Alania (Karachay-Balkar: Ас-Алан Халкъ, As-Alan Khalk'; Russian: Алания, Alanya), officially the Republic of Alania and historically called Karachay-Balkaria (Къарачай-Малкъар, K'arachay-Malk'ar; Карачаево-Балкария, Karachayevo-Balkariya), is a republic of the Soviet Union. Established in 1996 from the unification of the Karachay and Balkar peoples, the republic became a republic around a year later.