The peoples of the Caucasus, or Caucasians, are a diverse group comprising more than 50 ethnic groups throughout the Caucasus.
By language group
Language families indigenous to the Caucasus
Caucasians who speak languages which have long been indigenous to the region are generally classified into three groups: Kartvelian peoples, Northeast Caucasian peoples and Northwest Caucasian peoples.
Kartvelian languages
Georgians
Dvals
Ingiloys
Zans
Lazs
Mingrelians
Svans
Northeast Caucasian languages
Avar–Andic peoples: Andis Akhvakhs Avars Bagvalals Botlikhs Chamalals Godoberis Karatas Tindis Dargins Dargwa Kajtak Kubachi Itsari Chirag Khinalugs Laks Lezgic peoples: Aguls Archin Budukhs Jeks Kryts Lezgins Rutuls Tabasarans Tsakhurs Udis Nakh peoples: Arshtins Bats Chechens Kists Durdzuks Ingush Malkh Tsezic (Didoic) peoples: Bezhtas Hinukhs Hunzibs Khwarshis Tsez
Northwest Caucasian languages
Abazins
Abkhazians
Circassians
Abzakhs
Besleneys
Bzhedugs
Chemirgoys
Kabardians
Natukhajs
Shapsugs
Ubykhs
The largest peoples speaking languages which belong to the Caucasian language families and who are currently resident in the Caucasus are the Georgians (3,200,000), the Chechens (2,000,000), the Avars (1,200,000), the Lezgins (about 1,000,000) and the Kabardians (600,000), while outside the Caucasus, the largest people of Caucasian origin, in diaspora in more than 40 countries (such as Jordan, Turkey, the countries of Europe, Syria, and the United States) are the Circassians with about 3,000,000-5,000,000 speakers. Georgians are the only Caucasian people who have their own undisputedly independent state—Georgia. Abkhazia's status is disputed. Other Caucasian peoples have republics within Russia: Adyghe (Adygea), Cherkess (Karachay-Cherkessia), Kabardians (Kabardino-Balkaria), Ingush (Ingushetia), Chechens (Chechnya), while other Northeast Caucasian peoples mostly live in Dagestan.
Indo-European
Caucasians that speak languages belonging to the Indo-European language family:
Armenians
Germans
Hellenic group: Caucasus Greeks, including Turkish-speaking Christian Greeks of Georgia or Urums Pontic Greeks Iranian group: Gilaks† Mazanderanis† Ossetians Digors Talysh Tats Kurds Yazidis Slavic group: Russians, including Cossacks, Doukhobors, and Molokans
†Although the group does not have any inhabitants physically living anywhere in the Caucasus, genetic tests have proven their affinity to Caucasian populations and shown that their ancestors originated from the Caucasus.
Armenians number 3,215,800 in their native Armenia, though approximately 8 million live outside the republic, forming the Armenian diaspora. Elsewhere in the region, they reside in Artsakh (which is a de facto independent republic, though not recognised internationally), Georgia (primarily Samtskhe–Javakheti, Tbilisi, and Abkhazia), and the Russian North Caucasus. The Ossetians live in North Ossetia–Alania (an autonomous republic within Russia) and in South Ossetia, which is de facto independent, but is de jure part of Georgia. The Yazidis reside in the western areas of Armenia, mostly in the Aragatsotn marz, and in the eastern areas of Georgia. An autonomous Kurdish region was created in 1923 in Soviet Azerbaijan but was later abolished in 1929. Pontic Greeks reside in Armenia (Lori Province, especially in Alaverdi) and Georgia (Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, the Tsalka, and Abkhazia). Pontic Greeks had also made up a significant component of the South Caucasus region acquired from the Ottoman Empire (following the 1878 Treaty of San Stefano) that centred on the town of Kars (ceded back to Turkey in 1916). Russians mostly live in the Russian North Caucasus and their largest concentration is in Stavropol Krai, Krasnodar Krai, and Adygea. Georgia and the former Russian South Caucasus province of Kars Oblast was also home to a significant minority of ethnic (Swabian) Germans, although their numbers have become depleted as a result of deportations (to Kazakhstan following World War II), immigration to Germany, and assimilation into indigenous communities.
Semitic
Caucasians that speak languages belonging to the Semitic language family: