What is "bashkortostan"

Bashkortostan (; , Başqortostan), officially the Republic of Bashkortostan (; , Başqortostan Respublikahı), also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa. With the population of 4,071,064 as of the 2016 Census, Bashkortostan is the most populous of the republics in Russia.

Bashkurdistan, the first ethnic autonomy in Russia, was established on . On March 23, 1919, it was transformed into the Bashkir ASSR, the first Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in RSFSR. Bashkortostan was also the first republic formed in modern Russia.

In accordance with Constitution of Bashkortostan and Russian Federation Constitution Republic is a state (country), but has no sovereignty. On 11 October 1990 Bashkortostan adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty, but subsequently abandoned it. 11 October is a Republic Day in Bashkortostan.

The state has strong economic and cultural ties with its western neighbor the Republic of Tatarstan.

Bashkortostan is a leading Bashkir-language newspaper published in Ufa, named after the republic of Bashkortostan within the Russian Federation. It provides a wide coverage of the social, political and cultural events in the region.

The paper is published five times a week (except Sundays and Mondays). Its circulation of 33,000 is the largest among all Bashkir language printed publications.

The newspaper was started in June 1917 in Orenburg under the name «Башҡорт иттифаҡы бюроһының мөхбире» (Herald of the Bashkir regional bureau); in July same year it changed its name to «Башҡорт» (Bashkir). In 1919 it merged with another Bashkir-language paper called «Башҡортостан» (founded in 1918) and changed its name to «Башҡортостан хәбәрҙәре» (The Bulletin of Bashkortostan). For the first time after the merger, the editors' office was located in Sterlitamak, moving to Ufa in 1922.

In its early days, the newspaper was bilingual (Bashkir- Tatar). In 1924 it became monolingual. In 1929, it was converted into a daily format. In 1937, it changed its name to «Qьđьl Başqortostan» (The Red Bashkortostan), in 1951 to «Совет Башҡортостаны» (Soviet Bashkortostan). Starting with 1990, the paper carries its current name.

In the 1920s and the 1930s, Bashkortostan played a large role in establishing the standard Bashkir language as it is known today.