The Factors Affecting Pattern of Rural Settlement of the Republic of Tatarstan

This article discusses the factors influencing rural settlement patterns of the Republic of Tatarstan in 50-th years of XX century. Where people settle is determined by the main factors such as physical environment, demographic, natural, transportation, economic and social concerns. The authors examine the reasons for the migration of the rural population as well as the changes in the national composition of the rural population of the republic. The article uses census statistics of the 1959, 1989, 2002 and 2010 years.


Introduction
As we can see from the review of the literary sources the territory of Tatarstan Republic was inhabited by Russians, Tatars, Chuvashs, Mari, Udmurt and other nationalities since ancient times.Amongst rural inhabited localities there were predominantly such traditional settlements as "derevnya", "selo" and "avyl".Their situation, size, layout and other different features generally vary according to a group of factors: geography, climate and nature, infrastructure, ethnic, social politics, etc.
Development and disposition issues of the countryfolk and rural settlements on the territory of the Tatarstan republic and the Middle Volga were researched by scientists of Kazan University (KFU) Gagarin E. P., Vorobyev N. I., Halikov N. A. Arkhipov Y. R., Urazmanova R. K., Iskhakov D. M., Mukhametshin R. M. and others, as well as scholars and teachers of the Kazan Pedagogical Institute (KSPU) Dulaeva R. A., Mustafin M. R., Biktimirov N. M., Mickle E. V., Gaisin I. T. According to many researchers, on the present territory of the Republic, depending on the relief and type of the hydrological network, were formed types of settlements, often called ravine-river type and valley type, as the Tatar population was rather settled near running water, fountain heads, springs and rare next to small ponds.Russian population was mainly living along the coasts of large and small rivers.Besides riverain type of settlements in the republic the most common are the lacustrine and -canal and lacustrine types.According to Vorobyev N. I. Busygin E. P., Khalikov N. A., the ancient settlements of Tatar, Russian, Chuvash, Mari and Udmurt were looking oddly unconditional, they were often repeating the natural relief of a landscape, bends of the banks of the river, ravine, lake (Busygin & Zorin, 1971;Gaisin & Biktimirov, 2014;Tatar people, 2001).
Most of the settlements, inhabited by Russian population of the republic, in its placement obey the same laws as the villages and hamlets in the central regions of Russia, from which the bulk of immigrants arrived in the region.They tried to settle on the river banks and near the cities.Therefore, this type of settlement in Russian is expressed more clearly than the other peoples of the republic (Tatar people, 2001).Many indigenous people of the region, especially the Tatars, Chuvash, Udmurt engaged in farming and cattle breeding.Therefore, the majority of rural settlements in the territory of the republic were placed on the rivers and river valleys, mostly indicating the source, the flow, the river mouth or near the confluence of two rivers.It makes possible to protect cattle from winds and storms, and easier to stock up on succulent forage and hay.A significant part of the rural settlements of Tatarstan appeared in places of extraction and processing of minerals, especially in Verkhneuslonsky district , Kama Ustinskoy ditrict, etc. (Atlas Tartarica, 2006;Busygin & Zorin, 1971;Tatar people, 2001).
Our analysis of the literature showed that the occurrence of settlements, including rural, greatly influenced by transport and geography.Numerous rivers and their valleys were basic, natural transport routes, which went on the settlement of the region.Therefore, many rural settlements sprung up along major rivers and in the valleys of small and medium-sized rivers flowing into major rivers: the Volga, Kama, Vyatka, Belaya.Especially a lot of rural settlements arose along the rivers such as: Sviyaga, Stepnoy Zai, Malaya Cheremshan, Bolshaya Sulcha, Ik, Kichuy River, Sheshma, Mesha, Izh, Kazanka, Menzel and others.Hence, the emergence and development of regular communication on major waterways of the Volga, Kama, Vyatka, Belaya and their tributaries stimulated the emergence of new rural settlements.
Laying the railway on the territory of the Republic: "Moscow-Kazan-Yekaterinburg", "Kazan-Bua-Ulyanovsk", "Nurlat-Bugulma-Urussu", "Krugloye Pole-Zainsk-Akbash" also had a significant impact on the emergence of new major rural settlements.Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Almetyevsk, Bugulma, Yelabuga, Mamadysh, Tchistopol, Bua had a huge impact on the formation of rural settlements of the republic.Around Kazan a number of craft villages and settlements historically occurred.The population was engaged mainly in handicrafts, fruit, vegetables and suburban livestock.

