Mahachkala
| Makhachkala (English) Махачкала (Russian) Гьанжи (Lak) МахӀачхъала (Avar) Магьачкъала (Lezgian) |
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.svg) Location of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia |
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 Makhachkala
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| Administrative status (as of December 2013) | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Republic of Dagestan |
| Administratively subordinated to | City of Makhachkala |
| Capital of | Republic of Dagestan |
| Administrative center of | City of Makhachkala |
| Municipal status (as of May 2015) | |
| Urban okrug | Makhachkala Urban Okrug |
| Administrative center of | Makhachkala Urban Okrug |
| City Head | Musa Musayev |
| Representative body | Assembly of Deputies |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 468.13 km2 (180.75 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 Census) | 572,076 inhabitants |
| - Rank in 2010 | 27th |
| Density | 1,222/km2 (3,160/sq mi) |
| Time zone | MSK (UTC+03:00) |
| Founded | 1844 |
| City status since | 1857 |
| Previous names |
Petrovskoye (until 1857), Petrovsk-Port (until 1921) |
| Postal code(s) | 367000-367999 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 8722 |
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Makhachkala (Russian: Махачкала; IPA: [məxət͡ɕkɐˈla]; Lak: Гьанжи; Avar: МахӀачхъала; Lezgian: Магьачкъала; Rutul: МахаӀчкала; Kumyk, “Fort Maghach”) is the capital city of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. It is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea and is home to the Makhachkala Grand Mosque, one of Russia’s largest. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 572,076, making it the largest in the North Caucasus Federal District. The city has an ethnic plurality, with the Avars and Laks as the largest groups.
Founded as a fortress of the Russian Empire in 1844 and given city status thirteen years later, the city bore the name of the Russian Tsar Peter the Great until 1921. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Makhachkala has been affected by Islamist insurgents as spillover from the Second Chechen War when militants invaded Dagestan leading to a renewed conflict between the Russian Federation and militants in the North Caucasus region.
Makhachkala's historic predecessor was the town of Tarki, now a nearby suburb, whose history goes back to the 15th century and possibly much earlier. The modern city of Makhachkala was founded in 1844 as a fortress; town status was granted in 1857. The original Russian name of the city was Petrovskoye (Петро́вское)—after the Russian Tsar Peter the Great who visited the region in 1722 during his Persian Campaign. However, among the locals it was known as Anzhi-Qala, The Pearl Fortress (Qala means fortress, while Anzhi means pearl in Kumyk). After gaining city status, the Petrovskoye fortress was renamed Petrovsk-Port (Петро́вск-Порт) in 1857, sometimes simply Petrovsk. In 1894, a railway line linked the city to Vladikavkaz (in present-day North Ossetia-Alania) and Baku (in present-day Azerbaijan), yet a report from 1904 detailed the spread of malaria and unsuitable drinking water in the city.
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