Kabardino-Balkaria
Encyclopedia : K : KA : KAB : Kabardino-Balkaria
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| Capital | Nalchik | ||||
| Area - total - % water | Ranked 83rd - 12,500 km² - negligible | ||||
| Population - Total - Density | Ranked 60th - est. 901,494 (2002) - est. 72.1/km² | ||||
| Political status | Republic | ||||
| Federal districts of Russia>Federal district | Southern Federal District | ||||
| Economic regions of Russia>Economic Region | North Caucasus | ||||
| Cadaster # | 07 | ||||
| Official languages | Russian, Kabardian, Balkar | ||||
| President | Arsen Bashirovich Kanokov | ||||
| Chairman of the Government | Gennady Sergeyevich Gubin | ||||
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly | ||||
| Anthem | National Anthem of Kabardino-Balkaria | ||||
Contents
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:- Terek River (623 km)
- Malka River (216 km)
- Cherek River (131 km)
- Chegem River (102 km)
- Argudan River
- Baksan River
- Kurkuzhin River
- Lesken River
- Urukh River
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
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.See also
External links
- () [Official website of Kabardino-Balkar Republic].
- () [Official website of the President of the Republic].
- () [Information and many links for pages about Kabardino-Balkaria].
- () [Kabardino-Balkaria information and photo gallery].
- () [Images of Kabardino-Balkaria].
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