Located at the junction of Europe and Asia, the Republic of Dagestan is located in the eastern Caucasus, this is the southernmost region of the Russian Federation. The borders of Dagestan cross the land and sea borders of five states - Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan. Cordons in Russia with the Chechen Republic, the Stavropol Territory and Kalmykia.
The territory of Dagestan has a total length from north to south - 400 kilometers, its area is 50.3 thousand km 2 , the coastline stretches for 530 km.
Russian-Azerbaijani border
The total length of the bordering territories is 327.6 km, including river (55.2 km) and land (272.4 km) sections. Thanks to the agreement, which was signed on October 3, 2010 in Baku, the borders between the states are officially established. But this treaty came into force during the exchange of instruments of ratification - July 18, 2011.
Control points are located on the borders of Dagestan and Azerbaijan, with the help of which transport and pedestrian links between the countries are carried out. The extremities of the territory have three main sections: mountain, foothill, passing along the Samur river, and lowland, located in the Samur delta in the Caspian lowland. The territorial cordons of Dagestan are equipped with modern tracking and protection equipment. The plains are equipped with barbed wire and video surveillance sensors.
Samur River
When dividing territorial lands, the question of dividing the Samur River, the waters of which are used for irrigation by two countries, was especially acute. According to a petition from Azerbaijan, water intake enterprises were built on the territory of Dagestan to provide fresh water for shallow lands. During the collapse of the USSR, the Azerbaijani government declared the waterworks its property, although all enterprises are located within the territory of Russia.
Since the 1990s, the issue of delimiting neighboring territories and dividing in equal shares freshwater resources obtained through the exploitation of the Samur River has been sharply raised. This issue was rejected by the Azerbaijani side, which argued the refusal of a shortage of fresh water in the mountainous territories and considered it economically unprofitable to reduce the amount of irrigated areas in the coastal lowland. In 2008, Azerbaijan began reconstruction of the Samur-Absheron Canal in order to increase the water intake of the Samur River.
The conflict was resolved by signing Agreement No. 1416 of August 28, 2010 on the delimitation of borders. It included a provision on rationalizing the use and protection of the natural resources of the Samur River. The state borders of Dagestan, now passing in the middle of the hydraulic system, have changed. An equal amount of environmental discharges was also established - 30.5%.
Northern borders of Dagestan
Passes along the withered bed of the Kuma River. The border of Dagestan and Kalmykia has a total length of about 110 kilometers. The main religion of the Kalmyks is Buddhism, their religious views on the territory of the Caucasian peoples, mainly preaching Islam, were the basis for many national conflicts.
Western border of Dagestan
The border of Dagestan and Chechnya passes in the west of the republic. Both Chechen and Dagestan peoples led a nomadic way of life. On the territory of the Republic of Chechnya, one nationality prevails - Chechens, while the Republic of Dagestan is a multinational territory and has more than thirty different peoples. Since ancient times, the Chechen peoples did not have their own statehood, all power was distributed based on the clan system. At the same time, among the Dagestan peoples, the formation of state power was mentioned in the 1st century BC.
These two nations are preaching Sunni Islam. However, on the territory of Dagestan, the beginning of the formation of religious traditions dates back to the 7th century AD and, continuing gradually, is included in the traditions of the people. The Chechen peoples massively converted to the Islamic faith in the 18th century, so religion was not so deeply rooted among the population.
There is a difference in language between republics. Although they belong to the Caucasian language family, but due to linguistic differences, they cannot understand each other.
Today, the most acute question is about national relations on the border of Dagestan. Conflict situations are generated by the influence of centuries-old traditions of the Caucasian peoples, differences in religion, established by state borders and personal hostility of neighboring peoples.