The Caucasus, a mountainous area west of the Caspian Sea, is home to more than three dozen different ethnic groups and was struck particularly hard. Major groupings include Georgians, Armenians and Ossetians — all predominantly Christians — and Circassians, Chechens, Avars and various Turkic-speakers, who are mainly Muslims. Prior to the Soviet period, most of these peoples lived in relative autonomy, their loyalties primarily attached to clans rather than governments.
Read Full Article »
