Kabardino-Balkaria (Russian:Кабарди́но-Балка́рия), officially theKabardino-Balkarian Republic,[note 1][10][11][12] is arepublic ofRussia located in theNorth Caucasus. As of the2021 Census, its population was 904,200.[13] Its capital isNalchik. The area contains the highest mountain in Europe,Mount Elbrus, at 5,642 m (18,510 ft). Mount Elbrus has 22 glaciers that feed three rivers —Baksan,Malka andKuban. The mountain is covered with snow year-round.
There are about 100 lakes in the Republic, none of which is large. Just over half (55) are located between the Baksan and Malka rivers. Some of the lakes are:
Between 1242 and 1295, the region came under the control of theMongols.[17] From 1295 to around 1427, it was governed by theGeorgians.[18] In the early 15th century, the area became part of a unifiedCircassian Kingdom, which remained independent until the death ofKing Inal in 1453. Afterward, the kingdom experienced internal divisions and external pressures, leading to a gradual decline in its sovereignty.[18]
Between 1769 and 1830, during theRusso-Circassian War, the region fell under Russian occupation.[19] This period was marked by significant conflict and resistance from the indigenous populations. The war culminated in the annexation of Kabardino-Balkaria byRussia, leading to profound changes in the region's political and social structures.[19]
During theSoviet era, Kabardino-Balkaria was part of theRussian SFSR, undergoing industrial growth but also facing cultural suppression. After theUSSR's collapse, it became a republic withinRussia and, on 1 July 1994, signed a power-sharing agreement granting it limited autonomy.[20] This agreement allowed the republic to manage its own affairs to some extent, though it remained under the sovereignty of the Russian Federation.[21] In 2001, Kabardino-Balkaria adopted a new constitution that reaffirmed its status within the Russian Federation, explicitly preventing the republic from existing independently.[22][23]
The head of government in Kabardino-Balkaria is theHead. The current Head isKazbek Kokov.[24] The legislative body of the Republic is theParliament comprising 70 deputies elected for a five-year term.[9][25]
The republic adopted a new constitution in 2001 which prevents the republic from existing independently of the Russian Federation.[26]
Kabardino-Balkaria includes two major ethnic communities, theKabardins (Circassians), who speak aNorth-West Caucasian language, and theBalkars who speak aTurkic language. According to the2021 Census,[36] Kabardins make up 57.1% of the republic's population, followed byRussians (19.8%) and Balkars (13.7%). Other groups includeCherkess (3.0%),Turks (1.9%),Ossetians (0.8%),Romani (0.5%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 0.5% of the total population.
1 The results of the 1926 census refer to the present territory, which is a combination of the Kabardo-Balkarian AO and a part of the Terek district. The latter area was mainly inhabited byRussians andUkrainians.[37]
2In view of the results of the 1989 census and the 2010 census, the number ofKabardins in 2002 seems unlikely high. 323,289 people were registered from administrative databases, and could not declare an ethnicity. It is estimated that the proportion of ethnicities in this group is the same as that of the declared group.[38]
Mosque in Kabardino-Balkaria
Catholic church in Kabardino-Balkaria (Diocese of Saratov, Blagoveshchenka)
Balkars in 1936
Kabardian wrestlerBeslan Mudranov won Russia's first gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics
According to a 2012 survey which interviewed 56,900 people,[39] 70.8% of the population of Kabardino-Balkaria adhered toIslam, 11.6% to theRussian Orthodox Church, 3.8% were non-OrthodoxChristians, and 1.8% followedAdyghe (Kabardian) folk religion and other indigenous faiths. In addition, 5.6% of the population declared to be "spiritual but not religious" and 4.4% wasatheist or followed other religions, includingJehovah's Witnesses.[39]
^abKazhdan, A. P.; Talbot, A-M. M.; Cutler, A.; Gregory, T. E.; Ševčenko, N. P., eds. (1991).The Oxford dictionary of Byzantium. New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-504652-8.OCLC22733550.
^Колли Л. Кафа в период владения ею банком св. Георгия (1454—1475) // Известия Таврической Ученой Архивной комиссии. № 47. Симферополь, 1912. С. 86
Bell, Imogen (2003).The Territories of the Russian Federation 2003. Europa Publications.ISBN1-85743-191-X.
Совет Республики Парламента Кабардино-Балкарской Республики. Закон №13-РЗ от 4 августа 1994 г. «О государственном гимне Кабардино-Балкарской Республики», в ред. Закона №13-РЗ от 13 апреля 2015 г «О внесении изменений в статьи 2 и 4 Закона Кабардино-Балкарской Республики "О государственном гимне Кабардино-Балкарской Республики"». Вступил в силу 18 августа 1994 г. Опубликован: "Кабардино-Балкарская правда", №148, 12 августа 1994 г. (Council of the Republic of the Parliament of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Law #13-RZ of 4 August 1994On the State Anthem of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, as amended by the Law #13-RZ of 13 April 2015On Amending Articles 2 and 4 of the Law of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic "On the State Anthem of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic". Effective as of 18 August 1994.).
Парламент Кабардино-Балкарской Республики. №28-РЗ 1 сентября 1997 г. «Конституция Кабардино-Балкарской Республики», в ред. Закона №40-РЗ от 19 октября 2015 г. «О поправках к Конституции Кабардино-Балкарской Республики». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Кабардино-Балкарская правда", №177, 9 сентября 1997 г. (Parliament of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. #28-RZ September 1, 1997Constitution of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, as amended by the Law #40-RZ of October 19, 2015On the Amendments to the Constitution of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
Дударев, В. А.; Евсеева, Н. А. (1987). И. Каманина (ed.).СССР. Административно-территориальное деление союзных республик (in Russian). Moscow.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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