The majority of the republic's population (68.1% as of 2021) areOssetians, anIranian ethnic group native to the republic and neighboringSouth Ossetia.[14]Ossetian is an east Iranian language descended from the medievalAlanic and ancientSarmatian languages.[15] Unlike many ethnic groups in the North Caucasus, the majority of Ossetians are Christians, predominantlyEastern Orthodox. Almost 30% of the population adheres to Ossetianethnic religion, generally calledUatsdin (Уацдин, "True Faith"), and there is a sizableMuslim minority.[16] EthnicRussians andIngush, who form a majority in neighboringIngushetia, form substantial minorities in the republic.[14]
Ossetian cuisine is distinguished as an integral aspect of Ossetian culture. Ossetian-stylepies such asFydzhin (ameat pie) are a quintessential component of Ossetian cuisine. The "three pies" concept holds special symbolic significance, and representing the Sun, Earth, and water.[19]
In the last years of theSoviet Union, as nationalist movements swept throughout the Caucasus, many intellectuals in theNorth Ossetian ASSR called for the revival of the name ofAlania, a medieval kingdom of theAlans.
The term "Alania" quickly became popular in Ossetian daily life through the names of various enterprises, TV channels, political and civic organizations, publishing house, football team, etc. In November 1994, the name "Alania" was officially added to the republic’s title (Republic of North Ossetia–Alania).[20]
The republic is located in theNorth Caucasus. The northern part of the republic is situated in theStavropol Plain. 22% of the republic’s territory is covered by forests.
All of the mountains located on the territory of the republic are a part of the Caucasus.Mount Kazbek is the highest point (5,033 m), withMount Jimara being the second-highest (4,780 m).
According to Georgian sources, theIberians and the ancestors of the Ossetians established contacts during theIberian–Armenian War[22]
Alania greatly profited from theSilk Road which passed through its territory.
According to the 10th century historianAl-Masudi, indicates that the Alan kingdom stretched fromDagestan to Abkhazia.[23]
In the13th century the Mongols invaded Alania. In 1220,Genghis Khan sent his military leadersSubutai and Jebe on a campaign to reach “eleven countries and peoples”, among which were “Kibchayts” (Kipchak Turks), “Orosut” (Kievan Rus), “Serkesut” (Circassia), “Asut” (Alania)[24].
In 1239 the capital of Alania,Maghas, and other cities were destroyed. After these events the Alans were forced to flee to the mountain gorges and leave the flat lands.[25]Islam was introduced to the region in the 17th century byKabardians.
Conflicts between theKhanate of Crimea and theOttoman Empire eventually pushed Ossetia into an alliance withImperial Russia in the 18th century. Soon, Russia established a military base in the capital,Vladikavkaz, making it the first Russian-controlled area in the northern Caucasus. The Georgian Military Road, which is still a crucial transport link across the mountains, was built in 1799 and a railway line was built from Vladikavkaz to Rostov-on-Don in Russia proper. In 1830, a military campaign led by GeneralIvane Abkhazi brought North Ossetia under tighter control of the Russian Empire.[26] By 1830, Ossetia was under complete Russian control.[27]
The Russians’ rule led to rapid development of industry and railways which overcame its isolation. The first books from the area came during the late 18th century, and became part of the Terskaya Region of Russia in the mid-19th century.
An estimated 50,000 Ossetians left the Caucasus during the early 1860s as part of a greater migration of Muslims from the region to theOttoman Empire due to Russia's activities in the region.[28]
The North Ossetian ASSR declared itself the autonomous republic of the Soviet Union on 20 June 1990. Its name was changed to the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania in 1994.
Thedissolution of the Soviet Union posed particular problems for the Ossetian people, who were divided between North Ossetia, which was part of theRussian SFSR, andSouth Ossetia, part of theGeorgian SSR. In December 1990, theSupreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR abolished the autonomous Ossetian enclave amid the risingethnic tensions in the region, which was further fanned by Moscow; a lot of the conflict zone population, faced with the ethnic cleansing, was forced to flee across the border to either North Ossetia or Georgia proper.
