Description
Dagestan (Russian: Дагеста́н), officially the Republic of Dagestan (Russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н), is a federal subject (a republic) of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and largest city is Makhachkala, centrally located on the Caspian Sea coast.
With a population of 2,910,249, Dagestan is very ethnically diverse and Russia's most heterogeneous republic. Russian is the primary official language and the lingua franca among the ethnicities. Largest among the ethnicities are the Russian, Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Lezgian, Laks, Azerbaijani, Tabasaran, Rutuls, Tats, Tsakhurs, Noghai, Aghul and Chechen. The republic’s chief cities are Makhachkala, Derbent, Kizlyar, Izberbash, Kaspiysk and Buynaksk.