Elista

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Elista (English)
Элиста (Russian)
Элст (Kalmyk)
-  City[citation needed]  -
Chess Set in Elista.jpg
A public chess set at Elista town center
Map of Russia - Republic of Kalmykia (2008-03).svg
Location of the Republic of Kalmykia in Russia
Elista is located in Kalmykia
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Elista
Coordinates: 46°19′N 44°16′E / 46.317°N 44.267°E / 46.317; 44.267Coordinates: 46°19′N 44°16′E / 46.317°N 44.267°E / 46.317; 44.267
Coat of Arms of Elista (Kalmykia) (2004).png
Flag of Elista (Kalmykia).png
Coat of arms
Flag
Administrative status
Country Russia
Federal subject Republic of Kalmykia
Capital of Republic of Kalmykia[citation needed]
Municipal status
Urban okrug Elista Urban Okrug[citation needed]
Leader[citation needed] Vyacheslav Namruev[citation needed]
Statistics
Population (2010 Census,
preliminary)		 103,728 inhabitants[1]
- Rank in 2010 156th
Population (2002 Census) 104,254 inhabitants[2]
- Rank in 2002 153rd
Time zone MSD (UTC+04:00)[3]
Founded 1865[citation needed]
Previous names Elista (until 1944),[citation needed]
Stepnoy (until 1957)[citation needed]
Dialing code(s) +7 84722[citation needed]

Elista (Russian: Эли́ста or Элиста́;[4] Kalmyk: Элст, Elst) is the capital city of the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia. Population: 103,728 (2010 Census preliminary results);[1] 104,254 (2002 Census);[2] 89,695 (1989 Census).[5]

Contents

[edit] History

A representation of the Buddha

Elista was founded in 1865 as a small settlement; the name is from Kalmyk els(e)n 'sand(y).'[6] In November 1920, Elista became the administrative center of Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast. By the early 1930s, Elista was transformed into a small city as the collectivization policies of Joseph Stalin forced many Kalmyks to abandon their traditional pastoral nomadic lifestyle in exchange for a modern, sedentary, and urban lifestyle. In October 1935, Elista was recognized as the capital of the Kalmyk ASSR.

On December 27, 1943, the Kalmyk ASSR was dissolved and its ethnic Kalmyk residents were forcibly exiled to Siberia. Russian people were brought in to repopulate Elista whose name was changed to Stepnoy (Степно́й). It was called Stepnoy until 1957, when the survivors of the deportations were allowed to return from exile.

Some western tourists started to visit Elista from the mid 1990s, and more after it received publicity as the host city of the 1998 Chess Olympiad. The city is safe and has little traffic. On the outskirts of Elista, there are vast grasslands.

[edit] Features

A Kalmyk lady praying in front of the statue before entering the temple

Since 1991, the town has been characterized by the slow decay of Soviet-built institutions, and the large construction projects instigated by the republic's millionaire president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

The town center has a number of renovated public parks focused on the main square, boasting statues to both Lenin and the Buddha. To the east of the town lies the Olympic village of the 1998 XXXIII Chess Olympiad, known locally as "City-Chess". The site has a public swimming pool and an excellent museum of Kalmyk Buddhist art, and is also infrequently used as a conference center.

During his visit in 1998, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama chose a location west of the town center to build a new Buddhist temple for city residents. It was opened in December 2005.

[edit] Transportation

Elista has a small regional airport which is open daily during the week, providing flights to Moscow and various cities in the southern part of the Russian Federation. The airport was closed by the federal aviation authorities sometime in the fall of 2006, but was reopened sometime in 2007. Rail connections are available to Stavropol.

Due to the high cost of air travel, people usually prefer to take the bus between Elista and Moscow. The trip is approximately 18 hours and makes several rest stops along the route.

Within Elista itself, a network of about a dozen marshrutka (minibus) routes is run by private companies. Minibuses are available around every five minutes. This is the preferred option of most Kalmykians because of the minimal cost.

[edit] Climate

Climate data for Elista
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −2.9
(26.8)		 −2
(28.4)		 4.7
(40.5)		 16.4
(61.5)		 23.6
(74.5)		 28.1
(82.6)		 30.9
(87.6)		 29.6
(85.3)		 23.5
(74.3)		 14.3
(57.7)		 6.3
(43.3)		 0.5
(32.9)		 14.42
(57.95)
Average low °C (°F) −8.8
(16.2)		 −8.4
(16.9)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 5.1
(41.2)		 11.2
(52.2)		 15.7
(60.3)		 18.3
(64.9)		 16.7
(62.1)		 11.7
(53.1)		 4.6
(40.3)		 0.2
(32.4)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 4.93
(40.87)
Precipitation mm (inches) 25
(0.98)		 18
(0.71)		 17
(0.67)		 22
(0.87)		 37
(1.46)		 50
(1.97)		 40
(1.57)		 31
(1.22)		 29
(1.14)		 23
(0.91)		 28
(1.1)		 29
(1.14)		 349
(13.74)
Avg. precipitation days 6 5 5 4 5 6 5 4 4 4 6 8 62
Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) [7]

[edit] International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Russia

[edit] Twin towns/sister cities

Elista is twinned with the following sister cities.

[edit] Photo gallery

  • Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery

  • The Golden Temple

  • Monument to victims of the December 1943 deportation, by Ernst Neizvestny

  • Elista's Chess City

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Elista

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2011). "Предварительные итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года (Preliminary results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/results-inform.php. Retrieved 2011-04-25. 
  2. ^ a b Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 
  3. ^ Правительство Российской Федерации. Постановление №725 от 31 августа 2011 г. «О составе территорий, образующих каждую часовую зону, и порядке исчисления времени в часовых зонах, а также о признании утратившими силу отдельных Постановлений Правительства Российской Федерации». Вступил в силу по истечении 7 дней после дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Российская Газета", №197, 6 сентября 2011 г. (Government of the Russian Federation. Resolution #725 of August 31, 2011 On the Composition of the Territories Included into Each Time Zone and on the Procedures of Timekeeping in the Time Zones, as Well as on Abrogation of Several Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation. Effective as of after 7 days following the day of the official publication).
  4. ^ "Большой энциклопедический словарь", под ред. А. М. Прохорова. Москва и Санкт-Петербург, 1997, стр. 1402
  5. ^ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров. (All Union Population Census of 1989. Present population of union and autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and okrugs, krais, oblasts, districts, urban settlements, and villages serving as district administrative centers.)" (in Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года (All-Union Population Census of 1989). Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics. 1989. http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus89_reg.php. Retrieved 2010-03-23. 
  6. ^ Е. М. Поспелов. "Географические названия мира", Москва, 1998, стр. 480
  7. ^ "World Weather Information Service – Elista". United Nations. http://worldweather.wmo.int/107/c01025.htm. Retrieved December 31, 2010. 
  8. ^ Flags-Kalmykia
  9. ^ Lhasa city guide

[edit] External links
Capital: Elista
Coat of arms of Kalmykia
 Cities and towns
Flag of Kalmykia
Districts
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