Name - Republic of Mari El

Capital - Yoshkar-Ola
(formerly Tsaryovokokshaysk - "Tsar's Town on the Kokshaga")

Location - It is situated in the center of the European area of the Russian Federation along the middle course of the River Volga

A large proportion of the Republic is to the North of Volga and a part of Gorno-Mariysky District - to the South of Volga

Almost the whole area of Mari El is covered by forest: pine-trees in the West, fir and spruce in the North and North east and mixed woods (conifers and broad-leaved trees) in the South east

A large portion of the area is a swamped plain, which in the East changes to the hills of Vyatsky Uval

Principal rivers: Volga (to be precise, Cheboksary water reservoir) and its left tributaries: Vetluga, Rutka, Bolshaya and Malaya Kokshaga and Ilet

The North eastern corner of the Republic belongs to the basin of River Vyatka

Language - Official languages of the Republic are Russian and Mari

43% of the population are Mari

Less than half (about 320, 000) the Mari (formerly known as Cheremis), live in the republic. The rest are scattered mostly in Bashkiria (Bashkortostan, about 105, 000), and Kirov Region (50, 000)

Mari's are divided into three dialect and cultural ethnic groups:-

Gornye (Hill) Mari (right bank of River Volga — Gorno-Mariysky District)
Lugovye (Meadow) Mari - between the Rivers Vetluga and Vyatka
Eastern Mari in Bashkiria

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Mari language belongs to the Volga group of Finno-Ugric family of languages. This means it is as close to Estonian and Finnish as say English to Spanish

Mari is written on the basis of Cyrillic script

A number of newspapers are published

The majority of native speakers are, however, elderly people, and the Mari language is now on the UNESCO list of endangered languages

Religion - Despite the christianization that was forced on them over the centuries, a big part of the Mari population still preserved pagan pre-Christian beliefs

Main folkloric festivals:-

Peredysh payrem (flower festival) - beginning of June, the whole republic

Mariy muro payrem (Mari song festival) - July, Yoshkar-Ola

Mari traditional feasts:-

Aga payrem - beginning of the agricultural season, before ploughing

Uginde payrem - feast of the harvest

Shyl Kas - Autumn cattle slaughter

Shoryk Yol - New Year (Winter)