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Ossetia (pronounced // or //; Ossetic
Ossetic language

Ossetian , also sometimes called Ossete, is an Eastern Iranian languages language spoken in Ossetia, a region on the slopes of the Caucasus Caucasus Mountains....
: ???????, Iryston; Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
: ??????, Osetiya; Georgian
Georgian language

Georgian is the official language of Georgia , a country in the Caucasus .Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad ....
: ?????, Oset'i) is an ethnolinguistic
Ethnolinguistics

Ethnolinguistics is a field of anthropological linguistics which studies the relationship between language and culture, and the way different ethnic groups perceive the world....
 region located on both sides of the Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus

Greater Caucasus , sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of Caucasus Mountains....
 Mountains, largely inhabited by the Ossetians
Ossetians

The Ossetians are an Iranian peoples ethnic group indigenous peoples to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains. The Ossetians mostly populate North Ossetia-Alania in Russia, and South Ossetia a large part of which is now de facto independent....
, an Iranian people
Iranian peoples

The Iranian peoples are an ethnic and linguistic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Iranian plateau and beyond in central-, southern-, and southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe....
 who speak the Ossetian language (an Eastern Iranian language
Eastern Iranian languages

The Eastern Iranian languages are a subgroup of the Iranian languages emerging in Middle Iranian times . The Avestan language is classified as early Eastern Iranian....
, Indo-European group of languages
Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages are a Language family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau , Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent ....
). The Ossetian-speaking area south to the main Caucasus ridge is recognized by most countries as within the borders of Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
, but under the control of the Russian-backed de facto
De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning the fact" or in practice but not necessarily ordained by law. It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or technique that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or contrary to a regulation....
 government of the Republic of South Ossetia
South Ossetia

South Ossetia is a disputed region in the South Caucasus. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991 during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, it is governed by the International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia, which claims the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within t...
.






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Ossetia (pronounced // or //; Ossetic
Ossetic language

Ossetian , also sometimes called Ossete, is an Eastern Iranian languages language spoken in Ossetia, a region on the slopes of the Caucasus Caucasus Mountains....
: ???????, Iryston; Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
: ??????, Osetiya; Georgian
Georgian language

Georgian is the official language of Georgia , a country in the Caucasus .Georgian is the primary language of about 3.9 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad ....
: ?????, Oset'i) is an ethnolinguistic
Ethnolinguistics

Ethnolinguistics is a field of anthropological linguistics which studies the relationship between language and culture, and the way different ethnic groups perceive the world....
 region located on both sides of the Greater Caucasus
Greater Caucasus

Greater Caucasus , sometimes translated as "Caucasus Major", "Big Caucasus" or "Large Caucasus") is the major mountain range of Caucasus Mountains....
 Mountains, largely inhabited by the Ossetians
Ossetians

The Ossetians are an Iranian peoples ethnic group indigenous peoples to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains. The Ossetians mostly populate North Ossetia-Alania in Russia, and South Ossetia a large part of which is now de facto independent....
, an Iranian people
Iranian peoples

The Iranian peoples are an ethnic and linguistic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Iranian plateau and beyond in central-, southern-, and southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe....
 who speak the Ossetian language (an Eastern Iranian language
Eastern Iranian languages

The Eastern Iranian languages are a subgroup of the Iranian languages emerging in Middle Iranian times . The Avestan language is classified as early Eastern Iranian....
, Indo-European group of languages
Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages are a Language family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau , Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent ....
). The Ossetian-speaking area south to the main Caucasus ridge is recognized by most countries as within the borders of Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
, but under the control of the Russian-backed de facto
De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning the fact" or in practice but not necessarily ordained by law. It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or technique that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or contrary to a regulation....
 government of the Republic of South Ossetia
South Ossetia

South Ossetia is a disputed region in the South Caucasus. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991 during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, it is governed by the International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia, which claims the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within t...
. The northern portion of the region consists of the republic of North Ossetia-Alania
North Ossetia-Alania

The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania is a federal subjects of Russia of Russia . The direct romanization of Russian of the Russian name of the republic is Respublika Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya....
 within the Russian Federation.

