Khazaria (Vegetarian World)

Khazaria is a republic located in the, just east of Ukraine and north of the Black Sea. The original Khazaria was located just north of the Caucusus. However, invasions from surrounding groups almost destroyed the empire. A strong relationship with the Byzantine Empire, however, kept it from extinction at the hands of the Kievan Rus. Many Khazars - a historically mobile people - flooded into the Taurican (OTL Crimean) Peninsula from the rest of its former empire, realizing that they needed to be together in one place so that their numbers would ward off enemies that had been able to pick off smaller groups previously. The Khazars more and more became urbanized, and eventually secured not only Taurica, but elsewhere east of the Dneiper River.

Many of the Khazars, early on, converted to Judaism, and Khazaria became a center of Jewish learning in the world. Jews from across Europe and the middle east began to pour into Khazaria - some staying, but most studying and emigrating again. Soon, a major migration of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) and Middle Eastern (Mizrahi) Jews to the area that is not commenced. Thus, Khazaria was a major factor in the establishment of a majority Jewish presence in the Levant, after hundreds of years of Jews living as a minority. However, Khazaria has always been a nation of many religions.

The modern nation state was formed in 1882, when the emperor was toppled from power and a democratic revolution took place. Currently, Khazaria has a stable economy, and continues to be one of only two Jewish-majority nations in the world.

Vegetarianism

 * 58% Vegetarian
 * 42% Non-Vegetarian

Ethnic Groups

 * 72% Khazars
 * 06% Ukrainians
 * 04% Greeks
 * 04% Russians
 * 02% Byzantians
 * 02% Germans
 * 02% Israelis
 * 02% Taurican (Crimean) Tatars
 * 02% Turkish
 * 04% others (Bulgarians, other Middle Easterners, Caucasian groups, etc)

Religions

 * 61% Jewish
 * 19% Nonreligious
 * 11% atheist
 * 08% agnostic
 * 14% Christians (mostly Orthodox)
 * 02% Buddhist (mostly Greek)
 * 03% Muslim
 * 01% other

Languages

 * 76% Khazar
 * 24% others*

* See ethnic groups above. Most German Khazars speak Yiddish.