GEOGRAPHIC NOTES ON TANNU TUVA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 80
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 1, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 199.9/09/01 ::.CIA-.RDP79-00976~~$~'1~11~1-6
GEOGRAPHIC NOTES ON
TANNU TUVA
Published September 1950
LAS:. G}iANGED TO: TS `. ..
PJ~X':ic'JIE4'Y CATE: ~ _.
LA E. ----..._. ,~ ,~. ~ ~. -~..._.._..,
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Approved For Release_1999~09/01 : CIA-RDP79-00976A0001~0110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
This document contains information affecting the na-
tional defense of the United States within the meaning
of the Espionage Act, 50 U.S.C., 31 and 32, as amended.
Its transmission or the revelation of its contents in any
manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A0001Q~
~tti~us
GEOGRAPHIC NOTES ON TANNU TWA
M-11
Table of Contents
Summary
I. General Description ........... ...........................
~+
A. Relation of Tannu Tuva to the USSR ..................
~+
B. Location and Size ...................................
5
C. General Characteristics ............. .................
6
II. Mineral Resources ..........................r............
9
A. Gold ................................................
11
B. Copper ...............:..............................
13
C. Silver and Lead .....................................
13
D. Platinum ............................................
13
E. Iridium .............................................
13
F. Radium ..............................................
11+
G. Iron Ore ............................................
14
H. Coal ................................................
11+
I. Petroleum ...........................................
15
J. Graphite ............................................
15
K. Asbestos ............................................
15
L. Other N[inerals ......................................
15
III. Electric Power Resources and Development ................
17
W. Transportat,ion ..........................................
19
A. Roads ...............................................
20
B. River Transportation ................................
22
C. Communi.cations ......................................
26
V. The People ..............................................
27
VI. Climate and Natural Vegetation ..........................
32
A. Climate .............................................
32
B. Natura]. Vegetation ..................................
3~+
1. Grassland .......................................
35
2. FoY?ests .........................................
36
3. Alpine Meadows ..................................
37
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 : CI~-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
Table of Conteni~a ( Cont) Page
VII. Terrain and Drainage ...................................
A. Mountain Systems ...................................
1. The Sayan Mountains ............................
2. The Shapshal Ridge of the Altay Mountain
r~.>yf3teII1 ???????? ...............................
3. Thej Ulaan Tayga or Bain-Ola ....................
~+. Thej Tannu Mountains ............................
5. Thej Ogarkha-0la ................................
B. Rivera and River Basin .............................
1. Thej Bey Kem River Basin ........................
2. Thej Khua Kem River Basin .......................
3. Thej Khemchik River Basin .......................
~+. Thej Ulu Kem River Basin .........................
5. The Ubsa Nuur Basin ............................
VIII. Land Utilization and Economy ..........................
Appendix - Gazetteer of Tannu Tuva ..........................
Mountain Systems of Tannu Tuva and
Surrounding Areas (CIA 11057)
Resources,- Land Utilization, and
.Industries of Tannu Tuva (CIA 11056}
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
Table of Contents (Cont) Pale
VTI. Terrain and Drainage ................................... 39
A. Mountain Systems ................................... 39
1. The Sayan Mountaina . ............................ 39
2. The Shapahal Ridge of the Altay Mountain
r
>,ystem ....................................... 0
3. The Ulaan Tayga or Bain-Ola .................... ~+0
~+. The Tannu Mountaina ............................ ~+l
5. The Ogarkha-0la ................................ ~+~+
B. Rivers and River Basin ............................. ~+~+
1. ThE~ Bey Kem River Basin ........................ ~+6
2. ThEj Khua Kem River Basin ... .. ................... ~+9
3. The Khemchik River Basin ....................... 51
~+. The Ulu Kem River Basin .,....................... 52
5. ThE3 Ubsa Nuur Basin ............................ 55
VIII. Land Utilization and Economy .......................... 57
Appendix - Gazetteer of Tannu Tuva .......................... 67
Mountain Systems of Tannu Tuva and
Surrounding Areas (CIA 11057)
'Resources, Land Utilization, and
Industries of Tannu Tuva (CZA. 11056)
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/@8~~~
~~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
GEOGRAPHIC NOTES ON TANNU TWA
S+fJMMARY
Tannu Tuva is a remote. area little known to any .nation other than,
the USSR. It lies. near the center of the Asiatic Continent between
Siberian USSR to the north and west and Mongolia to the east and south..
Tannu Tuva was incorporated into the USSR on 13 October 19~+~+ and is
known as the Tuvinskaya Autonomnaya Oblast (Tuvinian Autonomous Oblast)..
Unconfirmed reports have indicated that Tannu Tuva might be a possi~le
location for Soviet f~tomic plants.
Most of the ava:~lable source materials on Tannu Tuva are based on
Tsarist and, Soviet surveys, which in the past were conducted spasmodi-
cally and without comprehensive plan. Tsarist surveys are old and,in-
complete; Soviet surveys are imcompletely published, and some information
is known to have been. withheld for strategic reasons. .The present report.
is based on-such .incomplete and unconfirmed data as are available.
As late as 1926, no comprehensive geological surveys had been.
undertaken. In recent years, however, geological surveying has increased
considerably, but the results of the recent surveys are not available.
Note: The intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, Army,
Navy, and the Air Force have concurred in this report. It
contains infarmation available to CI~t as of April 1950.
-1-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~1~~1D~LRDP79-00976A000100110001-6
Tannu Tuva is known to have deposits of gold, copper, Aron, coal,:petro-
leum, graphite, silver .and lead, platinum, iridium, asbestos, magnesite,
?
salt,_marble, kaolin, fine-grained sandstone, and gems. Radium has-
been reported in association with mineral springs.
There are seventeen known power stations in Tannu Tuva:. Nothing is
known of their capacities, and the source of energy is known for only one
station. Tannu Tuva has fairly large coal deposits and some petroleum, --
both of which might be used to fuel thermal stations, as well as several
good sites for hydroelectric plants.
The transportation system is primitive. -There-are no railroads..
The road system includes a local network radiating from the capital to
the provincial centers, and two improved trans-Tuvinian roads between
the USSR and Mongolia. River transportation is developed only for
local service. All improvements in transportation are Soviet-sponsored.
Elaborate plans have been made for the extension and improvement of both
land and water routes in order to channel Asiatic trade through Tannu
Tuva to the USSR.
The country is sparsely populated, having an average density of
nearly two persona per square mile. Over four-fifths are natives, most
of them of Turkic origin. Russians constitute the largest foreign ele-
ment.
Tannu Tuva is a rugged land of mountains and river basins, most of
which is aubarid to arid. Winters are long and cold, and seaxonal and
diurnal temperature ranges are large. Forests are found principally in
- L
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/0~9~~;1~~EA~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
the higher elevations and on north-facing slopes. Grasslands include
luxuriant grass, 'tuft;-dotted scrub, and alpine me'adoYas.
