Dagestan (; Russian: Дагестан, romanized: Dagestan), officially the Republic of Dagestan (Russian: Республика Дагестан, romanized: Respublika Dagestan), is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Federal District. As the southernmost tip of Russia, the republic shares land borders with the countries of Azerbaijan and Georgia to its south and southwest; and borders the Russian republics of Chechnya and Kalmykia to its west and north, while having a border with Stavropol Krai to its northwest. Makhachkala is the capital and largest city; other major cities are Derbent, Kizlyar, Izberbash, Kaspiysk and Buynaksk.
The republic covers an area of 50,300 square kilometres (19,400 square miles), with a population of over 3.1 million residents, of more than 30 ethnic groups and 81 nationalities. With 14 official languages, and 12 ethnic groups constituting more than 1% of its total population, the republic is one of the most linguistically and ethnically diverse, as well as the most heterogeneous administrative divisions in both Russia and the world. Most of the residents speak one of the Northeast Caucasian, or Turkic, languages; however, Russian is the primary language and the lingua franca in the republic.
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