The (; of
Russia (a
Republic ). The direct
Transliteration of the Russian name of the republic is ''Respublika Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya''. Its name in Ossetic transliterates as ''Căgat Irystony Alanijy Respublikă''.
The Republic is located in the northern
Caucasus . The northern part of the republic is situated in the
Stavropol Plain . 22% of the republic's territory is covered by forests.
North Ossetia-Alania is located in the
Moscow Time Zone (MSK/MSD).
UTC offset is +0300 (MSK)/+0400 (MSD).
All of the republic's rivers belong to the basin of the
Terek River . Major rivers include:
All of the mountains located on the territory of the republic are a part of the Caucasus. Mount Dzhimara is the highest point (4,780 m), with
Mount Ulipata being the second highest (4,638 m).
Natural resources include minerals (
Copper ,
Silver ,
Zinc ),
Timber ,
Mineral Water s,
Hydroelectric Power , and untapped reserves of
Oil and
Gas .
Climate is moderately
Continental .
- ''Average January temperature'': −5°C
- ''Average July temperature'': +24°C
- ''Average annual Precipitation '': 400-700 mm in the plains, over 1,000 mm in the mountains.
The Ossetian population of North Ossetia is predominantly
Christian with a
Muslim minority, speaking
Ossetic and
Russian .
The republic has a sizeable group of non-native
Ingush and
Armenian population; however, a portion of the Ingush population left for
Ingushetia with the dissolution of the
Soviet Union and the outbreak of interethnic conflict in the region. At the same time,
Refugee s from neighboring republics, mostly
South Ossetia , resettled in North Ossetia.
Overall, over 90 different nationalities live in the republic.
Ossetians account for 53% of the population, followed by
Russians (30%), Ingush (5%), and
Armenians (2%).
- : 710,275 (2002)
- ---''Urban'': 464,875 (65.5%)
- ---''Rural'': 245,400 (34.5%)
- ---''Male'': 336,035 (47.3%)
- ---''Female'': 374,240 (52.7%)
- : 1,114
- : 33.8 years
- ---''Urban'': 34.2 years
- ---''Rural'': 32.9 years
- ---''Male'': 30.4 years
- ---''Female'': 36.9 years
- : 200,191 (with 690,806 people)
- ---''Urban'': 143,397 (with 447,884 people)
- ---''Rural'': 56,794 (with 242,922 people)
- : no data-->
The head of government in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania is the Head of the Republic.
As Of 2005 , the head of the republic is
Taimuraz Dzambekovich Mamsurov . Mamsurov succeeded
Alexander Dzasokhov , who voluntarily quit his post on
May 31 , 2005.
Despite the inevitable economic burden of a sizeable
Refugee population, North Ossetia is the most well-to-do republic in the northern Caucasus. It is the most
Urbanized and the most
Industrial ized, with factories producing
Metal s (
Lead ,
Zinc ,
Tungsten , etc.),
Electronics ,
Chemicals , and
Processed Food s.
Local
Agriculture focuses primarily on
Livestock , especially
Sheep and
Goat s, and the cultivation of grains, fruit, and
Cotton .
There is an airport in Vladikavkaz. Overall, the transport infrastructure is well-developed, with railroads and automobile roads being the principal means of transportation. The famous
Georgian Military Road connects Vladikavkaz with
Transcaucasia .
There are six professional theaters in North Ossetia-Alania.
The most important facilities of higher education include
North Caucasus State Technological University ,
North Ossetian State University ,
North Ossetian State Medical Academy , and
Mountain State Agrarian University ; all located in Vladikavkaz.
The most common religions are
Russian Orthodox Church and
Islam .
