The Republic of Dagestan belongs to the multinational regions of the Russian Federation. More than a hundred different nationalities live in a relatively small area, and it is difficult to calculate the exact number of them. The Republic is called a constellation of peoples. Descriptively speaking, there are many nationalities in Dagestan - how many stars are in the sky.
Groups of nationalities in the Republic
Dagestan is the most multinational region of our country. However, it is difficult to even 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 language: the Dagestan-Nakh branch (otherwise it is called the Nakh-Dagestan), 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 the Avars, who are almost a third in Dagestan, as well as other Caucasian peoples. The Turkic group of peoples belongs to the Altaic language family, it is represented in the country by almost 19 percent of the population. Tothe Indo-European branch includes other non-Caucasian and non-Turkic peoples living in Dagestan. It is curious that there is no so-called titular nationality in the Republic. If you write all the nationalities of Dagestan, the list will be more than impressive. But indigenous minorities 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. First of all, these are the Avars - the most numerous ethnic group of the Republic. They live on these lands 850 thousand people, which is 29 percent of the population. They live in mountainous regions in the west. In some areas (for example, Shamilsky, Kazbekovsky, Tsumadinsky, Akhvakhsky) there are up to 100 percent of Avars. In the capital of the Republic, Makhachkala, there are 21 percent of Avars.
The second largest nationality in Dagestan is the “Dargins”, there are 16 percent of them in the country, 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 Izerbash, Dargins make up more than half of the inhabitants - 57%.
12 percent of the population of Dagestan is represented by Lezgins, who live in the Republic of more than 250 thousand people. 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, 5percent), Chechens (3%, mostly live in Khasavyurt, accounting for a third of those living in the city). Less than one percent are Aguls, Tsakhurs, Rutuls in Dagestan.
Turkic peoples in the Republic
The nationalities living in Dagestan are significantly represented by the peoples of the Turkic language branch. Thus, there are more than 260 thousand Kumyks in the Republic, which is almost 13 percent of the population. They mainly settle in the foothills and in the Tersko-Sulak lowland. Half live in cities and the remaining 52 percent live in rural areas. 15% of the inhabitants of the capital of the Republic are also Kumyks.
Nogais, 16% of whom live in Dagestan, are a nationality that dates back to the Golden Horde. Otherwise, these peoples are called Crimean Nogai (also steppe) Tatars. There are 33,000 Nogais living in Dagestan, mostly in the Nogai district, also in the village of Sulak.
The third of the Turkic peoples represented in the Republic of Dagestan are Azerbaijanis. They number 88 thousand people - 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. They live in Dagestan 150 thousand people, which is more than 7 percent of the citizens. More than half of the Russian population lives in Kizlyar (54%), the Russian diaspora is also strong in Kaspiysk and Makhachkala (18%). TerekCossacks also belong to this group. They live in the Tarumovsky and Kizlyar regions. Earlier, during the Soviet Union, the Republic also had a significant Ukrainian and Belarusian population. Now the percentage is extremely low - from 300 to 1500 people.
The Tats belong to the Indo-European branch, who are classified in the same group with the Jews and are united under the name Tat Jews. There are currently 18 thousand of them in Dagestan, which is 1% of those living in Dagestan. Tats continue to shrink as many move to Israel.
How many nationalities are there in Dagestan
According to the population census of the early twentieth (2010) century, about a hundred different peoples currently live in the Republic. But it is not possible to calculate their exact number. Some tribal groups in the Caucasus do not even have their own written language. That is why it is so difficult to say how many nationalities there 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, Lezgins, Kumyks, Russians, Laks, Tabasarans, Chechens, Nogais, Azerbaijanis, Jews, Rutuls, Aguls, Tsakhurs, Ukrainians, Tatars. These peoples account for more than 99 percent of the total population, and the remaining groups are represented by smaller nationalities.
What is the nationality inIn Dagestan, the most common is the Avars. Their third of the population. The Avar family includes such groups as the Karatins, Andians, Tindals, Khvarshins, Ginukhs, Archins and many others.
The list of nationalities of Dagestan is constantly 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.
Population of the Republic
According to Rosstat data, more than three million people live in Dagestan. This is comparable to the population of such cities as Berlin, Rome, Madrid or entire countries: Armenia, Lithuania, Jamaica. In Russia, Dagestan ranks fifth in terms of the number of people.
The population of the Republic is growing steadily. The increase is up to 13 percent per year. In RD, a relatively long life expectancy is noted - 75 years. And every year these figures are growing.
Languages of Dagestan
The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Republic speak Russian. These are 88 percent of the population. 28% speak Avar, another 16% speak Dargin. Also, more than 10 percent of the citizens of Dagestan speak Lezgin, Kumyk. Lak, Azerbaijani, Tabasaran, Chechen are spoken by up to 5 percent of the country's population. Other languages are represented in the minority. These are Rutul, Agul, Nogai, English, Tsez, Tsakhur, German, Bezhta, Andinsky and many others. There are completely unexpected languages in Dagestan, for example, 90 people speak Greek, more than 100speak Korean, Italian, Kyrgyz, Hindi.
Religions in Dagestan
Believers in the Republic are represented mostly by Muslims. Such are found among the Dagestan-Nakh and Turkic peoples. The Muslim community is predominantly Sunni, but there are also Shiites among Azerbaijanis and Lezgins. The Jewish people (Tats) profess Judaism. Among the Russian population of the Republic there are also Christians (Orthodox branch).
