The coat of arms
The coat of arms of the Republic of Buryatia has a traditional heraldic form. On the shield are painted a tricoloured circle (there are blue, white and yellow colors of the national flag). At the top of circle is the gold Soyombo. The Soyombo (a sanskrit-derived word meaning "a self-explaining writing") was in origin an endmark for lamaistic writings of XVII century. It became very popular. The three objects represent three of the four cosmological elements (the fire for heavens or ether, the sun, the moon for the air). There is a traditional Mongolian symbol of the everlasting life. In the middle of the circle are painted blue-white bands with one width (there are wave of Baikal), and the light-green and dark-green mountains landscapes of Buryatia. The bottom of the circle is framed by the blue ribbon "Khadak" - the symbol of hospitality of people in Buryatia.

The Flag
On 29 October 1992 they adopted a State flag of Buryatia. The National flag of Buryatia is a rectangular panel consisting of three horizontal stripes: the upper stripe is blue (symbolizes the sky) and occupies one-half the width (of the flag); the middle stripe is white (symbolize the purity) and occupies one-fourth, and the lower stripe is yellow (symbolize the eternity) and occupies (the remaining) one fourth of the width of the flag. In the left upper corner of the blue part of the flag, at the distance of one-fourth of flag length from the staff is a traditional symbol of Buryatia (soyombo) depicted in yellow. This symbol is an image of the moon, the sun and a hearth in the following order: at the bottom appears a crescent moon, with the sun above it, and an image of a hearth, from which rise three tongues of flame, above both. The ratio of the flag width to its length is 1:2.

The Republic of Buryatia is located in the southern part of East Siberia. It has a favorable geographic location, with borders on Irkutsk and Chita regions, the Republic of Tuva, and Mongolia is adjacent to the lake Baikal. The total territory of Buryatia constitutes 351,300 sq. km, which approximately equals the territories of England, Belgium, Luxemburg and Denmark put together, or, if put it some other way - it is almost the same as the territory of German.

The Transbaikalia has been part of the Central Asian historical and cultural region since the depths of antiquity. The region's people have been involved directly or indirectly in the sweeping historical events in this part of the world. The most interesting chapter in the history of region is the Hunnish period from the end of the 3rd century B.C. to the end of the 1st century A.D. The Hunnish state was home to diverse tribes, mainly Proto-Mongolian and to some extent Proto-Tungus and Proto-Iranian tribes. According to historical evidence, the Huns created a powerful nation of Central Asian nomads that lasted for three centuries.

Successive nomad states came and went over a period of millennia until Chingis Khan established the Mongol Empire in 1206, uniting all the main Mongolian tribes. As subjects of the empire, the people of Transbaikalia took part in the campaigns of conquest of Chingis Khan and his successors.

After the collapse of Chingis Khan`s empire, the Mongol state continued to exist, although it was rent by feudal strife. The nomadic tribes of Transbaikalia and Prebaikalia remained part of it throughout.

In the 16th century, the Russian Empire began expanding its borders eastward. The great historical events sweeping over Baikal had an impact on the lives of the people inhabiting the region. In 1666, Russian Cossacks built a wooden fortress on a high bank of the Uda River, laying the foundations for the important merchant city of Verkhneudinsk, which later became Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia.

Once the Russian boundary was firmly established, the Buryat tribes were isolated from the rest of the Mongolian world. The tsarist government set up its own administrative system in the region, although local government was carried out by Buryat nobles controlled by the East Siberian administration. Construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway passing through the Transbaikal region and the traditional caravan routes connecting Russia with the countries of Southeast Asia led to intensive economic growth in the region in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The October Revolution of 1917 continued the long drawn-out process of integration with Russia. The Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed in 1923, and in 1937 was given the official name of Buryatia, or Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Due to a reorganization of the administrative and territorial structure of East Siberia in 1937, in the same year, the republic was renamed the Buryat Autonomous Socialist Republic.

The Soviet period of Buryatia's history is closely connected with all the bright and dark events experienced by the whole country. A fairly well developed agricultural industry was established in the republic during the decades of Soviet rule. Nearly 60 national economic sectors, including such strategic ones as the aircraft construction, engineering, power, coal, mining, and woodworking industries, were connected to all economic regions of the USSR. Most of the large factories in Buryatia specialized in defense production, which to a certain extent isolated the republic from the rest of the world.

