From the beginning of its state formation, Russia was a multinational state, and with the accession of new territories to Russia, the number of ethnic groups only increased. Today, more than 180 nationalities live in the Russian Federation.
Naturally, this requires the development and implementation of sound national policies. But in terms of cultural diversity, we consider the most numerous peoples of Russia, their cultural traditions and national characteristics.
1
Russians
The number of Russians in Russia: ≈ 111 million, in the world: ≈ 133 million
The largest nation of Russia, which is state-forming and indigenous within the Russian Federation. In addition, Russians are the most numerous people in Europe.
The formation of an ethnic group began in the middle of the 1st millennium, and with the emergence of the Slav state of Russia, this name was both the name of the state and the earliest ethnonym. Over time, the phrase “Russian people” began to be used, and then simply “Russians”.
According to statistics, this people makes up 80% of the total population, and 111 million Russians live in Russia. Outside Russia - more than 22 million.
2
Tatars
The number of Tatars in Russia: ≈ 5.3 million; in the world: ≈ 6 million
Turkic ethnos, which for hundreds of years holds the second place in terms of number in Russia. The largest number lives in Tatarstan on the middle Volga; they also settled in Siberia and the Far East.
The ethnonym "Tatars" appeared in historical documents at the turn of the VI-VII centuries, and in Europe they recognized it in connection with the invasion of Batu, as some Tatar tribes were part of the Golden Horde. It was after its collapse within the limits of modern Russia that the Tatar Kazan Khanate was formed, annexed to Russia in the 16th century.
To date, the Tatars in Russia, there are 5 million 310 thousand people, which is 3.8%.
3
Ukrainians
The number of Ukrainians in Russia: ≈ 1.93 million, in the world: ≈ 45 million
Actually, the term "Ukrainians" is very young and appeared only at the beginning of the XIX century. Prior to this, this East Slavic ethnic group had the self-names of "Little Russians," "Rusyns." And in the days of Ancient Rus, Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians were a single people called “Rus”.
For a long time, the lands where Ukrainians now live were part of the Russian state, which determined their abundance in the Russian Federation.
After the collapse of the USSR, most Ukrainians migrated to Russia, and now their number is 1.93 million, which is 1.35% of the total number of Russian citizens.
4
Bashkirs
The number of Bashkirs in Russia: ≈ 1.58 million, in the world: ≈ 1.6 million
Another Turkic-speaking people in Russia, which is the indigenous ethnic group of Bashkortostan and the historical region of the same name. The ethnonym "Bashkirs" originates in the Early Middle Ages, and linguists still have not come to a consensus on its exact meaning.
Bashkirs became part of Russia at the end of the 16th century as a result of the annexation of Kazan, and today their number in Russia is just over 1.6 million people, which is 1.11% in percentage terms.
The population of Bashkiria, like other nationalities, preserved the national language, traditions and rites, as well as traditional national crafts and crafts. As a result of internal migration processes, part of the Bashkirs settled in the European part of Russia.
5
Chuvashs
Chuvash population in Russia: ≈ 1.58 million; in the world: ≈ 1.6 million
In total, about 1.5 million Chuvas live on the globe, of which 1 million 435 thousand are within the Russian Federation. Half of this Turkic ethnic group lives within the historical homeland, the rest are evenly settled throughout Russian territory.
In the Chuvash ethnogenesis, scientists have a direct relationship between this ethnos and the Volga Bulgars, who inhabited the Middle Volga in the VIII-X centuries. The Chuvash language is the only one of the existing world languages that belongs to the Bulgarian language branch.
Before joining, the Chuvash were pagans, and now most of them are Christians, there are also Sunni Muslims among them.
6
Chechens
The number of Chechens in Russia: ≈ 1.43 million, in the world: ≈ 1.7 million.
Chechens are also big people. The indigenous population of Chechnya was formed as a result of complex ethnic processes that took place in the North Caucasus in the late XVI-XVII centuries. But the name of the ethnos, historians and linguists derive the Kabardian "shashan."
The Chechens went through a difficult, sometimes tragic way of their formation, and today their number is 1,700,000 people, of which only 270,000 live outside Russia.
They profess Islam and strictly adhere to the unique in its originality ethnic code of honor “Kyonahalla”.
7
Armenians
The number of Chechens in Russia: ≈ 1.18 million, in the world: ≈ 10-12 million
Natives of Armenia occupy an honorable seventh place in number, although they are not the indigenous inhabitants of the territories that now constitute Russia.
In total there are 1 million 180 thousand of them within the state, which is slightly less than 1% of the country's population. Traditionally, the Armenian ethnic group has always been associated with the Russians, and their first contacts were recorded back in the days of Kievan Rus.
Today, most of the Armenians settled in the Central European part of the country and in the Crimea, as well as in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories.
8
Avars
The number of Avars in Russia: ≈ 0.9-1.1 million.
Avars are part of a large family of Ando-Tse ethnic groups and are the indigenous people of the North Caucasus. This is the last people of the Russian Federation, the number of which (probably) is more than 1 million people.
Today, there are 1 million 120 thousand people, and they live mainly in Dagestan. Related to them is the Lezghin ethnic group of Archinians.
For many centuries, they preserved their language and culture, and under the influence of the East, they adopted Islam in their time.
Small ethnic groups
Having avoided national oppression, carried away by the largest nationalities, we will name those who are not so many. The smallest people in Russia are the leaders, who, according to 2010, only 64 people remained. The Finno-Ugric people of Vod are indigenous to the modern territories of the Leningrad Region, and are on the verge of extinction from the ethnic map of our planet. But nevertheless, the hope remains that the smallest people of Russia will be reborn, preserving their amazing culture and traditions.
The yugas living on the Yenisei, as well as the Paleazite Kereks, also belong to small numbers.
So we found out which nationalities of Russia are the most numerous. In this diversity of ethnic groups and nationalities, the cultural identity and peculiarity of the largest state in the world is manifested. 180 nations coexist on a vast territory, as has already been reported, and all of them are united not only by the state’s border, but also by their love for the Motherland, the places where they were born and where the ancestors lived.