Theory
After the Second World War (1945), particularly since 1946 production of oil and natural gas in the eastern and south-eastern regions of Tatarstan had great influence on the development and deployment of rural settlements as well as the construction of large industrial enterprises of mechanical engineering, chemical and petrochemical, oil, energy and food industries.It had place in 60-th -70th of XX century in the cities of Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk, Zelenodolsk, Aznakaevo, Bugulma, Leninogorsk, Zainsk, Elabuga, Chistopol and others.Around these towns new rural settlements occurred, large specialized suburban farms developed intensively, and in the south-western oil-producing enterprises established.
According to the 1989 census, 95% of rural settlements were villages and hamlets.These villages and hamlets were inhabited by 92% rural population, who was engaged in agriculture.5% of rural population located in 5 regional centers, 15 villages Soviet and 124 inhabited localities.This part of population was not connected with agriculture.As of January 1, 1989, 12 centers were centers of districts and centers of villages Soviet, 815 centers were the centers of village councils.55% of the population lived in them.213 of these settlements at the same time were the centers of collective farms, 525 centers were centers of state farms at that time (National Department of Statistics, 1990).
As of January 1, 2002 in the Republic of Tatarstan was the only 3081 villages, 36 of them were deserted.Following the results of the All-Russia Population Census 2010 the number of villages in Tatarstan decreased to 3073 comparing to 2002.The number of settlements without population increased to 49 (statistical yearbook, 2011; Size and distribution of population, 2004).
According to the density of rural settlements, Tatarstan exceeds significantly the corresponding figures for whole Russia.
According to 2002 census, the largest number of settlements with a population of from 11 to 200 inhabitants was considered as 1573, and in 2010 this figure has already reached 1653.
Thus in period 2002-2010 years we observe increasing of number of rural settlements with a population up to 200 inhabitants by 80.At the same time, we see decreasing of number of rural settlements with a population up to 500 inhabitants by 50.
The number of rural settlements with a population from 501 inhabitants (and more) decreased by 224 (statistical yearbook, 2011; Russian Statistical yearbook).All-Russia 2002 census as well as 2010 census show that the largest group of villages in that time was the group of settlements with a population from 200 to 500 inhabitants.However, this share in the total number of rural settlements decreased from 30.4% to 28.9%.At the same time, the proportion of settlements with a population up to 50 people increased (from 19.8% to 21,4%).In 2010, in average there were 304 inhabitants in one settlement, in 2002-321 (statistical yearbook, 2011;Size and distribution of population;2004).Due to the ongoing exodus from the countryside to the cities number of residents in the villages reduced.Therefore, the number of inhabitants in rural areas are getting smaller.