The basic economic- activity is nomadic animal husbandry; followed by
hunting, fishing, and a little agriculture. In~1930, only about 25 per-
cent of the households engaged in agriculture. Crop raising was intro-
duced by Russian poineers, but the expansion of cultivation under Soviet
sponsorship did not begin-until after the Tuvinian revolution of 1921.
Soviet policy has encouraged-the transformation of nomadic livestock
raising into sedentary animal husbandry by fostering production of
fodder crops, the improvement of cattle strains, the introduction of
machinery, and by collectivization.
The surplus foocL potential cannot be estimated. Small increases in
grain production may be expected through the introduction of early-
maturing, drought-resistant crops or from the extension of the area under
irrigation. A greatar increase might be expected in cattle production
through a more efficient use of the grasslands and by an increase in the
production of drought-resistant forage crops.
-3=
CONF`ID~NTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/0.1 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
A. Relation of Tannu Tuva to the USSR.
Tannu Tuva1 is a remote, undeveloped, and little-known area located
near the center of the Asiatic continent. Nevertheless, Russian, Chinese,
and Mongolian interests have struggled to gain domination over Tannu Tuva
for more than three centuries. Since the defeat of the White Russian
forces by the Red Army and native Tuvinians in 1921--the so-called
Tuvinian People's Revolution--the Soviet Union has exercised dominant
influence over the area. On 13 October 19~+~+, it was incorporated into
the USSR and became known as the Tuvinskaya Avtonomnaya Oblast' (Tuvinian
Autonomous Oblast). Significantly, the Tuvinian AO is subordinated
directly to the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic rather-than
t~ either of the two krays that border it. Prior to the incorporation of
northern East Prussia as Kaliningrad Oblast, Tannu Tuva was the only
exclave of the RSFSR. This unusual administrative setup places Tannu Tuva
under the direct control of Moscow.
After the revolution of 1921, progressively less information on Tannu
Tuva has reached the outside world, even though economic development of
1. Also spelled Tana Tuva, Tanna-Tuva, Tannu-Tuva. Prior to 1921 it
was known as Uryankhai. After the "people's revolution" of 1921, it
became known as the Tuvinian Peoples Republic. In Soviet Literature
it has frequently been called Tuva, the Tuva Basin, or simply the
Basin.
-~+-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
the area under Soviet influence had begun. Bef ore World War II, Tannu
-Tuva was strategically located in relation to the newly developed indus-
trial-region of the Kuznetsk Basin and the rich agricultural lands of the
~Minusinsk Basin. In the postwar period, there has been some speculation
concerning the suitability of Tannu Tuva as the site of a Soviet
"Atomgrad."1
Exaggerated claims-have been made .about the favorable climate conditions,
inaccessibility, and wealth of resources of Tannu Tuva in order to indi-
cate its suitability for the location of Soviet atomic plants. Although
inf ormation on the-area is inadequate and spotty, enough data have been
collected to provide amore realistic and balanced picture of the geog-
raphy and economy of ~Tannu Tuva.
B. Location and Size.
Tannu.?Tuva lies on the northwestern edge of the Mongolian plateau
between ~+9? and 53? north latitude and 88? and 98? west longitude. Kyzyl,
ids capital, is located 2,899 air miles frean Moscow, 2,520 miles from
Tokyo, 1,865 miles~fr?m Delhi, India, and 1,785 miles from Kabul.
1. Feodor S. Mansvetov, "Tannu Tuva.... the Soviet Atom City," The R~gsi n,
Review, Vol. 6, No. 2, 19+7, pp. 9-19, translated into Chinese by Ho
Shen and published in the Chinese periodical, New Nation, No. 12,
1 November 19+7. The Chinese version was translated into English by
the CIA and disseminated as 00-W-691, dated 3 August 19+7. Albert
Parry, "Russia's Three Atamgrads," Source Di eat, December 19+8, pp.
26-27. See also; Haagsche Post (The Hague), 2 July 19+8.
-5 -
CONFIDENT L4L
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
The size of the country is difficult to determine because its.-boundaries
have never been delimited or demarcated, Soviet maps publisYied as recent-
ly as 1938-39 do not agree with later. Soviet maps or with Chinese mapa.l
So far as is known, there has-been no Tuvinian survey organization.
It is probable that all surveying and mapping is now in the hands of the
Voyenno-Topograficheskoye Upravleniye General'nogo Shtaba VooruzhLnnykh
Sil SSSR2(Military-Topographic Administration of the General Staff of
the Armed Forces of the USSR).
Official Soviet estimates of the area are not consistent. The
19+5 estimate is 192,000 sq. km. (7+,150 sq. mi.), an area slightly
smaller than the state of Nebraska. The 19+9 estimate is 171,300 sq. km.
(66,122 sq. mi.), or slightly smaller than the state of Washington. The'
longest?east-west extent of Tannu Tuva is approximately x+20 miles; the
north-eouth varies from 5~+ to 270 miles.
C. General Characteristics.
Tannu Tuva is a land of mountains and river basins. Over one-half
of its~area is mountainous. Plains are small and are found chiefly along
rivers and between some small tributaries. Rolling land occupies a much
larger area, chiefly in the large river basins.
1 Two Russo-Chinese treaties of-1727 were intended to delimit the bound-
ary between. Russia and China but left the area of Tannu Tuva a no-man's
land. The treaties defined the boundary as following a mountain range.
Unaware of the terrain of the area, the Russians placed their markers
along the Northern Sayan ranges, while the Chinese placed theirs along
the southern foot of the Tannu Mountains.
2 The name of this organization may have been changed as a result of the
separation of the Navy from the other armed forces (Pravda, 26 Febru-
ary 1950).
-6-
CONFIDEi~1~IAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~Qo9~Q~1~4-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
The mountains of Tannu Tuva separate the Western Siberian Lowland..
on the northwest and the Central Siberian.Plateau an she north from the....
Mongolian hills and. plains to the south and the ..southeast., Elevstions .
are moderate to high, ranging from 500 m. (1,6?0 feet) in the lower areas
to nearly 3,500 m. (1:L,500 ft.)1. The mountains not only hinder;land_
and river communicaticzns, but also cause great variations. in local cl- .
mate and vegetation. _ _
Moat of Tannu Tuva lies within the northern Asiatic drainage
system. Only a small area on the southern elopes of the Tannu Moun-
tains drains toward Mongolia. The headwaters of the great Siberian
river--the Yenisey--rise within the mountains of Tannu Tuva,. and in early
Russian literature the area was known as the Upper Yenisey Basin..
In shape, Tannu Tuva-resembles asack tied-near .the middle. The
larger part lies to the-east and contains over three-fourths of the
total area.
The region is surrounded by mountain~systema; 'the Shapshal'akiy
Khrebet (Shapshal Ridge) of the Russian or Eastern Altay on the west, the
Western and Eastern Sayans on the northwest and northeast, the Ulaan-
Tayga or Bain-Ole on the east, and the Tannu Mountains on the south.
