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Karachay-Cherkessia (Russian: Карачаево-Черкесия, romanized: Karachayevo-Cherkesiya), officially the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus. It is administratively part of the North Caucasian Federal District. As of the 2021 census, Karachay-Cherkessia has a population of 469,865. Cherkessk is the largest city and the capital of the republic.

Karachay-Cherkessia is one of Russia's ethnic republics, primarily representing the indigenous Caucasian-Turkic Karachay people and the Cherkess or Circassian people. Karachays form the largest ethnic group at around 44% of the population, followed by ethnic Russians (27%) and Cherkess (13%). The Cherkess are mostly of the Besleney and Kabardin tribes. The republic has five official languages: Russian, Abaza, Cherkess (Kabardian), Karachay-Balkar, and Nogai.

The majority of the republic's territory is within the Caucasus Mountains, except for a small strip at the northern edge of the Don Steppe. Karachay-Cherkessia is bordered by Krasnodar Krai to the west, Stavropol Krai to the north-east, Kabardino-Balkaria to the south-east, and an international border with Georgia to the south-west. Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, is located on the border with Kabardino-Balkaria.

The republic is located at the slopes of northwestern Caucasus and borders with Krasnodar Krai in the west and northwest, the Kabardino-Balkar Republic in the southeast, Georgia (including Abkhazia) in the south and west, and with Stavropol Krai in the northeast. It stretches for 140 kilometers (87 mi) from north to south and for 170 kilometers (110 mi) from east to west. Mountains cover 80% of the republic's territory; Mount Elbrus, which at 5,642 meters (18,510 ft) is the highest peak in the Caucasus, is located on the republic's border with Kabardino-Balkaria. The republic is rich in water resources. A total of 172 rivers flow through its territory, with the largest one being the Kuban, Bolshoy Zelenchuk, Maly Zelenchuk, Urup, and Laba. There are about 130 mountain lakes of glacial origin and an abundance of mineral springs. Climate is moderate, with short winters and long, warm, humid summers. The average January temperature is −3.2 °C (26.2 °F), and the average July temperature is +20.6 °C (69.1 °F). Average annual precipitation varies from 550 millimeters (22 in) in the plains to 2,500 millimeters (98 in) in the mountains. Natural resources include gold, coal, clays, and more.

Karachay-Cherkessia is the only region in the North Caucasian Federal District that does not have an airport.

The Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast was founded on January 12, 1922, in the early years of the Soviet Union. It was split into Karachay Autonomous Oblast and Cherkess National Okrug on 26 April 1926. The Cherkess National District was elevated to an autonomous oblast status on 30 April 1928.

In November 1943, Karachay Autonomous Oblast was abolished, the Karachay people were accused of collaboration with the Nazis and 70,000 were subsequently deported to the Kazakh and Uzbek republics. Most of the Karachay territory was split between Stavropol Krai and the Georgian SSR. The remaining territory populated by the Cherkessians was known as Cherkess Autonomous Oblast until 9 January 1957 when it was incorporated into Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast in its former borders due to the rehabilitation of the Karachay.

On July 3, 1991, the autonomous oblast was elevated to the status of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia (under the jurisdiction of the Russian SFSR).

In January 1992, Russian President Boris Yeltsin was prepared to accept the division of Karachay-Cherkessia and introduced draft laws to the Supreme Soviet of Russia for the reconstitution of the Karachai Autonomous Oblast and Cherkess Autonomous Oblast within the Russian Federation. A commission on formation of three autonomous regions – Karachai, Cherkess, and Batalpashinsk – was established in the Supreme Soviet.

On March 28, 1992, a referendum was held in which, according to official results, the majority of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia voted against splitting the republic and, on December 9, 1992, the republic was recognized as the Karachay-Cherkess Republic.

The head of the government in Karachay-Cherkessia is the Head (until June 28, 2012, the official title was "President"). Until February 2011, the President was Boris Ebzeyev, a former judge of the Constitutional Court of Russian Federation. Rashid Temrezov is currently the Head of the republic.

