The Republic of Buryatia is located in the south-central region of Siberia along the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Over 80% of the republic's territory is located in the mountainous region, including the Baikal Mountains on the northern shores of Lake Baikal.
The area of the present-day Buryatia was first colonized in the 17th century by Russians in search of wealth, furs, and gold. In 1923, the Buryat-Mongolian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as a result of the merger of Buryat-Mongol and Mongol-Buryat Oblasts. In 1937, Aga Buryatia and Ust-Orda Buryatia were detached from the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR and merged with Chita and Irkutsk Oblasts, respectively. In 1958, the name "Mongol" was removed from the name of the republic. The Buryat ASSR declared its sovereignty in 1990 and adopted the name Republic of Buryatia in 1992. However, it remained an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation.
The Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the former Soviet Union.
The information above is taken from Wikipedia "Buryatia".
