Хуссар Ирыстон სამხრეთ ოსეთი Южная Осетия South Ossetia
Areas controlled by Georgian government are colored grey - according to Georgian sources
Area
-	Total	3,900 km²  1,506 sq mi
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	2000 estimate	70,000
-	Density	18/km²  46. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. M^2 redirects here For other uses see M². CM2 redirects here The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 6/sq mi
Time zone		(UTC+3)

South Ossetia (Ossetian: Хуссар Ирыстон, Khussar Iryston; Georgian: სამხრეთ ოსეთი, Samkhret Oseti; Russian: Южная Осетия, Yuzhnaya Osetiya) is a region in the South Caucasus, formerly the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of which has been de facto independent from Georgia since its declaration of independence as the Republic of South Ossetia during the Georgian-Ossetian conflict early in the 1990s. Ossetic or Ossetian (Ирон ӕвзаг Iron ævzag or Иронау Ironau) also sometimes called Ossete, is an Iranian Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The South Caucasus is a mountainous geopolitical area of south-central Eurasia, also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Transcaucasus. The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast ( Ossetian: Хуссар Ирыстоны автономон бӕстӕ სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (საქართველოს საბჭოთასოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between This article is about declarations of independence in general Its independence has not been recognized by any United Nations-member state which continue to regard South Ossetia as part of Georgia. Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences whereby a state acknowledges an act The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Georgia has retained control over parts of the region's eastern and southern districts where it created, in April 2007, a Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia^[1][2][3][4]) headed by ethnic Ossetians (former members of the separatist government) which would negotiate with central Georgian authorities regarding its final status and conflict resolution. ^[5]

Contents 1 Political status 2 History 2.1 Medieval and early modern period 2.2 South Ossetia under Russia and the Soviet Union 2.3 Georgian-Ossetian conflict 3 Politics 3.1 Republic of South Ossetia 3.2 Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia 4 Geography 5 Demographics 6 Economy 7 See also 8 Notes 9 External links

Political status

The United Nations, European Union, OSCE, Council of the European Union, NATO and most of the countries around the world recognize South Ossetia as part of the Georgia. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The Council of the European Union is the principal decision making institution in the European Union (EU The North Atlantic Treaty However, the de facto independent republic governed by the secessionist government held a second independence referendum^[6] on November 12, 2006, after its first referendum in 1992 was not recognized by the international community as valid. Referendum South Ossetia, independent partially recognized republic in the South Caucasus, formerly the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[7] According to the Tskhinvali election authorities, the referendum turned out a majority for independence from Georgia where 99% of South Ossetian voters supported independence and the turnout for the vote was 95%^[8] and the referendum was monitored by a team of 34 international observers from Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden and other countries at 78 polling stations^[9]. Election monitoring is the observation of an Election by one or more independent parties typically from another country or a Non-governmental organization (NGO Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. However, it was not recognized internationally by the UN, European Union, OSCE, NATO and the Russian Federation, given the lack of ethnic Georgian participation and the legality of such referendum without recognition from the central government in Tbilisi. ^[10] The European Union, OSCE, NATO and the USA condemned the referendum. Parallel to the secessionist held referendum and elections, the Ossetian opposition movement (The Salvation Union of South Ossetia) to Kokoity, organised their own elections in which both Georgian and some Ossetian inhabitants of the region voted in favour of Dmitri Sanakoev as the alternative President of South Ossetia. People of South Ossetia for Peace ( Ossetian: Цӕгат райгуырынц Хуссар Ирыстон movement is the main opposition party and political movement in Dmitry Sanakoyev (born 1969) is a South Ossetian Georgian politician a former official in the secessionist government of South Ossetia and ^[11] The alternative elections of Sanakoev claimed full support of the ethnic Georgian population. In 2007, Dmitri Sanakoev became the head of the Provisional Administration of South Ossetia.

