PEOPLES OF THE CAUCASUS

This article deals with the various ethnic groups inhabiting the Caucasus region.

Contents

Peoples speaking Caucasian languages

Peoples speaking Altaic languages

Peoples speaking Indo-European languages

Reference

See also

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

★
★ Megrelians

★
★ 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, while Ajarians live in Ajaria, which is autonomous republic within Georgia.

Peoples speaking Altaic languages

Main articles: Altaic peoples

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.

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

★ Hellenic group:

★
★ Greeks
The Armenians mostly live in Armenia (independent country) and in Nagorno-Karabakh and Georgia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Azerbaijan. 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 Kurds formerly had their autonomous oblast (Kurdistan Autonomous Oblast) within Azerbaijan, but this entity no longer exist (it existed between 1923 and 1929). Russians mostly live in northern Caucasus that belong to Russia and their largest concentration is in Stavropol Krai, Krasnodar Krai, and in Adygea.

Reference

★ Mile Nedeljković, Leksikon naroda sveta, Beograd, 2001.

See also

★ Caucasian languages

★ Peoples of the Caucasus in Turkey