Mari El

Mari El Republic
Республика Марий Эл (Russian)
Other transcription(s)
 • Meadow MariМарий Эл Республик
 • Hill MariМары Эл Республик
Anthem: "State Anthem of the Mari El Republic"
Interactive map of Mari El Republic
Mari El Republic
Coordinates: 56°42′N 47°52′E / 56.700°N 47.867°E / 56.700; 47.867
CountryRussia
Federal districtVolga
Economic regionVolga-Vyatka
EstablishedDecember 5, 1936
CapitalYoshkar-Ola
Government
 • BodyState Assembly
 • HeadYury Zaitsev
Area
 • Total
23,375 km2 (9,025 sq mi)
 • Rank72nd
Population
 • Total
672,093
 • Estimate 
(2018)
682,333
 • Rank64th
 • Density28.753/km2 (74.469/sq mi)
 • Urban
68.4%
 • Rural
31.6%
Time zoneUTC+3 (MSK )
ISO 3166 codeRU-ME
License plates12
OKTMO ID88000000
Official languagesRussianMari (Meadow and Hill variants)
Websitehttps://mari-el.gov.ru/
PeopleMari
LanguageMari
CountryMari El

Mari El, officially the Mari El Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is in the European region of the country, along the northern bank of the Volga River, and administratively part of the Volga Federal District. The republic has a population of 696,459 (2010 Census). Yoshkar-Ola is the capital and largest city.

Mari El, one of Russia's ethnic republics, was established for the indigenous Mari people, a Finno-Ugric nation who have traditionally lived along the Volga and Kama Rivers. The majority of the republic's population are ethnic Russians (52.5%), with a significant Mari minority (40.1%), and smaller minority populations of Tatars and Chuvash. The official languages are Russian and Mari. Mari El is bordered by Nizhny Novgorod Oblast to the west, Kirov Oblast to the north, Tatarstan to the east, and Chuvashia to the south.