The Komi Republic has a number of attractions that make this legendary land so charming and peaceful. The northern territories of Russia teem with marvelous landscapes, endless spaces, thick woods, crystal lakes – everything that is of such great value in the century of high technologies and urban style of life.

If you want to find yourself in the land that remained untouched, where everything stayed as it was centuries ago, if you want to feel the eternity and take a rest from everyday troubles, then the Komi Republic is exactly what you need. The National Park Yugud-Va may offer you an exciting adventure back to the times when man was an integral part of the surrounding nature.

In case you happen to visit this wonderful land, don’t miss a small village of Ust-Vym and its architectural and historical heritage.

Population and language

Over one million people live in the Komi Republic representing more than 70 different ethnic groups. Russians comprise the largest population group (58%) followed by the indigenous Komi peoples (23%). Other groups - Ukrainians (8%), Belorussians (2%), and Tatars (2%) – also live on the territory of the Komi Republic.

There are two official languages in the Republic - Komi, which belongs to the Finno-Ugric group of languages, and Russian. 74,3% of the Komi people speak their mother tongue.

Komi people

The Komi people (they used to call themselves as ‘zyryane’) live in the northeastern region of the European part of Russia, mainly in the Komi Republic. Actually, there are several groups of the Komi people who also live on the Komi-Permic Autonomous Area, Western Siberia and Kola Peninsula.

There about 1 million representatives of this ancient culture living in Russia, 80% of which still stick to their native language and ancient traditions.

According to linguistic analysis, the history of this people starts in the 7th century AD the ancestors of the Komi people. Their ancestors were of the Finno-Ugric origin. When this huge community disintegrated some centuries BC, new cultures were formed that may be ancestors of the Komi people.

In the 14th century AD the Komi territories were incorporated into the Russian State and since then this land started to develop rapidly, particularly after the conversion into the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Komi people were generally engaged in cattle breeding, hunting, and woodworking. As the region was extremely rich with forests, it’s almost impossible to name all the items that were made from wood.

Due to numerous lakes and rivers, waterways were the main means of transportation and communication. The Komi people used generally boats as the main means of transportation. The Komi peoples were also engaged in wood and birch working, painting, embroidery, clothe printing, fir, clay and metal working, etc.

Traditional woman’s costume of the Komi people consisted of a shirt and a sarafan (a long dress). In winter they usually wore leather boots or valenki and sheepskin coats.