South Ossetia
South Ossetia (/ɒˈsɛtjə/, less commonly /ɒˈsiːʃə/),[4] officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania,[5][6] or the Tskhinvali Region, is a de facto,[7] disputed territory recognised as part of Georgia in the Caucasus region.
Republic of South Ossetia – The State of Alania | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Emblem
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| Anthem: National Anthem of South Ossetia National Anthem of South Ossetia – Республикӕ Хуссар Ирыстоны Паддзахадон Гимн | |
.png) South Ossetia (green), Georgia, and Abkhazia (light grey). | |
 Map of South Ossetia. | |
| Status | Partially recognised state Recognised by the United Nations as de jure part of Georgia |
| Capital and largest city | Tskhinvali 42°14′N 43°58′E / 42.233°N 43.967°E |
| Official languages | |
| Recognised regional languages | Georgian |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic |
| Alan Gagloyev | |
| Gennady Bekoyev | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Independence from Georgia | |
• Formed as part of USSR | 20 September 1990[1] |
• Act of state independence | 21 December 1991 |
• Recognized | 26 August 2008 (limited) |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,900 km2 (1,500 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | negligible |
| Population | |
• 2015 census | 53,532 (212th) |
• Density | 13.7/km2 (35.5/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2017[2] estimate |
• Total | US$0.1 billion |
• Per capita | US$2,000 |
| Currency | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (MSK) |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +995 34 |
South Ossetia was a Soviet oblast (region) with some self-rule and controlled big parts of the region. When it declared its independence in 1990, Georgia tried to take back the region by force and it led to the 1991-1992 South Ossetia War.[8] Georgia tried to retake South Ossetia again in 2004 and in 2008.[9] In 2008, Ossetia's fighters were backed by Russian troops and they gained full control of the region, but its separation from Georgia has only been recognized by three[source?] other countries (Russia, Nicaragua and Venezuela) and Abkhazia (a similar place), and it is de jure (officially) a part of the Georgian region (mkhare) of Shida Kartli.
Internationally regarded as a Russian occupied territory of Georgia, Georgia itself refuses to recognize rebel South Ossetia as an independent state; the government calls it by the medieval name of Samachablo or, more recently, Tskhinvali region (after the republic's capital).
South Ossetia is a geographical state that borders North Ossetia-Alania to the north which is not an independent entity due to it being part of Russia.
South Ossetia relies heavily on Russian aid.[10][11][12]
Sometimes, South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia are named collectively as post-Soviet "frozen conflict" zones.[13][14]
GeographyEdit
South Ossetia is situated at central Caucasus, a border between Asia and Europe. It occupies a part of Greater Caucasus range and the foothills of Kartalin Valley.[15] South Ossetia is a very mountainous region.
Related pagesEdit
NotesEdit
- ↑ "Unrecognized states: South Ossetia" (in Russian). 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ "Валовой внутренний продукт". Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ↑ Presidential Elections in South Ossetia – Plan B
The first round of voting was accompanied by a referendum in which the Ossetians were to decide whether Russian should become the second official language of South Ossetia. Nearly 85 per cent of the voters supported the referendum.
- ↑ "Ossetia" Archived 23 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Collins English Dictionary.
- ↑ "South Ossetia Referendum on Name Change Steers Clear of Thornier Unification Issue". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ↑ "Referendum to rename South Ossetia 'Alania' set for April". OC Media. 7 February 2017. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- ↑ De facto - in practice, not necessarily in law
- ↑ The Foreign Policy of Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests. Robert H. Donaldson, Joseph L. Nogee. M.E. Sharpe. 2005. p. 199. ISBN 9780765615688.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ Charles King (2008). "The Five-Day War: Managing Moscow After the Georgia Crisis" (PDF). Foreign Affairs. Georgetown University (November/December). Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
- ↑ "South Ossetia Looking Much Like a Failed State". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 July 2010. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
- ↑ "NATO Membership Would Strain Georgia's Ties with Russia – Medvedev". RIA Novosti. 7 August 2013. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- ↑ Smolar, Piotr (8 October 2013). "Georgia wary of Russian encroachment". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
- ↑ OSCE: De Gucht Discusses Montenegro Referendum, Frozen Conflicts Archived 27 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, GlobalSecurity.org Archived 28 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Archived 24 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, May 2006
- ↑ Vladimir Socor, "Frozen Conflicts in the Black Sea-South Caucasus Region". Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link), IASPS Policy Briefings, 1 March 2004 - ↑ "About the Republic of South Ossetia". Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
