Dagestan profile

Dagestan, which translates as "land of the mountains", is situated in Russia's North Caucasus with Chechnya and Georgia to the west, Azerbaijan to the south and the Caspian Sea to the east. It is one of 22 republics that are part of Russia.

So high are its peaks in some places that certain areas are accessible only by helicopter. The republic is also famed for its ethnic and linguistic diversity, being home to more than 30 languages.

Several dozen Muslim peoples have settled among the high valleys over the centuries.

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REPUBLIC OF DAGESTAN: FACTS

Capital: Makhachkala
Area: 50,300 sq km
Population: 3.1 million
Languages: Russian, Aghul, Avar, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Dargwa, Kumyk, Lezgin, Lak, Nogai, Rutul, Tabasaran, Tat, Tsakhur and others
Life expectancy: 74 years (male) 78 (female)

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Villages cling to steep hillsides in Dagestan's mountainous interior

The Avars form the largest ethnic group and account for about a fifth of the population. A further substantial proportion is made up of Dargins, Kumyks and Lezgins. About 10% are ethnic Russians. There are also Laks, Tabasarans and Nogai, to name but a few of the other significant groups. It is Russia's most ethnically diverse province.

The republic has oil and gas reserves and also the fisheries potential offered by a share in the resources of the Caspian sea. However, it is prey to organized crime and regional instability.

MEDIA

Television is the most popular source for news and entertainment. Local relays of Russian networks are widely available.

Independent journalists have faced repeated legal action against them, as well as threats of violence and attacks for their work.

Press

Dagestanskaya Pravda – published by republic's government
Chernovik – private weekly
Novoye Delo – private weekly
RIA Dagestan – state-run news agency, pages in English

TV/Radio

GTRK Dagestan – TV and radio operated by Russian state, broadcasts in Russian and ethnic languages
RGVK Dagestan – TV and radio operated by Dagestan government
TNT Makhachkala – private
REN Makhachkala – private
Safinat TV/Radio Safinat – private
Radio Stolitsa – private

TIMELINE

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Dagestan is home to more than 30 languages

Some key dates in Dagestan's modern history:

Dagestan was the birth place of Imam Shamil, the legendary fighter who in the 19th Century spearheaded fierce resistance by tribesmen of Chechnya and Dagestan to the spread of the Russian empire. His name is still revered by many in both republics.

When the Bolsheviks sought to enforce control in the Caucasus in the early 1920s, Dagestan became an autonomous Soviet republic within the Russian Federation. During the Stalinist period, its peoples escaped the mass deportation inflicted on their Chechen neighbours and many others.

1991 – After the fall of the Soviet Union, the republic's authorities stay loyal to Russia but the region became infamous for its lawlessness and corruption.

1990s – Separatist warlords from neighbouring Chechnya lead armed operations in Dagestan on several occasions

1995-1996 – Chechen-led seize hundreds of hostages in hospitals in the Dagestani towns of Budennovsk and Kizlyar. Scores die in the attacks.

1999 – An Islamic body declares an independent state in parts of Dagestan and Chechnya, and calls on Muslims to take up arms against Russia in a holy war. Chechen fighters cross into Dagestan in support, but Russian forces suppress the insurrection within weeks.

2007-2017 – Islamist insurgency in North Caucus between Russia and militants associated with the Caucasus Emirate and, from 2015, Islamic State groups. Incidents are mostly concentrated in the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria.

2010 – Russia accuses Dagestani militant Magomed Vagabov of being behind a Moscow metro attack by two female suicide bombers from Dagestan, in which 39 people die. Russian forces kill Vagabov in Dagestan shortly afterwards.

2015 April – Aliaskhab Kebekov, leader of the Caucasus Emirate militant group is killed by Russian security forces. The group aims to establish an independent Islamic state in the region.

2015 December – IS says it is behind a gun attack on the historic fortress of Derbent in which one person is killed and 11 are injured.

2017 – Russia's FSB internal intelligence agency says last insurgent underground group in the North Caucasus has been eliminated

2022 – Over 100 are arrested in clashes in Makhachkala with police in protests against Moscow's call-up of military reservists for the war in Ukraine and against the large number of servicemen from Dagestan who have been killed in the war.