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Ethno-Linguistic groups in the Caucasus region

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 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:

• Northwest Caucasian peoples:
  • Abkhazians
  • Abazins
  • Adyghe
  • Cherkess
  • Kabardins
  • Ubykh
• Nakh peoples:
  • Bats
  • Kists
  • Chechens
  • Ingush
• Northeast Caucasian peoples:
  • Avars
  • Aguls
  • Dargins
  • Khinalug
  • Laks
  • Lezgins
  • Rutuls
  • Tabasarans
  • Tsakhurs
  • Udins
  • Archins

South Caucasian peoples:

• Georgians
  • Mingrelians
  • Svans
• Laz

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)

Main article: Altaic peoples

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Altaic language family.

• Turkic group:
  • Azerbaijanis
  • Balkars
  • Karachays
  • Kumyks
  • Nogais
  • Trukhmens
• Mongolic group:
  • Kalmyks

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	An Azeri female from Baku (19th century)	Karachay patriarchs in the 19th century
Kalmyks

Peoples of Caucasus that speak languages that belong to the Indo-European language family.

• Armenian group:
  • Armenians
• Iranian group:
  • Ossetians
  • Talysh
  • Kurds
  • Tats
  • Mountain Jews
• Slavic groups:
  • Russians
  • Ukrainians
• Hellenic group:
  • Greeks

The Armenians mostly live in Armenia (independent country), Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh (which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Azerbaijan) and Abkhazia (which is de facto independent, but de jure is part of Georgia). 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)

• Mile Nedeljković, Leksikon naroda sveta, Beograd, 2001.

• Caucasian languages
• Peoples of the Caucasus in Turkey