Makhachkala

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Makhachkala (English) Махачкала (Russian) МахIачхъала (Avar)

Dagestan on the map of Russia
Coordinates 42°58′N 47°30′E / 42.967, 47.5Coordinates: 42°58′N 47°30′E / 42.967, 47.5
Coat of Arms	Flag

Administrative status
Federal subject In jurisdiction of Capital of	Republic of Dagestan Republic of Dagestan Republic of Dagestan
Local self-government
Charter	Charter of Makhachkala
Municipal status	Urban okrug
City Head	Said Amirov
Legislative body	City Duma
Area
Area	466.3 km² (180 sq mi)
Population (as of the 2002 Census)
Population - Rank - Density	462,412 inhabitants 37th 991.7/km² (2,568.5/sq mi)
Events
Founded	15th century
Town status	1844
Renamed Petrovsk-Port	1857
Renamed Makhachkala	1921
Other information
Postal code	n/a
Dialing code	+7 8722
Official website
http://mcity.dgu.ru/

Makhachkala (Russian: Махачкала́: Avar: МахIачхъала) is a city in Russia, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan. It is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, at 42°59′N, 47°30′E. Population: 462,412 (2002 Census).

1 History
2 City districts
3 Demographics
4 Sister cities

[edit] History

Location of Makhachkala in Dagestan

Makhachkala's historic predecessor was the town of Tarki, now a mere suburb, whose history goes back to the 15th century and possibly much earlier. The modern city of Makhachkala was founded in 1844 as a fortress; town status was granted in 1857. The original name of the city was Petrovskoye (Петро́вское)—after the Russian tsar Peter the Great who visited the region in 1722, however among the locals it was known as Anzhi-Qala (A Fortress of Soil, Qala or Kala قلعه means Fortress in Persian and Arabic). The city was renamed Petrovsk-Port (Петро́вск-Порт) in 1857, and then Makhachkala in 1921. The city incurred major damage during the earthquake of May 14, 1970.