Southern Russia or the South of Russia (russian: Юг России, ''Yug Rossii'') is a
colloquial
Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conve ...
term for the southernmost geographic portion of
European Russia generally covering the
Southern Federal District and the
North Caucasian Federal District
North Caucasian Federal District (russian: Се́веро-Кавка́зский федера́льный о́круг, ''Severo-Kavkazsky federalny okrug'') is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. It is located in extreme southern Ru ...
.
The term does not conform to any official areas of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
as designated by the
Russian Classification on Objects of Administrative Division (OKATO).
History
The Caucasus has been inhabited for millennia. Eastern Slavic tribes, like the
Antes, inhabited Southern Russia at least from the 3rd century. Southern Russia played an important role in the influence of
Byzantine culture on Russia.
Persian culture has also left its traces in Southern Russia. At the beginning of the second millennium, between Volga and Don, Turkic tribes established in the South of Russia Tatar states. According to historical sources, the Russian lands in Southern Russia adopted the Islamic faith after contact with the Mongols.
During the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
(1917–1922), a territory called
South Russia briefly existed from 1919 to 1920, which spanned the southern parts of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...
, including portions of Ukraine. In
Soviet historiography, it also was referred to as "White South" in reference to the
White Army
The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...
that fought the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
there along with the
Armed Forces of South Russia and the
Volunteer Army.
General area
Since the
dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the area of Southern Russia approximately spans two of the nine
federal districts of Russia, which contain a combined 15
federal subjects of which two are disputed with
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
:
*
Southern Federal District:
**
Republic of Adygea
**
Astrakhan Oblast
**
Volgograd Oblast
**
Republic of Kalmykia
**
Krasnodar Krai
Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and ...
**
Rostov Oblast
**
Republic of Crimea (disputed territory with Ukraine)
**
Sevastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
(disputed territory with Ukraine)
*
North Caucasian Federal District
North Caucasian Federal District (russian: Се́веро-Кавка́зский федера́льный о́круг, ''Severo-Kavkazsky federalny okrug'') is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. It is located in extreme southern Ru ...
:
**
Republic of Dagestan
**
Republic of Ingushetia
**
Kabardino-Balkar Republic
The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (russian: Кабарди́но-Балка́рская Респу́блика, ''Kabardino-Balkarskaya Respublika''; kbd, Къэбэрдей-Балъкъэр Республикэ, ''Ķêbêrdej-Baĺķêr Respublik� ...
**
Karachay-Cherkess Republic
The Karachay-Cherkess Republic (russian: Карача́ево-Черке́сская Респу́блика, ''Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Respublika''; krc, Къарачай-Черкес Республика, ''Qaraçay-Çerkes Respublika''; Cir ...
**
Republic of North Ossetia-Alania
**
Stavropol Krai
Stavropol Krai (russian: Ставропо́льский край, r=Stavropolsky kray, p=stəvrɐˈpolʲskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia, and i ...
**
Chechen Republic
In relation to the official
economic regions of Russia, most of Southern Russia is included in the
North Caucasus economic region, with the exception of the Astrakhan Oblast, the Republic of Kalmykia and the Volgograd Oblast, which are part of the
Volga economic region.
Usage
References to "Southern Russia" can be found in media or news portals devoted to the area. Newspapers and websites like ''
Rossiyskaya Gazeta'' and ''
Vedomosti'' have sections or
tags for the area.
See also
*
Southern Russian dialects
Southern Russian is one of the main groups of Russian dialects.
Territory
* The territory of the ''primary formation'' (i.e. that consists of "Old" Russia of the 16th century before Eastern conquests by Ivan IV) is entirely 11 modern regions ( ...
*
Northern Russian dialects
The northern Russian dialects make up one of the main groups of the Russian dialects.
Territory
* The territory of the ''primary formation'' (e.g. that consist of "Old" Russia of the 16th century before Eastern conquests by Ivan IV) is fully ...
*
Federal districts of Russia
*
Subdivisions of Russia
Russia is divided into several types and levels of subdivisions.
Federal subjects
Since 30 September 2022, the Russian Federation has consisted of eighty-nine federal subjects that are constituent members of the Federation.Constitution, Art ...
References
External links
''ЯСНО'' (''Clearly'') news portal
Southru.ino news portal
{{Authority control
Regions of Russia
Geography of Eastern Europe