This vast population is divided into over 300 distinct ethnic groups, and approximately 680 native languages.

UNESCO: AKRAB! (Literacy Creates Power)

Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, the men's mother, is an Avar, the largest of the more than 30 distinct ethnic groups that comprise Dagestan.

WSJ: Boston Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Dagestan Visit Scrutinized

It will require bringing together voters who not only split their votes among Democrats, Republicans and independents, but also are from 30 distinct ethnic groups separated by language, culture and, for some, historical enmity of their ancestral nations.

CNN