Northern Ossetia

Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Республика Северная Осетия-Алания (Russian) Республикӕ Цӕгат Ирыстон-Алани (Ossetic)
—  Republic  —
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: State Anthem of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
Coordinates: 43°11′N 44°14′E / 43.183°N 44.233°E / 43.183; 44.233Coordinates: 43°11′N 44°14′E / 43.183°N 44.233°E / 43.183; 44.233
Political status
Country	Russia
Federal district	North Caucasian
Economic region	North Caucasus
Established	December 5, 1936
Capital	Vladikavkaz
Government (as of October 2015)
• Head	Vyacheslav Bitarov (acting)
• Legislature	Parliament
Statistics
Area (as of the 2002 Census)
• Total	8,000 km2 (3,100 sq mi)
Area rank	79th
Population (2010 Census)
• Total	712,980
• Rank	64th
• Density	89.12/km2 (230.8/sq mi)
• Urban	63.8%
• Rural	36.2%
Population (January 2015 est.)
• Total	705,270
Time zone(s)	MSK (UTC+03:00)
ISO 3166-2	RU-SE
License plates	15
Official languages	Russian; Ossetian
Official website

The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Russian: Республика Северная Осетия-Алания, tr. Respublika Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya, IPA: [rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə ˈsʲevʲɪrnəjə ɐˈsʲetʲɪjə ɐˈlanʲɪjə]; Ossetian: Республикӕ Цӕгат Ирыстон-Алани, Respublikæ Cægat Iryston-Alani, Ossetic pronunciation: [resˈpublikə t͡səˈgat irɨˈʃton-aˈlani]  listen ) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). Its population according to the 2010 Census was 712,980. Its capital is the city of Vladikavkaz.

In the last years of the Soviet Union, as nationalist movements swept throughout the Caucasus, many intellectuals in the North Ossetian ASSR called for the revival of the name of Alania, a medieval kingdom of the Alans. The term of "Alania" quickly became popular in Ossetian daily life through the names of various enterprises, a TV channel, political and civic organizations, publishing house, football team, etc. In November 1994, the name of "Alania" was officially added to the republic's title (Republic of North Ossetia-Alania).

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Wikipedia