officially the Republic of Tatarstan, sometimes also called Tataria, is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is a part of the Volga Federal District; and its capital and largest city is Kazan, an important cultural centre in Russia. The region's main source of wealth is oil with a strong petrochemical industry.

The republic borders the oblasts of Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara and Orenburg, as well as the republics of Mari El, Udmurtia, Chuvashia and Bashkortostan. Tatarstan has strong cultural, linguistic and ethnic ties with its eastern neighbour, Bashkortostan, which is also a republic of Russia. The area of Tatarstan is 68,000 square kilometres (26,000 mi²), occupying 0.4% of the total surface of the country. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Tatarstan was 4,004,809.

The earliest known organised state within the boundaries of Tatarstan was Volga Bulgaria, which adopted Islam in 922. This is celebrated yearly in the city of Bolgar. Successor states were the Golden Horde and the Khanate of Kazan. Only in 1920, the next Tatar state, the Tatar ASSR was formed. It became the current Republic of Tatarstan in 1992.

Tatarstan is a significant region of Russia in its connections to the global Islamic world. Its relations serve "both federal foreign policy goals and local aspirations for international recognition".

The official languages of the republic are Tatar and Russian. The head of Tatarstan is Rustam Minnihanov. Religious leaders include the mufti Kamil Samigullin and the metropolitan bishop Cyril Nakonechny.