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A group of Turkic people residing in Russia is known by the name of Tatar. Most of the Tatars are the inhabitants of the Volga region while others are scattered in different parts of Russia. Many of the Tatars live in the central Asian republics as well. The Tatars have varied physical features. Some are blue-eyed while others have the typical Mongolian look.
The Tartars ruled the Russians from 1236 to 1452. During this period they attacked several parts of Russia and destroyed most of its cities and killed many people. However the cultural heritage of Russia was not lost. Russians could still visit and worship at the Russian Orthodox Church. The Tatars appointed a Grand prince to dominate over Russia.
Of all the ethnic groups residing in Russia, Tartars are the largest, after the Russians. A majority of Tartars follow Islam. They form about 50 percent of the total population of Tatarstan. However a large number of them stay outside Tatarstan in the other ethnic republics and make a significant population.
The Tatars had resisted the Russian and the Soviet domination in the past. However, the current leadership decided to be within the Russian federation. There are several groups representing Tatars. Some of them are All-Tatar Public Centre, the Tatar National Congress and the Ittifak Party. All these organizations work for betterment of Tartars in social and economic fronts.
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