Mari El

Autonomous republic of the Russian Federation; area 23,200 sq km/8,950 sq mi; population (1990) 754,000 (47% Russian, 43% ethnic Mari). The capital is Yoshkar-Ola. The Volga flows through the southwest of the republic, 60% of which is forested. It lies west of the Ural Mountains. Industries include timber, paper, grain, flax, potatoes, fruit; metalworking, food processing, machine tool production, and the manufacture of artificial leather.

History
The Mari, or Cheremys, who speak a Finno-Ugric language, were conquered by Russia in 1552. Mari was made an autonomous region in 1920 and became an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union in 1936; its name was changed to Mari El in 1992.