Administratively the Caucasus forms one of the general governments of the Russian Empire. and is divided into three governments and provinces in Northern Caueasia (Stavropol, Kuban, and Terek) and eight in Transcaucasia Baku, Mad: Sea, Dacffiestan, Yelizavetpol, Frivan, Kars, Kutais, and Tiflis with %aka taly).
The population of the Caucasus in 1897 was 9,248.695, or 5•I per square mile. in 1891 the population was 7.955,725. The inhabi tants are, in addition to the Caucasian :Moult taht peoples, mostly Russians, Armenians, Tatars. and Georgians. The chief cities are Tiflis (q.v.), the government capital, and Baku, now famous for its petroleum industries. The major part of the population acknowledge the (h-thodox Church, but the Alohammetlans are numerous. There are about 2000 schools in the Caucasus.
Keane (Man: Past and Present, 1899) divides the inhabitants • of the Caucasus, on linguistic grounds, into four groups: (1) So t he'Fa — Georgians, lmeritians, Chevsurs, Lazes, Mingre haus, l'shays. Swanittians, collectively called the Kartvelian family. (2) Wcstern—Abkhasians, Cireassians, and Kabardians. (3) Cc/zit•0-0s soles. or irons. (4) Eastern—Avars, Chechinzes, Daigs, Ingush. Kazy-Kumyksh, Kist, Lesghians, Tush, collectively called Daghestani, `highland ers.' Nowhere else in the world. according to Ripley (lloces of Europe,1S99), is such a hetero geneous confusion of peoples, languages, and religions gathered in one area. The number of dialects is rated at 68, representing all stages of development. The Ossete is put down as Aryan: the Circassian, including Abkhasian and Kabard ian, is incorporative: some are purely agglutina tive: and to these must be added later intrusions of Semitic! and Aryan speech. Into the closed valleys of the Caucasian Mountains, during the migrations of peoples. came representatives of all tongues and nations, sufficiently isolated within their eonfined environments to preserve both physical and linguistic traits or to de velop new ones.
Little is known of the early history of the Caucasus. The ancient Greeks perhaps car ried on commercial relations with the tribes along the western coast, and Cape Iskuria may have received its name front the colony of Dios curia:, established in the Seventh Century me.
As shown in the writings of _Eschylus and Derodotus, the Greeks knew the location of the Caucasus range. It was not till about 1770 that the Russians began to enter the region. Kuban and Terek became theirs in 1774, and Derbent. Kuhn, and Baku in 1796; so that by the end of the century Russia had acquired practically all of Northern Caueasia. The an nexation of Georgia in 1s01, after the death of George XIII., gave Russia a foothold in Transcaucasia. By ecssions secured from Persia and Turkey, as well as by voluntary submissions on the part of the more peacefully inclined native tribes. Russia had obtained, by 1829, nominal control over nearly the entire country.
The courageous mountain tribes, however, aided by the general inaccessibility of the re gion, retained their independence, and it was only after thirty years of continuous fighting that their subjugation was accomplished. Shanty! was the chief leader of the natives in whom religious zeal was combined with marvelous bravery. He gave to the resistance of the Cau casians a more organized character, defeating the Russian conquest. At last Shamyl was forced to surrender at Glmnib in 1859, and Russian do minion was virtually assured. The operations in the west ended in complete success at last in 18h5. A great exodus of Circassians to Turkish terri tory ensued. During the Russo-Turkish War in 1577-75, there was an uprising against Russian control, and the Turks lent active assistance, but the attempt proved wholly futile. Russia's suc cess in this war secured to her a large section of Turkish Armenia, which was annexed to the Cau casus.
Consult: Keane, Man: Past and Present (New York, 1899) : Ripley, Races of Europe (New York. 18'99) ; Bodenstedt, Die Volker des Kau kasus (Berlin, 1555) ; Fischer, Zirei Kaukasus Expeditionen (Bern. 1891) Erc'kert. Dcr Kau kasus udd seine Viiiker (Leipzig, 1887).