| Vladikavkaz (English) Владикавказ (Russian) Дзæуджыхъæу (Ossetic) |
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View of the Terek and the city's historic mosque |
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Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
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| City Day | First Sunday of July |
| Administrative status | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Republic of North Ossetia–Alania |
| Capital of | Republic of North Ossetia–Alania |
| Municipal status | |
| Urban okrug | Vladikavkaz Urban Okrug |
| Head | Sergey Dzantiyev |
| Representative body | Assembly of Representatives |
| Statistics | |
| Area | 220 km2 (85 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 Census, preliminary) |
311,635 inhabitants[1] |
| - Rank in 2010 | 60th |
| Population (2002 Census) | 315,068 inhabitants[2] |
| - Rank in 2002 | 59th |
| Density (2011) | 2,391 /km2 (6,190 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | [3] |
| Founded | May 6, 1784[4] |
| Previous names | Ordzhonikidze (until 1944),[4] Dzaudzhikau (until 1954),[4] Ordzhonikidze (until 1990)[4] |
| Postal code(s) | 362000 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 8672 |
| Official website | |
Vladikavkaz (Russian: Владикавказ; IPA: [vlədʲɪkɐfˈkas], lit. ruler of the Caucasus; Ossetic: Дзæуджыхъæу, Dzæwdžyqæw, lit. Dzaug's settlement) is the capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania in southern Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, situated on the Terek River. Population: 311,635 (2010 Census preliminary results);[1] 315,068 (2002 Census);[2] 300,198 (1989 Census).[5] Vladikavkaz is one of the most populous cities in the North Caucasus.
The city is an industrial and transportation center. Manufactures include processed zinc and lead, machinery, chemicals, clothing, and food products.
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The city was founded in 1784 as a fortress during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus and was for many years the main Russian military base in the region. The Georgian Military Highway, crossing the mountains, was constructed in 1799 to link the city with Georgia to the south, and in 1875 a railway was built to connect it to Rostov-on-Don and Baku in Azerbaijan. Vladikavkaz has become an important industrial centre for the region, with smelting, refining, chemicals and manufacturing industries.
From 1931 to 1944 and from 1954 to 1990 its name in both Russian and Ossetian languages was Ordzhonikidze (Орджоники́дзе) (after Sergo Ordzhonikidze, a Georgian Bolshevik), and from 1944 to 1954 it was officially called Dzaudzhikau (Дзауджика́у) in Russian and Dzæudjyqæu in Ossetic. Vladikavkaz resumed its old Russian name, in 1990, shortly before the disintegration of the Soviet Union; the official Ossetic name was reverted to Dzæudjyqæu.
Vladikavkaz was fought over in both the Russian Civil War and Second World War. In February 1919, the anti-Communist Volunteer Army under General Anton Denikin seized the city, before being expelled by the Red Army in March 1920. In November 1942, the forces of Nazi Germany tried unsuccessfully to seize the city but were repelled.
In 1999, 2008, and 2010, Vladikavkaz was a target of bombings.
On November 26, 2008, Vitaly Karayev, the mayor of Vladikavkaz was killed by an unknown gunman.[6] On 31 December, his successor, Kazbek Pagiyev, was also killed by unknown gunmen.[7]
The city is served by the bus network (marshrutkas). There are also tram (since 1904) and trolleybus (since 1977) networks. There is railway terminal (vokzal) in Vladikavkaz.
The city is served by Beslan Airport located 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from the city.
The Georgian Military Road, which is a part of European route E117, starts in Vladikavkaz and it connects the city with the South Caucasus.
FC Alania Vladikavkaz is a football club based in Vladikavkaz, who won the Russian Premier League in 1995.
Ethnic groups in the city (2002 data):
The city's population has Eastern Orthodox Christians and adherents of Islam.
Vladikavkaz experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with warm, wet summers and cold, drier winters (though very mild for Russia).
| Climate data for Vladikavkaz | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 1.8 (35.2) |
2.1 (35.8) |
7.2 (45.0) |
15.3 (59.5) |
19.9 (67.8) |
23.3 (73.9) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.6 (76.3) |
20.6 (69.1) |
14.4 (57.9) |
9.0 (48.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
14.00 (57.20) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −8.1 (17.4) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−2 (28.4) |
4.6 (40.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
12.7 (54.9) |
15.3 (59.5) |
14.4 (57.9) |
10.5 (50.9) |
4.3 (39.7) |
0.1 (32.2) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
4.13 (39.44) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 26 (1.02) |
29 (1.14) |
48 (1.89) |
86 (3.39) |
148 (5.83) |
157 (6.18) |
120 (4.72) |
93 (3.66) |
73 (2.87) |
51 (2.01) |
40 (1.57) |
33 (1.3) |
904 (35.59) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 106 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) [8] | |||||||||||||
In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, 198-meter (650 ft) tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.
Vladikavkaz is twinned with:
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