Transformation of the ethnic space of Russia in the XVIII-XIX centuries: the historical-geographical analysis

Abstract

The article presents the results of a statistical-cartographic analysis of changes in the territorial structure of the ethnic space of Russia (within modern borders) at the level of the country's macroregions from the beginning of the XVIII century to the end of the XIX century (first census of 1897), divided into four periods - from 1719 to 1762 years, from 1762 to 1795 years, from 1795 to 1850 years, from 1850 to 1897 years. There are four components of the territorial structure in the ethnic space of Russia: the Russian ethnic core, the contact zone of the Russian megacore, the internal and external periphery. The proportion of the Russian population and the ethnic mosaic index are used as quantitative criteria for identifying these components of the territorial structure of the ethnic space of Russia. The research revealed that during the entire period of the study, there was a constant reallocation of the Russian population from the Russian ethnic core into macroregions, forming other components of the ethnic space of the country. In the second half of the XIX century macroregions that belongs to the contact zone of the Russian megacore and partially to the inner periphery began to perform the same function, jointly participating in the Russian colonization of the external periphery (outskirts of the Russian Empire).