Russia
Which country did Nalchik belong to from 1991 to 1992?
Nalchik Nalchik ( ; Kabardian : // ; // ) is the capital city of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic , Russia , situated at an altitude of in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains ; about northwest of Beslan ( Beslan is in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania ) . It covers an area of . Its population has fluctuated over the years , with the following numbers : History . The territory of modern-day Nalchik was formerly known as Slabada . It was inhabited by native Kabardians , Balkars , Chechens , Adeki , and Cherkese , until around 1743 ; groups occasionally clashed over and dispute their claims to the land . The modern city dates from the early 19th century when the expanding Russian Empire built a fort there together with settling Mountain Jews in 1818 ; this date is seen at the top of the citys coat of arms . With the founding of the city of Nalchik , the disputes among the native groups calmed and life improved for the people in the region . In 1838 , a Russian military settlement was founded in the city , and after the Russian Revolution of 1917 , in the year 1921 , Nalchik was given the status of administrative center of Kabardin Autonomous Oblast . The word Nalchik literally means small horseshoe in Kabardian ( or Circassian , a Northwest Caucasian language ) and Karachay-Balkar ( a Turkic language ) . It is a diminutive of nal , a common Middle Eastern word ( Arabic , Persian , Turkish ) for horseshoe , possibly from the ancient Scythian , nalak ( horseshoe ) . The city of Nalchik was named this way because of how it is shaped as surrounded by the mountains of the land , and the Nalchik River is named after the city it runs across . During World War II , on 2 November 1942 , Nalchik was occupied by Romanian mountain troops ( Vânători de munte ) under the command of Brigadier General Ioan Dumitrache , its capture earning the Romanian General the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross . The city was heavily damaged during the conflict . G-ral Dumitrache went to great length ordering his troops to protect local population during the time Nalchik was occupied by Romanian forces . Professor A . N . Dainaco , the Mayor of Nalchik at that time , thanked G-ral Dumitrache for liberating the city . Although he was accused of war crimes , G-ral Dumitrache was fully exonerated after the war by a joint Soviet and Romanian judicial commission . Due to the harsh treatment of Jewish People by the Soviet Union , there has been a mass exodus of Jews from Nalchik over the decades , reducing the population that is left to a small percentage of what once was . Nalchik was chosen the second cleanest city of Russia in 2003 . On October 13 , 2005 , Nalchik was attacked by a large group of Yarmuk Jamaat militants led by Shamil Basayev and Anzor Astemirov . Buildings associated with the Russian security forces were targeted , killing at least 14 civilians and wounding 115 . Thirty-five policemen were killed in the fighting and eighty-nine militants , including prominent leader Ilias Gorchkhanov , were killed while another fifty-nine were arrested . Administrative and municipal status . Within the framework of administrative divisions , it is , together with four rural localities , incorporated as the city of republic significance of Nalchik—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts . As a municipal division , the city of republic significance of Nalchik is incorporated as Nalchik Urban Okrug . Ethnic groups . The population of the city in 2006 included the following breakdown by ethnicity : - Kabardians ( Adiga ) ( 42.3% ) - Russians ( 28.3% ) - Balkars ( Taulu ) ( 15.2% ) - others ( 13.2% ) 2002 census data is as follows : - Kabardians ( 47.3% ) - Russians ( 31.8% ) - Balkars ( 11.4% ) - Ossetians ( 1.9% ) - Ukrainians ( 1.0% ) Economy and education . Nalchik is a balneological and mountain climatotherapy resort , with several sanatoriums . It also serves as an industrial center of the republic ( non-ferrous metallurgy , light industry , construction materials manufacturing , machine building ) . Nalchik is home to the following facilities of higher education : - Kabardino-Balkarian State University - North Caucasian State Institute of Arts - Kabardino-Balkarian State Agricultural Academy Climate . Nalchik has a hot-summer humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dfa ) with hot summers and no dry season . The warm season lasts from late May to mid-September and the cold season from December to March . Most forms of precipitation are light rain and thunderstorms , as well as light snow and moderate snow . Wind speeds are typically calm to a light breeze through the year . Sports . PFC Spartak Nalchik is an association football club based in Nalchik , playing in the Russian Premier League . The 2008 World Womens Chess Championship has also been held in Nalchik on August 28–September 18 , 2008 . Notable people . - Khadzhimurat Akkayev , Olympic weightlifter , born 1985 - Viktor Belenko , Soviet pilot who defected with a MiG-25 , landing in Hakodate , Japan - Dima Bilan , singer , born 1981 - , Austrian and Soviet mathematician , physicist and aerodynamics ( 1905-1961 ) - Andre Geim , Soviet , British and Netherlands physicist ; Nobel laureate - Muhadin Kishev , Soviet and Spanish artist , born 1938 - Andrei Kolkoutine painter , born 1957 - Azamat Kuliev , painter , born 1963 - Eldar Kuliev , film director , screenwriter , born 1951 - Alim Kouliev , actor , theater director , born 1959 - Katya Lel , singer , born in 1974 - Alexander Litvinenko , ex-FSB officer turned anti-Putin activist , born 1962 , poisoned with polonium-210 and died 2006 . - Leo Mol , Soviet and Canadian artist and sculptor ( 1915-2009 ) - Nikolay Pavlov , professional footballer , born 1987 - Yuri Temirkanov , orchestra conductor , born 1938 - , academician of Russian Academy of Sciences , born 1939 Twin towns and sister cities . - Amman , Jordan - Kayseri , Turkey - Vladikavkaz , Russia External links . - Nalcik . Official Website of Kabardino-Balkaria