A FONDO : República rusa de Osetia del Norte (Parte 1) (Mayo 2024)
Osetia del Norte – Alania, también llamada Osetia del Norte, Severnaya rusa Osetiya – Alaniya, respublika (república) en el suroeste de Rusia, en el flanco norte de la cordillera del Gran Cáucaso. Limita al sur con Georgia y al norte con las gamas Sunzha y Terek. La capital y ciudad más grande es Vladikavkaz.
Examen
Todo está en el nombre
¿Cuál era otro nombre para Sri Lanka?
Osetia del Norte es montañosa, con la Cordillera Glavny (Principal) alcanzando 15,682 pies (4,780 metros) en el Monte Dzhimara y otros picos en la república alcanzando más de 14,000 pies (4,250 metros). Paralelamente al rango de cresta Glavny hay una serie de rangos más bajos a través de los cuales los ríos han cortado profundas y pintorescas gargantas. La república se encuentra totalmente en la cuenca del río Terek superior y sus afluentes de flujo rápido, que emergen en las montañas y se unen antes de atravesar la Cordillera de Sunzha hacia el norte en otra garganta profunda. Un panhandle norteño de la república se extiende sobre las gamas Sunzha y Terek para incluir parte de la llanura Terek media alrededor de Mozdok.
El clima, los suelos y la vegetación varían mucho con el relieve. En las áreas más bajas hay vegetación esteparia en suelos negros fértiles, que dan paso a bosques densos caducifolios de roble y haya. Más altos todavía están los bosques de coníferas de abeto, abeto y pino, que finalmente dan paso a praderas alpinas y finalmente a rocas y hielo desnudos. La severidad del régimen de temperatura y la lluvia aumentan con la elevación. En las cuencas de los ríos, la precipitación es de 24 pulgadas (600 mm) por año o menos; en áreas más altas, hasta 35 pulgadas (900 mm).
Ossetes are of mixed Iranian-Caucasian origin; their language belongs to the Iranian group of the Indo-European family of languages. From the 7th century bce to the 1st century ce Ossetia came under Scythian-Sarmatian influence, which was succeeded by that of the warlike Alani, who are believed to be the direct ancestors of the present-day Ossetes. Later the Mongol empire of the 13th century extended its sway over Ossetia, and the Alani were forced to move into the mountainous regions. Russian colonization began in the northern Ossetian area especially after the establishment of the fortress of Vladikavkaz in 1784. In addition to Ossetes and Russians, the republic is populated by Ingush, Armenians, Georgians, and Ukrainians. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the predominant religion, and Sunni Muslims make up a small but significant minority. Indigenous pre-Christian and pre-Islamic practices exist alongside these and other faiths, and elements of traditional beliefs have been integrated into North Ossetian religious life.
In the 1990s many Ingush in the republic were forced to flee to neighbouring Ingushetiya, and fighting flared in the South Ossetia region of Georgia, where Ossetes sought independence or union with North Ossetia. The city of Beslan, in northeastern North Ossetia, was the site of ethnic violence in 2004, when Chechen militants seized a school and some 1,200 hostages, mostly children; following an armed battle between the militants and Russian security forces, some 325 people were killed and about 700 were wounded.
Industry in the republic is concentrated in Vladikavkaz and includes metallurgy and the manufacture of building materials, chemicals, and foodstuffs; lead, zinc, and dolomite are mined. Timber exploitation, particularly of beech forests, is important on both flanks of the Caucasus. The mountains are also a popular tourist destination. Hydroelectric plants have been built on the Terek River at Vladikavkaz and on the Gizeldon River. Agriculture is concentrated on the lower slopes and near Mozdok; the irrigated fields produce wheat, corn (maize), potatoes, hemp, and fruit. Sheep and cattle are raised on the higher slopes.
Two major highways across the Caucasus pass through Ossetia—the Georgian and Ossetian military highways, which were built in the 19th century during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. Construction began in the late 20th century on a new all-weather highway. Vladikavkaz is also linked by highways with Grozny (Chechnya) and the Caspian and with Rostov-na-Donu. The republic is also served by the Rostov-Baku railway. Vladikavkaz is the seat of the state university (founded 1969), which is named for the Ossetian national poet Kosta Khetagurov (1859–1906). Area 3,100 square miles (8,000 square km). Pop. (2010) 712,877.
