The North Caucasus Republic was formed in Soviet times from the historical territories of the neighboring peoples of Kabarda and Balkaria, according to the principle a good neighbor is better than a distant relative. Since Kabardinians and Balkars are not related peoples, their languages belong to different language groups. The population of Kabardino-Balkaria over the past three years has been growing gradually, mainly due to natural growth.
general information
The republic is located on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, in its central part. It adjoins such Russian regions as the Stavropol Territory, Karachay-Cherkessia and North Ossetia-Alania, in the south it borders with Georgia. It covers an area of 12,500 sq. Km.
The population density of Kabardino-Balkaria is 69.43 people / km 2 (2018). She takes 10th place in this indicator in Russia. Residents live mostly in cities (Nalchik, Baksan, Prokhladny), on the plains and foothills, in an area located above 2500 meters above sea level, no one lives.
Republic formation
Two neighboring peoples, on a whim of Soviet power, existed first in one autonomous region (since 1922), and then as part of one autonomous republic (since 1936). Even the “epidemic of separation” after the collapse of the USSR could not destroy this union.
From 1944 to 1957, the republic was called the Kabardian ASSR, because the Balkars were deported to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. In 1956-1957, the decision on repressions against them was declared illegal. Balkarians were allowed to return to their homeland. The republic again became Kabardino-Balkaria, two Caucasian peoples again began to dominate the national composition of the population.
History of joining Russia
Even the history of joining Russia, the Kabardians and Balkars are completely different. Kabardinians fought for their independence from 1763 to 1822. When Russian troops under the command of General Ermolov finally occupied the North Caucasus, according to some estimates, the population of Kabardino-Balkaria decreased from 300 to 30 thousand people. Most died in the battles, many died from the plague, others went to other regions of the Caucasus. Finally, most of Kabarda was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1825.
The Balkarians became part of Russia in 1827, having filed a petition from all their communities for joining the empire, subject to the preservation of ancient customs, the Muslim religion, and the estate structure. Since that time, amanats (hostages) from the Balkar nobility were in Russian fortresses, then many of them fought in the tsarist army.
Population
Four years after the formation of the autonomous region in 1926, the population of Kabardino-Balkaria was 204,006 people. According to the latest pre-war data of 1931, 224,400 citizens lived in the republic. The population began to increase largely due to specialists arriving from other regions of the Soviet Union.
During the war years, a significant part of the republic was occupied by the Germans, many of its inhabitants fought as part of the Red Army. At the end of the war, the Balkars were deported. Therefore, how many people lived in Kabardino-Balkaria in those days, it was definitely not possible to establish. According to the first post-war data of 1959, 420,115 people were registered in the region. According to the national composition, the largest share was occupied by Kabardins - 45.29% of the number of residents of the republic, then Russians - 38.7% and Balkars - 8.11%. The change in proportions in the national composition is connected, firstly, with industrialization, because then many Russian specialists came to the republic, and secondly, many Balkars remained in places of deportation.
In subsequent Soviet years, the population of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria grew rapidly. Already in 1970, 588,203 people lived in it. The number of inhabitants increased both due to natural growth and due to a large migration influx. In post-Soviet times, the indicator reached its maximum value in 2002. Then, according to the census, the population was 901,494 people. In subsequent years, up to 2015, the population of Kabardino-Balkaria was mainly declining. This was due to the unfavorable economic situation in the region. People left to work in the central regions of the country. According to the data of 2018, about 865,828 people live in the republic. The national composition has not changed significantly, the predominant groups are still Kabardians, Russians and Balkars.