1. In converting from meters to feet, the English equivalents are given
in rounded numbers if the original Russian figures were estimates
rather than exact measurements.
_7 _
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/(~$/~,~~~I,~~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
A fifth mountain range, the Khrebet Ogarkha-Ola lies wholly within the
country.
The four principal basins of Tannu.Tuva are named after the rivers
flowing through them. The Bey Keml and the Khua Kemal rivers loin to
form the Ulu Kem2 which farther on isjoined by the Khemchik to form the
Yenisey. Tributary rivers have carved out secondary valleys varying in
character from small flat-bottomed valleys to narrow, steep-walled gorges.
1 The Bey Kem and Khua Kem are named Bol'shoy and Malyy Yenisey, respec-
tively, on Soviet maps and in Soviet literature.
2 Identified as Yenisey on Soviet maps.
-8-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/,'~D~~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
II. MINERAL RESOURCES
Tannu Tuva is kr.~own to possess a variety of mineral resources, but
information concernir~g them is scant. Up to 1926, the resources had not
been studied or descz~ibed systematically. There appears to have been no
over-all plan for a mineral survey, although there were thirty-two explor-
story expeditions between 18+2 and 192+. Available descriptions of the
expeditions are concentrated on the central or Ulu Kem valley and the
surrounding areas. The larger western and eastern basins have been
covered, by only a few reconnaissance surveys.
What appears to have been a systematic program of geological sur-
vet's was begun in 197.7 by the Russian Geological Committee and was con-
tinued after the Revolution under Soviet direction. A commission for the
survey of Mongolia acid Tannu Tuva was organized under the Academy of
Sciences of the USSR, but its reports published in 1926 do not include
information on Tannu Tuva. Since 1926, little or no information on
expeditions has been obtainable, although the Commission has published
"Osnovnyye Cherty Geologic Tuvy" (Basic Outlines of the Geology of
Tuva) by Z. A. Lebedeva in Trudy Mongol'skoy Komissii (Transactions of
the Mongolian Commission), No. 26, 1938. A bibliography appended to this
-9 -
CONFIDENTL4L
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/11D~~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
Soviet study lists three works published in 193+. Twol give additional
geological data on the Western Sayans and ane2 on geological explorations
in a region of asbestos deposits in the Upper Yenisey.
The Institute of Gealogy of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, ac-
cording to its report for 194+, has undertaken a number of expeditions
to study the structure of a vast area in Siberia and northern Mongolia
for purposes of locating and analyzing the mineral resources. The
Academy views the broad eastern Siberian area, including the Mongolian-
Transbaykal section, as one of the chief mineral repositories of the.
USSR. Geologic prospecting was contemplated "in the Zake Kosogol
(Hobsogol Dalay) area and in the upper part of the Yenisey river"--
presumably Tannu Tuva. The June 19+6 report refers to five expeditions
of the Eastern Tin Combine, which is engaged in exploration for non-
ferrous metal, "in the eastern Sayan region" where important tin and
wolfram deposits had been discovered.
There have also been geological surveys in areas surrounding
Tannu Tuva. In the border region of the Irkutsk Oblast and the Buryat-
Mongolian ASSR and in and around the northeastern foothills of the Eastern
1. 0 Vozraste Nizhnepaleozoyskikh Svit Zapadnogo $ayana (On the Age of
the Lower Paleozoic Formation of the Western Sayan) by A. G. Vologdin.
Vestnik Zapadno-Sibirskogo Gorno-Geologicheskogo Tresta Vyp. 3, 193+?
Novyye Dannyye po Geologic Zapadnogo Sayana (New Data on the Geology
of the Western Sayan) by V. A. Kuznetaov. Ibid., Vyp. 2, 134.
2. "Geologicheakiye Issledovaniya v Rayone Aktovrakskogo Meatorozhdeniya
Asbesta v Verkhov'yakh Yeniseya" (Geologic'al Explorations in the
Region of the Aktovrak Asbestos Deposits in the Upper Reaches of the
Yenisey) by P. M. Tatarinov, V. A. Kuznetaov, K. S. Filatov. Trudy
Tsentral'no-Nauchnogo Geologo-Razvedochnogo Instituta, Vyp: 13, 1934?
-10-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~i~~~I~~RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
Sayan Mountains, a North Baykal Expedition started to survey deposits
described as "important" and containing "high-quality ores..".. Pravda, in
its edition of 22 March 1948, reports that the Western-Siberian branch of
the Academy of Sciences of the .USSR is sending forty-two expeditic,ns to
Western Siberia, the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR and the-Tuva Autonomous .
Oblast, and that "a complex South-Yenisey expedition, which is studying
the natural wealth of a vast area, is continuing ite work." The Sovet
po Izucheniyu Proizvoditel'nykh Sil SSSR (USSR Council on the Study of
the Productive Forces) of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR was
reportedly planning to send an expedition to the Krasnoyarsk area, the
environs of Minusinsk, and the Tuva Autonomous Oblast in May 1948
"in search of minerals, iron ore in particular, and for developing
improved methods of agriculture." There is reason to believe that these
expeditions are not as sporadic as they appear, but that they are all
carefully correlated within the framework of the Fourth Five-Year Plan.
The .following description of mineral resources is based on infor-
mation dated 1926 or earlier because no iriformation is available on
subsequent discoveries. Before 1926, the exploitation of mown
resources was primitj.ve. Gold, the most widely mined mineral, had the
greatest production value. Petroleum, coal, copper, salt, and magnesite
were exploited~to a limited degree.
A. Gold.
.\
As early as 1838, alluvial gold deposits ,were. discovered in the upper
courses of the Systyg Khem, a right-bank tributary of the central Bey
Kem, ,just across the Sayan mountains from Minusink, Siberia. Exploitation
-11-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
began in the 18~+0's, and gradually spread southward .and westward into
the Ulu Kem valley. By 1883, production totalled 1q,~+0~+ pounds of
gold per year. Exploitation extended into the northern Slopes of the
Tannu Mountains, particularly along the Elegest River, a left-bank
tributary of the Uhz Kem, and eastward along the Tapsa valley. By
1912, gold production in Tannu Tuva amounted 'to over 25,000 pounds.
In 192+, gold mining was reported in small areas of several river
valleys--the tributary valleys of the Bey Kem (chiefly the Systyg Khem,
Uyuk, O,ja, and Tapsa rivers), in the Ulu Kem valley (chiefly the Serlik
and the Elegest), and in the Khemchik valley. A 1q~+0 Soviet map (source
of the map drawn for th.a report) shows five additional gold mining
centers, which are located along the upper course of the Malyy Shibey,
on the upper Kargy, a tributary of the Khua Kem northeast of the settle-
went of Boyarovka, and along a right-bank tributary of the lower Ulu Kem.
