Kabardino-Balkaria

The Kabardino-Balkar Republic or Kabardino-Balkaria (; Kabardian: Къэбэрдей-Балъкъэр Республикэ; Balkar: Къабарты-Малкъар Республика) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic), located in the northern Caucasus. The direct transliteration of the republic's name in the Russian language is Kabardino-Balkarskaya Respublika or informally as Kabardino-Balkariya.

Geography

The republic is situated in the North Caucasus mountains, with plains in the northern part.

Area: 12,500 km².
Borders:
- internal: Stavropol Krai (N/NE), North Ossetia-Alania (E/SE/S), Karachay-Cherkessia (W/NW)
- international: Georgia (S/SW)
Highest point: Mount Elbrus (5,642 m).
Maximum N->S distance: 167 km.
Maximum E->W distance: 123 km.
Average elevation: no data

Time zone

Kabardino-Balkaria is located in the Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD). UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD).

Rivers

Major rivers include:

Lakes

There are about 100 lakes in the republic, none of which are large. Most of the lakes (55) are located between the Baksan and Malka Rivers, with the largest lakes each having an area of no more than 0.01 km². Some of the lakes are:

Tserikkel Lake (with the area of 26,000 m²; 368 m deep)
Lower Goluboye Lake
Kel-Ketchen Lake (177 m deep)
Upper Goluboye Lake (18 m deep)
Sekretnoye Lake
Tambukanskoy Lake (area:1.77 km²; 1.5-2 m deep). This lake is partially located in Stavropol Krai.

Mountains

Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of the North Caucasus and Europe, is located in the republic. Other major mountains include:

Mount Dykhtau (5,402 m)
Mount Koshkhatau (5,151 m)
Mount Shkhara (5,068 m)
Pushkin Peak (5,033 m)
Mount Mizhergi (5,025 m)

Natural Resources

Republic's natural resources include molybdenum, tungsten ores, coal, among other things.

Climate

The republic has a continental type climate.

Average January temperature: -4°C (plains) to -12°C (mountains).
Average July temperature: +23°C (plains) to +4°C (mountains)
Average annual precipitation: 500-2,000 mm.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Kabardino-Balkaria

While Nalchik is the capital of the republic, Tyrnyauz serves as an administrative center for Balkaria.

Demographics

Kabardino-Balkaria consists of two ethnic territories, one predominantly of Kabardin (speakers of a North-West Caucasian language) and the other predominantly Balkar (speakers of a Turkic language). There is also a significant Russian population. Kabardins make approx. 43% of the population, while Balkars make 8%, and Russians — 33%.

Population: 901,494 (2002)
- Urban: 510,346 (56.6%)
- Rural: 391,148 (43.4%)
- Male: 422,720 (46.9%)
- Female: 478,774 (53.1%)
Females per 1000 males: 1,133
Average age: 30.9 years
- Urban: 32.4 years
- Rural: 29.0 years
- Male: 29.1 years
- Female: 32.8 years
Number of households: 227,922 (with 891,783 people)
- Urban: 144,872 (with 504,085 people)
- Rural: 83,050 (with 387,698 people)

History

Politics

The head of government in Kabardino-Balkaria is the President. The current President is Arsen Kanokov, who has held the position since September 2005.

The parliament of the Repubilc is the Legislative Assembly comprising two chambers with 36 deputies elected for a five year term each—the Council of the Republic and the Council of Representatives.

The Constitution of Kabardino-Balkaria was adopted on September 1, 1997.

Economy

The economy of Kabardino-Balkaria is primarily agricultural, with lumber production and mining. Most of the industry centers on agricultural processing. The fall of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of the various conflicts in the Caucasus have hit the republic hard, causing a collapse in tourism in the region and producing an unemployment level estimated to be as high as 90%. Poverty is reported to be an endemic problem in the republic.

External links