Due to the large number of weapons in the hands of theOssetian andIngush population, the Ossetian-Ingush conflict flared up, due to which from 30,000 to 60,000Ingush were forced to leaveNorth Ossetia.[29] On 23 March 1995, North Ossetia–Alania signed a power-sharing agreement with the federal government, granting it autonomy.[30] However, this agreement was abolished on 2 September 2002.[31]
Following thede facto independence of South Ossetia,there have been proposals in this state of joining Russia and uniting with North Ossetia. As well as dealing with the effects of the conflict in South Ossetia, North Ossetia has had to deal with refugees and the occasional spillover of fighting from the wars around them. This notably manifested in the form of the2004 Beslan school siege by Chechen terrorists.[18]
In recent years, North Ossetia–Alania’s economic development has been successful; the indicators of the republic’s social and economic development between 2005 and 2007 revealed a stable growth of all sectors of the economy and major social parameters. The nature and climatic conditions of the republic contribute to the successful development of various economic sectors, which is compounded by the abundance of natural resources.Gross regional product pro capita of the region in 2006 was 61,000 rubles ($2,596) and increased 30% in the 2005–2007 time period.[32] GRP pro capita in 2007 was 76,455 rubles.[33] From 2005 to 2007, the average monthly wage in North Ossetia–Alania doubled, with the actual cash earnings increased by 42.5 percent. In terms of the average monthly wage growth, the Republic ranks first in the North Caucasus.[32]
The regional government’s economic priorities include industrial growth, development of small enterprise, spas, and resorts, and strengthening the budgetary and tax discipline.[34]
The largest companies in the region include Elektrozinc, Sevkavkazenergo,Pobedit (tungsten and molybdenum producer).[35]
The most widespread resources arezinc- andlead-containing complex ores. There are deposits oflimestone,dolomites,marble, andtouchstone. There is also a large availability of construction materials, such asclay,sand, andgravel. The localoil deposit reserves are estimated at 10 million metric tons.[32]
The agricultural sector is varied and specializes in the cultivation of wheat, corn, and sunflowers; horticulture; viticulture; and cattle and sheep breeding.[36][37]
North Ossetia’s industry is mainly concentrated inVladikavkaz. Major companies located here include Elektrotsink, Gazoapparat, an instrument-making plant, Elektrokontraktor, a factory producing automotive electrical equipment, a large-panel construction complex, and companies in the food industry. The Sadonsky industrial center has grown around the mining and forest industries.[37]
Cableway inTsey canyonKurtat valleyM. Tuganov Art Museum inVladikavkaz
Despite the proximity to Chechnya, North Ossetia is making efforts to develop its tourist industry.[38] Projects under a program for spa, resort, and tourism development have been successfully implemented in the mountainous part of the republic, according to the head of the regional government.[34] There are nearly 3,000 historical monuments in the Republic and more than half of its area is occupied byAlania National Park, the North Ossetia National Preserve, and game preserves.
There are more than 250 therapeutic, mineral, and freshwater springs in the republic with estimated daily reserves of 15,000 cubic meters. Besides providing the basis for health spas, these mineral waters also have the potential to be bottled and sold. North Ossetian mineral waters are known for their unique qualities, as well as special mineral composition.[37][38]
In terms of its infrastructure, North Ossetia–Alania ranks second in theSouthern Federal District and 10th in the nation.[32] The republic has some of the most extensive telecommunication networks in theNorth Caucasus region and inRussia. It ranks first in terms of its telecom network installations in the Southern Federal District.
The republic ranks fourth in Russia in terms of its paved roads, and its expanding transport and logistics complex provides communication networks between Russia and the South Caucasus, as well as Central Asia. The complex includes two federal highways (Georgian Military Road connects Vladikavkaz withTranscaucasia) running acrossthe Greater Caucasus Range, two customs checkpoints for cars, a developed railway network, Vladikavkaz international airport, and well-equipped transport terminals.[32]
The majority of the population of North Ossetia are Christians who belong to theRussian Orthodox Church, although there is also aMuslim minority who are ofOssetian-speaking origin.
According to the2021 Census,[47]Ossetians make up 68.1% of the republic’s population. Other groups includeRussians (18.9%),Ingush (3.8%),Kumyks (2.8%),Armenians (1.8%),Georgians (1.0%), and a host of smaller groups, each accounting for less than 1% of the total population.
1The results of the 1926 census refer to the present territory, which is a combination of the North Ossetian AO, the city of Vladikavkaz and adjacent areas.[48]
241,062 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.[49]
There are two official languages in North Ossetia:Russian, which is official in all Russian territory, andOssetian. Ossetian is anIndo-European language, belonging to theEast Iranian group. Ossetian is the only Iranic language spoken natively in Europe that survives to this day. Russian, acting as alingua franca in the region, is anEast Slavic language and as such also belongs to the Indo-European family, which means the two languages are related, albeit distantly.
According to a 2012 survey which interviewed 56,900 people,[16] 49% of the population of North Ossetia–Alania adheres to theRussian Orthodox Church, 10% declare to beunaffiliatedChristian believers, 2% are either Orthodox Christian believers who do not belong to churches or members of non-Russian Orthodox bodies. The second-largest religion isOssetianethnic religion, generally calledUatsdin (Уацдин, "True Faith"), aScythian religion organized into movements such as theAtsata Church, comprising 29% of the population.Muslims constitute 4% of the population, andProtestants the 1%. In addition, 1% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious" and 3% to beatheist.[16]
During theSoviet period, the high authority in therepublic was shared between three people; the first secretary of the North OssetiaCommunist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) Committee (who in reality had the biggest authority), the chairman of theoblast Soviet (legislative power), and the Chairman of the Republic Executive Committee (executive power). Since 1991, CPSU lost all the power, and the head of the Republic administration, and eventually the governor was appointed/elected alongside electedregional parliament.
The Charter of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is the fundamental law of the region. TheParliament of North Ossetia–Alania is the republic’sregional standing legislative (representative) body. The Legislative Assembly exercises its authority by passing laws, resolutions, and other legal acts and by supervising the implementation and observance of the laws and other legal acts passed by it. The highest executive body is the Republic’s Government, which includes territorial executive bodies such as district administrations, committees, and commissions that facilitate development and run the day to day matters of the province. The Oblast administration supports the activities of the Governor who is the highest official and acts as guarantor of the observance of the krai Charter in accordance with theConstitution of Russia.
The head of government in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania is the Head of the Republic. The current head of the republic isSergey Menyaylo.Taymuraz Mamsurov succeededAleksandr Dzasokhov as head on 31 May 2005 following the Beslan school siege.[51]
^Президент Российской Федерации. Указ №849 от 13 мая 2000 г. «О полномочном представителе Президента Российской Федерации в федеральном округе». Вступил в силу 13 мая 2000 г. Опубликован: "Собрание законодательства РФ", No. 20, ст. 2112, 15 мая 2000 г. (President of the Russian Federation. Decree #849 of May 13, 2000On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in a Federal District. Effective as of May 13, 2000.).
^Госстандарт Российской Федерации. №ОК 024-95 27 декабря 1995 г. «Общероссийский классификатор экономических регионов. 2. Экономические районы», в ред. Изменения №5/2001 ОКЭР. (Gosstandart of the Russian Federation. #OK 024-95 December 27, 1995Russian Classification of Economic Regions. 2. Economic Regions, as amended by the Amendment #5/2001 OKER. ).
^ Giorgi Chochiev, “Evolution of a North Caucasian Community in Late Ottoman and Republican Turkey: The Case of Anatolian Ossetians,” in Anthony Gorman and Sossie Kasbarian, eds., Diasporas of the Modern Middle East: Contextualising Community, Edinburgh, p. 106.
Парламент Республики Северная Осетия — Алания. Закон №520А от 24 ноября 1994 г. «О государственном гимне Республики Северная Осетия — Алания», в ред. Закона №44-РЗ от 31 июля 2006 г «О внесении изменений в Закон Республики Северная Осетия — Алания "О государственном гимне Республики Северная Осетия — Алания"». Опубликован: Газета "Северная Осетия". (Parliament of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania. Law #520A of 14 November 1994On the State Anthem of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania, as amended by the Law #44-RZ of 31 July 2006On Amending the Law of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania "On the State Anthem of the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania". ).
Верховный Совет Республики Северная Осетия. 12 ноября 1994 г. «Республика Северная Осетия-Алания. Конституция.», в ред. Конституционного Закона №5-РКЗ от 4 декабря 2013 г. «О внесении изменений в Конституцию Республики Северная Осетия–Алания». Вступил в силу 7 декабря 1994 г. Опубликован: брошюрой "Конституция Республики Северная Осетия–Алания". (Supreme Council of the Republic of North Ossetia. November 12, 1994Republic of North Ossetia–Alania. Constitution., as amended by the Constitutional Law #5-RKZ of December 4, 2013On Amending the Constitution of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania. Effective as of December 7, 1994.).
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