Soviet reports describe the deposits as being very rich;. some deposits
have been reported as producing an ore ranging frcm 18.00 to $28.00
(US)1 per short ton, and a few (including one along the Khoral River)
as much as $38.00.- Additional deposits have been reported in the
Khemchik Basin, and in the eastern regions along the Khamsara river, a
right-bank tributary of the central Bey Kem. No production data for
1. At $35.00 per troy ounce of gold.
-12-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~Qo~~RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
these regions are available. Lode gold deposits have been reported in
the Syatyg Khen valley, in the-Tapsa valley, and in the region of the
Elegest valley; but no production-data are available.
B. Copper.
At one time copper rated next to gold in importance. Abandoned
primitive copper minee~ have been mentioned by travelers, and copper
artifacts that have been found indicated that copper was mined and
smelted in ancient times. Deposits have been reported along two
tributaries of the Khemchik River, where natives mine some copper and
smelt it in primitive clay furnaces for the manufacture of small articleA.
In 19+5, copper depoaita were discovered in the region between the Bey
Kem and the Khua Kem z?ivers. No information is available on the quality
or extent of the depoaita.
C. Silver and Lead.
Silver and lead ores have been worked since early times in the region
of the Bol'shoy Iah-Kem and Malyy Iah-Kem rivers. Additional depoaita
have been reported along the Okol River, a right-bank tributary of the
Ulu Kem.
D. Platinum.
Definite evidences of depoaita have been found in the valleys of the
Zolotoy River and the Alash River of the Khemchik Basin, and along the
Khamsara River in the Bey Kem Basin.
E. Iridium.
Iridium has been found near the mouth of the Tapsa River.
-13-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
F. Radium.
Radium deposits were reported in 192+ by one Russian sourcel as
follows: "In the course of time even more significance will be acquired
by the platinum and radium ,ores of Uryankhay ~ a former name of Tannu Tuva
Judging by the very great radioactivity of some of the surveyed springs,
the significance of Uryankhay's radioactive deposits may be extremely
great." These springs are not located. Unconfirmed reports state that
uranium deposits in the Tuva AO are being worked successfully. No
details are given.
G. Iron Ore.
Iron ore is found along the Temir-suk River (whose name in Turkic
means "iron brook"), in the upper course of the Uyuk River, and along
the Ulu Kem ,just above the mouth of the Shagonar. Large deposits of
hematite and magnetite have been reported in the Khemchik Basin, and
in the tributary valleys of the Talat, Bengal'chik, and Ili Kem. No
data on reserves or production are available. In 19+5, iron ore de-
posits of unknown value and extent were discovered in the area between
the Bey Kem and Khua Kem rivers.
H. Coal.
The coal deposits of Tannu Tuva are described as important, but. the
only deposit being mined in 1926 was one of three located in the Bey Kem
1. A. K. Lvov, Sovremsnnyy Uryankhay" Novyy Vostok, No. 6, 192+, p. 11.
-1~+-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/@~QD~~F~,~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
valley not far from K,yzyl. In that year, 270 tons were produced by,prim-.
itive mE~thods. The coal is claimed to be high-quality bituminous, an
reserves are estimated as equal in size to those of the Donets Basin in
the USSR (a total of 88,872,000,000, metric tons of anthracite. and
bituminous coal). Other deposits have been discovered in the Elegest
valley, along the Irbek River, and in other places. All deposits are
said to be of excellent quality, with seams of workable thickness.
I. Petroleum.
There is an oil spring in the Ulu Kem valley ~uat below the con-
fluence of the $ey and Khua Kem. The oil has been used to fuel a thermal
power station near Kyzyl? No additional inf ormation on production or on
other occurrences is available.
J. Graphite.
Deposits of graphite have been reported in the Ulsan Tayga mountains
between the Altryk and Balryk rivers, as well as near Hobsogol Delay.
Asbestos occurs in deposits of serpentine along the left bank of the
Ulu Kem 10 km. (6 miles) below Shagonar, and in the uplands between the
Alash and Kemchik rivers. The latter deposits are claimed to be of
better quality than thane of Canada, and reserves are estimated at
1,600,000 tone.
L. Other Minerals.
Other mineral deposits are of local importance. Magnesite deposits
near the mouth of the Barlyk on the Khemchik River have long been
mined by the natives and by Russian merchants. Rock salt has been mined
-15-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~~Di~DP79-00976A000100110001-6
along the Torgalyg River on the northern s-lope of the Tannu Mountains.
Precipitated salt is being produced from Lake Tuskul, 35 ~? (20 miles)
south of Kyzyl. Deposits of marble, kaolin, granite, fine grained sand-
stone, and gems axe reported but their locations are not given.
There are numerous mineral springs in Tannu Tuva. The most im-
portant are located in the Tacna-suk area about ~+ kin. west of Kyzyl.
Carbonate springs and hot mineral lakes are located in the By-aug and
Khamsaxa valleys. The hot sulfur spring (122? F.) and the carbonate
springs of Arasay axe located in the upper reaches of Tairis River in
the Tannu Mountains.
-16-
CONFIDENTTAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/@~~~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
III. ELECTRIC POWER RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Information on current electric power development in Tannu Tuva is
not available. During the period 1939-40, there were eleven power sta-
tions in Tannu Tuva. The "Large Soviet Encyclopedia," Vol. 55, 1947,
states that there are seventeen but no information about them is given.
Ten stations are located on or near rivers, which suggests that they
may be hydroelectric stations. The one known thermal station is located
near Kyzyl and is fueled. by petroleum.
Although it is impossible to estimate the energy resources of Tannu
Tuva, they appear to be considerable. The most likely region for power
development would seem to be the Ulu Kem valley near Kyzyl, where there
are known coal and. petroleum resources. The coal resources, if estimates
are accurate, are substantial and could fuel large installations. The
petroleum reserves, which are now fueling one station, could provide
supplementary power. Furthermore,, the Ulu Kem is the closest and most
accessible valley to the USSR for transport of the necessary equipment.
Finally, the Ulu Kem is the most densely populated and the most im-
portant basin of Tanr~u Tuva.
Volume and gradient of the rivers seem to be adequate for large
hydroelectric atatiorls in four areas. The steep, narrow valley where
the Bey Kem crosses t;he Taskyl offers a possibility that is well located
in relation to the important Uainsk route which crosses the Sayans from
Kyzyl to Minusinsk. Another possible site is in the valley of the Khua
Kem about 40-50 km. eaoutheast of Kyzyl above Bel'vey, where the river
flows through the narrows of the 0817 kha-Ole. A third possibility might
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
r
 Approved For Release 1999/0$~ID~pP79-00976A000100110001-6
be in one of the gorges of the; lower Khemchik River where it loins
the Ulu Kem and Yenisey near the border of Tannu Tuva. A fourth
possibility, which is north of Tannu Tuva in the Yenisey River, is
the so-called Great Gorge. In the 150 miles of its length, the
river drops in elevation frown 57Q m. to 300 m. (1,860-1,000 ft.)
above sea level. -The gorge is narrow, with canyon-like walls, and
through it the water flows in a torrent. A hydroelectric project
could be designed to produce power-and at the same time provide a system
of locks for river traffic.
fihe streams flowing down the northern slopes of the Tannu Mountains
have sufficient gradients for power development, but irregularity of
flow limits their value. There may be other suitable sites for
hydroelectric stations, but there are not sufficient data to identify
them.