Recent history

Ossetia01
:For earlier history, see Alans
Alans

The Alans or Alani were a group among the Sarmatians people, Eurasian nomads of the 1st millennium AD who spoke an Eastern Iranian language which derived from Scytho-Sarmatian language and which in turn evolved into modern Ossetian language....
, Sarmatians
Sarmatians

The Sarmatians, Sarmat? or Sauromat? were a people of Ancient Iranian peoples origin. Mentioned by Classics authors, they migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains around fifth century B.C....


  • 1774 - Ossetia is part of the Russian empire
    Russian Empire

    File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
  • 1922 — Ossetia is divided into two parts: North Ossetia remains a part of Russia, South Ossetia
    South Ossetia

    South Ossetia is a disputed region in the South Caucasus. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991 during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, it is governed by the International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia, which claims the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within t...
     - transferred to the Georgian SSR.


  • 20 September, 1990 independent Republic of South Ossetia. The republic remained unrecognized, yet it detached itself from Georgia de facto. In the last years of the Soviet Union
    Soviet Union

    The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
    , ethnic tensions between Ossetians and Georgians in Georgia's former Autonomous Oblast
    Autonomous oblast

    An autonomous oblast is an autonomous entity within the state which is on the oblast level of the overall administrative subdivision....
     of South Ossetia (abolished in 1990) and between Ossetians and the Ingush
    Ingush people

    The Ingush are an ethnic group of the North Caucasus, mostly inhabiting the Russian republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai ....
     in North Ossetia evolved into violent clashes that left several hundreds dead and wounded and created a large tide of refugees on both sides of the border.


Although a Russian-mediated and OSCE-monitored ceasefire
Ceasefire

A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of any armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions....
 was implemented in South Ossetia in 1992, the Georgian-Ossetian conflict
Georgian-Ossetian conflict

The Georgian–Ossetian conflict refers to the ethno-political conflict in Georgia autonomous region of South Ossetia, which evolved in 1989 and developed into a 1991?1992 South Ossetia War....
 still remains unresolved even though a recent peace plan proposed by the government of Georgia promised the South Ossetians larger autonomy
Autonomy

Autonomy is the right to self-government. Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political, and bioethics philosophy. Within these contexts, it refers to the capacity of a Rationality individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision....
 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 under the Russian Federation while the international community refuses to recognize South Ossetia as an independent country and considers the area 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 favour of a new term for South Ossetia's president, Eduard Kokoity
Eduard Kokoity

Eduard Dzhabeyevich Kokoity is the current President of South Ossetia of South Ossetia, recognised only by Russia and Nicaragua, but which is claimed with wider recognition by Georgia ....
.

2008 South Ossetia war

On August 8 2008, the 2008 South Ossetia war
2008 South Ossetia war

The 2008 South Ossetia War, also known as August War, Five-Day War, Georgia-Russia Conflict or Russia-Georgia War, was an war between Georgia on the one side, and Russian Federation together with Separatism in South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
 broke out involving Georgia
Georgia (country)

Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
, South Ossetia
South Ossetia

South Ossetia is a disputed region in the South Caucasus. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991 during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, it is governed by the International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Republic of South Ossetia, which claims the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within t...
, Abkhazia
Abkhazia

Abkhazia is a disputed region on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991 during the Georgian?Abkhaz conflict, it is governed by the International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Republic of Abkhazia....
 and Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
.

See also

  • History of North Ossetia-Alania
    History of North Ossetia-Alania

    The North Ossetia-Alania is a Federal subjects of Russia of Russia , located in the Caucasus region....
  • Alania
    Alania

    Alania can refer to:*Alania, the medieval state of the Alans or Alani people in the North Caucasus.*The short name of the modern North Ossetia-Alania, one of the Caucasian republics in the Russian Federation....


External links

  • Ossetian Dance, Rustavi Dance Company, 2008, YouTube: (6 min 19 sec).
  • Ossetian Dance, 2008, YouTube: (6 min 50 sec).
  • Ossetian Folk Dance, 2007, YouTube: (3 min).