Population: The population of Ingushetia is 300,000 including displaced Ingush. The Ingush refer to themselves as Galgai, the name of one of the main tribes.

Languages: The Ingush are a Caucasian ethno-linguistic group.

Economy: Ingushetia has been designated a free economic zone. The republic has mineral water and is considering developing a modest tourist industry. In the republic there are oil- and gas-fields, supplies of limestones, clay, mineral waters. National wealth of Ingushetia is valuable forests. Overall square of forest fund is 84.4 thousand hectares.

Administrative division: Ingushetia is divided into 4 districts, 45 settlements, 4 towns. Population - 308 thousand people. 138.3 thousand people live in towns, 169.7 thousand people - in villages. Density of population is 85 persons per sq. km. Natives of the republic is Ingushs (150 thousand people).

Brief History:

• 1810 Ingushetia came under Russian rule.
• 1921 The Autonomous Soviet Mountain Republic, of which the Ingush formed a part together with Kabardians, Chechens, Circassians, Ossetians, Balkars and the Karachai, was created.
• 1924 Ingushetia became an autonomous district of the Russian Federation. The political and intellectual leadership of Ingushetia were deported.
• 1936 The Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Region was raised to the status of an Autonomous Republic.
• In the Second World War, when the Nazi Germans neared the Caucasian oilfields, Ingush and Chechens were found on both sides in the war. Because of this lack of loyalty to Soviet power, the Chechens and Ingush were deported to Siberia and Central Asia and removed from official statistics. The AO was disbanded.
• In 1991, the Ingush claimed that the North-Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz, should become part of a North-Ingushetian republic. They also argue that the Prigorodnyy region of North Ossetia is their historic homeland.
• 1995 An agreement between North Ossetia and Ingushetia was signed which concerned the return of the displaced persons.