Situated in a remote part of the Komi Republic, Ust-Tsilma is known as one of the centres of the Old Believers. The region has distinctive breeds of sheep and horse, both called 'pechorskaya'.
Population: 5 000
- Ust-Tsilemsky district: 12 000
- Decline in population: 2% annually
Centre of the Old Believers, who
- Escaped persecutions by the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1600s and 1700s
- Call themselves 'ust-tsilema' - a distinctive ethnic group with an identity and culture of its own
Main economic activities
- Farming, dairy and leather production, and logging
The region is currently highly reliant on subsidies