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Coordinates: 43°12′N 44°34′E / 43.2°N 44.567°E
Beslan (Russian: Бесла́н; Ossetic: Беслӕн; 
the name in Ossetic (help·info)) is a town and the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. In terms of population, Beslan is the third largest town in the republic behind Vladikavkaz and Mozdok. Population: 36,724 (2010 Census preliminary results);[1] 35,550 (2002 Census);[2] 32,469 (1989 Census).[3]
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[edit] Overview
Beslan is an important railway junction, situated on the main line between Rostov-on-Don and Baku, and is the starting point of a branch line to Vladikavkaz. It is an industrial-agricultural town dominated by a large corn processing plant established in the 1940s.
[edit] History
The town was founded in 1847 by migrants from elsewhere in Ossetia and was named Beslanykau ("the settlement of Beslan") after a local lord, Beslan Tulatov. In official use, though, the town was known after Tulatov's surname as Tulatovo or Tulatovskoye. It was renamed Iriston (Ossetia) in 1941 and in 1950, when the rapidly industrializing town was unified into a single municipality, it was renamed as Beslan.
[edit] Beslan school hostage crisis
On September 1, 2004, Beslan's Secondary School No. 1 was seized by a group of at least thirty-two Islamist terrorists related to the Second Chechen War. The siege ended on September 3 with a bloody shootout between the terrorists and the Russian security forces. According to official data, 334 civilians were killed, 186 of them children, and hundreds more wounded. All but one of the hostage-takers were killed. The survivor was arrested. He was tried and convicted and sentenced to imprisonment.
[edit] Geography
Beslan lies about 18 miles (29 km) north of Vladikavkaz, the capital of North Ossetia-Alania.[4] It is also 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkar Republic,[5] and about 950 miles (1,530 km) south of Moscow.[6] It is in proximity to the Ingushetia border.[4]
[edit] Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups in the town (2002 data):
[edit] Education
One school in Beslan is the Ivan and Constantine Kanidis School. It was dedicated in 2010. It was named after teacher Ivan (Yanis) Kanidis and his son; the teacher died during the Beslan school hostage crisis in 2004 at School Number One (SNO). The governments of Greece and Norway paid 2.5 million euros through the United Nations Program of Development to have the school built. The school's athletic programmes specialize in football (soccer).[7]
One school in town is the School on Kominterna Street. It replaced SNO, which closed after the hostage crisis. Officials chose not to give the replacement school, located across the street from School Number One, a number.[8] Immediately after SNO closed, classes for children who would have attended SNO were held at School No. 6.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2011). "Предварительные итоги Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года (Preliminary results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года (2010 All-Russia Population Census). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/results-inform.php. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
- ^ Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal State Statistics Service) (2004-05-21). "Численность населения России, субъектов Российской Федерации в составе федеральных округов, районов, городских поселений, сельских населённых пунктов – районных центров и сельских населённых пунктов с населением 3 тысячи и более человек (Population of Russia, its federal districts, federal subjects, districts, urban localities, rural localities—administrative centers, and rural localities with population of over 3,000)" (in Russian). Всероссийская перепись населения 2002 года (All-Russia Population Census of 2002). Federal State Statistics Service. http://www.perepis2002.ru/ct/doc/1_TOM_01_04.xls. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность наличного населения союзных и автономных республик, автономных областей и округов, краёв, областей, районов, городских поселений и сёл-райцентров. (All Union Population Census of 1989. Present population of union and autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and okrugs, krais, oblasts, districts, urban settlements, and villages serving as district administrative centers.)" (in Russian). Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года (All-Union Population Census of 1989). Demoscope Weekly (website of the Institute of Demographics of the State University—Higher School of Economics. 1989. http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus89_reg.php. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ a b "Russia School massacre." The Guardian. Retrieved on 31 October 2011. Click the slides until the part about Beslan's location
- ^ "Chechen rebels mount major attack. The New York Times. Thursday October 13, 2005. Retrieved on November 8, 2011.
- ^ Chivers, C.J. "The School." Esquire. March 14, 2007. 2. Retrieved on 1 November 2011.
- ^ "«Ivan Kanidis» School inauguration." SAE World Council of Hellenes Abroad. 7 September 2010. Retrieved on 7 November 2011.
- ^ Ewart, Ewa. "The children of Beslan five years on." BBC. Saturday 29 August 2009. Retrieved on October 1, 2011.
- ^ Varoli, John. "Russian Federation: Beslan -- six months on." UNICEF. Retrieved on 5 October 2011.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Beslan |
- Official website of Beslan (Russian)
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