(Kazikumukhs), one of the indigenous peoples of Dagestan. Most Laks live in the mountainous part of Dagestan ASSR (mainly Lakskii and Kulinskii raions); others live on the plain of Northern Dagestan (Novolakskoe Raion). There are 72,200 Laks in Dagestan ASSR, and a total of 86,000 in the USSR (1970 census). Their language is Lak; many Laks also know Russian. Lak believers are Sunni Moslems.

In their material and intellectual culture the Laks are similar to the other peoples of Dagestan. The main occupation in the mountains is livestock raising (primarily pasture sheep herding); Laks living on the plain are farmers. Various handicrafts, such as pottery and jewelry-making, are well developed. During the years of Soviet rule, literature, art, and science have flourished, and a national intelligentsia has taken shape.