Chechens

Chechens
Нохчий
Noxçiy
A group of Chechen men, c. 1870
Total population
c. 2.1 million[a]
Regions with significant populations
Russia1,674,854[1]
    Chechnya1,456,792[2]
    Dagestan99,320[2]
    Rostov Oblast14,316[2]
    Stavropol Krai13,779[2]
    Ingushetia12,240[2]
    Moscow Oblast11,491[2]
    Volgograd Oblast8,038[2]
    Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug7,085[2]
    Astrakhan Oblast6,873[2]
    Saratov Oblast5,748[2]
European Union
     France
     Austria
     Belgium
     Germany
     Sweden
     Denmark
     Poland
     		130,000 (2009)[3]
Turkey100,000[4][5]
Kazakhstan33,557[6]
Jordan12,000–30,000[7]
Iraq11,000[8]
Georgia10,100 (including Kist people)
Norway10,000[9]
Syria6,000–35,000[10][11]
Azerbaijan5,300[12]
Egypt5,000[4]
Ukraine2,877[13]
United Arab Emirates2,000–3,000[14]
Kyrgyzstan1,709[15]
Finland891[16]
United States250–1,000[17][b]
Latvia136–189[18][19]
Languages
Chechen
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Other Nakh peoples (Ingush, Bats, Kists)

The Chechens (/ˈtʃɛtʃɛnz, tʃəˈtʃɛnz/ CHETCH-enz, chə-CHENZ;[20] Chechen: Нохчий, Noxçiy, Old Chechen: Нахчой, Naxçoy), historically also known as Kisti and Durdzuks,[21] are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus.[22] They are the largest ethnic group in the region[23] and refer to themselves as Nokhchiy (pronounced [no̞xtʃʼiː]; singular Nokhchi, Nokhcho, Nakhchuo or Nakhche).[24][25] The vast majority of Chechens are Muslims[26] and live in Chechnya, an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation.

The North Caucasus has been invaded numerous times throughout history. Its isolated terrain and the strategic value outsiders have placed on the areas settled by Chechens has contributed much to the Chechen community ethos and helped shape its national character.

Chechen society is largely egalitarian and organized around tribal autonomous local clans, called teips, informally organized into loose confederations called tukkhums.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Russian Census of 2021". (in Russian)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Russian Census of 2021 (in Russian)
  3. ^ As Hit Men Strike, Concern Grows Among Chechen Exiles, RFE/RL, March 12, 2009
  4. ^ a b Chechens in the Middle East: Between Original and Host Cultures Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Event Report, Caspian Studies Program
  5. ^ Kristiina Markkanen: Chechen refugee came to Finland via Baku and Istanbul Archived 2011-11-21 at the Wayback Machine (Englisch)
  6. ^ "Итоги Национальной переписи населения 2021 года в Республике Казахстан". stat.gov.kz. Archived from the original on 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  7. ^ "Jordan willing to assist Chechnya – King". Reliefweb.int. 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  8. ^ Ahmet Katav; Bilgay Duman (November 2012). "Iraqi Circassians (Chechens, Dagestanis, Adyghes)" (PDF). ORSAM Reports (134). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  9. ^ https://www.vg.no/nyheter/i/q50Ro/en-av-aatte-norske-fremmedkrigere-fra-nord-kaukasus
  10. ^ Jaimoukha, Amjad M. (2008), "Syria", The Chechens: A Handbook, Routledge, p. 232, ISBN 978-0-415-32328-4
  11. ^ "Circassian, Ossetian, Chechen Minorities Solicit Russian Help To Leave Syria". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  12. ^ Project, Joshua. "Chechen in Azerbaijan". joshuaproject.net. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  13. ^ "About number and composition population of Ukraine by data All-Ukrainian census of the population 2001". Ukraine Census 2001. State Statistics Committee of Ukraine. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  14. ^ Chechnya's Exodus to Europe, North Caucasus Weekly Volume: 9 Issue: 3, The Jamestown Foundation, January 24, 2008
  15. ^ "Национальный состав населения (оценка на начало года, человек)". Национальный статистический комитет Кыргызской Республики. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  16. ^ "Population 31.12. By Origin, Background country, Language, Year, Age, Sex and Information".
  17. ^ Andrew Meier (April 19, 2013). "The Chechens in America: Why They're Here and Who They Are". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  18. ^ "Population by ethnicity at the beginning of year – Time period and Ethnicity | National Statistical System of Latvia". data.stat.gov.lv.
  19. ^ Latvijas iedzīvotāju sadalījums pēc nacionālā sastāva un valstiskās piederības, 01.01.2023. – PMLP
  20. ^ "Chechen". The Chambers Dictionary (9th ed.). Chambers. 2003. ISBN 0-550-10105-5.
  21. ^ Jaimoukha, Amjad. The Chechens.
  22. ^ National Geographic Atlas of the World (7th ed.). Washington, DC: National Geographic. 1999. ISBN 978-0-7922-7528-2. "Europe" (pp. 68–69); "Asia" (pp. 90–91): "A commonly accepted division between Asia and Europe ... is formed by the Ural Mountains, Ural River, Caspian Sea, Caucasus Mountains, and the Black Sea with its outlets, the Bosporus and Dardanelles."
  23. ^ "Russian Census of 2021".
  24. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chechenzes" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 21.
  25. ^ Berge, Adolf (1859). Чечня и Чеченцы. Тифлис. pp. 65–66. Вот исчисление всех племен, на которые принято делить Чеченцев. В строгом же смысле деление это не имеет основания. Самим Чеченцам оно совершенно неизвестно. Они сами себя называют Нахче, т.е. "народ" и это относится до всего народа, говорящего на Чеченском языке и его наречиях. Упомянутые же названия им были даны или от аулов, как Цори, Галгай, Шатой и др., или от рек и гор, как Мичиковцы и Качкалыки. Весьма вероятно, что рано или поздно все или большая часть приведенных нами имен исчезнут и Чеченцы удержат за собою одно общее наименование.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference gwu.edu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).