EVENKI AUTONOMOUS AREA

ĕvyĕnˈkē, administrative division (1992 pop. 25,100), 287,645 sq mi (745,000 sq km), N central Siberian Russia, in the Central Siberian Uplands. The village of Tura is the capital. The area occupies the entire central section of Krasnoyarsk Territory and is crossed by the Lower (Nizhnaya) Tunguska and the Stony (Pokmannaya) Tunguska rivers. The area lies in the forested taiga zone, with tundra vegetation in the north. Iron ore, graphite, zinc, lead, and nickel are mined; however, coal, salt, and timber resources remain largely untapped. Reindeer raising, fur trapping and breeding, and fishing are the chief occupations of the native Evenki. Some potatoes, vegetables, and dairy cattle are raised. Transportation is mainly by water and air; reindeer are often used for overland travel. Russians, Evenki, and Yakuts make up the bulk of the population, which is of a very low density. The Evenki are a Tungus-Manchurian-speaking people of Mongol origin; they are scattered throughout Siberia and number about 24,000. The Evenki have intermingled Russian Orthodox and Lamaist Buddhist rites with indigenous shamanism. In prehistoric times, the Evenki lived around Lake Baykal. They were mostly conquered by Russia in the 17th cent. Under the Soviet government, the Evenki largely abandoned their nomadic existence for a more sedentary life. It became a national area in 1930 and an autonomous area in 1977.

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