Karachays

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Karachays

Къарачайлыла
Flag of the Karachay people
Total population
c. 250,000
Regions with significant populations
Russia Karachay-Cherkessia	226,271 205,578[1]
Turkey	20,000[2]
Languages
Karachay-Balkar
Religion
Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Balkars Kumyks North Caucasian peoples

The Karachays or Karachais (Karachay-Balkar: къарачайлыла, romanized: qaraçaylıla or таулула, romanized: tawlula, lit. 'mountaineers' or аланла, romanized: alanla, lit. are a North Caucasian-Turkic ethnic group in the North Caucasus. They are primarily located in their ancestral lands in Karachay–Cherkess Republic, a republic of Russia in the North Caucasus. They have a common origin, culture, and language with the Balkars.^[3]