Ethnic tension is a considerable problem in the republic. In May 1999, Karachay-Cherkessia conducted its first-ever free regional presidential election. When Vladimir Semyonov, a Karachay, won the election over Stanislav Derev, a Circassian, there were protests by supporters of Derev, with widespread allegations of fraud. A court ruling later upheld the election result, prompting thousands of Derev's supporters to march in protest, many advocating the partitioning of the republic.

Although activity by separatists in the region pales compared to Chechnya and Dagestan, militant groups exist in Karachay-Cherkessia. A car bomb that killed two people in March 2001 was blamed on Chechen separatists. Muslim separatist groups have formed, and dozens of their members have been killed by the Russian authorities.

In September 2007, the FSB killed ethnic Abazin Rustam Ionov ("Abu-Bakar"), head of the Karachaevo Jamaat (assembly), along with his wife.

Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Russia
Capital: Cherkessk
As of 2014:
Number of districts (районы)	10
Number of cities/towns (города)	4
Number of urban-type settlements (посёлки городского типа)	7
As of 2002:
Number of rural localities (сельские населённые пункты)	139
Number of uninhabited rural localities (сельские населённые пункты без населения)	—

• Cities and towns under republic's jurisdiction
  • Cherkessk (Черкесск) (capital)
  • Karachayevsk (Карачаевск)
    • Towns under the town's jurisdiction:
      • Teberda (Теберда)
    • Urban-type settlements under the town's jurisdiction:
      • Dombay resort settlement (Домбай)
      • Elbrussky (Эльбрусский)
      • Ordzhonikidzevsky (Орджоникидзевский)
• Districts:
  • Abazinsky (Абазинский)
  • Adyge-Khablsky (Адыге-Хабльский)
  • Karachayevsky (Карачаевский)
    • Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
      • Novy Karachay (Новый Карачай)
      • Pravokubansky (Правокубанский)
  • Khabezsky (Хабезский)
  • Malokarachayevsky (Малокарачаевский)
  • Nogaysky (Ногайский)
  • Prikubansky (Прикубанский)
    • Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
      • Udarny (Ударный)
  • Urupsky (Урупский)
    • Urban-type settlements under the district's jurisdiction:
      • Mednogorsky (Медногорский)
  • Ust-Dzhegutinsky (Усть-Джегутинский)
    • Towns under the district's jurisdiction:
      • Ust-Dzheguta (Усть-Джегута)
  • Zelenchuksky (Зеленчукский)

Population: 469,865 (2021 Census); 477,859 (2010 Census); 439,470 (2002 Census); 417,560 (1989 Soviet census).

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1926	101,609	—
1939	246,000	+142.1%
1959	277,959	+13.0%
1970	344,651	+24.0%
1979	368,343	+6.9%
1989	417,560	+13.4%
2002	439,470	+5.2%
2010	477,859	+8.7%
2021	469,865	−1.7%
Source: Census data

Life expectancy:

	2019	2021
Average:	76.2 years	73.5 years
Male:	71.7 years	69.3 years
Female:	80.4 years	77.3 years

