This federal district
is situated in the south of the European part of the Russian Federation – or,
to be more precise, in the central and eastern parts of the North Caucasus. This
district was split from the Southern Federal District by the decree of the President
Dmitry Medvedev signed on January 19, 2010. That was the first change in the
number and territories of federal districts since they were first formed in the
year 2000. The district’s territory makes 1% of the country’s territory. Until
2014, when the Crimean Federal District was formed, the North Caucasus Federal
District used to be the smallest one in Russia. The district is landlocked. It
is one of two federal districts (alongside with the Crimean Federal District) which
do not include regions. The North Caucasus Federal District is also the only
district in which ethnic Russians do not constitute the majority of the
population. The district’s capital is Pyatigorsk, the only federal district
capital in Russia which is not a federal constituent entity capital. The district’s
largest city is Makhachkala.