The Chechen Republic (IPA: /'???n? r?'p?bl?k/; Russian: ????´????? ?????´?????, Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya Russian: Chechen: ), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. It is located in the Northern Caucasus mountains, in the Southern Federal District. It borders Stavropol Krai to the northwest, the republic of Dagestan to the northeast and east, Georgia to the south, and the republics of Ingushetia and North Ossetia to the west. During the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Chechen-Ingush ASSR was split into the Republic of Ingushetia which wanted to remain part of Russia and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria which sought independence. Following the First Chechen War with Russia, which included a mass exodus of non-Chechen minorities, the republic gained a de facto sovereignty, although only the Afghan Taliban government recognized it in January 2000.Russian federal control was restored after the Second Chechen War. Since then there has been a systematic reconstruction and rebuilding process, though unrest remains an issue. --------------------- . In 2006 the former president, Alu Alkhanov, proposed changing the official name of the republic to Noxçiyn (or Nokhchiin) which is a transcription of the name in the Chechen language.