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The Republic of Dagestan (Russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). The direct transliteration of the republic's name is Respublika Dagestan. It is the largest republic of Russia in the northern Caucasus, both in area and population.
GeographyThe republic is situated in the North Caucasus mountains. It is the southernmost part of Russia.
Time zoneDagestan is located in the Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD). UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD). RiversThere are over 1,800 rivers in the republic. Major rivers include: LakesDagestan has about 400 km of coast line on the Caspian Sea. MountainsMost of the Republic is mountainous, with the Greater Caucasus Mountains covering the south. The highest point is the Bazardyuzi peak at 4,466 m. Natural ResourcesDagestan is rich in oil, natural gas, coal, and more. ClimateThe climate is hot and dry in the summer but the winters are hard in the mountain areas.
Administrative division
DemographicsBecause its mountainous terrain impedes travel and communication, Dagestan is unusually ethnically diverse, and still largely tribal. Unlike most other parts of Russia, the population of Dagestan is rapidly growing, mostly because of migration. 
Ethnic groupsThere is no single ethnic group with the name Dagestani. The people of Dagestan include over a dozen sizeable groups, including:
There are also tiny groups like the Balkars (who mostly live inKabardino-Balkaria), or the Ginukh, numbering 200, members of a complex family of indigenous Caucasians — some 40 groups, including other little-known peoples such as the Akhwakh, many of them crowded into Dagestan. Notable are also Lak people who immigrated after a Soviet population transfer, and the Hunzib or Khunzal people who live in only four towns in the interior. The lingua franca in Dagestan is Russian. Over 30 local languages are also commonly spoken. HistoryDagestan became a republic of modern Russian Federation in 1991. Missing image Prokudin-Gorskii-43.jpg Dagestani warrior, photographed by Prokudin-Gorskii before 1915 The famous Muslim leader Imam Shamil was from Dagestan. He was an Avar. In 1999, a group of Muslim fundamentalists from Chechnya under Shamil Basayev, together with local converts, staged an unsuccessful insurrection in Dagestan. This helped prompt the Russian decision to invade Chechnya later that year.
PoliticsThe head of government in Dagestan is the President. As of 2004, the president is Magomedali Magomedovich Magomedov. EconomyAs of 2000, the economy of Dagestan was broken down as follows:
Important industries include food processing, power generation, oil extraction, machine building, chemicals, and instrument making. Dagestan's major exports are oil and fuel. Important agricultural products include fish from the Caspian Sea, wine and brandy, and various garden fruits. Dagestan continues to be the least urbanized republic in the Caucasus.
ReligionMost of Dagestan's population is Muslim. As with much of the Caucasus region, Dagestan's native Islam consists of Sufi orders that have been in place for centuries. In recent years there has been tension and even violence between local Sufi orders and Wahabbi missionaries who have come to the region seeking converts. External links
ca:Daguestan de:Dagestan et:Dagestani Vabariik eo:Dagestano fr:Daguestan nl:Dagestan ja:ダゲスタン共和国 pl:Dagestan ru:Дагестан |
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