On July 13, 2007, Georgia set up a state commission, chaired by the Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, to develop South Ossetia's autonomous status within the Georgian state. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Zurab Noghaideli (ზურაბ ნოღაიდელი (born 22 October 1964) is a Georgian businessman and a retired politician who served According to the Georgian officials, the status will be elaborated within the framework of "an all-inclusive dialogue" with all the forces and communities within the Ossetian society. ^[12]

History

Medieval and early modern period

The Ossetians are originally descendants of the Alans, a Sarmatian tribe. The Ossetians (ирæттæ irættæ are an Iranic Ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae ( Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer' Σαρμάτες They became Christians during the early Middle Ages, under Georgian and Byzantine influences. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Under Mongol rule, they were pushed out of their medieval homeland south of the Don river in present-day Russia and part migrated towards and over the Caucasus mountains, to Georgia^[13] where they formed three distinct territorial entities. The Don (Дон is one of the major rivers of Russia. It rises in the town of Novomoskovsk 60 Kilometres southeast from Tula, southeast The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East Digor in the west came under the influence of the neighboring Kabard people, who introduced Islam. Kabarda or Kabard are terms referring to a people of the northern Caucasus more commonly known by the plural term Kabardin (or Kebertei For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Tualläg in the south became what is now South Ossetia, part of the historical Georgian principality of Samachablo^[14] where Ossetians found refuge from Mongol invaders. Samachablo (სამაჩაბლო is a historical district in Shida Kartli, Georgia, which currently lies entirely within the breakaway Republic of South Iron in the north became what is now North Ossetia, under Russian rule from 1767. The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Респу́блика Се́верная Осе́тия–Ала́ния Ossetic: Республикӕ Цӕгат Ирыстон — Алани Most Ossetians are now Christian (approximately 61%); there is also a significant Muslim minority.

South Ossetia under Russia and the Soviet Union

The modern-day South Ossetia was annexed by Russia in 1801, along with Georgia proper, and absorbed into the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya Following the Russian Revolution, South Ossetia became a part of the Menshevik Georgian Democratic Republic, while the north became a part of the Terek Soviet Republic. The Mensheviks (Minority (Меньшевик) were a faction of the Russian Revolutionary movement that emerged in 1903 after a dispute between Vladimir The Democratic Republic of Georgia ( DRG; Georgian: საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა Sakartvelos Terek Soviet Republic (Терская Советская Республика (March 1918 &mdash February 1919 was created within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The area saw a series of Ossetian rebellions during which claims for independence were made. Georgian government accused Ossetians of cooperating with Bolsheviks. According to Ossetian sources about 5,000 Ossetians were killed and more than 13,000 subsequently died from hunger and epidemics. ^[15]

The Soviet Georgian government established by the Russian 11th Red Army in 1921, created the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast (i. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast ( Ossetian: Хуссар Ирыстоны автономон бӕстӕ სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური e. district) in April 1922. Although the Ossetians had their own language (Ossetian), Russian and Georgian were administrative/state languages. Ossetic or Ossetian (Ирон ӕвзаг Iron ævzag or Иронау Ironau) also sometimes called Ossete, is an Iranian Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. ^[16] In the Soviet time, under the rule of Georgia's government, it enjoyed some degree of autonomy, including to speaking the Ossetian language and teaching it in schools. Ossetic or Ossetian (Ирон ӕвзаг Iron ævzag or Иронау Ironau) also sometimes called Ossete, is an Iranian ^[17]

Georgian-Ossetian conflict

Main article: Georgian-Ossetian conflict

The tensions in the region began to rise amid the rising nationalism among both Georgians and Ossetians in 1989. Prior to this, the two communities of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast of Georgian SSR had been living in peace with each other except for the 1918-1920 events. The South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast ( Ossetian: Хуссар Ирыстоны автономон бӕстӕ სამხრეთ ოსეთის ავტონომიური The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (საქართველოს საბჭოთასოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა Both ethnicities have had a high level of interaction and high rates of intermarriages.

Influential South Ossetian Popular Front (Ademon Nykhas) was created in 1988. On 10 November 1989 South Ossetian regional council asked the Georgian Supreme Soviet for the region to be upgraded to autonomous republic. Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics (ASSRs of the Soviet Union were administrative units created for certain nations In 1989 the Georgian Supreme Soviet established Georgian as the principal language countrywide. Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. ^[15]

The Georgian Supreme Soviet adopted a law barring regional parties in summer 1990. This was interpreted by Ossetians as a move against Ademon Nykhas and led to Ossetians proclaiming South Ossetia a Soviet Democratic Republic^[18], fully sovereign within the USSR. The Republics of the Soviet Union were according to the Article 76 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution, Sovereign Soviet Socialist states that had united with other Ossetians boycotted subsequent Georgian parliamentary elections and held their own contest in December. The Georgian government headed by Zviad Gamsakhurdia declared this election illegitimate and abolished South Ossetia's autonomous status altogether on 11 December, 1990. Zviad Gamsakhurdia ( Georgian: ზვიად გამსახურდია, ( March 31, 1939 — December 31, 1993 ^[15]

