Elista (russian: Элиста́, (common during the Soviet era) or (most common pronunciation used after 1992 and in Kalmykia itself);
["Большой энциклопедический словарь", под ред. А. М. Прохорова. Москва и Санкт-Петербург, 1997, стр. 1402] , ''Elst'', )
[The approximate pronunciation of the Cyrillic Kalmyk name in ]IPA
IPA commonly refers to:
* India pale ale, a style of beer
* International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation
* Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound
IPA may also refer to:
Organizations International
* Insolvency Practitioners ...
is eɮstʰ The name in Oirat clear script
Clear Script ( xal, , Тодо бичиг, , ''todo biçig''; mn, Тод бичиг, ''tod bichig'', , bxr, Тодо бэшэг, ''Todo besheg'' (), or just todo) is an alphabet created in 1648 by the Oirat Buddhist monk Zaya Pandita for t ...
is or , ''Êlêsütü'' is the
capital city
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...
of the
Republic of Kalmykia
he official languages of the Republic of Kalmykia are the Kalmyk and Russian languages./ref>
, official_lang_list= Kalmyk
, official_lang_ref=Steppe Code (Constitution) of the Republic of Kalmykia, Article 17: he official languages of the ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
It was known as Stepnoy (Степно́й) from 1944 to 1957.
Geography
The city is located in the area of the
Yergeni
Yergeni (russian: Ергени; xal, Ergnin җirn zurһan shiir) is a hilly area in Russia. It is located in the southern corner of the East European Plain, mostly in Kalmykia, with parts in Volgograd Oblast and Rostov Oblast. The highest point o ...
hills, in the upper part of the
Elista
Elista (russian: Элиста́, (common during the Soviet era) or (most common pronunciation used after 1992 and in Kalmykia itself);"Большой энциклопедический словарь", под ред. А. М. Прохорова. ...
valley. The sources of the river are located in the western part of the city. The Elista crosses the urban area from west to east, dividing it into two sections, a larger northern part and a smaller southern one.
Google Earth
Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
History
![Buddha Kalmykia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Buddha_Kalmykia.JPG)
Elista was founded in 1865 as a small settlement, the name is from
Kalmyk ''els(e)n'' 'sand(y)'.
[Е. М. Поспелов. "Географические названия мира", Москва, 1998, стр. 480.] In November 1920, Elista became the
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located.
In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...
of
Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast
Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast (AO) (; Kalmyk: Хальмг Автономн Таңhч, ''Xaľmg Awtonomn Tañhç'') was an autonomy of the Kalmyk people within the Russian SFSR that existed at two separate periods.
It was first established in Novemb ...
. By the early 1930s, Elista was transformed into a small city as the
collectivization
Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...
policies of
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
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
The Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (russian: Калмыцкая Автономная Советская Социалистическая Республика; xal-RU, Хальмг Автономн Советск Социалисти ...
.
In late 1942, the city was briefly occupied by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
army. Because of alleged
collaboration between the ethnic Kalmyks and the Germans, 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 (). 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 Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 an ...
. The city is safe and has little traffic. On the outskirts of Elista, there are vast grasslands.
Administrative and municipal status
Elista is the
capital of the republic. Within the
framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with four rural localities, incorporated as the
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of Elista—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the
districts.
[Appendix to Decree #137] As a
municipal division, the City of Elista is incorporated as Elista Urban Okrug.
[Law #308-IV-Z]
Features
![Statue of the Old White Man](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Statue_of_the_Old_White_Man.jpg)
Since 1991, the town has been characterized by the slow decay of
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
-built institutions, and the large construction projects instigated by the republic's millionaire president
Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov (russian: link=no, Кирса́н Никола́евич Илюмжи́нов, ; Kalmyk: Үлмҗин Кирсән, ''Ülmcin Kirsən'', ; born 5 April 1962) is a Russian business oligarch, administrator and po ...
.
The town center has a number of renovated public parks focused on the main square, boasting statues to both
Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
and the
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
. To the east of the town lies the Olympic village of the 1998 XXXIII
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 an ...
