Sakha's population at the end of the Soviet Union decreased for some time according to data. It is currently increasing again. More than half of the population live in cities and towns. Most that do so live in the capital, Yakutsk. Ethnic Yakuts who are Turkic people compose of about half of the population. Russians mostly make up the other half of the population. Most people in Sakha practice Orthodox Christianity or are atheists. Certain aspects of Shamanism, which is a belief that worships spirits and nature, is still practiced by ethnic Yakuts. In recent times, more natives have shown increasing interest in practicing Shamanism. Russian is taught and used commonly in Sakha. But the Yakut language is still commonly used between different native tribes, that are not Yakuts, to talk to one another. Yakut is also taught in some schools and is also used at home.