Violent conflict broke out towards the end of 1991 during which many South Ossetian villages were attacked and burned down as well as Georgian houses and schools in Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. As a result, approximately 1,000 died and about 100,000 ethnic Ossetians fled the territory and Georgia proper, most across the border into North Ossetia. A further 23,000 ethnic Georgians fled South Ossetia and settled in other parts of Georgia. ^[19] Many South Ossetians were resettled in uninhabited areas of North Ossetia from which the Ingush had been expelled by Stalin in 1944, leading to conflicts between Ossetians and Ingush over the right of residence in former Ingush territory. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party

At the time of the dissolution of the USSR, the United States government recognized as legitimate the pre-Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 1933 borders of the country (the Franklin D. Roosevelt government established diplomatic relations with the Kremlin at the end of that year^[20]). Tskhinvali (also spelled Cchinvali or Cxinvali; ცხინვალი t͡sxinvɑli Цхинвал or Чъреба Tskhinval or Ch'reba The Soviet Union 's collapse into independent nations began early in 1985 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Stimson Doctrine is a policy of the United States federal government, enunciated in a note of January 7 1932 to Japan and Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Because of this, the George H. W. Bush administration openly supported the secession of the Baltic SSRs, but regarded the questions related to the independence and territorial conflicts of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the rest of the Transcaucasus — which were integral part of the USSR with international borders unaltered since the 1920s — as internal Soviet affairs. George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12 1924 served as the forty-first President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 The Baltic states (Balti riigid Baltijas valstis Baltijos valstybės or Baltic countries are three countries in Northern Europe, all members of the Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South The South Caucasus is a mountainous geopolitical area of south-central Eurasia, also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Transcaucasus. ^[21]

In 1992, Georgia was forced to accept a ceasefire to avoid a large scale confrontation with Russia. The government of Georgia and South Ossetian separatists reached an agreement to avoid the use of force against one another, and Georgia pledged not to impose sanctions against South Ossetia. However, the Georgian government still retains control over substantial portions of South Ossetia, including the town of Akhalgori. Akhalgori (ახალგორი or Leningor (Ленингор is a town in South Ossetia, De facto independent partially ^[22] A peacekeeping force of Ossetians, Russians and Georgians was established. On November 6, 1992, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) set up a Mission in Georgia to monitor the peacekeeping operation. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) From then, until mid-2004 South Ossetia was generally peaceful. In June 2004, tensions began to rise as the Georgian authorities strengthened their efforts against smuggling in the region. ^[23] Hostage takings, shootouts and occasional bombings left dozens dead and wounded. A ceasefire deal was reached on August 13 though it was repeatedly violated. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Presently the situation is tense though largely peaceful, although Moscow and Tskhinvali view the recent Georgian military build-up with concern. The Georgian Armed Forces ( საქართველოს შეიარაღებული ძალები) is the name of the unified armed forces of the Georgia The Georgian government protests against the continually increasing Russian economic and political presence in the region, as well as the uncontrolled military of the South Ossetian side. It also considers the peacekeeping force to be non-neutral and demanded its replacement. ^[24] This criticism was supported, for example, by Richard Lugar^[25], however on October 5, 2006, Javier Solana, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, ruled out the possibility of replacing the Russian peacekeepers with the EU force. Richard Green "Dick" Lugar (born April 4, 1932) is the senior United States Senator from Indiana. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, PhD (born 14 July 1942 in Madrid, Spain is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP The High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (HR is the main co-ordinator of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the European Union The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in ^[26] EU South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby admitted later that "Russia's actions in the Georgia spy row have damaged its credibility as a neutral peacekeeper in the EU's Black Sea neighbourhood. The 2006 Georgian-Russian espionage controversy began when the Government of Georgia arrested four Russian officers on charges of Espionage, "^[27]

Politics

The Republic of South Ossetia consists of a checkerboard of Georgian-inhabited and Ossetian-inhabited towns and villages. The largely Ossetian capital city of Tskhinvali and most of the other Ossetian-inhabited communities are governed by the separatist government, while the Georgian-inhabited villages and towns are administered by the Georgian government. This close proximity and the intermixing of the two communities has made the conflict in South Ossetia particularly dangerous, since any attempt to create an ethnically pure territory would involve population transfers on a large scale. Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion

