Makhachkala in the context of "North Caucasus Economic Region"

Dagestan (/ˌdæɡɪˈstæn, -ˈstɑːn/ DAG-i-STA(H)N; Russian: Дагестан; IPA: [dəɡʲɪˈstan]), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Federal District. The republic is the southernmost tip of Russia, sharing land borders with the countries of Azerbaijan and Georgia to the south and southwest, the Russian republics of Chechnya and Kalmykia to the west and north, and with Stavropol Krai to the northwest. Makhachkala is the republic's capital and largest city; other major cities are Derbent, Kizlyar, Izberbash, Kaspiysk, and Buynaksk.

Dagestan covers an area of 50,300 square kilometres (19,400 square miles), with a population of over 3.1 million, consisting of over 30 ethnic groups and 81 nationalities. With 14 official languages, and 12 ethnic groups each constituting more than 1% of its total population, the republic is one of Russia's most linguistically and ethnically diverse, and one of the most heterogeneous administrative divisions in the world. Most of the residents speak one of the Northeast Caucasian, or Turkic languages; however, Russian is the primary language and the lingua franca in the republic. Dagestan is known internationally for its strong culture of combat sambo, many of their fighters later turned to mixed martial arts.

Kizlyar (Russian: Кизля́р; Avar: Гъизляр; Kumyk: Къызлар, Qızlar) is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the border with the Chechen Republic in the delta of the Terek River 221 kilometers (137 mi) northwest of Makhachkala, the capital of the republic. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 48,984.

Izberbash (Russian: Изберба́ш; Dargwa: Избир; Kumyk: Йизбирба́ш, Yizbirbaş) is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the coast of the Caspian Sea 56 kilometers (35 mi) southeast of Makhachkala, the capital of the republic. Population: 55,646 (2010 census); 39,365 (2002 census); 28,122 (1989 Soviet census).

Kaspiysk (Russian: Каспи́йск; Lezgin: Каспи [kaspi:]; Lak: Ккасппи; Avar: Каспиялъухъ) is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea, 18 kilometers (11 mi) southeast of Makhachkala. The 2010 Russian census recorded the city as being the fourth-largest in Dagestan. It is a working-class satellite city to Makhachkala.

Buynaksk (Russian: Буйнакск; Avar: Шура, romanized: Şura; Kumyk: Темирхан-Шура, romanized: Temirxan-Şura; Lak: ЩурахӀи, romanized: Schurahi) is a town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus on the Shura-Ozen River, 40 kilometers (25 mi) southwest of the republic's capital Makhachkala. Population: 62,623 (2010 census); 61,437 (2002 census); 56,783 (1989 Soviet census); 40,000 (1970).

Simferopol International Airport is an airport located in Simferopol, Crimea. Since the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, the airport is only used for flights to and from Russian airports due to limited international recognition of the annexation. As of 24 February 2022, all flights are suspended due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

On 14 May 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted to rename it Amet-khan Sultan International Airport in memory of Amet-khan Sultan, despite that Russia occupied Crimea and controlled the airport since 2014. Another airport named after Amet-khan Sultan is Uytash Airport located in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia. However, in 2018, citizens voted for the airport to be named after the painter Ivan Aivazovsky after Amet-khan's name was not allowed in the list of final three options to vote for despite being the most popular in the preliminary round of voting.

Makhachkala Uytash Airport (Russian: Аэропорт Махачкала Уйташ) (IATA: MCX, ICAO: URML) is a civil airport located near Makhachkala and just south of the city of Kaspiysk which is on the west side of the Caspian Sea. It is named after Amet-khan Sultan, World War II fighter pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. The naming was found controversial by the Crimean Tatars, with whom Amet-khan openly affiliated, as an attempt to detatarize his origins.

South East Airlines (formerly Dagestan Airlines) had its head office on the property of the airport.