South Ossetian Independence Referendum

Date: November 12, 2006 • Location: Java, Georgia

Although the Georgian government declared it illegal, South Ossetia held a referendum on independence, with more than 99 percent of voters in favour of preserving the region's status as a de facto independent state.

South Ossetia, formally the Republic of South Ossetia—the State of Alania since 2017, and originally the Republic of South Ossetia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated population of just over 56,500 people (2022), who live in an area of 3,900 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi), with 33,000 living in the capital city, Tskhinvali. It de facto borders only Russia and Georgia.