The region where Kabardino-Balkaria is located has a diverse climate, changing not only from west to east, but also in connection with a change in altitude. The vertical type of zonation is explained by the fact that the entire territory of the republic is located on the slope of the Caucasus.
Where is Kabardino-Balkaria
The republic, located on the northern macro slope of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range , belongs to the North Caucasus Federal District and borders on the Karachev-Circassian Republic, the Stavropol Territory, North Ossetia and Georgia.
The modern borders of the republic were formed in accordance with the national disengagement policy pursued in the early years of Soviet power. It is worth noting that the region where Kabardino-Balkaria is located is not very stable in national terms. This can be confirmed by numerous national conflicts of the post-Soviet era.
The Kabardino Autonomy was formed in 1921, a year later it was transformed into the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomy, and in 1936 it became the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous SSR.
The history of the republic during the years of the USSR was not smooth, since the national question was decided by the authorities depending on the situation and in accordance with the ideas of the country's top leadership.
History of Kabardino-Balkaria
There is a consensus among historians that the Kabardian subethnos of the Adyghe people was artificially isolated by the Soviet authorities as a separate people based on political considerations.
The authorities of the USSR were faced with the task of making national separatism on the outskirts the least numerous and the least aggressive. For this, the borders of national autonomies were carried out with the expectation that small national entities would not be able to withstand the central government.
However, scientists believe that until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Kabardins were only part of the Adyghe ethnic group, whose representatives lived on the eastern outskirts of the Adyghe range. It is worth noting: it is reliably known that modern Kabardinians have been living in this territory since at least the 15th century, however, some information from historical and literary sources indicates that the ancestors of the people lived on the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria already in the lX century.
Balkarians and the national question
Most scholars agree that the Balkars are the indigenous people of the Caucasus, since it is reliably known that the tribes on the basis of which this ethnos was formed have been living in the territory of present Kabardino-Balkaria since the fifth century of the new era.
However, some researchers are inclined to go even further in determining the duration of the Balkars in the Caucasus, raising their genus to the Koban archaeological culture.
However, modern Balkarians are a Turkic-speaking people, the main ethnic element of which are the Turkic-speaking Bulgarians who roamed the lands where the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria is located in the 5th century AD.
A serious test for the Balkars was the Mongol campaigns, as a result of which Alania was defeated, and the Balkars were forced to rise from the plains to the mountains.
Post-war years of the XX century
The region where Kabardino-Balkaria is located was in the zone of occupation of German troops during the Second World War. Most of the republic, including Nalchik, was under Nazi rule for almost two years.
After the liberation of the Caucasus by the Soviet authorities in the region, mass repressions began, to which not only large social groups, but entire nations were subjected.
Chechens, Ingush, Crimean Tatars, Meskhetian Turks, Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Balkars were evicted to remote areas of the Soviet Union. The national autonomies of many deported peoples were liquidated, and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic was transformed into the Kabardian.
Modern republic
To answer the question “Kabardino-Balkaria - where is it?”, Just look at the map of southern Russia. The republic is located in the central part of the North Caucasus, and its highest point is Mount Elbrus, which not only serves as a recognizable symbol of the republic, but also attracts many tourists who prefer active vacations.
Organized group ascents to Elbrus and alpine skiing are very popular among travelers, for which special slopes are equipped on the mountain slopes.
In addition to tourism, agriculture is developed in the republic: both cereals and technical crops are grown. Wheat, corn and sunflower are grown in large quantities. Also developed meat and dairy cattle breeding, including sheep breeding.
More than two hundred industrial enterprises operate in the region where the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is located. Photos of beautiful landscapes that are found in large numbers on the Internet are adjacent to photographs of such large enterprises as the Baksan Hydroelectric Power Station and the Terekalmaz, which produce artificial diamonds.
In addition, the republic has developed the production of building materials, such as high-quality bricks, cement and metal products, as well as asphalt for road construction.