South Ossetia
region, Georgia

South Ossetia

region, Georgia
Alternative Title: Yuzhnaya Osetiya

South Ossetia, Russian Yuzhnaya Osetiya, autonomous republic in Georgia that declared independence in 2008. Only a few countries—most notably Russia, which maintains a military presence in South Ossetia—recognize its independence. South Ossetia occupies the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountains. The region is populated largely (about two-thirds) by Ossetes, a Caucasian people speaking an eastern Iranian language. (Many Ossetes also live in the neighbouring republic of North Ossetia–Alania in Russia, which occupies the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.) Most of the remaining inhabitants of South Ossetia are Georgians. Its capital is Tskhinvali. Pop. (2014) 53,532; (2016 est.) 53,000.

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South Ossetia
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