Tatars, TAH tuhrz, also called Tartars, are a Turkic-speaking people of Europe and Asia. Most of the 6 million Tatars in the world today live in Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, is an important center of Tatar culture (see Kazan). Sizable Tatar communities are also found in Bulgaria, China, Kazakhstan, Romania, and Turkey. Most Tatars belong to the Sunni branch of Islam.