CAUCASIA consists of the narrow neck of land separating the Euxine (Pontus) from the Caspian Sea, and connecting the S.E. corner of Europe with S.W. Asia. It is inhabited by highland tribes of various races, dwelling in the closest proximity, hemmed in on the north by Russian Slav, and southwards by the Armenian, Kurdish, and Persian Iranians. In comparatively recent times, Tartars and other immigrant races have penetrated into the Kura, Terek, Kuma, and Kuban basins.
In the Southern Division are upwards of a million of people,—the Georgian, Imerian, and Rachan in Imeria ; the Mingrelian, Gurian, and Lechgum in Mingrelia ; the Laz in Lazistan ; the Svan in the Upper Ingur ; and the Pshav and Khevsur near the sources of Alazan and Yora.
In the Western Division, on the left bank of the Kuban, on the coast of the Euxine, and N. and E. of the Elburz, are the Cherkess, Abkhasi, and Kabard, 138,000 souls.
In the Eastern Division, the Chechenz, 164,000, occupy the right bank of the Terek, and the Lesghi, 517,000 in number, dwell in Daghestan.
The Oss or Osseti, 110,000, hold both slopes of the Great Caucasus about Kazbek.
The Georgians alone are of historical interest.
Caucasia Inhabitants. Kartvelian stock—Georgians, Imerians, Mingrelians, Svans, Pshays, Khevsur, 1,150,000 Laz (Sunni), 20,000 1Vest Caucasian stock—Cherkess, Abkhasian, Kabard, 138,000 East Caucasian stock—Chechenzes, Lesghi, 164,000 Semites—Jews, 30,000 Slav stock—Great Russians, Little Russians, Bulgarians, Bohemians, . . . 1,500,000
Iranian stock Ossi, 110,000 Armenians, 720,000 Kurd, Tat, and Talish, . . . 380,000 Greeks and Germans, . . . 50,000 Mongolo Tartar stock—Tatar, Nogai, Turko man, Kumik, Kirghiz, Turk, Kalmuk, . 1,550,000 Christians, . . 3,560,000 Muhammadans, 2,200,000 Of all the Turki peoples, the Uzbaks are the most civilised, and, besides the Usmanli, they are the only Turki people who possess a written language and a literature. The Chaghtai, in which Baber wrote his memoirs, is still the standard literary language of all the Central Asiatic Turki peoples.
Kara Kalpak, or black caps, are a fertile race.
Kara Kirghiz are the Burnt of the Chinese and Kalmuk. They live partly in Zangaria and Turkestan, and partly in the Western Altai. They speak an almost pure Turki dialect. Kara Kirghiz and the Kazak or Kirghiz Kazak repre sent respectively the highland and lowland nomade elements all along the northern and eastern border-lands of the Aralo-Caspian basin. The Kazak do not acknowledge the appellation of Kirghiz, which the Russians affixed to their name to distinguish them from the other Kazak.
Tajak are the original Iranian element, settled In all the arable land.
Sart is the term applied to the settled inhabitants. ots meaning is not known