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Caucasian Peoples

For the term "Caucasian" referring to all white people, see .


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Ethno-Linguistic groups in the Caucasus region


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The village of Tindi, in Dagestan, in the late 1890s. The photograph was taken by M. de Déchy


This article deals with the various ethnic groups inhabiting the Caucasus region.

Peoples speaking Caucasian languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Caucasian language family are divided into two groups - North Caucasian and South Caucasian.

North Caucasian peoples: South Caucasian peoples: The largest peoples of the Caucasian language family are Georgians (4,600,000), Chechens (800,000), and Avars (500,000). Georgians are only Caucasian people that have their own independent state - Georgia, while some other of those peoples possess their republics within the Russian Federation: Adyghe (Adygea), Cherkess (Karachay-Cherkessia), Kabardins (Kabardino-Balkaria), Ingush (Ingushetia), Chechens (Chechnya), while Northeast Caucasian peoples mostly live in Dagestan. Abkhazians live in Abkhazia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is autonomous republic within Georgia, while Ajarians live in Ajaria, which is autonomous republic within Georgia.




Chechens in the 19th century

Circassian warrior

Georgian girl in traditional costume

Lak girl (1883 photograph)

Chechen children in Pankisi

Dagestani couple in traditional dress (circa 1907 to 1915)


Peoples speaking Altaic languages

Main article: Altaic peoples
Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Altaic language family. The largest of the Altaic-speaking peoples on Caucasus are Azeris (8,700,000), who live primarily in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Dagestan and Armenia (before 1991). Other Altaic-speakers live in their autonomous republics within Russian Federation: Karachays (Karachay-Cherkessia), Balkars (Kabardino-Balkaria), Kalmyks (Kalmykia), while Kumyks and Nogais live in Dagestan.




Performing Azeri musicians

Azeri dance

Karachay patriarchs in the 19th century

Kalmyks

Azeri village people

Azeri village people


Peoples speaking Indo-European languages

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Indo-European language family. The Armenians mostly live in Armenia (independent country) and in Nagorno-Karabakh and Georgia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Azerbaijan. The Ossetians live in North Ossetia-Alania (autonomous republic within Russia) and in South Ossetia, which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Georgia. The Kurds formerly had their autonomous oblast (Kurdistan Autonomous Oblast) within Azerbaijan, but this entity no longer exist (it existed between 1923 and 1929). Russians mostly live in northern Caucasus that belong to Russia and their largest concentration is in Stavropol Krai, Krasnodar Krai, and in Adygea.




Armenian girls.

Armenian Folk Musicians

Armenian children at the UN Cup Chess Tournament in 2005.

An Armenian Apostolic clergyman

A group of Russian children on a hillside.

Kurdish Cavalry in the passes of the Caucasus mountains

A Greek (Pontian) man in traditional clothes from Trebizond

Ossetian girl (1883 photograph)


Reference

See also

ethnic group or ethnicity is a population of human beings whose members identify with each other, usually on the basis of a presumed common genealogy or ancestry.[1] Ethnicity is also defined from the recognition by others as a distinct group[2]
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Caucasus or Caucasia is a region in Eurasia bordered on the north by Russia, on the southwest by Turkey, on the west by the Black Sea, on the east by the Caspian Sea, and on the south by Iran. The Caucasus includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands.
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North Caucasian languages is a blanket term for two language phyla spoken chiefly in the north Caucasus and Turkey: the Northwest Caucasian (Pontic, Abkhaz-Adyghe, Circassian) family and the Northeast Caucasian (East Caucasian, Caspian, Nakh-Dagestanian) family; the latter
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North Caucasian peoples is a term used to describe a peoples speaking North Caucasian languages.

Peoples

North Caucasian peoples are:
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Abkhazians or Abkhaz (Abkhaz: Аҧсуа, Apswa; Georgian: აფხაზი, Aphkhazi; Turkish: Abhazlar) are a Caucasian ethnic group, mainly living in Abkhazia,
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Abazins (ethnonym: Abaza) are a people who live mostly in Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygeya of Russia. An Abazin diaspora exists in Turkey and various Arab countries, most of which are descendants of refugees (muhajirs) from the Caucasian War with the Russian Empire.
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Adyghe or Adygs are a people of the northwest Caucasus region, principally inhabiting Adygeya (23%) (now a constituent republic of the Russian Federation) and Karachay-Cherkessia (11%) (where they are named as "Cherkes").
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Cherkes (also Cherkess) are an ethnic group of the northwestern Caucasus region, principally inhabiting northern Karachay-Cherkessia (where they comprise 11% of the population) as well as four villages of Adygeya: Khodz, Blechepsin, Koshekhabl, and Ulyap.
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Kabarda, Kabard or Kabarid are simply alternative ways of referring to the Kabar people of the northern Caucasus more commonly known by the plural term Kabardin (or Kebertei as they term themselves).
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Ubykh people are a group who spoke the Northwest Caucasian Ubykh language, until other local languages displaced it and its last speaker finally died in 1992.

