Tuva << TOO vah >> is a republic of Russia. It lies in central Asia, between Siberia and Mongolia. Tuva has an area of 65,100 square miles (168,600 square kilometers) and a population of about 337,000.
About 60 percent of the people are Tuvans, whose ancestors were Turkic-speaking people. The Tuvans practice a form of Buddhism called Lamaism. Most of them raise cattle, sheep, and other animals. Minerals produced in Tuva include asbestos and coal. The chief exports are wool and animal hides. Kyzyl is Tuva’s capital.
The region was part of Outer Mongolia (now Mongolia) until 1911. It then became independent, but Russia and China had strong influence in it. It became a Russian protectorate in 1914. In 1921, it became the independent nation of Tannu Tuva. The name was later changed to Tuva. The Soviet Union, which had been formed under Russia’s leadership in 1922, annexed Tuva in 1944. Tuva became an autonomous republic within the Soviet republic of Russia. After the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, Tuva remained part of Russia.
