Komi-Permyak Okrug

Komi-Permyak Okrug, or Permyakia was a territory with special status within Perm Krai, Russia. Its administrative center was the town of Kudymkar. Population:
It was a federal subject of Russia until December 1, 2005. It was known as Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug at the time.

Geography

Area: 32,770 km². Location: foothills of the Ural Mountains, upper basin of the Kama River.

Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug was established on February 26, 1925. It was an administrative division for Komi-Permyaks, a branch of the Komis, within Perm Oblast. After a referendum held in October 2004, the autonomous okrug was merged with Perm Oblast to form Perm Krai. The referendum was held both in Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug and Perm Oblast, and the majority of citizens of both regions voted for merging.
Until the merger in 2005, the Komi-Permyak Autonomous Okrug was the only autonomous okrug in which the titular ethnic group made up the majority of the population. The majority was lost in the merger, and the referendum has often been characterized as a "staged" event.

According to the 2002 Census, Komi-Permyaks make up 59.0% of the okrug's population. Other groups include Russians, Tatars, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and a host of other groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.