-18-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~~,I~-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
IV. TRANSI'O~TATYON
Until recently, transport in T.annu.Tuva has beer. very primitive.
There-are no;railroads,l and the first motor road xeached Kyzyl:in 1926.
The principal means of: transportation has been overland by wagon, cart,
and packhorse, and b;y rafts and small boats on the principal rivers.
Trans-Tuvinian routes have never been important in Mongolian trans-
continental transportation or in connecting Siberia.to the north with
Mongolia to the south.
According to 192`j data, roads passable for automobile transport
measured about 2,100 l~n. (1,300 mi.) and surveyed navigable waterways..
measured 500 km._(300 mi.). The; waterways were practically unused
bef ore 1925.
The slight development since the Tuvinian revolution of 1921 is
undoubtedly the result of Soviet interest and initiative. Transport
in Tannu Tuva is now administered by a government monopoly--Sovtuvtrans
(Soviet-Tuvinian Transport). In 19+2, the volume of Tuvinian transporta-
tion amounted to 2,193,000 ton-kilometers.
The entire transport system is focused on the Ulu Kem valley and
river, where overland routes and river transport meet. Within the valley,
1. The nearest railroad is at Abakan about 110 air miles from the nearest
border point of Tannu Tuva or about 190 air miles from Kyzyl. New
railroad construction is now underway from Abakan to Abaza, a dis-
tance of about ~+0 miles. This will bring a railroad to within 21
air miles of the :nearest border of Tannu Tuva.
-19-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/11D~~DP79-00976A000100110001-6
the tfrans-Tuvinian routes and the internal road net focus on two centers--
Kyzyl in the east and Shagonar in the west.
A . R oads .
The road system that serves purely-local needs is not extensive.
The "Large Soviet Encyclopedia" states that fourteen of the sixteen
regional administrative divisions (Hoshuns) are connected with Kyzyl
by graded and improved dirt roads. The main road of this system is
an automobile road from Kyzyl Mazhalyk in the Khemchik valley to Kyzyl,
which runs along the southern bank of the Ulu Kem following the old
Soyote Steppe road. It has been described as "built from, large chips
of stone...,"
Two trans-Tuvinian roads are also included in the road system of
Tannu Tuva. The most important and most travelled runs north from
Kyzyl to Minusinskl in Siberia, and south to Tsagaan Olom on the trans-
-Mongolian Chuisk Highway2 in Mongolia. The sector from Minusinsk to
Kyzyl, about x+00 km. (2~+0 m.) long, is called the Usinsk Highway. The
route begins at Minusinsk and continues via Grigor'yevka, Verkhne-
Usinskoye, Tarlach, and Uyuk to the capital. It follows a tortuous
route that crosses a number of ridges and valleys. Elevations
1, Located across the Yenisey River from Abakan, a terminus of the
Trans-Siberian Railroad.
2. The Chuisk Highway is one of the historic trans-Mongolian routes.
which connects Kosh Agach, a terminus of aTrans-Siberian rail-
road feeder line in the USSR with Ula4~ Bator, capital of Mongolia.
-20-
CONFIDENTL4L
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~-ARDP79-00976A000100110001-6
range from-225 m. (710 ft.) at Minusinsk to 1,926 m. (6,300 ft.) in the
Turan Pass of the: Western Sayans. The surface is reported to be gravel-
led. Although a Sov~.et-map-describes the road as an automobile route,.
parts-are passable- only in good weather, mainly during summer. Ac-
cording to one source, a trip from Minusinsk to Kyzyl by Russian cart
required. six days.
Construction of the road was begun.by the Russians in the early
1900'x.. Progress was interrupted by the Revolution in 1917, but the
Soviets resumed consi;ruction work in 1921, and the road reached Kyzyl
in 1926. From Kyzyl? it continues southward and crosses the crest of
the Tannu Mountains at the Khamar-Daban Pass (1+08 m. or x+,618 ft. )
to Samagaltay. Beyond-this point it ,joins the automobile road from
Tasgaan-Olom in Mongolia to Kultuk on the southwestern tip of Lake
Baykal in Siberia.
The route as a whole is unsatisfactory for large-scale freight
movement. The rugged terrain and severe mountain climate make travel
hazardous and expensive. Although the Tannu Mountains have a permanent
snow cover, the zone of snow .increases in size in the .winter and makes..
travel difficult south of Kyzyl. From Kyzyl north to Minusinsk, the
road is practically impassable from the second half of October through
December, and occasionally as late as May.
-The potentially moat important trade route connects one of the four
east-west trans-Mongolian roads between Outer Mongolia and the Soviet
Union (the Jirgalan~ta-Kosh Agach_Highway) with Shagonar on the Ulu Kem.
-21-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01.: CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
,.
The section in Tannu.Tuva measures about 6~+0 km. (390 miles) in length.
At Shagonar freight is transferred to river boats or rafts and proceeds
via the Ulu Kem 'and the Yenisey rivers, Navigation is hampered at all
seasons by rapids in the Yenisey River where it. cuts through the Western
Sayans and is seasonally hampered by winter ice. Freight south from.
Shagonar across the Tannu Mountains is usually carried by texts of half-
ton capacity.' Although travel over the route is not considered especially
rigorous,-there is a stretch of about 20 km. (12 miles) through a zone
of permanent snows that is difficult during the three winter months.
The route will probably beccane the most important trans-Tuvinian route
if and when the Yenisey is opened to through-steamer navigation.
B. River Transportation.
Rivers have been little used for transportation in Tannu Tuva.
In 1925, out of a total river freight turnover of 9,700 tons -along the
Ulu Rem between Ust'-Uyuk and Minusinsk, only 1,x+00 tons moved along
the sector from Uyuk to Ust'Usinskoye~(the Great Gorge).
The river routes of Tannu Tuva that are classified as navigable or
potentially navigable include parts of the Ulu Kem and its two princi-
pal tributaries, the Bey Kem and"the Khua Kem. The coanbined navigable
length is estimated to be over 800 km. (x+90 miles), o~ which about _500 km.
(300 miles) were surveyed in 1925 and are consisered adequate for
steamers. The remaining 300 km. (180 miles), though unsurveyed up to
1925, are considered navigable.
The estimated 500 km. of navigable routes in Tannu Tuva include
311 km. (190 miles) of the Ulu Kem frown the Great Gorge upstream to the
-22-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/Oj9~~~DP79-00976A000100110001-6
confluence of. the Be;y Kem and.. the Khua Kem .at Kyzyl, 6~+ km. (~+0 mi. ) up ;
the Khua Kem to the "Uchzhory Rapids" (location unknown -- may be the
Bel'vey Rapids),_and another 125 km. (75 mi.) up the .Bey Kem to the Ut
Rapids..: The Ulu Kem varies in width, from 65,to 215 m. (200 to 700 ft.).:
The depth is adequate, as the low-water mark is 0.9 to 1.1 (2.9 to 3.6
ft.). The current is rapid, attaining a speed up to_6.~+ km. (3.9 mi.)
per hour and even to 10 km. (6 mi.) per hour in the narrower stretches.
