| a region in N Georgia, on the S side of the Caucasus Range. 86,500; 1506 sq. mi. (3900 sq. km). |
| South Ossetia A region of northern Georgia in the central Caucasus bordering on Russia. Annexed by Russia in the early 19th century, South Ossetia became a part of Georgia in 1922. Following Georgian independence from the USSR in 1991, the region was the scene of conflict between Ossetian separatists and Georgian government forces. |
South Ossetia
region, north-central Georgia. South Ossetia occupies the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountains. The region is populated largely (about two-thirds) by the Ossetes, a Caucasian people speaking an eastern Iranian language. (Many Ossetes also live in the neighbouring republic of North Ossetia-Alania in Russia, which occupies the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus.) Most of the remaining inhabitants of South Ossetia are Georgians. Its capital is Tskhinvali. Pop. (1989) 98,500; (2005 est.) 49,200
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