The political dispute has yet to be resolved and the South Ossetian separatist authorities govern the region with effective independence from Tbilisi. Although talks have been held periodically between the two sides, little progress was made under the government of Eduard Shevardnadze (1993–2003). Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze (ედუარდ შევარდნაძე ɛduɑrd ʃɛvɑrdnɑdzɛ (born 25 January 1928 in Mamati, Lanchkhuti His successor Mikheil Saakashvili (elected 2004) made the reassertion of Georgian governmental authority a political priority. Mikheil Saakashvili (მიხეილ ნიკოლოზის ძე სააკაშვილი (born 21 December 1967, a Georgian Politician, the Having successfully put an end to the de facto independence of the southwestern province of Ajaria in May 2004, he pledged to seek a similar solution in South Ossetia. After the 2004 clashes, the Georgian government has intensified its efforts to bring the problem to international attention. On January 25, 2005, President Saakashvili presented a Georgian vision for resolving the South Ossetian conflict at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) session in Strasbourg. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the Strasbourg (Strasbourg stʁazbuʁ Alsatian: Strossburi,; Straßburg) is the capital and principal City of the Alsace région Late in October, the U.S. Government and the OSCE expressed their support to the Georgian action plan presented by Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli at the OSCE Permanent Council at Vienna on October 27, 2005. The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. Zurab Noghaideli (ზურაბ ნოღაიდელი (born 22 October 1964) is a Georgian businessman and a retired politician who served Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On December 6, the OSCE Ministerial Council in Ljubljana adopted a resolution supporting the Georgian peace plan ^[28] which was subsequently rejected by the South Ossetian de facto authorities. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Ljubljana ( is the largest and Capital city of Slovenia. It is located in the center of the country and is a mid-sized city of some 270000 inhabitants

Republic of South Ossetia

Government of the Republic of South Ossetia
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: unknown
Capital		Tskhinvali 42°14′N 43°58′E / 42.233, 43.967
Official languages		Ossetian, Russian1
Government
-	President	Eduard Kokoity
-	Prime Minister	Yury Morozov
De facto independence from Georgia
-	Declared	November 28, 1991
-	Recognition	none
Currency		Russian ruble (RUB)
1	Russian in widespread use by government and other institutions. South Ossetia ( or; Хуссар Ирыстон Xussar Iryston; Южная Осетия Yuzhnaya Osetiya; სამხრეთი ოსეთი Samxreti The flag used by Republic of South Ossetia is a Tricolour, top to bottom White, Red, and Yellow. There are currently two entities claiming to be the government of South Ossetia, the breakaway Republic of South Ossetia and the pro-Georgia Provisional Administration of A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's Tskhinvali (also spelled Cchinvali or Cxinvali; ცხინვალი t͡sxinvɑli Цхинвал or Чъреба Tskhinval or Ch'reba An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Ossetic or Ossetian (Ирон ӕвзаг Iron ævzag or Иронау Ironau) also sometimes called Ossete, is an Iranian Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. This is a list of Presidents of the Republic of South Ossetia and the holders of the precursor to the office Eduard Dzhabeyevich Kokoity (Кокойты Джабейы фырт Эдуард Эдуа́рд Джабе́евич Коко́йты surname also rendered as Kokoyty or The Prime Minister of South Ossetia is the Head of government of the Republic of South Ossetia. Yury Morozov is a former Prime Minister of South Ossetia. On 18 August 2008 it was announced that Morozov and his government had been dismissed by South Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The ruble or rouble (рубль rublʹ, plural ru рубли́ rubli; see note on English spelling and Russian plurals with numbers ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages

On September 11, 2006, the South Ossetian Information and Press Committee announced that the republic will hold an independence referendum^[29] (the first referendum had not been recognized by the international community as valid in 1992^[30]) on November 12, 2006. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Referendum South Ossetia, independent partially recognized republic in the South Caucasus, formerly the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The voters would decide on whether or not South Ossetia "should preserve its present de facto status of an independent state". Georgia denounced the move as a "political absurdity". However, On September 13, 2006, the Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Terry Davis commented on the problem, stating that it would be unlikely that anyone would accept the results of this referendum and instead urged South Ossetian government to engage in the negotiations with Georgia. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 Terry Davis may refer to Terry Davis (author (born 1947 American novelist Terry Davis (basketball (born 1967 American former professional ^[31] On September 13, 2006 EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, while visiting Moscow, said: "results of the South Ossetian independence referendum will have no meaning for the European Union". Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The South Caucasus is a mountainous geopolitical area of south-central Eurasia, also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Transcaucasus. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of ^[32] Peter Semneby also added that this referendum will not contribute to the peaceful conflict resolution process in South Ossetia

South Ossetians nearly unanimously approved a referendum on November 12, 2006 opting for independence from Georgia. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The referendum was hugely popular, winning between 98 and 99 percent of the ballots, flag waving and celebration marked were seen across South Ossetia, but elsewhere observers were less enthusiastic. International critics claimed that the move could worsen regional tensions, and the Tblisi government thoroughly discounted the results.

Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia

Provisional Administration of South Ossetia
Flag Coat of arms
Capital		Kurta
Official languages		Ossetian, Georgian
Government		Provisional Administration
-	Head of Administration	Dmitri Sanakoyev [33]
-	Interior Minister	Jemal Karkusov
Provisional administrative entity of Georgia 1
-	Established	April, 2007
-	Recognition	None
Currency		Georgian lari (GEL)
1	Administration was set up by the Georgian government as a temporary measure before final solution on South Ossetia status. South Ossetia ( or; Хуссар Ирыстон Xussar Iryston; Южная Осетия Yuzhnaya Osetiya; სამხრეთი ოსეთი Samxreti The flag used by Republic of South Ossetia is a Tricolour, top to bottom White, Red, and Yellow. There are currently two entities claiming to be the government of South Ossetia, the breakaway Republic of South Ossetia and the pro-Georgia Provisional Administration of An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Ossetic or Ossetian (Ирон ӕвзаг Iron ævzag or Иронау Ironau) also sometimes called Ossete, is an Iranian Georgian (ka ქართული ენა kartuli ena) is the Official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Dmitry Sanakoyev (born 1969) is a South Ossetian Georgian politician a former official in the secessionist government of South Ossetia and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The lari ( Georgian: ლარი; ISO 4217:GEL is the Currency of Georgia. ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established As of June 26, 2007 Georgia is investigating autonomous republic status for South Ossetia within the Georgian state.

The People of South Ossetia for Peace was founded in October of 2006 by the ethnic Ossetians who were outspoken critics and presented a serious opposition to secessionist authorities of Eduard Kokoity. People of South Ossetia for Peace ( Ossetian: Цӕгат райгуырынц Хуссар Ирыстон movement is the main opposition party and political movement in

The group headed by the former defence minister and then prime minister of secessionist government Dmitri Sanakoev organized the so-called alternative presidential election, on November 12 2006– parallel to those held by the secessionist authorities in Tskhinvali. Dmitry Sanakoyev (born 1969) is a South Ossetian Georgian politician a former official in the secessionist government of South Ossetia and Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days ^[34] High voter turnout was reported by the alternative electoral commission, which estimated over 42,000 voters from both Ossetian (Java district and Tskhinvali) and Georgian (Eredvi, Tamarasheni, etc) communities of South Ossetia and Sanakoev reportedly received 96% of the votes. Another referendum was organised shortly after asking for the start of negotiations with Georgia on a federal arrangement for South Ossetia received 94% support. However the Salvation Union of South Ossetia turned down a request from a Georgian NGO, “Multinational Georgia”, to monitor it and the released results were very likely to be inflated. ^[23]

According to International Crisis Group "Georgian government’s steps are non-violent and development-oriented but their implementation is unilateral and so assertive that they are contributing to a perceptible and dangerous rise in tensions". The International Crisis Group ( ICG) is an independent international Non-profit, Non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve ^[23]

Initially the entity of Sanakoev was known as "the Alternative Government of South Ossetia", but during the course of 2007 the central authorities of Georgia decided to give it official status and on April 13 the formation of "Provisional Administration of South Ossetia" was announced. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople ^[35] On May 10, 2007 Dmitry Sanakoev was appointed head of the provisional administrative entity in South Ossetia. ^[36]

An E.U. fact finding team visited the region in January of 2007. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Events in January Holidays New Year's Day - January 1 Coptic Christmas - January 7 Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Per Eklund, Head of the European Commission Delegation to Georgia said that “None of the two alternatives do we consider legitimate [in South Ossetia],” ^[37]