	Average population (x 1000)	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Total fertility rate
1970	346	6,021	2,153	3,868	17.4	6.2	11.2
1975	357	6,619	2,288	4,331	18.5	6.4	12.1
1980	373	7,044	2,794	4,250	18.9	7.5	11.4
1985	394	8,119	3,350	4,769	20.6	8.5	12.1
1990	422	7,218	3,496	3,722	17.1	8.3	8.8
1991	427	7,145	3,713	3,432	16.7	8.7	8.0
1992	431	6,846	3,915	2,931	15.9	9.1	6.8
1993	433	5,569	4,336	1,233	12.9	10.0	2.8
1994	434	5,786	4,598	1,188	13.3	10.6	2.7
1995	437	5,633	4,501	1,132	12.9	10.3	2.6
1996	439	5,281	4,683	598	12.0	10.7	1.4
1997	440	4,987	4,615	372	11.3	10.5	0.8
1998	441	4,990	4,537	453	11.3	10.3	1.0
1999	441	4,523	4,707	−184	10.3	10.7	−0.4
2000	440	4,666	4,961	−295	10.6	11.3	−0.7
2001	440	4,778	4,911	−133	10.9	11.2	−0.3
2002	440	4,927	5,207	−280	11.2	11.8	−0.6
2003	442	5,088	5,427	−339	11.5	12.3	−0.8
2004	446	5,190	5,059	131	11.6	11.3	0.3
2005	450	5,194	5,131	63	11.5	11.4	0.1
2006	454	5,032	4,924	108	11.1	10.8	0.2
2007	459	6,066	4,626	1,440	13.2	10.1	3.1
2008	465	6,364	4,731	1,633	13.7	10.2	3.5
2009	470	6,200	4,711	1,489	13.2	10.0	3.2	1.55
2010	476	6,139	4,737	1,402	12.9	10.0	2.9	1.51
2011	477	6,289	4,664	1,625	13.1	9.7	3.4	1.54
2012	475	6,499	4,633	1,866	13.7	9.8	3.9	1.63
2013	471	6,547	4,464	2,083	13.9	9.5	4.4	1.67
2014	470	6,318	4,553	1,765	13.5	9.7	3.8	1.65
2015	468	5,803	4,523	1,280	12.4	9.6	2.8	1.54
2016	467	5,575	4,393	1,182	11.9	9.4	2.5	1.52
2017	466	5,145	4,346	799	11.0	9.3	1.7	1.43
2018	465	4,974	4,137	837	10.7	8.9	1.8	1.43
2019		5,050	4,219	831	10.8	9.1	1.7	1.48
2020		5,135	5,034	101	11.0	10.8	0.2	1.53
2021		4,470	5,677	-1,207	9.6	12.2	-2.6	1.35
2022		4,429	4,460	-31	9.5	9.6	-0.1	1.30
2023		4,413	3,974	439	9.4	8.5	0.9	1.34

Sources: 1970 to 2008; 2009–2013; 2014–...

According to the 2021 Census, Karachays make up 44.4% of the republic's population, followed by Russians (27.5%), and Cherkess and Abazins together make up 20.8%.

Ethnic group	1926 Census		1939 Census		1959 Census		1970 Census		1979 Census		1989 Census		2002 Census		2010 Census		2021 Census
	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Karachays	53,175	31.3%	70,932	29.2%	67,830	24.4%	97,104	28.2%	109,196	29.7%	129,449	31.2%	169,198	38.5%	194,324	41.0%	205,578	44.4%
Cherkess	16,186	9.5%	17,667	7.3%	24,145	8.7%	31,190	9.0%	34,430	9.4%	40,241	9.7%	49,591	11.3%	56,466	11.9%	58,825	12.7%
Abazins	13,731	8.1%	14,138	5.8%	18,159	6.5%	22,896	6.6%	24,245	6.6%	27,475	6.6%	32,346	7.4%	36,919	7.8%	37,664	8.1%
Russians	40,072	23.6%	118,785	48.8%	141,843	51.0%	162,442	47.1%	165,451	45.1%	175,931	42.4%	147,878	33.6%	150,025	31.6%	127,621	27.5%
Nogais	6,263	3.7%	6,869	2.8%	8,903	3.2%	11,062	3.2%	11,872	3.2%	12,993	3.1%	14,873	3.4%	15,654	3.3%	17,368	3.7%
Ukrainians	32,518	19.1%	4,104	1.7%	4,011	1.4%	4,819	1.4%	4,555	1.2%	6,308	1.5%	3,331	0.8%	1,990	0.4%	787	0.2%
Others	8,082	4.8%	10,703	4.4%	13,068	4.7%	15,138	4.4%	17,362	4.7%	22,573	5.4%	22,253	5.1%	18,892	4.0%	15,425	3.3%
The results of the 1926 census refer to the present territory, which is a combination of the Cherkess ND, the Karachay AO and adjacent areas. The latter areas were mainly inhabited by Russians and Ukrainians. 13,496 Kabardins and 2,690 other Cherkess. 6,597 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.

