Peoples of the Caucasus

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This article deals with the various ethnic groups inhabiting the Caucasus region. There are more than 50 ethnic groups living in the region.

Peoples speaking Caucasian languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Caucasian language family are divided into two groups - North Caucasian and South Caucasian.

North Caucasian peoples:

• Northwest Caucasian peoples:
• Abkhazians
• Abazins
• Adyghe
• Cherkess
• Kabardins
• Ubykh
• Nakh peoples:
• Bats
• Kists
• Chechens
• Ingush
• Northeast Caucasian peoples:
• Avars
• Aguls
• Dargins
• Khinalug
• Laks
• Lezgins
• Rutuls
• Tabasarans
• Tsakhurs
• Udins
• Archins

South Caucasian peoples:

• Georgians
• Adjarians
• Mingrelians
• Svans
• Laz

The largest peoples of the Caucasian language family are Georgians (4,600,000), Chechens (800,000), and Avars (500,000). Georgians are only Caucasian people that have their own independent state - Georgia, while some other of those peoples possess their republics within the Russian Federation: Adyghe (Adygea), Cherkess (Karachay-Cherkessia), Kabardins (Kabardino-Balkaria), Ingush (Ingushetia), Chechens (Chechnya), while Northeast Caucasian peoples mostly live in Dagestan. Abkhazians live in Abkhazia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is autonomous republic within Georgia.

Peoples speaking Indo-European languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Indo-European language family.

• Armenian group:
• Armenians
• Iranian group:
• Ossetians
• Talysh
• Kurds
• Tats
• Mountain Jews
• Slavic groups:
• Russians
• Ukrainians
• Cossacks
• Hellenic group:
• Greeks

Armenians number 3,215,800 in their native Armenia, though approximately 8 million live outside the republic, forming the Armenian diaspora. Elsewhere in the region, they reside in Nagorno-Karabakh (which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Azerbaijan), Georgia (primarily Samtskhe-Javakheti, Adjara, and Abkhazia), and the Russian North Caucasus. The Ossetians live in North Ossetia-Alania (autonomous republic within Russia) and in South Ossetia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Georgia. The Yazidi Kurds reside in the western areas of Armenia, mostly in the Aragatsotn marz. An autonomous Kurdish region was created in 1923 in Soviet Azerbaijan but was later abolished in 1929. Pontic Greeks reside in Armenia (Lori, especially in Alaverdi) and Georgia (Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, and Abkhazia). Russians mostly live in the Russian North Caucasus and their largest concentration is in Stavropol Krai, Krasnodar Krai, and in Adygea.

Peoples speaking Altaic languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Altaic language family.

• Turkic group:
• Azerbaijanis
• Balkars
• Karachays
• Kumyks
• Nogais
• Trukhmens
• Mongolic group:
• Kalmyks

The largest of the Altaic-speaking peoples on Caucasus are Azeris (8,700,000), who live primarily in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Dagestan and Armenia (before 1991). Other Altaic-speakers live in their autonomous republics within Russian Federation: Karachays (Karachay-Cherkessia), Balkars (Kabardino-Balkaria), Kalmyks (Kalmykia), while Kumyks and Nogais live in Dagestan.

References

• Mile Nedeljković, Leksikon naroda sveta, Belgrade, 2001.

Notes

See also

• Caucasian languages
• Peoples of the Caucasus in Turkey
• List of ethnic groups
• European ethnic groups

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Last updated on Friday February 29, 2008 at 05:56:30 PST (GMT -0800)
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