Dagestan Republic — The republic as a part of the Russian Federation, the subject of the Russian Federation, is a part of the North Caucasian federal district. The name Dagestan is known from a XVII-th century and «the country of mountains» (Turkic «dag» — mountain, Persian means "camp" — the country, the earth). Capital — the city of Makhachkala. It is formed on January, 20th 1921.
Dagestan is located in the central part of caucasus, in northern part — lowland, in southern — foothills and mountains of the Big caucasus. Extent of territory from the north on the south in makes about 400 km, from the West on the east — about 200 km. The territory of Dagestan borders on Azerbaijan in the south, with Georgia in the southwest, also with the Chechen Republic in the west, with Stavropol Territory in the northwest and with Republic Kalmykia in the north. In 2009 Dagstat has published the data of a population of Dagestan as of January, 1st, 2009 which has made 2711679 persons.
• Statistics:
o Population density: 53,9 people / km ²
o Urban population: 1150621 foreheads;
o Agricultural population: 1561058 foreheads;
o Relative density of urban population — 42,4 %;
o Relative density of agricultural population — 57,6 %.
According to the republic government, behind its limits constantly lives even more 700 thousand Daghestanis. Birth rate — 19,5 on one thousand population (3 place in the Russian Federation, after Ingushetia and the Chechen Republic). The Average of children on one woman — 2,13.
The people of Dagestan speak in languages of four basic language groups.
Religious structure: 95 % of believers — Moslems: from them of 90 % — Sunnits, 5 % — Shiits. 5 % of believers — Christians (basically orthodox). Mountain Jews judaize, which most part are nowadays written down tats (1 %).
Dagestan is the most multinational republic of Russia. The status of the state is given 14 languages of the people of Dagestan.
Ethnic composition:
* Avars 758.4 (29,4%)
* Byuryats 425.5 (16,5%)
* Kumyks 365.8 (14,2%)
* Lezgins 336.7 (13,1%)
* Laks 139,7 (5,4%)
* Russian 120,9 (4,7%)
* Azeris 111,7 (4,3%)
* Tabasarany 110,2 (4,3%)
* Chechens 87,9 (3,4%)
* Noghais 36.2 (1,4%)
* Rutuls 24,3 (0,9%)
* Agula 23,3 (0,9%)
* Tsahurs 8,2
* Armenians 5,7
* Tatars 4,7
* Ukrainians 2,9
* Jews 1,5
* Mountain Jews 1,1
(show the people of more than 1000 persons).
Up to 40 years of XX century in Dagestan in Babayurtovskogo, Dagestan and Kizlyar district population of about 6 thousand Germans. The largest colonies of them were - Luxembourg (Romanivka) Tatayurt (Eygengeym), Lviv № 1 (Vanderloo number 1), Dawn (Lenindorf). All the Germans after the beginning of WW II was exiled to Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
Administrative-territorial division:
* Agul district (p. Tpig)
* Akushinsky District (p. midwives)
* Ahvahsky District (p. Karat)
* Ahtynsky District (p. Ahty)
* Babayurtovsky District (p. Babayurt)
* Bezhta section (pp. Bezhta),
* Botlikh district (pp. Botlikh)
* Bujnakskij district (city Buinaksk)
* Gergebilsky District (p. Gergebil)
* Gumbetovsky District (p. Mehelta)
* Gunibsky District (pp. Gunib)
* Dahadaevsky District (p. Urkarah)
* Derbent district (city of Derbent)
* Dokuzparinsky District (p. Usuhchay)
* Kazbekovsky District (p. Dylym)
* Kaytagsky District (p. Madzhalis)
* Karabudahkentsky District (p. Karabudahkent)
* Kayakentsky District (p. Novokayakent)
* Kizilyurt district (city Kizilyurt)
* Kizlyar district (city of Kizlyar)
* Kulinsky District (p. Vachi)
* Kumtorkalinsky District (p. Korkmaskala)
* Kurahsky District (p. chickens)
* Lak district (p. Kumuh)
* Levashinsky District (p. Levashov)
* Magaramkentsky District (p. Magaramkent)
* Novolakskiy district (pp. Novolak)
* Nogai district (pp. Terekli-Mekteb)
* Rutul District (pp. Rutuli)
* Sergokalinsky District (p. Sergokala)
* Suleiman Stalsky District (p. Kasumkent)
* Tabasaran District (p. Khuchni)
* Tarumovsky District (p. Tarumovka)
* Tlyaratinsky District (p. Tlyarata)
* Untsukulsky District (p. Untsukul)
* Khasavyurt district (city Khasavyurt)
* Hivsky District (p. Hiv)
* Hunzahsky District (p. Khunzakh)
* Tsumadin District (p. Agwai)
* Tsuntinsky district (pp. Kidero)
* Charodinskij District (p. Tsurib)
* Shamilsky District (p. Hebden).
