Ardon, Republic of North Ossetia–Alania

Ardon (Russian Ардон; ? Ossetian Æрыдон / Ærydon, pronunciation / i ) is a town with 18,774 inhabitants (as of October 14, 2010 ) and the main town of the same name Rajons in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Russia).

Geography

Ardon is situated in a valley north of the Caucasus on the west bank of the eponymous river Ardon, about 40 km north- west of the capital of North Ossetia Vladikavkaz. The nearest towns are Digora (10 miles west), Alagir (15 km south) and Beslan (20 km east).

History

Ardon was founded in 1824 by Cossacks and got its name from the river, whose hydronym the Ossetian language and comes in as " Wild River " means.

Until the 20th century Ardon remained a small village. Middle of the century it was extended to the center of the agricultural industry in the region and received city rights in 1964. Today Ardon is the fifth largest city in North Ossetia.

Demographics

Note: Census data (1939 rounded)

Economy

The economy Ardon is mainly based on agriculture and the food industry.

Personalities

• Arsenic Kozojew (1872-1944), writer, attended a seminar in Ardon