The republic is located in the southern part of Eastern Siberia, east of Lake Baikal. It covers an area of 351.3 thousand square kilometers, which constitutes 2.1% of the total area of the Russian Federation. The Republic shares borders with the Republic of Tyva, Irkutsk Oblast, and Zabaykalsky Krai, and to the south, it borders Mongolia.
The Republic of Buryatia is a federal subject of the Russian Federation and is part of the Far Eastern Federal District.
The administrative, economic, and cultural center of the Republic of Buryatia is the city of Ulan-Ude. The republic's territory is characterized by a sharply continental climate with four distinct seasons. It experiences cold winters with temperatures dropping to -40° Celsius and hot summers with temperatures reaching up to +40° Celsius. The Republic of Buryatia is a region with high natural resource potential.
The state balance of mineral reserves of the Russian Federation and the territorial balance of the Republic of Buryatia list over 700 mineral deposits. These include:
- Over 300 gold deposits
- 13 uranium deposits
- 10 brown coal deposits
- 4 hard coal deposits
- 8 fluorite deposits
- 7 tungsten deposits
- 4 polymetallic ore deposits
- 3 molybdenum and beryllium deposits
- 1 tin and aluminum deposit
- 2 asbestos deposits
The region also contains a number of deposits of:
- Nephrite jade
- Construction raw materials
- Apatite
- Phosphorites
- Graphite
- Zeolites
The subsoil of Buryatia contains significant shares of Russia's balance reserves:
- 52.0% of zinc
- 24.0% of lead
- 32.0% of molybdenum
- 32.0% of tungsten
- 16.0% of fluorite
- 18.0% of chrysotile asbestos
- 8.0% of uranium
- 90.0% of nephrite jade
The explored and assessed mineral reserves of the Republic of Buryatia are of high value, with approximately two-thirds comprising fuel and energy resources, precious metals, non-ferrous and rare metals. Most large, unique mineral deposits are located within a 200 km radius of the nearest railway lines of the East Siberian Railway and the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM).
Land and Forest Resources
The total land fund amounts to 35.1 million hectares. The most agriculturally significant soils are chestnut, gray forest, and chernozem soils, which occupy 56.4% of all agricultural land and 76.5% of arable land. The Republic of Buryatia is classified as a zone of risky agriculture.
Forest resources represent one of the primary renewable natural resources. The total area of the forest fund in the Republic is 27.0 million hectares, of which 20.6 million hectares are forested. The total timber stock amounts to 2,241.0 million cubic meters. The abundance of flora in the Baikal region serves as a foundation for traditional Eastern medicine.
Almost the entire territory of the republic is part of the Baikal Natural Territory, encompassing 42.6% of its central ecological zone (37.7 thousand sq. km) and 74.7% of its buffer ecological zone (163.8 thousand sq. km). This necessitates the implementation of special economic activity regimes. Consequently, the republic's economic complex bears a significant environmental burden associated with the preservation of Lake Baikal's unique ecosystem. Lake Baikal and the Baikal Natural Territory hold a special status, recognized not only at the federal level but also globally as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.
The historical and cultural resources of the republic include 21 museums, 4 theaters, 20 religious centers, and over 1,600 cultural, archaeological, historical, and cultural monuments of the peoples of the Republic of Buryatia, alongside traditions of Tibetan medicine, Buddhism, and Shamanism. In 2001, the ethnic culture of the Transbaikal Old Believers was inscribed by UNESCO in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Strategic Location
The republic boasts a favorable geographical position, intersected by two federal railway lines—the Trans-Siberian and the Baikal-Amur Mainline—as well as three federal highways. As a Russian border territory with Mongolia, sharing a border over a thousand kilometers long, the republic has vast opportunities for establishing mutually beneficial relations. It serves as a vital transport and communication bridge connecting Russia with Mongolia, China, and other Asia-Pacific countries, enabling the Republic of Buryatia to integrate into international transport corridors such as the "Great Tea Road" and the "Silk Road."
The leading sector of the economy of the Republic of Buryatia is industry. Its share in tax revenues to the consolidated budget of the republic amounts to approximately 40.0%. The republic's industrial production comprises 1,200 enterprises and organizations, providing jobs for about 17.0% of the total workforce employed in the republic's economy. The main industrial sectors are machine building and metalworking, energy, gold, coal and uranium mining, the building materials industry, the timber industry, electrical equipment production, and the food and light industries.
Federal-Level Protected Natural Areas
The Republic of Buryatia hosts unique natural complexes within the following federally protected areas:
- Baikal Nature Reserve: Located on the southern coast of Lake Baikal and the central part of the Khamar-Daban Range.
- Kabansky Sanctuary: Situated in the central part of the Selenga River delta.
- Altacheysky Sanctuary: Located on the western slopes of the Zagansky Range.
The Baikal Nature Reserve, along with the Kabansky and Altacheysky Sanctuaries, are specially protected natural territories of federal significance, administered by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.
The Baikal Nature Reserve is included in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves and forms part of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site "Lake Baikal."
The Kabansky Sanctuary, according to the Ramsar Convention, is designated as a wetland of international importance, serving as a habitat for waterfowl.