From the east the territory of Dagestan is washed by the Caspian Sea. South of the republic is covered by mountains and foothills of the Greater Caucasus, in the north - begins Caspian lowland.
A central part of the rivers Terek and Sulak. In Dagestan, the 6255 runs of rivers (including the top 100, having a length of more than 25 km and a catchment area of more than 100 km, 185 small and more than 5900 fine), the largest of them are the Terek, Sulak, Samur and its tributaries. All rivers belong to the Caspian Sea basin, but flows into the sea, only 20 of them. North Dagestan because of the dry climate, poor rivers. Existing river in summer is used for irrigation and do not reach the sea. The most abundant mountain rivers, which are due to the rapid flow does not freeze even in winter, they are characterized by comparatively abundant and significant deviations.
Sulak is formed by the confluence of the Avar and Andi Koisu Koisu that originate in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus. The area of its basin is 15.2 thousand km ². At Sulak accounted for half of all hydroelectric Dagestan, there are Chiryurtskaya and Chirkeisk HPS.
Samur is the second largest river in Daghestan. The area of its basin is 7.3 thousand km ². At the confluence of the Caspian Sea in the Samur breaks sleeves and forms a delta. The river and its major tributaries are plans to build three hydroelectric power plants. Water Samura also used for irrigation: from the river withdrawn irrigation canals that irrigate southern Dagestan and Azerbaijan is located in the neighborhood.
Orography Dagestan peculiar: 245-kilometer strip rests against the foothills of the transverse ridges, which spans a huge arc Inner Dagestan. Two major rivers burst from the mountains - in the north of the Sulak and Samur in the south. Natural boundaries of mountain Dagestan are as follows: The snow and the Andean mountain ranges - up to a giant canyon Sulak, Gimrinsky, Forest, Kokma, Dzhufudag and Yarudag - between the Sulaco, and swimming pool Samura, the Main Caucasian ridge - on the south-west of the two pools.
Inner Dagestan, in turn, is divided into medium-mountain, plateau region and the alpine, alpine.
Mountains cover an area of 25,5 km ², and the average height of the entire territory of Dagestan is 960 m. The highest point - Bazarduzu (4466 m). Rocks forming the mountains of Dagestan, sharply demarcated. Chief among them - and black shales, strong and weak alkaline dolomitic limestones, and sandstones. By shale ridges are Snegovoy with an array Diklosmta (4285 m), with the top Bogoso Adda Shuhgelmeer (4151 m), with the top Shalib Dyultydag (4127 m).
The climate in northern and central part of Dagestan is moderately continental and arid in the south along the Caspian Sea and the Caspian lowland semi-arid subtropical climate.
Dagestan is divided into three soil-climatic zones:
• Mountain - above 850 (1000) m (area 2.12 million ha or 39,9% of the territory)
• foothills - from 150 (200) 850 (1000) m (area of 0.84 million ha or 15,8% of the territory)
• flat - 28 to 150 (200) m (2.35 million ha or 43,3% of the territory).
The average January temperature in the lowlands is around +1 ° C to -3 ° C in the mountains of -5 ° C to 11 ° C. Yearly precipitation is 200-300 and 600-800 mm respectively.
The vegetation period is 200-240 days.
Dagestan is located in the time zone, denoted by the international standard as Moscow Time Zone (MSK / MSD). The offset is relative to UTC +3:00 (MSK, winter) / +4:00 (MSD, summer), because in this time zone operates daylight saving time. Moscow time is different from a lap time of one hour, as in Russia operates Daylight Time.
Dagestan geographically divided into foothill, mountain and alpine physical-geographical zones, each one has different kinds of vegetation. In Dagestan, there are about 4500 species of higher plants, of which 1,100 are endemic.
In the foothill zone (starting from a height of 600 m) are spread meadows and forests. The subalpine and alpine meadows predominate fescue, clover, astragalus, blue scabious, blue gentian, etc. At an altitude of 3200-3600 m dominated by mosses, lichens and other plants crymophylactic.