Where is Bashkortostan?

Bashkortostan is a first-level division of Russia, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 54.1859° N, 55.3052° E.

What is the largest city in Bashkortostan?

Ufa is the largest city mapped in Bashkortostan, with a metropolitan population of about 1.02 million.

How many cities are in Bashkortostan?

YearMaps maps 11 cities and towns in Bashkortostan, with a combined metropolitan population of about 2.00 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.

Bashkortostan Map — Cities & Geography, Russia

Interactive Map of Bashkortostan

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About Bashkortostan

Bashkortostan, officially the Republic of Bashkortostan, sometimes also called Bashkiria, is a republic of Russia between the Volga river and the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. The republic borders Perm Krai to the north, Sverdlovsk Oblast to the northeast, Chelyabinsk Oblast to the east, Orenburg Oblast to the south, Tatarstan to the west and Udmurtia to the northwest. It covers 143,600 square kilometres (55,400 square miles). It is the seventh-most populous federal subject in Russia and the most populous republic. As of 2025, it has a population of 4,046,094. Its capital and largest city is Ufa. Other major cities include Sterlitamak, Salavat, Neftekamsk, and Oktyabrsky.

Bashkortostan was established on 28 November [O.S. 15 November] 1917. On 20 March 1919, it was transformed into the Bashkir ASSR, the first autonomous republic in the Russian SFSR. On 11 October 1990, it adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. In the Constitution of Bashkortostan and Constitution of Russia, Bashkortostan is defined as a state.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Bashkortostan (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Bashkortostan in Depth

History

The first settlements in the territory of modern Bashkortostan date from the early Paleolithic period, but the Bronze Age spurred an upsurge in the population of this territory. When people of the Abashevo culture started settling here, they possessed high skills in manufacturing bronze tools, weapons and decorations. They were the first to establish permanent settlements in the Southern Urals.

In the 10th century, Al-Balkhi wrote about Bashkirs as a people, divided into two groups, one of which inhabited the Southern Urals, while the other lived near the Danube River, close to the boundaries of Byzantium.

Geography

Bashkortostan contains part of the southern Urals and the adjacent plains.

There are over 13,000 rivers in the republic. Many rivers are part of the deep-water transportation system of European Russia; they provide access to ports of the Baltic and Black seas.

The Republic contains part of the southern Urals, which stretch from the northern to the southern border. It includes a number of mountain ranges.

Major resources are oil reserves, natural gas, coal, ferrous metal ores, manganese, chromite, and more. Bashkortostan is a major source of materials used in non-ferrous metallurgy. The republic has considerablee deposits of lignite with a high degree of bitumen.

Over one-third of the territory of Bashkortostan, or 62,000 square kilometres (24,000 sq mi), is wooded.

Economy

Bashkortostan is one of the Russian Federation's most developed regions in terms of its cross-regional output, the volume of industrial production, agricultural production, and investment in fixed assets.

The region's largest companies include Bashneft, Ufa Engine Industrial Association (part of United Engine Corporation), Peton Holding, Bashkhim, Ufaorgsintez, Beloretsk Iron and Steel Works.

The extraction of crude oil in Bashkiria began in 1932. with major deposits first discovered in 1943. During the Great Patriotic War, Bashkiria became one of the major regions of the Soviet Union to accommodate plants and factories evacuated from Western Russia, as well as great masses of people, while also providing the country with weaponry, fuel, and foodstuffs.

Demographics

According to the 2021 Census, spoken languages: Russian (97%), Bashkir (23%) and Tatar (20%).

Islam is adhered to by a majority of the nation's population of Bashkir and Tatar descent. The Muslims of Bashkortostan follow the Sunni Hanafi school of Islamic law.

Most ethnic Russians, Chuvash, and Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians. Most Mari are Pagan. Non-religious people form a substantial part of any ethnic group in Bashkortostan. There are 13,000 Jews in the republic, with a historic synagogue in Ufa, and a new Jewish Community Center built in 2008.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Bashkortostan (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Bashkortostan: Key Facts

Key facts about Bashkortostan
Population	4,042,377 (2025)
Area	143,600 km²
Capital	Ufa
Head of government	Andrey Nazarov
Highest point	Mount Yamantau
Established	11 October 1990

Facts from Wikidata Q5710 (CC0).

History of Bashkortostan: Empires and States

The atlas records 8 polities whose mapped territory included part of Bashkortostan, from Kimek-Kipchak confederation in 1072 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Bashkortostan, in chronological order
Polity	Period here
Kimek-Kipchak confederation	1072–1235 CE
The Mongol Empire	1236–1293 CE
Golden Horde	1294–1401 CE
Blue Horde	1363–1401 CE
Tsardom of Russia	1556–1720 CE
The Russian Empire	1721–1916 CE
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	1922–1991 CE
Russian Federation	1992–2024 CE

Historical Maps of Bashkortostan

Bashkortostan on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Bashkortostan

Bashkortostan (Russian: Респу́блика Башкортоста́н rees-POOB-leek-uh buhsh-kuhrt-ah-STAHN) or Bashkiria (Башки́рия buhsh-KEE-ree-yuh) is a region in the foothills of the Ural Mountains, bordering Tatarstan to the west, Udmurtia to the northwest, Perm Krai to the north, Sverdlovsk Oblast to the northeast, Chelyabinsk Oblast to the east, and Orenburg Oblast to the south.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Bashkortostan (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Bashkortostan

11 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Bashkortostan
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Ufa	1.02 million	Bashkortostan	Admin-1 capital
2	Sterlitamak	267,231	Bashkortostan	Populated place
3	Salavat	159,893	Bashkortostan	Populated place
4	Neftekamsk	126,805	Bashkortostan	Populated place
5	Oktyabrskiy	108,200	Bashkortostan	Populated place
6	Tuymazy	68,829	Bashkortostan	Populated place
7	Kumertau	65,321	Bashkortostan	Populated place
8	Belebey	62,582	Bashkortostan	Populated place
9	Sibay	61,590	Bashkortostan	Populated place
10	Birsk	41,014	Bashkortostan	Populated place
11	Rayevskiy	20,060	Bashkortostan	Populated place

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bashkortostan

1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bashkortostan
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Kapova Cave	2025	Cultural	(iii)

Bashkortostan: Quick Answers

Where is Bashkortostan?: Bashkortostan is a first-level division of Russia, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 54.1859° N, 55.3052° E.
What is the largest city in Bashkortostan?: Ufa is the largest city mapped in Bashkortostan, with a metropolitan population of about 1.02 million.
How many cities are in Bashkortostan?: YearMaps maps 11 cities and towns in Bashkortostan, with a combined metropolitan population of about 2.00 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.