Khakassia

Khakassia is a federal republic in southern Siberia, Russia, centered on the upper Yenisei River basin. Its landscape combines steppe, taiga, mountains, and the Sayano-Shushenskoye Reservoir.

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South Siberia: The mountainous and forested southern part of Siberia, spanning Russia and neighboring countries. Khakassia belongs to this broad region of mountain ranges, basins, and steppe.
Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam: A large hydroelectric dam on the Yenisei River in southern Siberia. Its reservoir and power station are among the most consequential human-built features of Khakassia.
Yenisei Kyrgyz: A medieval Turkic people associated with the upper Yenisei region of southern Siberia. Their history forms part of the region’s deeper political and cultural past.
Khakas culture: The cultural traditions and contemporary life of the Khakas people of southern Siberia. It gives the republic a distinct Indigenous cultural identity within Russia.
Khakas people: A Turkic-speaking Indigenous people whose traditional homeland is in southern Siberia. Their homeland and cultural history are closely associated with the republic.
Sayano-Shushenskoye Reservoir: A large artificial lake on the Yenisei River created by the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam. The reservoir transformed river valleys and provides water storage for hydroelectric generation.
Russian conquest of Siberia: The expansion of Russian power across Siberia from the late sixteenth century onward. Russian expansion brought the upper Yenisei region into the empire.
Khakas shamanism: Indigenous spiritual practices among the Khakas involving ritual specialists and relations with spirits. These traditions illuminate spiritual dimensions of Khakas heritage.
Abakan: The capital and largest city of the Russian Republic of Khakassia. The city is the republic’s administrative center and principal urban hub.
Hydroelectricity: Electricity generated by converting the energy of flowing or falling water. Hydropower from the Yenisei is a major part of Khakassia’s industrial economy.