Because the river channel is narrow and winding below Cha Kul as far as _
B ol'ahoy Porog (Greatt Rapids),1 navigation. is by medium-size steamers
measuring up to ~+O meters (131 ft.) in length, with a draft of 0.8 m.
(2.6 ft.), a rating of 250 to 300 horsepower, and a freight capacity up
to 82 tons.
The value of all water courses is limited by the large number of
rapids and the shortness of the navigation season. The largest single
obstacle is the Great Gorge formed by the. entrenchment of the Yenisey
in the Western Sayana. In-that part of the Gorge where the river makes
an S-swing for a distance of about-250 km. (155 mi.), rapids occur .in
.six different places? The largeat,.Bol'shoy Porog, is reported as one
kilometer (0.6 mi,) long and 50 m. (160 ft.) wide, with a current
1. Also known as the' "Great Threshold."
-23-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~~~~~F~,izRDP79-00976A000100110001-6
estimated at 8-9 km. (5-5.5 mi.) per hour. Because the Bol'shoy Porog
is impassable for steamers, a portage road 1 1~~+ km. (0.7. mi.) long
has been built to bypass it. Below Bol'shoy Porog, the channel contains
a vaxiety of obstructions of all kinds and changes its course frequently.
Navigation is by specially constructed rafts on which freight and pas-
sengers can be transported across the Great Rapid to Minusinsk. Because
of ice cari,ditions, the length of thn navigation season is only 150 to
170 days annually.. Saone freight is moved in winter by sledge across
the river ice.
As early as 1925, the Soviet Union showed interest in improving
its transportation with Tannu Tuva. The Narodnyy gomiasaxiat Putey
Soobshcheniya SSSR (Peoples Comanissariat of Routes of Communication,
USSR) organized several interdepartmental conferences with various
Soviet economic organizations in an eff ort to increase trade with
Tannu Tuva. It was anticipated that, during the first year after the
opening of improved navigation, up to 2,00-0 tons of raw materials
(chiefly hides, wool, and minerals) would"be shipped to the USSR.
annually. Furthermore, it was planned that a large portion of the.
commodities purchased by Soviet econc?aic agencies, in North China and
Western Mongolia should be shipped via Tannu Tuva. This shift in
freight movement was apart of Soviet plena to increase the use of
Soviet waterways. The improvement of the waterways in Tannu Tuva was
part of a plan to tie Mongolia to the USSR. Water transport would ex-
tend from the Great Northern Sea Route of the Arctic Ocean into inner
Asia via the Yenisey. The extension of navigation to the upper reaches
-2~+-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~~11D~~RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
of the Yenisey system and. the construction of a rail line from Abakan to
Achinsk on the Trans-Siberian are both links in a major transportation
artery that would connect the heaxt of Mongolia with the USSR.
Elaborate plans ?were formulated in 1925, and various investigations
were made. In 1925, the Zapadno-Sibirskoye Gosudaratvennoye Parokhodstvo
(Western Siberian States Navigation Authority), which had chaxge of the
upper Yenisey, sponsored an experimental trip by launch across the Great
Rapid and upstream to Kyzyl. On the basis of this trip and subsequent
research, the f ollowi:ng plena were projected:
(1) The removal of 11,500 cubic meters of rock for the elimination
of the principal obstruction in the course of the river; the project was
estimated to require two or three years;
(2) The building of a naxrow-gauge railway to by-pass the Great
Rapid and connect the upper and lower Yenisey;
(3) The establishment of freight-passenger routes between Kyzyl,
the landing stations enroute, and the Great Rapid;
(~+) The diversion of some of the freight moving from Mongolia west-
ward overland via Biysk and Semipalatinsk and moving eastward via the
Tunkinsk route to the Tannu Mountains -- Shagonary -- Ulu Kem route to
Minuainsk;
(5) The construction of landings and warehouses at road and river
functions to facilitate increased shipments;
(6) An intensive study of river conditions and obstructions;
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~~~,~~~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
(7) The training of pilots and navigators to cope with the special
.navigation problems along the Yenisey and Ulu Kem;
(8) The building of a 300-horsepower steamer for use in Tannu Tuva;
as a result, the volume of freight between Tannu Tuva and Mongolia was
expected to increase frcnn 15,000 to 20,000 tons per year, of which 2,500
to 3,500 would be Tuvinian both in origin and destination. Inf ormation
concerning progress on the plan is not available. A recent unconfirmed
report, however, states that river transportation along the Upper Yenisey
has been made possible by extensive blasting of the Great Rapids.
C. Communications
All of the khcshuns are connected with Kyzyl by a telephone net-
work and radio communications. A telegraph line joins Kyzyl with
Minusinsk.
-26-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/O~~~I~~RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
There are no accurate population census data for Tannu Tuva.l The
only figures availab:Le are estimates in Soviet sources, which are always
given in rounded numbers. The 1939 Population was given as 86.4002 and
the 1941 figure as "about 95,000."3 N.N. Baranakiy, in the 8th edition,
1947, of "Ekonomicheakaya Geografiya SSSR," reports the population as
100,000; in the 9th edition (revised), 1948, the figure is increased to
120,000. In neither book does Baxanskiy indicate the dates for which the
figures apply. The ?tenth edition of Baranakiy, 1949, omits all statis-
tics on Tannu Tuva.
Since the data on the area and population of Tannu Tuva ere not re-
liable, it is impossible to compute satisfactory estimates of population
density. Assuming ari area of 171,300 aq. km., and a population of
1. The use of election districts as a unit of population measurement
may be questionable for Tannu Tuva. In 1945, Tuva AO was assigned
one election district for the 1946 All-Union elections to the Soviet
of the Union of the Supreme Soviet, USSR. The election districts
were then apportioned an the basis of one per 300,000 population.
It could be assumed, therefore, that the population of Tannu Tuva was
between 300,000 and 600,000. For~the 1947 Republic elections to
the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, Tuva AO was again assigned only one
election district although the population value for an election dis-
trict was only 150,000. In the 1950 All-Union elections to the Soviet
of the Union, Tuva AO was for the third time assigned one electoral
district, on the basis of one district per 300,000 population. From
this it appears possible that factors other than population governed
the allocation of one electoral district.
2. Malaya Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya (Small Soviet Encyclopedia), Vol. 10,
Moscow, 1940, cols. 866-871.
3. Bol'skaya Sovetskaya Entaiklopediya (Large Soviet Encyclopedia), Vol.
55, 1947, cols. 110-117.
-27 -
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 : CIAO RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONETDENT L
120,000, the average density would be 0.73 persons per square kilometer.
