Batalpashinsky otdel

The Batalpashinsky otdel^[a] was a Cossack district (otdel) of the Kuban oblast of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It bordered the Stavropol Governorate to the north, the Labinsky and Maykopsky otdels to the west, the Sochi and Sukhumi okrugs to the south, and the Terek Oblast to the east. The area of the Batalpashinsky otdel included most of the contemporary Karachay-Cherkessia region of Russia. The administrative capital was the city of Batalpashinskaya (present-day Cherkessk).^[1]

Batalpashinsky otdel Баталпашинскій отдѣлъ
Otdel
Location in the Kuban Oblast
Country	Russian Empire
Viceroyalty	Caucasus
Oblast	Kuban
Established	1869
Abolished	1922
Capital	Batalpashinskaya (present-day Cherkessk)
Area
• Total	17,444.27 km2 (6,735.27 sq mi)
Population  (1916)
• Total	298,208
• Density	17/km2 (44/sq mi)
• Rural	100.00%

Administrative divisions

The subcounties (uchastoks) of the Batalpashinsky otdel in 1912 were as follows:^[2]

Name	1912 population
1-y uchastok (1-й участокъ)	61,259
2-y uchastok (2-й участокъ)	72,300
3-y uchastok (3-й участокъ)	71,791

Demographics

Russian Empire Census

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Batalpashinsky otdel had a population of 215,400 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 107,825 men and 107,575 women. The plurality of the population indicated Russian to be their mother tongue, with significant Ukrainian and Karachay speaking minorities.^[3]

Linguistic composition of the Batalpashinsky otdel in 1897^[3]

Language	Native speakers	%
Russian	90,305	41.92
Ukrainian	58,421	27.12
Karachay	26,867	12.47
Abkhaz	10,370	4.81
Kabardian	8,452	3.92
Nogai	5,746	2.67
German	4,392	2.04
Circassian	3,962	1.84
Ossetian	1,829	0.85
Tatar[b]	1,232	0.57
Estonian	839	0.39
Belarusian	751	0.35
Jewish	530	0.25
Greek	419	0.19
Armenian	380	0.18
Polish	192	0.09
Mordovian	161	0.07
Romani	135	0.06
Kumyk	100	0.05
Georgian	99	0.05
Kazi-Kumukh	47	0.02
Romanian	32	0.01
Avar-Andean	29	0.01
Persian	22	0.01
Turkish	20	0.01
Czech	13	0.01
Lithuanian	5	0.00
Bulgarian	3	0.00
Latvian	3	0.00
Bashkir	2	0.00
Other	42	0.02
TOTAL	215,400	100.00

Kavkazskiy kalendar

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Batalpashinsky otdel had a population of 298,208 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 152,171 men and 146,037 women, 208,488 of whom were the permanent population, and 89,720 were temporary residents:^[6]

Nationality	Number	%
Russians	209,733	70.33
North Caucasians	77,851	26.11
Other Europeans	5,276	1.77
Asiatic Christians	3,268	1.10
Jews	1,089	0.37
Sunni Muslims[c]	601	0.20
Armenians	390	0.13
TOTAL	298,208	100.00

Notes

1. • Russian: Баталпаши́нскій отдѣ́лъ, romanized: Batalpashínsky otdél
   • Ukrainian: Баталпашинський відділ, romanized: Batalpashynskyy viddil
2. Before 1918, Azerbaijanis were generally known as "Tatars". This term, employed by the Russians, referred to Turkic-speaking Muslims of the South Caucasus. After 1918, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and "especially during the Soviet era", the Tatar group identified itself as "Azerbaijani".^[4][5]
3. Primarily Turco-Tatars.^[7]