Republic of Dagestan

The Republic of Dagestan ( or ; , Respublika Dagestan; also spelled Daghestan) is a federal subject (a republic) of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region, with a population of almost 3 million (2010). The capital and largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea.

Dagestan has great ethnic diversity, with several dozen ethnic groups and subgroups, most of which speak either Caucasian, Turkic, or Iranian languages. Largest among these ethnic groups are the Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Lezgin, and Laks.. Encyclopædia Britannica (Online edition) While Russians form only a small proportion (4.7%) of the population, Russian remains the primary official language.

Dagestan has been a scene of low-level Islamic insurgency, occasional outbreaks of separatism, ethnic tensions and terrorism since the 1990s. According to International Crisis Group, the militant Islamist organization Shariat Jamaat is responsible for much of the violence.. International Crisis Group Europe Report N°192. 3 June 2008 Much of the tension is rooted in an internal Islamic conflict between traditional Sufi groups advocating secular government and more recently introduced Salafist teachings preaching the implementation of sharia law in Dagestan.

Toponymy

The word Daghestan or Daghistan means "land of throne", it is derived from the Daghestanian "Dagh" word meaning throne and Persian...
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