The "Large Soviet Encyclopedia" gives an average estimated density of
0.x+7 per square kilometer for the country as a whole on the basis of an
estimated population of "about 95,000" in 19+1 and an estimated area of
"about 200,000 square kilometers."
The density of population varies markedly between regions.. The only
statistics on variations in density are those for 19+1 given in the ency-
clopedia. In the east, the average density is given as 0.0~+ persons per
square kilometer and in the central and western regions 0.8. In 193+
about ~+5 percent of the population was concentrated in the Khemchik val-
ley. The Ulu Kem valley, including the capital city of Kyzyl, contained
about 26 percent, the lower Biy Kem nearly 10 percent, the Tes Kem valley
and surrounding uplands nearly 9 percent, the Khua Kem 7 percent, and the
middle and-upper Biy Kem regions together had-only 3 percent of the popu-
lation.
Of the total population of Tannu Tuva, some 86 percent are Tuviniana,
12 percent Russians, and 2 percent Mongolians. The term "Tuvinian" as
used in Soviet literature has no ethnic or racial aignific-ante and is ap-
plied to the natives of the country without regard to purity of strain or
mixture of types.
A small group, numbering 3,000 or x+,000 people, probably consists of
a little-rriixed type of Yeniseian, which was pushed into the northeastern
uplands ofl 'Pannu Tuva by more powerful groups. The Yeniseian group oc-
cu~~ie:3 the middl? and upper reaches of the Bey Kem and the adjacent parts
of trae Oga.rkha-Ola, anal the Eastern Sayans. The economy of the group is
-?8 -
COTTF'TDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/O~~DI~DP79-00976A000100110001-6
-very primitive, being based on nomadic reindeer-breeding, supplemented
by hunting, fishing, and collecting wild foods.
foods.
Most of the native Tuvinians, however, are nomadic cattle-breeders
of the steppe grasslands. They are Turkic in language and custom, but
the people living near the border of Mongolia have been Mongolized. Over
a third of these cattle-breeders live in the valleys and uplands between
the Cha Kul and Shagonar rivers; nearly a third live in the Khemchik Basin,
and the remainder are; scattered throughout the Elegest and Khua Kem
valleys.
Russian settlement in Tannu Tuva began in the 1870'x. The first
settlers were gold miners and merchants, but they soon were outnumbered
by farmers. The nomads and their herds were pushed to higher areas less
suitable for farming. The first settlers occupied the open valley steppes
of the Uyuk and lowez~ Bey Kem valleys, north of Kyzyl, on the historic
Usinsk route that crosses the Sayans from Minusinsk. Settlement spread
westward along the U].u Kem and..southeaetward up the valley of the Khua
Kem. Because the soL~thern ar left-bank lowlands of the Ulu Kem were too
dry and rocky for agriculture, settlement spread upstream along the open
steppe lands of the Cha Kul, Shagonar, and Elegest valleys.
Shortly after lql~+, the Elegest valley ranked first in number of
Russian settlers and farmsteads. The latest available data (1923)
indicate that the Elegest still ranks first, having 33 percent of the
Russians in Tannu Tuva; about 35 percent of the total is spread over the
-29 -
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
right (northern) bank of the Ulu Kem and along the Shagonar and Cha Kul
valleys; and nearly 20 percent live slang the valley of the Khua Kem.
The eastern and western extremes of the Gauntry -- the Khemchik Basin and
the middle and upper Bey Kem.-- have the smallest Russian populations, a-?
mount to only 7 and 5 percent, respectively. Both areas are remote from
the principal routes that lead into Tan~tu Tuva. Furthermore, the aridity
of the Khemchik valley may have discouraged settlement, whereas early
frosts and large forested areas may have discouraged settlement along
the .Bey Kem. The remainder of the Russian population is not accounted
for.
Data on the size and distributi-on of settlements are lacking, but
there are no large cities in Tannu Tuva. The only settlement of any size,
the capital, was founded by the Russians in 1912, following the signing
of the Russian-Mongolian treaty. The settlement was originally called
Belotsarsk (City of the White Tsar), but was renamed Kyzyl (in Russian,
Krasnyy, meaning "red"). According to 1939 estimates, the population is
about 10,000. According to 19+9 inf ormation all other "populated places"
have populations of less than 2,000. Three cities -- Chadana, Shagonar,
and Turan -- have populations between 1,000 and 2,000-. The population
of all other settlements numbers less than 1,0001. Four additional
1. Politiko-Adminietrativna a Karts SSSR (Political-Administrative Map
of the USSR , I:5,000,000, Glavnoye Upravleniye Geodezii i Kartografii
pri SM SSSR (Chief Administrator of Geodesy and Cartography Attached
to the Council of Ministers, USSR), L19~+9_7
-30-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/O~~II~~DP79-00976A000100110001-6
settlements -- Naryn, Khoral, Bay-Syut and Emi -- are classified as
workers settlements .?L The Russians founded nearly all of the other
settlements, locatin+; most of them along the rivers. All are small,
their size being dependent upon the prevailing local system of land tenures.
Most of the Russians carried over their native pattern settlement in
agricultural villages. In some localities, however, isolated farmsteads
are common. In 1923, the valleys of Cha Kul and Shagonary contained 47
Russian settlements, with a total population of 1,300. In the Khemchik
valley, a smaller number of Russians was .divided among 81 settlements
and 148 individual farmsteads.
Recently the settlement pattern of Tannu Tuva has been changing as
as result of Soviet eff orts to create permanent settlements among the
nomadic natives. The extent of such changes is not known.
1. Defined in Soviet terminology as "populated places numbering at least
400 adults of whin a majority (no leas than 65 percent) are wage
earners." Slovar'-S ravochnik o Sostaial'no-Ekonomicheakoy
Statistike (Dictionary reference book on Social-Economic Statistics),
Moscow, 1944, p. 243.
-31-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~E~I~-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
A. Climate.
The climate of Tannu Tuva can be described only in general terms,
as detained observations are lacking. Two main factors influence the
climate: the location in the interior of Asia at a great distance from
any ocean, and high altitude and mountainous terrain. The interior lo-
cation results in a climate with greater extremes of te:,iperature and
"less rainfall than in areas of European USSR at the same latitude; and
the high altitude acid mountainous terrain result in low average asm.ual
temperatures and great variations in local .climates.
The mean axu~.ual temperature is 22? F. (Winnipeg, Canada, 35? F.).
July is the hottest month with an average temperature of 67? F. and a
maximum of 90? F. at Kyzyl; temperatures reach 100? F. in the steppes.
January is the coldest month, with an average of 27.x+? F. and a minimum
of 62.6? F. at Kyzyl. Daily ranges are also laxge. At Tolbukakaya, the
diurnal range 59 degrees in January and 67 degrees in July.
Most of the precipitation occurs in summer. August is-the rainiest
month, receiving about one-third of the total annual precipitation.