According to a 2012 survey which interviewed 56,900 people, 64% of the population of Karachay-Cherkessia adheres to Islam, 13% to the Russian Orthodox Church, 2% to the Karachay and Circassian native faith, 2% are unaffiliated Christians, unchurched Orthodox Christian believers or members of non-Russian Orthodox churches. In addition, 10% of the population declares to be "spiritual but not religious", 3% are atheist, and 6% are other/undeclared.

• Zuhra Bayramkulova - Dairy farmer and Hero of Socialist Labour.
• Islam Itlyashev-Russian singer
• Mussa Ekzekov - business person

The republic is the home of what was the largest telescope in the world from 1975 until 1993 (the BTA-6), a very large radio telescope (576 meters in diameter, RATAN-600), and the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Science dedicated to the study of astronomy. These facilities are located on the bank of the Zelenchuk River, between the villages of Zelenchukskaya and Arkhyz.

• 
  Mountainous landscape of Arkhyz
• 
  Wedding in Karachay-Cherkessia
• 
  Karachayevsk
• 
  Small settlement in Karachay-Cherkessia
• 
  View of Mount Elbrus from Gumbashi Pass (with zoom)

• Abazinia

• Народное Собрание Карачаево-Черкесской Республики. Закон №410-XXII от 9 апреля 1998 г. «О государственном гимне Карачаево-Черкесской Республики», в ред. Закона №85-РЗ от 6 декабря 2013 г. «О внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Карачаево-Черкесской Республики в связи с установлением административной ответственности за неправомерное использование государственных символов Карачаево-Черкесской Республики». Вступил в силу с момента опубликования, за исключением статей 2 и 3, вступающих в силу с 15 мая 1998 г.. Опубликован: "День Республики", №48(15471), 25 апреля 1998 г. (People's Assembly of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. Law #410-XXII of April 9, 1998 On the State Anthem of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, as amended by the Law #85-RZ of December 6, 2013 On Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic Due to the Introduction of Administrative Sanctions for Misuse of the Symbols of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. Effective as of the moment of publication, with the exception of Articles 2 and 3, which take effect on May 15, 1998.).
• 5 марта 1996 г. «Конституция Карачаево-Черкесской Республики», в ред. Конституционного Закона №49-РКЗ от 27 июня 2012 г. «О внесении изменений в Конституцию Карачаево-Черкесской Республики». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Сборник Законов и Постановлений КЧР 1995–1999 гг", Часть I. (March 5, 1996 Constitution of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, as amended by the Constitutional Law #49-RKZ of June 27, 2012 On Amending the Constitution of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. Effective as of the day of the official publication.).
• Верховный Совет РСФСР. Закон №1539-I от 3 июля 1991 г. «О порядке преобразования Адыгейской, Горно-Алтайской, Карачаево-Черкесской и Хакасской автономных областей в Советские Социалистические Республики в составе РСФСР». (Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. Law #1539-I of July 3, 1991 On the Process of Transformation of Adyghe, Mountain Altai, Karachay-Cherkess, and Khakass Autonomous Oblasts into Soviet Socialist Republics Within the RSFSR. ).

• (in English and Russian) Collection of images of Karachay-Cherkessia, trombicula.narod.ru
• Images of Karachay-Cherkessia, travel-images.com
• An account of the disputed 1999 election, nupi.no
• Collection of images of Karachay-Cherkessia, with a focus on caves, tls-msu.narod.ru
• Circassianworld.com
• Karachay-Cherkess Republic News Portal
• Medical Institute of North Caucasian State Humanitarian Technological Academy Archived July 6, 2019, at the Wayback Machine