Geography

South Ossetia covers an area of about 3,900 km² on the southern side of the Caucasus, separated by the mountains from the more populous North Ossetia (part of Russia) and extending southwards almost to the Mtkvari river in Georgia. The Caucasus ( also referred to as North Caucasus) is a geopolitical region located between Europe Asia & Middle East The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Респу́блика Се́верная Осе́тия–Ала́ния Ossetic: Республикӕ Цӕгат Ирыстон — Алани Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending It is extremely mountainous, with most of the region lying over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level. Its economy is primarily agricultural, although less than 10% of South Ossetia's land area is cultivated, with cereals, fruit and vines the major produce. Forestry and cattle industries are also maintained. A number of industrial facilities also exist, particularly around the capital Tskhinvali. Tskhinvali (also spelled Cchinvali or Cxinvali; ცხინვალი t͡sxinvɑli Цхинвал or Чъреба Tskhinval or Ch'reba

Demographics

Before the Georgian-Ossetian conflict about two thirds of the population of South Ossetia were Ossetians and 25-30% Georgians. The Ossetians (ирæттæ irættæ are an Iranic Ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the The present composition of the population is unknown, although according to some estimates there are 45,000 ethnic Ossetians and 17,500 ethnic Georgians in South Ossetia in 2007. ^[38]

	census 1926	census 1939	census 1959	census 1970	census 1979	census 1989
Ossetians	60,351 (69. The Ossetians (ирæттæ irættæ are an Iranic Ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains 1%)	72,266 (68. 1%)	63,698 (65. 8%)	66,073 (66. 5%)	65,077 (66. 4%)	65,200 (66. 2%)
Georgians	23,538 (26. The Georgians (ქართველები kartvelebi) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus, the oldest group of the 9%)	27,525 (25. 9%)	26,584 (27. 5%)	28,125 (28. 3%)	28,187 (28. 8%)	28,700 (29. 0%)
Russians	157 (0. The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries 2%)	2,111 (2. 0%)	2,380 (2. 5%)	1,574 (1. 6%)	2,046 (2. 1%)
Armenians	1,374 (1. The Armenians (Հայեր Hayer) are a Nation and Ethnic group originating in the Caucasus and in the Armenian Highlands A large 6%)	1,537 (1. 4%)	1,555 (1. 6%)	1,254 (1. 3%)	953 (1. 0%)
Jews	1,739 (2. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ 0%)	1,979 (1. 9%)	1,723 (1. 8%)	1,485 (1. 5%)	654 (0. 7%)
Others	216 (0. 2%)	700 (0. 7%)	867 (0. 9%)	910 (0. 9%)	1,071 (1. 1%)	5,100 (4. 8%)
Total	87,375	106,118	96,807	99,421	97,988	99,000

Economy

Following a war with Georgia in the 1990s, South Ossetia has struggled economically. Employment and supplies are scarce. Additionally, Georgia cut off supplies of electricity to the region, which forced the South Ossetian government to run an electric cable through North Ossetia. The majority of the population survives on subsistence farming. Virtually the only significant economic asset that South Ossetia possesses is control of the Roki Tunnel that links Russia and Georgia, from which the South Ossetian government reportedly obtains as much as a third of its budget by levying customs duties on freight traffic. The Roki Tunnel ( Georgian: როკის გვირაბი Ossetic: Ручъы тъунел or Roksky Tunnel ( Russian: Рокский The separatist officials admitted that Tskhinvali received more than 60 percent of its 2006 budget revenue directly from the Russian government. ^[39]

In late 2006, a large international counterfeiting operation stretching from South Ossetia was revealed by U.S. Secret Service and Georgian police. ^[40][41]

South Ossetian GDP was estimated at US$ 15 million (US$ 250 per capita) in a work published in 2002. ^[42]

See also

• Music of Ossetia
• Abkhazia

Notes

External links

• BBC overview of South Ossetia
• OCHA report on which side controls which regions of South Ossetia
• Special South Ossetia on Caucaz.com, Weekly Online about South Caucasus.
• Photos and stories from South Ossetia
• (Russian) Ossetia—History, culture, politics, news
• International Crisis Group, Georgia’s South Ossetia Conflict: Make Haste Slowly, Europe Report N°183, 7 June 2007 (free registration needed to view the full report)
• Alan Tskhurbayev (CRS No. The International Crisis Group ( ICG) is an independent international Non-profit, Non-governmental organization whose mission is to prevent and resolve 406 17-Aug-07), South Ossetians Caught Between Two "Presidents". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Institute for War & Peace Reporting (or IWPR for short is an international media development charity established in 1991
• (Russian) State news agency of the Republic of South Ossetia
• South Ossetia - A Land of No Crossroads

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