February, March, and April are the driest months. Rainfall is unevenly
distributed over the area. Moisture-laden winds from the north bring
rainfall to the north slopes but leave the south slopes dry. The dryness
of the south-facing slopes is intensified by the greater amount of direct
sunlight they receive and by the hot desert winds that blow out of Mongolia.
-32-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/,1~~E~tDP79-00976A000100110001-6
In eastern Tuva downpours are common., and the only large swamps of the
country are located there. The mean annual precipitation at Kyzyl is 7
inches; on the slopes at Tolbukakaya it increases, but only to 12 inches.
Snowfall varies widely. Valleys receive only a thin cover, whereas
.mountains receive heavy falls. The snowfalls of the forest zones of
eastern Tuva are heavy enough to halt even horseback traffic.
Winters are long and severe, lasting up to 170 days. Calm days are
especially cold. Continuous frosts last far long periods. .Spring begins
in April, when daytime temperatures rise rapidly, but the nights remain
cold. Rainfall increases in the spring, and winds grow stranger, fre-
quently bringing dust storms from Mongolia. Summers are hot, with
maximum rainfall--most of it in thunderstorms. Autumns are short. In
September temperatures drop sharply, and frosts become frequent. Winds
are weaker; precipitation tapers off, and clear skies are more frequent.
The length of the growing season, which numbers 139 days in the Ulu
Kem valley, diminishes from west to east. The upper limit of pasture
land declines correspondingly from west to east. Pastures atop at 1,428 m.
0+,683 ft.) in the went, at 1,233 m. (4,04x+ ft.) in the center, and at
1,020 m. (3,345 ft. ) in the east.
Valleys experience greater extremes of climate than do mountainsides.
On summer days, valley bottoms are subject to hot drying winds. During
clear nights, cold air collects in the valley bottoms--retarding crops in
the summer, bringing earlier frosts in the fall, and making the winters
-33-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~~I~RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
extremely cold. This means that the best crop land, which i$ located in
the valleys, has a shorter growing season than the leas-usable land on
the elopes.
B. Natural Vegetation.
The Tuva Basin is a region of transition between the humid Siberian
f oreata (taigal) to the north and the dry grasslands (ateppes2) of
Mongolia to the south. Within Tannu Tuva there are three main vegetation
grassland (steppe), forest (taiga), arr. alpine meadow. The distribution
of each type is determined by elevation and available moisture. Northern
elopes generally are more humid than the southern and support forests. On
the drier southern slopes, steppe grasslands predominate, atr3: trees are
.lacking. Western Tannu Tuva is so dry that forests are rare and steppe
grasslands in places extend up to the alpine meadows.
Soils vary with the vegetation and climate. The steppe soils include some
black earth or chernozem; the forest soils axe ashlike pod.sols or gray
clays; and the alpine soils are swampy ar rocky.
1. Taiga is a term applied to a f orest consisting primarily of coni-
ferous trees (chiefly spruce, fir, larch, and cedar). It may also
contain a secondary growth of deciduous trees (chiefly birch, aspen,
and alder) and sphagnum or cranberry bogs.
2. According to Lea. S. Berg, a leading Soviet geographer, the term
"steppe" is applied to areas more or less flat, not aub~ect to spring
flooding and net swampy. The usual vegetation cover is a dense grass
growing on black earth (chernozem) soils, with the grass cover lasting
throughout the growing seas an. On the northern margins, grass may be
intermixed with forests, thus forming a transitional forest-steppe.
The southern margins may grade off into s~midesert steppes or even
deserts. .Steppes also occur in scattered spots in mountains. The
term is loosely used by Soviet writers. Some use it in a phyaio-
graphic sense as an alternate word for plain. Others use it to de-
scribe the vegetation cover regardless of the landf orm an which it
occurs.
_~!~
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :. CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
CONFIDENTIAL
1. Grassland.
Steppe grasslands occupy about one-third of the area of Tannu
Tuva. They occur chiefly on plains and slopes of the. larger valleys.
The grasslands are not always continuous, being interrupted by forested
ridges that rise above the plains. The largest areas of steppe are in
the western, southern and central parts of the Tuva Basin, particularly
along the Ulu Kem and Khemchik rivers.
The Tuvinia~n steppes resemble the dry Mongolian steppes more
than the Siberian steppes. Barren ground occupies more of the area than
in the Siberian steppes, and sands are anchored by grassy vegetation
rather than by pine groves. Grasses cover the lowlands and even many of
the higher hillocks. Streams are bordered by brushwoods.
The steppe vegetation varies with elevation, relief, ground-
water, and soil. Lowland areas with relatively high water tables have
dense, bright-green feather grass and plumed, hairy, mixed grasses.
Higher and drier areas take on a desert-like appearance and contain
numerous Mongolian species of grasses. Grasses and sedges reach about
15 cm. (6 in.) in height. In~depressians near rivers, where the water
table is high, are sa:Line meadows.
The soils of the Tuvinian steppes are developed frcan fine-grained
shale, alluvial clays, anal loses-covered clays. Productive black earth
(chernozem soils are iPound in. spots, rather than as a continuous zone.
The clay soils of the desert steppes contain. calcium and adequate
amounts of phosphoric acid and potash, but have a low nitrogen content.
-35 -
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/~~~1D~ rTRDP79-00976A000100110001-6
Good yields can be obtained with the aid of irrigation. Salt pans are
scattered about in small patches.
2. Forests.
Forests occupy nearly one-half of the area of Taxulu Tuva, gener-
ally occurring between elevations of 1,00-0 m. (3,300 ft.) and 2,000 m.
(6,600 ft.). The northern slopes are the most thickly wooded. On the
southern slopes, forests occur at higher elevations or may be completely
lacking. Forests are rare in western and southwestern Tannu Tuva.
The trees of Tannu Tuva are of the same species as those found
in the Siberian taiga--principally larch, fir, spruce, and cedar. Pine
is very rare. Individual species grow at different elevations on dif-
ferent ridges. In general, cedar, fir, and alder grow in the moist areas
whereas larch, pine, and birch are found on the steep drier slopes. The
larch has the largest vertical distribution. Although it may grow up
to the timber line, it is characteristic of the lower margin of the
forest zone, and extends far into the steppes in narrow valleys and on
shaded slopes. Scenetimea individual trees are scattered through the
border grasslands, giving them a park-like appearance. High-grass and
law-grass meadows are scattered through the forest. In river valleys,
peat bogs and swamps occur, the peat bogs giving some areas a tundra-like
appearance.
The character of the forests varies from east to west. The
eastern regions are covered by almost continuous forest broken only by
rivers and lakes. At lower elevations, broad-leaved trees such as birch,
mountain ash, and alder are intermixed with conifers. At higher
-36-
CONFIDENTIAL
Approved For Release 1999/09/01 :CIA-RDP79-00976A000100110001-6
 Approved For Release 1999/0~9d~D~DP79-00976A000100110001-6
elevations, beech is the .only deciduous tree in a conferous zone of
cedar, fir, and spru