Results
The average population density in the country composes almost 48 people per 1 square km.But the distribution of the population in the republic is far uneven.On the territory of the republic rural population density by increasing from east to west and reaches its highest values in the areas near Kazan.
The most densely populated areas are the western regions of republic Predvolzhye and Western Zakamye.Less populated areas are the eastern region of republic (Predkamye) as well as the extreme south-east of Tatarstan and the area at the confluence of the Volga and Kama.
Historical and natural conditions have had a significant impact on the distribution of the population.These include the availability of convenient transportation routes, forests, fertile soils, water sources, and so on.
In the west, in the second half of the 15th century during the early development of the territory of the Volga-Kama region concentrated Russian population (Atlas Tartarica, 2006;Busygin & Zorin, 1971;Ziyatdinova & Kuchayeva, 2008).The proximity of major cities contributes to the stabilization of the rural population.This is due to the fact that the villagers in large cities have the opportunity to use part of the cultural and household goods, and therefore do not tend to move to the city.
In the postwar years the socialist economy developed consequently, settlement pattern of the population changed.
The discovery of oil and gas in the sparsely populated areas in south-east of the republic led to the creation of developed industry, it caused the growth of towns and villages as well as increasing in the urban and rural population.
The population of the republic is very mobile.The residents of republic continuously moved from rural areas to the cities to study, to work etc.In the postwar years people went to the Urals, Siberia, the Far East, the Donbass to participate in major construction projects and to develop wild lands.Youth republic actively worked on new construction of the Western and Eastern Siberia.Since the mid-sixties of the XX century a lot of people participated at construction projects in Naberezhnye Chelny (KAMAZ, Zainskaya GRES and Nizhnekamsk petrochemical plant).In the 90 years of the twentieth century in republic there was observed the influx of people from CIS, particularly from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, etc. (Gaisin & Biktimirov, 2014;Russian Statistical yearbook).Today, national composition of the Republic of Tatarstan is represented by 140 nationalities and ethnic groups.From Table 2, we can observe some changes in the ethnic composition of the rural population.Analysing data of 2002 census and 2010 census it can be determined that the national composition of the rural population of the republic had increased slightly in the number of Russian (0.4%), Mari (0.1%), and other nationalities (0.2%).At the same time it is observed a reduction in the proportion of Tatars (0.5%), Chuvash and Mordvinians (0.1%).This is mainly due to the intensive migration of the Tatars, Chuvash and Mordvinians in the cities and to country outside due to the increase in the number of unemployed in rural areas.Russian population is most numerous in the country (after the Tatar).Their concentration is mainly in Kazan, Bugulma, Yelabuga, Zelenodolsk, Chistopol, and especially in the valleys of large rivers (Volga, Kama and Vyatka).As can be seen from  2012).Most of these municipal districts located along the banks of major rivers Volga and Kama.Geography of the Russian population settlement demonstrates the historic path of its location on the territory of the republic.
Other indigenous peoples (Chuvash, Mari, Udmurt) mostly concentrated near the border with the neighboring republics of Tatarstan -Mari, Chuvash, Udmurt.In addition, some municipal districts of the republic since ancient times densely inhabited by different ethnic groups.For instance, the number of Chuvash in Aksubaevsky district is 44%, in Drozhzhanovsky district -41.1% -25.3%.
According to the 1989 census and 2010 census the share of Uzbeks increased.In 1989 the number of Uzbek was 414, in 2002Uzbek was 414, in -1309Uzbek was 414, in , and in 2010Uzbek was 414, in -2016. .In 1989 the number of Armenians was in 1989 about 218 persons, in 2002 -1538, and in 2010 -1583.In 1989 the number of Azerbaijan was 215, in 2002 -917, and in 2010 -1063.According to 2010 census, the number of rural population had increased.It was presented by Tajiks (1508 pers.),Kazakhs (364 pers.),Belarusians (292 pers.),Roma (227 pers.),Germans (242 pers.) and other ethnic groups (Statistical Yearbook, 2012).It was caused mainly by the migration of the population after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

Conclusion
Our analysis of the literary sources shows that Russians and Tatars live in all regions of the Republic, but the location of their settlements differs significantly.The main factors to the location of the rural population and inhabited settlements of the Republic of Tatarstan historically are determined by geographical, natural, demographic, transport, economic, social and domestic circumstances.
In Predkamye, to the west of the river Vyatka, Tatars retain dense population.Historically, this area was inhabited significantly, mainly by the people, who moved from Zakamye after the defeat of the Bulgarian state by the Mongols in the XIII century.Another reason for its concentration here was the accession of these territories to the Russian state, which caused an increase in the influx of Russian population, led to the resettlement of the Tatars from the areas near Kazan and eastern Predvolzhye.To the west of Predvolzhye we can observe the second area with large concentration of Tatar population, the third area is located on the east of the country (Atlas Tartarica, 2006;Gaisin & Biktimirov, 2014).
The analysis of the population dynamics of Russian and Tatar people of the total population of the Tatarstan Republic in 1920-2010 years shows that in the period since 1926 to 1989 the proportion of the main nationalities in total population of the Republic has changed only slightly.During that period the number of Tatars decreased by 0,2%, the number of Russians increased by only 0,1%.Since 1990, the Tatar population increased by 548 thousand people, the Russian population -by 500 thousand (Ziyatdinova & Kuchayeva, 2008).This is mainly due to the collapse of the former Soviet Union.At the beginning of 90-th years of XX century migration movement of Russian and Tatar population from the former Soviet republics in Russia increased, including the Republic of Tatarstan.
The general trend of rural settlement of Republic of Tatarstan is a steady reducing in the number of rural settlements (since 1979.7.9%) and the drop in their average population for the same period by 16% (Statistical Yearbook, 2012).On the territory of the republic, the largest rural settlements are located in the southern and south-west regions, mainly in the Predkamye and Zakamye, as well as in the suburbs of Kazan, Almetyevsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk.The lowest population density in rural settlement is on the north and especially in the north-east regions of the republic.In other regions of Tatarstan the size of rural settlements is similar as in average for the republic.In spite of this, there is a gradual decline in the proportion of the rural population and the number of rural settlements.

Table 2 .
Ethnicity of the rural population of the Republic of Tatarstan (%) (Demographic data of All-Russia