The Altai Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Altai: Алтай өзерк совет сосялист джумгуриети, Алтай ӨССД Altay özerk sovyet sosyalist cumhuriyeti, Altay ÖSSD; Russian: Алтайская автономная советская социалистическая республика, Алтайская АССР Altayskaya avtonomnaya sovetskaya sotsialisticheskaya respublika, Altayskaya ASSR), informally known as the Altai Republic (Алтай Республика Altay Respublika; Республика Алтай Respublika Altay), is an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union, located in the Siberian region of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, the Soviet Union largest and most populous national republic. The capital and largest city of the Altai ASSR is Gorno-Altaysk.
The Altai Republic is governed as a socialist republic by the Communist Party of the Altai Republic, which is a branch of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and All-Union Communist Party in Moscow, Russian SFSR. Its titular nationality are the Altai people, a Turkic ethnic group which is native to the republic; however, the Altai represent only 35% of the population, with most of the remaining majority represented by Russians, as well as Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Germans. The official languages of the Altai ASSR are Altai and Russian.
The republic is situated in the Altai Mountains in the very centre of Asia at the junction of the Siberian taiga, the steppes of Kazakhstan and the semi-deserts of Mongolia. Forests cover 25% of the republic's territory. Various bodies of water are among the most important natural resources of the Republic. Mineral and hot springs are popular destinations for tourists and locals, sought for their therapeutic effects. Additionally, Altai glaciers contain a great amount of fresh water.
The Altai ASSR was originally founded in 1922 shortly after the end of the Russian Civil War as an autonomous oblast of the Russian SFSR. Following its upgrade in status to an autonomous soviet socialist republic and the postwar reconstruction efforts of the 1990s, the Altai Republic grew significantly in population as well as industrialisation, and is today one of the most popular destinations for tourism in the Soviet Union. While contemporary local industry includes foodstuffs, non-ferrous metallurgy, chemicals, gold mining, footwear, dairying, and timber, the republic remains an important agricultural region as well.