Ossetia

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Ethnolinguistic region in the Caucasus

title: "Ossetia" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ossetia", "geography-of-the-caucasus", "geography-of-georgia-(country)", "geography-of-russia", "historical-regions-of-asia"] description: "Ethnolinguistic region in the Caucasus" topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossetia" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Ethnolinguistic region in the Caucasus ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Ossetia01.png" caption="North]] and [[South Ossetia"] ::

Ossetia ( , less common: ; Iron Ossetian: Ирыстон, romanized: os, ; Digor Ossetian: Иристон, romanized: os; or Ир romanized: Ir) is an ethnolinguistic region on both sides of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, largely inhabited by the Ossetians. The Ossetian language is part of the Eastern Iranian branch of the family of Indo-European languages. Most countries recognize the Ossetian-speaking area south of the main Caucasus ridge as lying within the borders of Georgia, but it has come under the control of the de facto government of the Russian-backed Republic of South Ossetia. The northern portion of the region consists of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania within the Russian Federation.

Recent history{{anchor|History}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Caucasus-ethnic_en.svg" caption="#d9d33e}}"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Ossetian_tribes.png" caption="archive-date=8 June 2020 }}"] ::

Although a Russian-mediated and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe-monitored ceasefire was implemented in South Ossetia in 1992, the Georgian-Ossetian conflict still remains unresolved even though a recent peace plan proposed by the government of Georgia promised the South Ossetians larger autonomy and pledged expanded international involvement in the political settlement of the conflict. Meanwhile, the South Ossetian secessionist authorities demand independence or unification with North Ossetia, which itself is located in Russia, while the international community instead recognizes it and Abkhazia as a part of Georgia.

On Sunday 12 November 2006, South Ossetians (mostly ethnic Ossetians) went to the polls to vote in a referendum regarding the region's independence from Georgia. The result was a "yes" to independence, with a turnout above 95% from those among the territory's 70,000 people who were eligible to vote at that time. There was also a vote in favor of a new term for Eduard Kokoity, who was the de facto state's president at the time.

There have been proposals from South Ossetia for joining the Russian Federation and uniting with North Ossetia.

References

References

  1. Foltz, Richard. (2022). "The Ossetes: Modern-Day Scythians of the Caucasus". Bloomsbury.
  2. (2010). "Appendix B: Map of South Ossetia". South Ossetia.
  3. Stepanova, Ekaterina. (2008). "South Ossetia and Abkhazia: Placing the Conflict in Context". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
  4. Manutscharjan, Aschot. (2008). "Abkhazia and South Ossetia – Russia's Intervention in Georgia (August 2008)". Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
  5. Markedonov, Sergey. (2015). "The South Ossetia conflict". Verlag Barbara Budrich.
  6. "Ocetnnckni paggerenke племен восле монгольского нашествия".
  7. "Russian Ossetia map".
  8. "Sokirianskaia". CEU.
  9. "Историческое топографическое статистическое этнографическое и военное описание Кавказа".
  10. (21 April 2016). "South Ossetia profile". BBC News.
  11. Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – South Ossetia (unrecognized state)".
  12. Ghebali. (October 2011). "Helsinki".
  13. Avrasya. (2005). "Ehatipoglu". Obiv.
  14. Souleimanov, Emil. (2013). "Understanding ethnopolitical conflict : Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia wars reconsidered".
  15. Human Rights Watch. (2009). "Up in flames : humanitarian law violations and civilian victims in the conflict over South Ossetia". Human Rights Watch.
  16. (2 February 2012). "Results Due In South Ossetian Referendum". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  17. (12 November 2006). "Ossetia votes on independence". [[Al Jazeera English]].
  18. "South Ossetia: Russian, Georgian... independent?". OpenDemocracy.
  19. Kucera, Joshu. (31 March 2022). "South Ossetia says it will seek to join Russia". [[Eurasianet]].
  20. Grobman, Ekaterina. (31 March 2022). "Вопрос о присоединении Южной Осетии к России будет решаться после выборов в республике". [[Vedomosti]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

ossetiageography-of-the-caucasusgeography-of-georgia-(country)geography-of-russiahistorical-regions-of-asia