The Republic of Dagestan belongs to the multinational regions of the Russian Federation. Over a hundred different nationalities live in a relatively small area, and the exact number is difficult to calculate. The republic is called the constellation of peoples. Descriptively speaking, in Dagestan nationalities - how many stars are in the sky.
Groups of nationalities in the Republic
Dagestan is the most multinational region of our country. However, it’s difficult even to simply list all the peoples who live here, because there are more than a hundred of them. In Dagestan, nationalities can be generally divided into three groups according to linguistic grounds: the Dagestan-Nakh branch (otherwise it is called the Nakh-Dagestan branch), Turkic and Indo-European. The first belongs to the Iberian-Caucasian language family and is most clearly represented in the Republic. First of all, these are Avars, of whom almost a third are in Dagestan, as well as other Caucasian nationalities. The Turkic group of nationalities belongs to the Altai language family; it is represented in the country by almost 19 percent of the population. The Indo-European branch includes other non-Caucasian and non-Turkic peoples living in Dagestan. It is curious that in the Republic there is no so-called titular nationality. If you write all the nationalities of Dagestan, the list will be more than impressive. But indigenous peoples officially recognized in the Republic, 14.
Dagestan-Nakh branch
The population of Dagestan is represented primarily by the peoples of the Dagestan and Nakh families. This is primarily the Avars - the most numerous ethnic group of the Republic. 850 thousand people live on these lands, which makes up 29 percent of the population. They live in mountainous regions in the west. In some areas (for example, Shamilsky, Kazbekovsky, Tsumadinsky, Akhvakhsky) Avars - up to 100 percent. In the capital of the Republic - Makhachkala - 21% of Avars.
In second place in terms of population in Dagestan is the Dargins nationality, 16 percent of them, or 330 thousand people. They live mainly in the mountains and foothills in the center of the Republic and mainly inhabit rural areas. In the cities of Iserbash, Dargins make up more than half of the inhabitants - 57%.
12 percent of the population of Dagestan is represented by Lezghins, of which more than 250 thousand people live in the Republic. They are mainly settled in the southern regions: Akhtynsky, Kurakhsky, Magaramkentsky, Suleiman-Stalsky, Derbensky districts.
Also, the Dagestan-Nakh branch is expressed by Laks (5 percent of the population), who live mainly in the Novolaksky district, Tabasarans (4.5 percent), Chechens (3%, mainly live in Khasavyurt, making up a third of the inhabitants in the city). Less than one percent in Dagestan there are aguls, tsakhurs, and rutuls.
Turkic peoples in the Republic
The nationalities living in Dagestan are largely represented by the peoples of the Turkic language branch. Thus, there are more than 260 thousand people in the Republic of Kumyks, which makes up almost 13 percent of the population. Basically, they settle in the foothills and in the Tersko-Sulak lowland. Half live in urban areas and the remaining 52 percent live in rural areas. 15% of the residents of the capital of the Republic are also Kumyks.
The Nogais, 16% of whom live in Dagestan, are a nationality dating back to the Golden Horde. Otherwise, these peoples are called Crimean Nogai (also steppe) Tatars. In Dagestan, 33 thousand people live in Nogai, mainly in the Nogai region, also in the village of Sulak.
The third of the represented Turkic peoples in the Republic of Dagestan is Azerbaijanis. There are 88 thousand of them - 4 percent of the population. Citizens live in Derbent, Dagestan Lights.
Indo-European peoples of Dagestan
Since the Republic is part of the Russian Federation, the population is also represented by Russians. 150 thousand people live in Dagestan, which makes up more than 7 percent of citizens. More than half of the Russian population live in Kizlyar (54%), the Russian diaspora in Kaspiysk and Makhachkala is also strong (18%). Terek Cossacks also belong to this group. They live in Tarumovsky and Kizlyar districts. Earlier, during the Soviet Union, the Republic also had a significant Ukrainian and Belarusian population. Now the percentage is extremely low - from 300 to 1,500 people.
The Tats belong to the Indo-European branch, which are assigned to the same group with the Jews and are united under the name of the Tat Jews. There are currently 18 thousand of them in Dagestan, which is 1% of those living in the Republic of Dagestan. The number of tats continues to decline, as many move to Israel.
How many nationalities in Dagestan
According to the census of the early twentieth (2010) century, about a hundred different nations currently live in the Republic. But to calculate their exact number is not possible. Some tribal groups of the Caucasus do not even have their own written language. That is why it is so difficult to say how many nationalities are in Dagestan. In addition, the census is complicated by the fact that some people participating in the census call themselves representatives of non-existent nationalities: Makhachkala residents, Mestizos, Russians, Afro-Russians.
As of the beginning of the century, the following ethnic groups were represented in the Republic: Avars, Dargins, Lezghins, Kumyks, Russians, Laks, Tabasarans, Chechens, Nogais, Azerbaijanis, Jews, Rutulis, Aguls, Tsakhurs, Ukrainians, Tatars. These peoples account for more than 99 percent of the total population, and the remaining groups are represented by less numerous nationalities.
What is the most common nationality in Dagestan - Avars. Their third of the population. The Avar family includes such groups as the Karatins, Andeans, Tyndals, Hvarshins, Ginuhs, Archinians and many others.
The list of nationalities in Dagestan is constantly being updated. So, for example, in 2002, according to the census, 121 nationalities were counted. Eight years later, this figure was reduced to 117 national groups.
Republic population
According to Rosstat data, more than three million people live in Dagestan. This is comparable to the population of cities such as Berlin, Rome, Madrid or entire countries: Armenia, Lithuania, Jamaica. In Russia, Dagestan ranks fifth in the number of people.
The population of the Republic is growing steadily. The increase is up to 13 percent per year. In the Republic of Dagestan, a relatively long life expectancy of 75 years is noted. And every year these indicators are growing.
Languages of Dagestan
The vast majority of residents of the Republic speak Russian. Such 88 percent of the population. 28% speak Avar, another 16% speak Dargin. Also, more than 10 percent of the citizens of Dagestan own Lezgi, Kumyk. Up to 5 percent of the country's population speaks Lak, Azerbaijani, Tabasaran, Chechen. The remaining languages are represented in the minority. These are Rutulian, Agulian, Nogai, English, Tsezsky, Tsakhursky, German, Bezhtinsky, Andinsky and many others. There are completely unexpected languages in Dagestan, for example, 90 people speak Greek, more than 100 speak Korean, Italian, Kyrgyz, Hindi.
Religions in Dagestan
Believers in the Republic are mostly Muslims. Those are among the Dagestan-Nakh and Turkic peoples. The Muslim community is predominantly Sunni, but there are also Shiites among Azerbaijanis and Lezghins. Jewish nationality (tats) profess Judaism. Among the Russian population of the Republic there are also Christians (the Orthodox branch).