Chechnya
A republic of Russia in the North Caucasus, home to the Chechen people.
Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the Russian republics of Dagestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia–Alania to its east, north, and west; and with Stavropol Krai to its northwest.
- Area
- 16,500 square kilometres (6,400 square miles)
- Population
- Over 1.5 million (2021)
- Capital
- Grozny
- Official Status
- Republic of Russia
- Ethnic Group
- Indigenous Chechen (part of Nakh peoples)
- Religion
- Primarily Sunni Islam
Lore & Background
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Checheno-Ingush ASSR split into two parts: the Republic of Ingushetia and the Chechen Republic. The latter proclaimed the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which declared independence, while the former sided with Russia. Following the First Chechen War of 1994–1996 with Russia, Chechnya gained de facto independence as the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, although de jure it remained a part of Russia. Russian federal control was restored in the Second Chechen War of 1999–2009, with Chechen politics being dominated by the former Ichkerian mufti Akhmad Kadyrov, and later his son Ramzan Kadyrov.
Reader's Guide
The republic covers an area of 16500 km2, with a population of over 1.5 million residents. Its population largely consists of the indigenous Chechen ethnic group, who are part of the Nakh peoples and adhere primarily to the Islamic faith. Grozny is the capital and largest city.
Did You Know?
- According to Leonti Mroveli, the 11th-century Georgian chronicler, the word 'Caucasus' is derived from the Nakh ancestor Kavkas.
- Traces of human settlement dating back to 40,000 BC were found near Lake Kezenoyam.
- In the 14th and 15th centuries, a strong Chechen Princedom called Simsim emerged under Khour II.
- The name 'Chechen' was already used as early as 1692.
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