The Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed on December 5, 1936, according to the USSR Constitution of 1936 as a result of the transformation of the Mari Autonomous Region, created on November 4, 1920, as an autonomous territorial entity for the mountain and meadow Mari.

[1] On December 9, 1992, the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation renamed the Mari SSR into the Republic of Mari El, amending Article 71 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation - Russia.

[2] This amendment entered into force from the moment of publication in the "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" on January 12, 1993.

On the territory of the Mari ASSR there were three cities (Yoshkar-Ola, Volzhsk, Kozmodemyansk) and 14 urban-type settlements.

[4] According to the 1970 census: 1918–24  Turkestan3 1918–41  Volga German4 1919–90  Bashkir 1920–25  Kirghiz2 1920–90  Tatar 1921–91  Adjarian 1921–45  Crimean 1921–91  Dagestan 1921–24  Mountain 1921–90  Nakhichevan 1922–91  Yakut 1923–90  Buryat1 1923–40  Karelian 1924–40  Moldavian 1924–29  Tajik 1925–92  Chuvash5 1925–36  Kazakh2 1926–36  Kirghiz 1931–92  Abkhaz 1932–92  Karakalpak 1934–90  Mordovian 1934–90  Udmurt6 1935–43  Kalmyk 1936–44  Checheno-Ingush 1936–44  Kabardino-Balkarian 1936–90  Komi 1936–90  Mari 1936–90  North Ossetian 1944–57  Kabardin 1956–91  Karelian 1957–92  Checheno-Ingush 1957–91  Kabardino-Balkarian 1958–90  Kalmyk 1961–92  Tuvan 1990–91  Gorno-Altai 1991–92  Crimean