The southernmost part of the Russian Federation is the Republic of Dagestan. For almost 100 years, its capital has been the city of Makhachkala. This republic borders on Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Stavropol Territory, Kalmykia and Chechnya.
The population of Dagestan
The
size of the republic can be estimated not only by its area, but also by the number of people living in it. The census of Dagestan showed that in 2015, 2.99 million people lived in the republic. The density is 59.49 residents per km
2 . It is worth noting that back in 1989, according to the census, less than 2 million people lived there, and in 1996 - 2.126 million people.
But you can estimate the true number of citizens of the republic if you know that more than 700 thousand live outside the region. The government of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation speaks of such a quantity. Among all mountainous regions, the population density in Dagestan is one of the largest. On average, there are 2.13 children per woman.
She speaks the population in Russian and national languages of Dagestan. But at the same time, only 14 of all ethnic languages of the republic have a written language. The rest are oral. But the most common are only 4 language groups.
Population growth
The republic is also distinguished by a high birth rate. She holds an honorable third place in this indicator in Russia. Only Ingushetia and Chechnya are ahead of it. Every year for every thousand inhabitants there are 19.5 newborns. Even 5 years ago, this figure was 18.8 in the Republic of Dagestan.
The population is growing annually. The growth rate of the number of people is the highest in Russia. At the same time, only 45% of people live in cities, the rest in rural areas. Men in this subject of the Russian Federation are slightly less, their share is 48.1%. If we take into account only the population of Dagestan, then this republic takes 13th place among all subjects of the Federation.
City distribution
The most densely populated is the capital of the republic - the city of Makhachkala. 583 thousand people live here directly. And if we take into account all the settlements that are subordinate to the capital, then about 700 thousand people will come out.
Quite a lot of people live in other cities of the Republic of Dagestan. The population of Khasavyurt is almost 137 thousand, Derbent - 121 thousand, Kaspiysk - 107 thousand, Buinaksk - 63 thousand.
If you look in the context of regions of the republic, the Khasavyurt district will be the most densely populated: 149 thousand people were counted in it during the census. 102 thousand Dagestanis live in the Derbent region, 78 and 79 thousand people respectively in the Buinaksk and Karabudakhkent districts .
National composition
It should be noted separately that the population of the Republic of Dagestan is a unique community from an ethnic point of view. More than 100 different nationalities and nationalities live on 50 thousand km
2 . Do not forget that part of the territory is unsuitable mountain ranges.
The largest group is the indigenous people - Avars. According to 2010, their number was 850 thousand people, which at that time amounted to 29.4% of all residents. The next largest is the Dargins. They are also the indigenous inhabitants of the republic, so it is important to know how many are left. The population of Dagestan is growing, respectively, the number of ethnic groups is increasing. In 2010, 490 thousand Dargins lived in the republic (17% of the total), and in 2002 there were noticeably fewer - 425.5 thousand.
The third largest are Kumyks. In Dagestan, they live almost 15%, or 432 thousand people. There are not much fewer Lezghins there, they make up 13% of the total number of inhabitants. The number of this people in the republic is almost 388 thousand.
Also, as a result of the census, it was found that other ethnic groups are noticeably smaller. For example, in Dagestan, just over 5% of Laks live, 4% of Azerbaijanis and Tabasarans, 3.6% of Russians, 3.2% of Chechens.
Religious Features
The population of the
cities of Dagestan is quite diverse. But at the same time, almost 90% of the inhabitants have one religion. Most of the republic professes Islam. This religion began to spread in this territory back in the 7th century. Initially, she appeared in Derbent and on the flat part. Islam became the dominant religion only in the XIII-XIV centuries.
Such a long distribution is explained by civil wars that lasted during that period during two centuries. But only after the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars and the subsequent attack of Tamerlane, Islam became the religion of all the mountain inhabitants of the republic. Moreover, in Dagestan there are two of its directions: Sunnism and Shiism. The first of them professes an absolute majority - 99% of the inhabitants of the Republic of Dagestan.
The population of the remaining 10% of people who are not Muslims profess Christianity and Judaism. At the same time, there are 3.8% of the total number of Orthodox inhabitants. In the mid 90's. in Dagestan there were more than 1.6 thousand mosques, 7 churches and 4 synagogues. Such a number of religious objects gives a clear idea of which religion prevails.
Historical features
The resulting ethnic diversity is a consequence of the historical development of this region. Dagestan has always been divided into prevailing historical and geographical areas. The following regions are separately distinguished in this republic: Accident, Akusha-Dargo, Agul, Andria, Dido, Aukh, Kaitag, Lakia, Kumykia, Salavavia, Lekia, Tabarstan and others.
The territory of modern Dagestan was inhabited already a million years ago. As a result of the wars at the beginning of the last millennium, these places became subordinate to the Khazars, and after them the Tatar-Mongols took over.
The second Russian-Persian war left an imprint on the development. In the 16th century, the Russians founded the city of Port Petrovsk (now Makhachkala) and formally annexed the entire coast of the Caspian Sea to the territory of the Russian Empire.
By the 17th century, Dagestan became a Caucasian province. But in the middle of the century, an uprising took place in this territory, which grew into a Caucasian war. As a result, the Dagestan region was formed as part of the Empire under military-people's management.
In Soviet times, the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created. In 1993, it became the Republic of Dagestan.
Culture and sport in the republic
Due to its diverse ethnic composition, the republic is unique. This leaves its mark on the cultural development of the region. For example, there are several national theaters, among them Darginsky and Kumyksky. The old city, the Citadel and a number of buildings of the city of Derbent are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are about 8 thousand monuments in the republic.
One of the largest book depositories in the North Caucasus, with more than 700 thousand documents, is located in the Republic of Dagestan.
The population is also actively involved in sports. The region is one of the leaders in Russia in terms of sporting achievements. For over 50 years, Dagestan has been famous for wrestlers. Moreover, 10 people from this region became Olympic champions, 41 people were awarded the title of world champion and 89 - the champion of Europe.
National traditions
Separately, all researchers note the unique folklore of Dagestan. The basis of the spiritual heritage of the republic is precisely the multilingualism and multinationality of the region. Oral and poetic creativity has been developed since ancient times. It has its own ritual poetry, mythological genre.
Art was not developed until the 20th century. There were both artists and sculptors in the republic. But decorative and applied art goes back to the Bronze Age. Now in Dagestan they make jewelry, which are decorated with enamel, black, engraving. Some regions are known for their copper embossing, wooden products with silver notches or bone inlays, painted ceramics, and carpets.