Komi: from region - to the republic

Some aspects of history of creation of the Komi autonomy and formation of its external administrative boundaries are considered. In the beginning of ХХ century the territory of modern Republic of Komi was divided between four provinces, but Ust-Sysolsk was perceived as the informal centre of the Komi land. In 1918 Komi politician D.Ya.Popov suggested to proclaim Komi autonomy. This idea was carried out in 1921 when the Komi Autonomous Region was formed. The Komi politician D.A.Batiev made the major contribution to this process. The majority of Komi politicians supported the creation of autonomous republic, but the Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed only in 1936. The territory of the Komi Autonomy was repeatedly changed: in 1922, 1929, the 1930-s, the 1940-s, 1960. Initially the Komi Autonomy had access to the Arctic ocean; then its "coastal" territory was transferred to the Nenets Area, and later the areas of Vorkuta and Khalmeryu were transferred from the Nenets Area to the Komi АSSR. The boundaries of Komi with the Arkhangelsk, Kirov and Perm regions changed. In 1990 the word “Autonomous” was removed from the name, and in 1992 the republic received the present name - the Republic of Komi. Preparation and celebrating of anniversary of the Komi national statehood within the Russian Federation should become the catalyst of social and economic development of the region, to promote advancement of its image as a tourist center, to create a new, positive image for the region attractive for tourism and improve the quality of life of the population.