Federation Council representatives: Alexander Torshin (2001 to 2015), Natalya Dementyeva (2004 to 2014)
Population: 698,176 (2010 census)
Territory: 23,300 square km (8,955 sq. miles)
Capital: Ioshkar-Ola (population 260,305), 862 km from Moscow
Federal district: Volga
Economic region: Volga-Vyatka
Time zone: Moscow, GMT +3, EST +8
Geography: Marii-El is located in a marshy area of the Volga floodplain. It shares a border with the Kirov and Nizhny Novgorod regions and the republics of Tatarstan and Chuvashia.
Urban population: 63%, Rural population: 37%
Ethnic make-up: More than 50 nationalities, including Russians (47.5%), Mari (43.3 %) and Tatars (5.9%)
Economy: Timber and woodworking drive the economy due to the large amount of forested land that covers the territory. The region is also involved in shipping via several large ports along the Volga.
