Welcome to Republic of Dagestan!
Dagestan (Russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Avar: Магӏарухъ Жумхӏурият) is the most culturally diverse republic in the Caucasus, and at the Caspian Gates between Persia and Europe has been of historic significance since antiquity. Plagued by a decade of conflict since the turn of the century, Dagestan has been a safe and attractive travel destination off the beaten path for several years. Sandy beaches along the Caspian coast and the rural wilderness of the majestic Caucasian mountains await in this region not yet overrun by mass tourism.
It is a republic of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus bordering Chechnya and Georgia to the west, Stavropol Krai and Kalmykia to the north, the Caspian Sea to the east, and Azerbaijan to the south.
Dagestan (Russian: Дагестан, romanized: Dagestan), officially the Republic of Dagestan (Russian: Республика Дагестан, romanized: Respublika Dagestan) is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Federal District. As the southernmost tip of Russia, the republic shares land borders with the countries of Azerbaijan and Georgia to its south and southwest, and borders the Russian republics of Chechnya and Kalmykia to its west and north, while having a border with Stavropol Krai to its northwest. Makhachkala is the capital and largest city, other chief cities are Derbent, Kizlyar, Izberbash, Kaspiysk and Buynaksk.
The republic covers an area of 50,300 square kilometres (19,400 square miles), with a population of over 3.1 million residents, of more than 30 ethnic groups and 81 nationalities. With 14 official languages, and 12 ethnic groups constituting more than 1% of it's total population, the republic is one of the most linguistically and ethnically diverse, as well as the most heterogeneous administrative divisions in both Russia and the world. Most of the residents speak one of the Northeast Caucasian, Iranian or Turkic languages, however, Russian is the primary language and the lingua franca in the republic.