North Ossetia-Alania is small piece of land in the North Caucasus with most of its territory lying in the mountains and the capital in Vladikavkaz. Here the natural beauty of the mountain ranges, clear as crystal waters of rapid rivers and waterfalls and the inherited hospitality of local people offer a contrast to situation in the Region.

The Republic borders with Georgia in the south, the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the west and north-west, the Stavropol Territory in the north, the Republic of Chechnya in the north-east and the Republic of Ingushetia in the east.

North Ossetia became a part of the Russian Empire in 1784, since then the status of the republic and its name changed several times until the year of 1995, when it was finally called North Ossetia-Alania.

The official languages of the republic are Ossetian and Russian.

Population

Being the smallest republic of the Russian Federation (7971 square km), North Ossetia-Alania is actually the most densely populated (over 703 000 people). At this over 90 nationalities live in the republic, though the largest ethnic groups are the Ossetians (53%), the Russians (29.9%), the Ingushes (3%), the Armenians (2.2%), the Georgians (1.9%) and the Ukrainians (1.6%).

Due to the ethnic conflicts in the neighboring regions the population structure changes, as the number of refugees coming to the republic grows.

Many foreigners first learnt about North Ossetia when the Beslan school tragedy drew attention to the region. On the 1st of September, 2004, over 1100 people including children were taken hostage in the building of the school #1. Then 331 people died.