Regions and Autonomous Republics of Georgia

Georgia is divided into 9 regions, 1 independent city (Tbilisi), and 2 autonomous republics. Georgia contains two official autonomous regions, of which one has declared independence. In addition, another territory not officially autonomous has also declared independence. Officially autonomous within Georgia, the de facto independent region of Abkhazia declared independence in 1999. The de facto independent South Ossetia is officially known within Georgia as the Tskinvali region to separate it from the Russian North Ossetia. It was autonomous under the Soviet Union, and when it was renamed to Tskinvali in 1995 its autonomy was removed. De facto separate since Georgian independence, offers were made to give South Ossetia autonomy again, but in 2006 an unrecognised referendum in the area resulted in a vote for independence.

AbkhaziaAbkhazia is a disputed territory on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of

theCaucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny.This status is recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru, Tuvalu and also by the partiallyrecognized state of South Ossetia, and the unrecognized Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh.The Georgian government and the majority of the world's governments consider Abkhazia a part ofGeorgia's territory. Under Georgia's official designation it is an autonomous republic, called theAutonomous Republic of Abkhazia, whose government sits in exile in Tbilisi.The status of Abkhazia is a central issue of the Georgian–Abkhazian conflict. The wider region formedpart of the Soviet Union until 1991. As the Soviet Union began to disintegrate towards the end of the1980s, ethnic tensions grew between the Abkhaz and Georgians over Georgia's moves towardsindependence. This led to the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia that resulted in a Georgian military defeat,de facto independence of Abkhazia and the mass exodus and ethnic cleansing of the Georgianpopulation from Abkhazia. In spite of the 1994 ceasefire agreement and years of negotiations, thestatus dispute has not been resolved, and despite the long-term presence of a United Nationsmonitoring force and a Russian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeepingoperation, the conflict has flared up on several occasions. In August 2008, the sides again fought duringthe South Ossetia War, which was followed by the formal recognition of Abkhazia by Russia, theannulment of the 1994 cease fire agreement and the termination of the UN and CIS missions. On 28August 2008, the Parliament of Georgia passed a resolution declaring Abkhazia a Russian-occupiedterritory.

Samegrelo-Zemo SvanetiSamegrelo-Zemo Svanetiis a region in westernGeorgia whichincludes the historicalGeorgian provinces ofSamegrelo andZemo Svaneti and has Zugdidias its capital.

Guria is a region in Georgia, in the western part of the

country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has

a population of 143,357 (2002) and Ozurgeti is a regional capital.

Guria

AdjaraAdjara , officially the AutonomousRepublic of Adjara is anautonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwesterncorner of Georgia, bordered byTurkey to the south and the easternend of the Black Sea. Adjara is ahome to the Adjara ethnic subgroup ofGeorgians.

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is a region in northwestern Georgia which includes

the historical provinces of Racha, Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti . It covers an area of

4,954 km² and has a population of 50,969 (2002 census), but nominally also a section of

northwest South Ossetia over which Georgia have no jurisdiction and control. It is the most

sparsely populated region in the country. The capital is Ambrolauri.

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti

ImeretiImereti is a region in Georgia situated along themiddle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. Theregion's main city is Kutaisi; The 800,000 Imeretiansspeak a Georgian dialect; they are one of the localculture-groups of the ethnically subdivided Georgianpeople. In late antiquity and early Middle Ages theancient western Georgian kingdom of Egrisi existed onThe territory of Imereti. Its king declared Christianityas an official religion of Egrisi in 523 AD. In 975-1466Imereti was part of the united Georgian Kingdom.Since its disintegration in the 15th century, Imeretiwas an independent kingdom. Samtskhe-Javakheti ,is a region formed in the 1990s in southern

Georgia from the historical provinces of Meskheti, Javakheti andTori . Akhaltsikhe is its capital. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil

pipeline, the South Caucasus natural gas pipeline, and the KarsTbilisi–Baku railway (under construction) pass through the

region. The current division of Georgia into "regions"/Mkhare isA relatively new phenomenon introduced by the Shevardnadze

government in the mid 1990s, partly as a response to thecessation of Abchasia and the South Ossetia-conflict. In this

process, Samtskhe Javakheti was basically formed from the twotraditional provinces of Samtskhe and Javakheti.

Samtskhe-Javakheti

Shida KartliShida Kartli is a region inGeorgia. It consists of the followingdistricts: Gori, Kaspi, Kareli, Java,Khashuri. The northern part of theregion, namely Java, and northernterritories of Kareli and Gori iscontrolled by the authorities Of theself-proclaimed republic of SouthOssetia since 1992.

Mtskheta-Mtianeti is a region in eastern Georgiacomprising the town of Mtskheta, which serves asa regional capital, together with its district andthe adjoining mountainous areas. The westernpart is controlled by the breakaway Republic ofSouth Ossetia since 1992 and the independenceof Georgia.

Mtskheta-Mtianeti

Kvemo KartliKvemo Kartli is a historic province andcurrent administrative region in southeasternGeorgia. The city of Rustavi is a regionalcapital. The population is mixed betweenAzeris (45.1%), Georgians (44.7%), Turkishspeaking Pontic Greeks and Caucasus Greeks,Russians and others.

Kakheti is a region formed in the 1990s in eastern Georgia from the historical province of Kakheti and the small, mountainous province of Tusheti. Telavi is its capital. The region comprises eight administrative districts: Telavi, Gurjaani, Kvareli, Sagarejo, Dedoplistsqaro, Signagi, Lagodekhi and Akhmeta. Kakheti is bordered by the Russian Federation to the Northeast, Azerbaijan to the Southeast, and the Georgian regions of Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Kvemo Kartli to the west.The Georgian David Gareja monastery complex is partially located in this province and is subject to a border dispute between Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities.

Kakheti

Tbilisi• Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the

Mtkvari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tpilisi founded in the 5th century by Vakhtang Gorgasali, the monarch of Georgia's precursor Kingdoom of Iberia, Tbilisi has served, with various intervals, as Georgia's capital for nearly 1500 years and represents a significant industrial, social, and cultural center of the country. Located on the southeastern edge of Europe, Tbilisi's proximity to lucrative east-westtrade routs often made the city a point of contention between various rival empires throughout history and the city's location to this day ensures its position as an important transit route for global energy and trade projects. Tbilisi's varied history is reflected in its architecture, which is a mix ofmedieval, classic and Soviet structures.

• Historically, Tbilisi has been home to peoples of diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, though it is now overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox Christian. Notable tourist destinations include cathedrals like Sameba and Sioni, classical Freedom Square and Rustaveli Avenue, medieval Narikala Fortress, pseudo Moorish Opera Theater, and the Georgian National Museul.