The Republic of Buryatia
Dear friends,
This year, at the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition, Buryatia will present its ‘Baikal–Buryatia: Traditions with a Future’ stand. Participants and guests of the Eastern Economic Forum will be able to learn about the culture of Buryatia, as well as about the tourism and investment potential of our region. You will be able to experience the allure and fascination of our land.
Our exhibit halls will feature craftsmen presenting their ethnic-style works made from natural Baikal products. The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant will present models of its helicopters that are popular all over the world.
Visitors to the exhibit hall will be able to participate in an interactive game and take a virtual walk around Lake Baikal. Different routes are waiting for you and you will travel through summer, winter, autumn, and spring Buryatia. We will tell you in depth about tours, places to visit, and popular hotels in the Republic.
Our ‘Far East Street’ exhibit will allow you to see the magical beauty of Buryatia, but it will not convey the full range of emotions you will feel when you meet the unique beauty and vibes of our region. I invite you to take a trip to our Republic, enjoy the fresh air of Baikal, the heights of the ridges, and boundless spaces, taste the unique dishes, and immerse yourself in the history and unique culture of the peoples of Buryatia!
Alexey Tsydenov
Governor Of The Republic of Buryatia
General information
Flag
Emblem
Capital Ulan-Ude
Largest cities Severobaikalsk, Gusinoozersk, Kyakhta, Zakamensk, Babushkin
Rivers, lakes Lake Baikal: the deepest freshwater lake in the world. The Selenga River is Baikal’s largest tributary. Other rivers: the Uda, Upper Angara, Barguzin, Dzhida, Vitim, and Irkut. Major lakes: Gusinoye, Kotokel, Bolshoye Yeravnoye, and Baunt.
Climate Very continental, with cold winters and hot summers. Winter is cold, with dry frosts and little snow. Spring is windy, with frosts and almost no precipitation. Summers are short, with hot days and cool nights, and heavy rainfall in July and August. Autumn comes unobtrusively, with no abrupt changes in weather; in some years, it is long and warm. The average summer temperature is +18.5 oC, the average winter temperature is −22 oC, and the average annual temperature is −1.6 oC. The average annual precipitation is 244 mm.
Area 351.3 thousand sq. km
Population 986.1 thousand
Transport communication Air, railroad, car
Time zone MSK+5
Industry Machine building, mining (gold, coal, tungsten, uranium), wood processing industry, agriculture, and tourism
About the pavilion
The Republic of Buryatia is one of the most promising regions of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia thanks to its convenient geographic location, historical, cultural, and natural resources, and transportation to other Russian regions and foreign countries. About 60% of the Lake Baikal shoreline, the world’s deepest freshwater lake, is in Buryatia. This is a unique feature that gives the region distinction.
The exhibit of the Republic of Buryatia is presented as a stylized pavilion, using elements of ethnic architecture of Buddhist temples and images of Baikal, its crystal-clear blue ice. Buryatia will showcase its multifaceted culture, tourist and investment potential, jade products, ethnic souvenirs, and unique traditions of Tibetan medicine and healing practices.
In the cultural zone, Buryatia will present a multimedia project ‘The Living Paintings of Buryat Artists’ from the National Museum of Buryatia and works of modern Buryat sculptors reflecting mythology, history, and ethnic and cultural traditions of different ethnic groups living in the Republic of Buryatia.
In the demonstration area in front of the pavilion, the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant will display its modern and advanced aviation systems and equipment.
Popular groups and performers from Buryatia, including the Baikal Buryat National Song and Dance Theater, Razdolye Folk Song and Dance Ensemble, Sezon Dozhdey group, and the Circus School of the Republic of Buryatia, will perform their best music, songs, and dances.
Forum guests can learn the traditional Buryat dance yokhor, as well as customs and traditional games of Russians, Semeyskys, and Cossacks living in Buryatia. They can watch Buryat ethnic sports, such as khaer shaalgan – the breaking of the spine bone, shagai naadan dice game, and zoska – the kicking of a horsehair-stuffed ball.
