Ingushetia << `ihng` guh SHEH tee uh >> is a republic of Russia. Its capital is Magas, and its largest city is Nazran. After fighting broke out in neighboring Dagestan and Chechnya in 1999, thousands of civilians fled to Ingushetia.
About 510,000 people live in Ingushetia. The Ingush call themselves Galgai, the name of one of their main clans. They have lived in the region for thousands of years. The majority of Ingush people practice Islam.
Ingushetia lies in the Caucasus Mountains at the far southwest corner of Russia. The republic has an area of about 1,390 square miles (3,600 square kilometers). Chechnya lies to the east of Ingushetia, North Ossetia to the west, and Georgia to the south.
For centuries, Russia struggled to take control of Ingushetia and the rest of the Caucasus Mountain region. After the Russians gained control of an area, they often forcibly relocated the inhabitants. Although the people of Chechnya frequently took up arms against the Russians, the Ingush offered only limited resistance.
In 1924, the Soviet Union created the Ingush Autonomous Region. However, the Soviets deported many Ingush political leaders and intellectuals. In 1934, the Ingush and Chechen regions were combined.
In 1944, Joseph Stalin, the dictator of the Soviet Union, deported all of the Ingush and Chechens to Kazakhstan and Siberia. Thousands of people died from the harsh conditions of the journey. Stalin gave the Prigorodny region, previously held by the Ingush, to the neighboring Ossetians.
In 1957, after the death of Stalin, the Ingush and Chechens were allowed to return to their homelands. However, the Ossetians retained control of Prigorodny, even though it had many Ingush inhabitants.
When the Soviet Union broke up in 1991, Chechnya declared independence from Russia. Ingushetia separated once more from Chechnya and became a republic of Russia in 1992. Soon thereafter, the Ingush attempted to reclaim Prigorodny from North Ossetia. The Russian military intervened, forcing all Ingush from Prigorodny. More than 60,000 Ingush became refugees.
In 1999, Chechen militants invaded Dagestan. They hoped to unite Chechnya and Dagestan into an Islamic state independent of Russia. Russian troops were sent to put down the rebellion, and thousands of civilians fled to Ingushetia.