The Ubykh used to inhabit an area just northwest of Abkhazia in the Caucasus.
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Bats people (Georgian: ბაცი) or the Batsbi (ბაცბი) are a small Nakh-speaking community in Georgia who are also known as the Tsova-Tushs
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Kists (Georgian: ქისტები) are a Nakh-speaking ethnic group in Georgia related to the Chechen and Ingush peoples.
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Within the Russian Republics:  Chechnya 1.250,000 Dagestan 97,000 (Including refugees) Ingushetia 97,000 (Including refugees) North Ossetia 5,000 Kabardino-Balkaria 5,000 Krasnodar Krai 3,000 Other places in Russia: Moscow 100,000 Russian Far East 20,000
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Ingush are an ethnic group of the North Caucasus, mostly inhabiting the Russian republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai (галгай, from Ingush: Ghal - fortress, ghai - habitants; another Russian interpretation - citizen).
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Avars or Caucasian Avars are a modern people of Caucasus, mainly of Dagestan, in which they are the predominant group. The Caucasian Avar language belongs to the Northeast Caucasian language family (also known as Nakh-Dagestanian).
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Aguls (Агулы in Russian) are a people in Dagestan, Russia. According to the 2002 census, there were 28,297 Aguls in Russia (7,000 in 1959). The Agul language belongs to the Lezgian language family, a group of the Northeast Caucasian family.
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The Dargin people are an ethnic group of the Caucasus who live mainly in the Russian republic of Dagestan. They speak the Dargin language.

Religion

The main religion is Islam, which first reached the area in the 8th Century.
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The Laks are an ethnic group numbering about 156,500, of which circa 140,000 live in Dagestan, historically mostly in the central mountainous parts. In 1944 a part of them were moved to the plains to replace the deported Chechen population.
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Lezgins (other spellings Lezgin, Lezgi, Lezgis, Lezgs, and Lezgians) (Lezgi: лезгияр) are an ethnic group, living predominantly in southern Dagestan and northeastern Azerbaijan, who speak the
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Rutuls are an ethnic group in Dagestan (Russia) and some parts of Azerbaijan. According to the 2002 census, there were 29,929 Rutuls in Russia (12,000 in 1970). The population figure for Rutuls in Azerbaijan is unknown since many of them choose to associate themselves with Lezgins.
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The Tabasarans are an ethnic group who live mostly in Dagestan, Russia. Their population in Russia is about 132,000. They speak the Tabasaran language. Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva is half Tabasaran.
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30,000 (est.)
Regions with significant populations Azerbaijan, Russia
Languages Tsakhur, Azerbaijani, Russian, Lezgi Religions Sunni Islam The Tsakhur (or Caxur, in romanization) people are an ethnic group of northern Azerbaijan and southern Dagestan (Russia).
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Udis (also referred to as Udins or Udz) are an ethnic group who live mostly in Azerbaijan (the Qabala and Oguz rayons), Russia (the North Caucasus), Georgia (the Kvareli district of the Kakheti province), and Armenia (the Tavush marz).
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Archins are an ethnic group who live mostly in Dagestan, Russia. Their total population is about 1,200. They speak the Archi language. Their habitat is about 2,000 metres above sea level in the Kara-Koisu basin of a range of the Caucasus.
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South Caucasian peoples is a general term for the ethnic groups and subgroups that historically spoke the South Caucasian languages, namely:
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6 million
Regions with significant populations
 Georgia [1]
 Turkey [2]
 Russia
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The Mingrelians (Megrelians, Mingrels, Megrels; Megrelebi or მეგრელები in Georgian) are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Samegrelo (Mingrelia) region of Georgia.
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Svans (Georgian: სვანები Svanebi) are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Svanetia region of Georgia. They speak the Svan language.
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Laz (Lazi (ლაზი) or Lazepe (ლაზეფე) in Laz, Lazlar in Turkish, Lazi (ლაზი) or Č’ani
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