Tatarstan (Kazan)
I want to tell you about Tatarstan, one of the biggest republics of Russia. It is located in the Eastern part of Europe at the junction of the Volga and Kama rivers. Its population is about three million people. Climate is moderate-continental with warm, sometimes hot summers and moderate cold winters. The main wealth of Tatarstan is oil, the stock of which is about one billion tons a year. There are two state languages in Tatarstan: Russian and Tatar. Besides these languages there are a lot of languages spoken in the republic: the Chuvash language, the Mary language, the Mordova language and etc. All these language belongs to the Indo-European family of languages. The capital of Tatarstan is Kazan. It is located on the left bank of the Volga river and was founded in 1177 by the Bulgar tzar Ibrahim. It is a big political, economic and cultural centre. It is the Seat of the Republic government, the high court, the Academy of sciences and many administrative bodies. Kazan is also the cultural centre. There are many libraries, theatres, museums, monuments and other places of interest in it. One of the most beautiful Cathedrals in Kazan is St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The attraction of historical places is not only in their architecture, but in the names of people or events which are connected with them. One of the places of historical interest in our country is the Central Park of Recreation and Rest. It is noticed for its landscape and architecture. The usual tourists’ attractions are the Kremlin and the University of Kazan. Besides they visit Tatar Drama Theatre. Another attraction is the Riverport of Kazan. In summer it is a crowded place but in winter it is visited very seldom. Our government and the city magistrate in Kazan do everything in their power to preserve building of the architectural value.
Kazan is also famous for its classical and modern writers, scientists, who made a valuable contribution to literature and science (M. Djalil, Butlerov). I’m very proud of my Motherland and I’ll be very happy to show it to my foreign friends.