Ethnic Composition
| Chechens |
85% |
| Other (Russian Slavic, Ingush, Armenians,
Ukrainians, Daghestanis, Kumyk, and Nogays) |
15% |
(1999 prewar) |
Religious CompositionThe majority of the population is Sunni Muslim, followed
by Islamic groups, Christians, and Jews. |
Languages SpokenChechen, or Noxche, is the official language of government and
business in Chechnya. Russian is also widely spoken. |
Education and LiteracyThe literacy rate in Chechnya is at around 93 percent, with the
majority of those living in urban areas able to read and
write. |
Labor ForceN/A |
Economy & Trade |
| There is not much of an economy left to assess in Chechnya at
present. Prior to its conflict with Russia, Chechnya was a
major producer of tungsten and petroleum. It also had large
sections of pipeline running through its countryside used for
transporting a good deal of oil from other Russian republics.
While there are certainly issues of religion and ethnicity
underpinning the Russo-Chechnyan conflict, the overriding
factor driving the tenacity of both sides is the rights to
Chechen oil fields. The rest of the economy has been reduced to
subsistence farming and many urban dwellers often experience
famine conditions. Chechnya's capital, Grozny, has been
flattened, and the infrastructure of the entire country has
been severely damaged. The country is in such tatters that
statistics on its economic health cannot be compiled. Even if
this on-again-off-again conflict were resolved
tomorrow, it would be decades before Chechnya returned to
pre-war economic levels. |
Top Export PartnersRussia, Georgia, and the Ukraine. |
Top Import PartnersRussia, Georgia, and the Ukraine. |
Top ExportsGas, oil and petroleum refinement, mineral water. |
Top ImportsFoodstuffs, machinery and equipment. |
Business Workweek
|
| |
Monday - Friday |
Saturday -
Sunday |
| Offices |
9a.m. to 6p.m. |
Closed |
| Retail |
9a.m. to 5p.m. |
Saturday 9a.m. to 5p.m. |
| Banks |
9:30a.m. to 5:30p.m. |
Closed |
| Government |
9a.m. to 6p.m. |
Closed |
Note:
Most of the day-to-day aspects of work
are presently suspended because of the ongoing war with Russia.
The following hours refer to prewar schedules.
|
Holidays |
Official Holidays
| Holidays |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| New Year's Day |
January 1 |
January 1 |
January 1 |
| Christmas (Orthodox)¹ |
January 7 |
January 7 |
January 7 |
| Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)² |
February 12 |
February 2 |
January 21 |
| Independence Day |
November 2 |
November 2 |
November 2 |
| Start of Ramadan³ |
October 27 |
October 15 |
October 4 |
| End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)*¹ |
November 26 |
November 14 |
November 3 |
| ¹ |
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus
Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at
December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox
church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and
celebrates 13 days later on January 7. |
| ² |
Culmination of the Haj or Holy
Pilgrimage. |
| ³ |
Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins
with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth
month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30
days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from
country to country, depending on the first appearance of
the moon. |
| *¹ |
Feasting that officially marks the end of
Ramadan, and commonly lasts for 3 days. |
| *² |
|
| *³ |
|
| **¹ |
|
| **² |
|
| **³ |
|
|