, known locally as "
City-Chess". The site has a public swimming pool and a museum of Kalmyk
Buddhist art
Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, an ...
, which is also infrequently used as a conference center.
During his visit in 1998,
the 14th Dalai Lama chose a location west of the town center to build the
Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume
The Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume ("The Golden Abode of the Buddha Shakyamuni", xal, Бурхн Багшин алтн сүм, translit=Burxn Bagşin altn süm, ) is a Gelug Buddhist monastery in Elista, the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia, a fe ...
, a
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temple for city residents. It was opened in December 2005. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe.
Transportation
Elista has a
small regional airport which is open daily during the week, providing flights to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
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
Stavropol (; rus, Ставрополь, p=ˈstavrəpəlʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Stavropol Krai, Russia. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 547,820, making it one of Russia's fastest growing cities.
It was known as ...
.
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. Nowadays there is an airline, Azimuth, that provides air flights to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Crimea and Rostov on Don at affordable cost with direct flights from Elista airport. The price starts at 2500 rubles one way and it saves traveler a lot of time instead of traveling by bus as it was in the past.
Within Elista itself, a network of about a dozen ''
marshrutka
''Marshrutka''[rubles
The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union.
, currencies named ''rub ...](_blank)
).
Climate
Elista has a hot-summer
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Dfa''), although it has sometimes been described as a
temperate semi-arid climate (Köppen classification ''BSk'').
Winters are cold with a January average high of while summers are hot with a July average high of .
The average annual precipitation is with winters being drier than summers.
Record temperatures range from in January to in August.
Demographics
Population:
Ethnic composition (2010):
*
Kalmyks – 69.3%
*
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
– 26.3%
*
Kazakhs
The Kazakhs (also spelled Qazaqs; Kazakh: , , , , , ; the English name is transliterated from Russian; russian: казахи) are a Turkic-speaking ethnic group native to northern parts of Central Asia, chiefly Kazakhstan, but also parts o ...
– 0.6%
* Others – 3.8%
Twin towns – sister cities
Elista is
twinned with:
*
Aktau
Aktau ( kk, Aqtau, Ақтау , russian: Актау) is a city in Kazakhstan, located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Its current name means "white mountain" in Kazakh, which may be due to its cliffs that overlook the Caspian. From 1964 to ...
, Kazakhstan
*
Khoni
Khoni ( ka, ხონი) is a town in the Western Georgian region (mkhare) of Imereti with the population of 8987 (2014 Georgia census). It is situated on the left bank of the Tskhenistkali River in the north-west of Imereti, close to the bord ...
, Georgia
*
Kyzyl
Kyzyl (; Tuvan and russian: Кызыл; , ) is the capital city of the republic of Tuva, Russia. The name of the city means "red" or "crimson" in Tuvan (and in many other Turkic languages). Its population was
History
The city was founded in 1 ...
, Russia
*
Lhasa
Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
, China
*
Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...
, Mongolia
*
Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude (; bua, Улаан-Үдэ, , ; russian: Улан-Удэ, p=ʊˈlan ʊˈdɛ; mn, Улаан-Үд, , ) is the capital city of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located about southeast of Lake Baikal on the Uda River at its confluence wi ...
, Russia
Photo gallery
File:Geden Sheddup Choikorling.jpg, Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery
File:Golden Temple Elista.jpg, The Golden Temple
File:City Chess Elista Kalmykia.jpg, Elista's Chess City
Chess City (also referred to as City-Chess; russian: Сити-Чесс ''Siti-Chess'' or ''Gorod Shakhmat'') is a large complex devoted to chess and chess competitions located east of Elista, Kalmykia, in Russia. The neighborhood-size developme ...
File:Shaxmaty2.jpg, Playing chess near the Seven Days Pagoda, Elista
See also
*
Kalmyk State University
*
Uralan Elista
References
Notes
Sources
*Justin Corfield, ''The History of Kalmykia: From Ancient Times to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Aleksey Orlov'', 2015. .
*
*
External links
*
Official website of ElistaElista Business DirectoryInformation about Elista
{{Use mdy dates, date=May 2011
1865 establishments in the Russian Empire
Populated places established in 1865