10 facts about The Republic of Buryatia
The world’s only complete copy of the rarest manuscript
The Atlas of Tibetan Medicine is kept in Buryatia.
The Vladimir Lenin monument in Soviet Square in Ulan-Ude is
the largest monumental head of Lenin in the world.
Buuzy is a traditional Buryat dish,
a standard serving of which supplies half of the daily calories.
Ivolginsky datsan
is the centre of Russian Buddhism.
Severomuysky Tunnel is the longest in Russia at
15,343 metres.
The Barguzinsky Nature Reserve is
the first ever nature conservation area in Russia.
Ten percent of the total area of Buryatia
consists of specially protected nature areas.
Three-quarters of Baikal’s inhabitants
are endemic species.
Baikal is home to one of only three
freshwater seal species in the world: the Baikal Seal or Nerpa.
Kyakhta is the former capital of the Russian Tea Road, which used to supply
the entire country and Western Europe with tea.
Dear participants and guests of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum!
This year, as we celebrate the Forum’s 5th anniversary we have an opportunity to look back on everything that has been achieved since 2015. It was the first time when Vladivostok hosted the trendsetters from Russian and international business communities, government officials, foreign dignitaries, researchers, and experts – in other words, everyone who was prepared to cooperate with Russia and work in the Russian Far East; everyone, who was ready to launch new production facilities and develop those already in place; everyone, who aimed to create new jobs, construct roads, housing, and hospitals – namely improve the life of our Eastern territories.
The goals we set 5 years ago appeared unattainable back then. We discussed a broad range of topics: expectations and development prospects, creating new economic regimes and improving the investment climate, passing legislative initiatives and changing legal framework, putting new social infrastructure in place and helping regions reach their potential – in other words, we were talking about the future. Some were hopeful, some remained skeptical, yet there was only one thing that mattered: we were ready to act as one. And today, that future has become our present.
The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin designated the development of the Far East as a national priority of the entire 21st century. At the behest of the President, a whole new economy is being created in the region. Large companies as well as small and medium-sized businesses can count on tax breaks, administrative preferences, concessional loans, and support from the state development institutions.
A lot has been accomplished during the last 5 years: over 40 legislative initiatives that sustain investment activity and improve the social sphere have been passed; 20 advanced special economic zones and 5 free ports have been put in place. These measures resulted in over 1,780 new investment projects worth over RUB 3.8 trillion, and 230 new enterprises appeared. The government provides targeted infrastructural and financial support to the investors. Over 70 thousand people received free land and now are building houses and farms on their ‘Far Eastern hectares’.
17 different countries invest in the Far East: China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, to name a few. Since 2014, nearly 32% of all direct foreign investment came to our region.
The Far East itself has expanded: Zabaikalsky Krai and the Republic of Buryatia joined the Far Eastern Federal District, while the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East now oversees an additional region: the Russian Arctic Zone.
When it comes to the social sphere, the ‘Unified Subsidy’ mechanism has provided existing measures with additional stimulus. 57 centres of economic growth have received funding for the construction of schools and nurseries, hospitals as well as medical and obstetric stations, cultural centres and sports facilities. These centres are home to over 80% of Far Easterners.
A fair amount of good work has been done. Economic growth in the FEFD exceeds 4%, which is two times greater than the Russian national average. However, we are now faced with another objective: increasing economic growth in the Russian Far East to 6% per year. We also must figure out how to improve the quality of life in the Russian Far East and in the Arctic so that it exceeds the Russian national average. These objectives have been set by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
Our goal is to make the Russian Far East more accessible to investors and comfortable for the people that live here, providing them with the confidence that their dreams will become a reality in the nearest future.
Many topics that were brought up at previous Forums ended up serving as the foundation for the development and passing of legislation, the implementation of new business support measures, and the improvement of the Far East’s social welfare. I am confident that this Forum will continue contributing to the open dialogue between businesses and authorities, experts and researchers, sociologists and demographers.
I would like to wish Forum guests and participants all the best. The Russian Far East is open for cooperation: we value each partner, every opinion and every initiative that helps develop our country!
Yury Trutnev