Developments in the areas of education, science, and culture may also be considered achievements of the Soviet period. The Buryat Scientific Center of the Siberian Division of the Academy of Sciences and its applied research divisions, four higher educational institutions, and more than 20 technical and special secondary schools constitutes an enormous scientific and professional potential that helped develop the republic's economy and will continue to determine it in the future.

On October 8, 1990, Buryatia proclaimed national sovereignty as the Buryat Soviet Socialist Republic and renounced its status as an autonomous republic. On March 27, 1991, the Parliament of Buryatia removed the designations "Soviet" and "Socialist" from the republic's name and it became known as the Buryat Republic. As a sovereign republic, Buryatia has its own Constitution and legislative and executive bodies. The first president in the history of Buryatia was elected in 1994.

Buryatia is a multinational republic with a population of 963300 and over 100 nationalities. The indigenous nations are Buryats and Evenks. The largest ethnic groups in the Republic are Russians (about 60%). Buryatia is considered to be an underpopulated region of the country. The average density of the population is 3 inhabitants per 1 sq. km, but this ratio changes throughout the Republic. A majority of the population lives in the central part, the Selenga valley, along the Trans-Siberian Railway. There the density is 6-7 inhabitants per 1 sq. km, while in the north and in the southwest it is approximately 1 inhabitant per 1 sq. km.
See also:Local cultures >>

Ulan-Ude

Ulan Ude, the capital of Buryatia, is located in the middle of vast Siberian steppe, on the 5640th kilometer of the Trans-Siberian railway. Ulan Ude is an important commercial and industrial center of Eastern Siberia. There are about 400,000 inhabitants, and the local people are often said to be friendly towards visitors. The first striking impression is an unusually calm and mellow way of life, although at times a slightly chaotic look of the city may be noticed. More than 50% of people in Ulan-Ude are native Buryats with almond-shaped eyes. This peculiar mix makes on feel that he is in Asia.
The time zone is GMT+8 or Moscow+5.
All trains going along the Trans-Siberian rail make a stop in Ulan-Ude. It takes 6 hours by plane from Moscow. Otherwise, you can take a train and it`ll take about 4 days from Moscow, or 2 from Beijing. Irkutsk is 8 hours by train from Ulan-Ude.

Ulan-Ude, like the majority of Siberian cities, was founded in the 17th century by Russian explorers. During this period of establishment, Cossacks built several of their ostrogs (fortresses) on the territory of modern Buryatia, and one of the most important was called Udinskoe; where Ulan Ude is now located.
1666 is considered to be the time of city’s foundation. Strategically, Udinskoye was a perfect place located on the trade way between Russia and China. Besides this, it was well fortified and surrounded by multiple mountain ranges. In 1768 the largest center of trade in Eastern Siberia was established in Udinsk. In 1775 Udinsk was granted city status, and was re-named Verhneudinsk.
Development of trade relations among Russia, Mongolia, and China, as well as the completion of Transbaikalia railway system by Russians, promoted further economic and population growth within Verhneudinsk.

During Soviet times, the whole region of Buryatia became an important industrial and agricultural center. Machinery and metal processing industries (the production of locomotives, for example), wood processing plants, and farms were established in the area. In 1934 a new governmental policy allowing regions to be renamed by the local ethnic majority allowed Verhneudinsk to be renamed once again. It would now be called Ulan Ude, which means "red uda" in the Buryatian language ("uda" is the name of the river, where Ulan Ude is established).

Nowadays, even though the overall level of production and agriculture does not remain as high as it once was, Ulan-Ude is striving for growth once again. And it seems to be doing relatively well, despite a persistently high level of poverty in the Buryatian republic. There are a lot of scientific institutions in Ulan-Ude that are developing with fresh and modern methods. For example, there’s a department for Indo-Tibetan Medicine Studies in the Buryat Scientific Center of the Russian Science Academy. Historians are also actively studying the past of native people from the region and are making startling discoveries.