Aspindza Municipality
ასპინძის მუნიციპალიტეტი
Vardzia monastery
Vardzia monastery
Flag of Aspindza Municipality
Flag
Official seal of Aspindza Municipality
Seal
Location of the municipality within Georgia
Location of the municipality within Georgia
Country Georgia
MkhareSamtskhe-Javakheti
CapitalAspindza
Government
 • TypeMayor–Council
 • MayorRostom Magraqvelidze (GD)
Area
 • Total825 km2 (319 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total10,587
 • Density13/km2 (33/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+4 (Georgian Time)

Aspindza (Georgian: ასპინძის მუნიციპალიტეტი, Aspindzis munitsipalit'et'i) is a municipality in southern Georgia, in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 10,372 (2021[1]). Its main town and administrative center is Aspindza and it has an area of 825 km2 (319 sq mi).

Administrative divisions

Aspindza municipality is administratively divided into one borough (დაბა, daba), the municipal centre Aspindza and 18 communities (თემი, temi) with 55 villages (სოფელი, sopeli):[2]

Politics

Aspindza Municipal Assembly (Georgian: ახალციხის საკრებულო, Aspindza Sakrebulo) is a representative body in Aspindza Municipality, consisting of 30 members which are elected every four years. The last election was held in October 2021. Rostom Magraqvelidze of Georgian Dream was elected mayor.

Party 2017[3] 2021[4] Current Municipal Assembly
  Georgian Dream 22 22                                          
  United National Movement 1 6          
  European Georgia 2 1  
  Lelo 1  
  Alliance of Patriots 2
Total 27 30  

Population

Tmogvi fortress

By the start of 2021 the population was determined at 10,587 people,[1] a slight increase compared to the 2014 census.[2] The population of Aspindza town decreased slightly during the same period. The population density of the municipality is 13.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (34/sq mi).

The population consists for 86% of Georgians. By far the largest ethnic minority are the Armenians, who make up more than 13% of the population. Almost all of them live in the village of Damala, just outside the main town of Aspindza. Furthermore, some Russians, Ossetes, Ukrainians and Greeks live in the municipality. The population consists for 74.8% of followers of the Georgian Orthodox Church and 11.6% is Muslim followed by followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church (almost 10%), Catholics (2.3%) and a small community of several dozen Jehovah's Witnesses.

Population Aspindza Municipality
1886 1917 1923 1939 1959 1970 1979 1989 2002[5] 2014 2021
Aspinda Municipality - - - 32,644 Decrease 11,265 Increase 12,494 Decrease 12,264 Increase 13,262 Decrease 13,010 Decrease 10,372 Increase 10,587
Aspindza - 553 Increase 679 Increase 1,461 Increase 1,609 Increase 2,550 Increase 2,877 Increase 3,711 Decrease 3,243 Decrease 2,793 Decrease 2,648
Data: Population statistics Georgia 1897 to present.[6][7][8] Note:[5]

In November 1944, the Meskhetian Turks, a Turkic-speaking ethnic group of predominantly Muslim faith living in this area, were deported to Soviet Central Asian republics as part of a Stalinist resettlement operation.[10] At that time, the Meskhetians constituted two-thirds of the population of the rajon Aspindza (1939: 21,612 of the 32,644 inhabitants).[8] Attempts to return them to independent Georgia have failed, with local resistance.[11][12]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aspindza Municipality.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Population and Demography - Population by cities and boroughs (daba), as of 1 January". National Statistics Office of Georgia, Geostat. 2021-01-01. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  2. ^ a b "Main Results of the 2014 Census (Publication)" (PDF). Census.ge, National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) (in Georgian). 2016-04-28. p. 290-293. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  3. ^ "Protocol elected municipal council members and mayors 2017" (PDF) (in Georgian). CESKO Central Election Commission. p. 43-45. Retrieved 2021-01-06.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Protocol elected municipal council members and mayors 2021" (PDF) (in Georgian). CESKO Central Election Commission. p. 53-55. Retrieved 2021-01-06.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ a b The 2014 census found an inexplicable gap with the data from the national statistical office Geostat. UN-assisted research has found the 2002 census was inflated by about 8-9 percent. See,[9] "1. Introduction", Page 1.
  6. ^ "Population divisions of Georgia". Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  7. ^ "Population cities & towns of Georgia". Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  8. ^ a b "1939 census". Ethno Kavkaz (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  9. ^ "Population Dynamics in Georgia - An Overview Based on the 2014 General Population Census Data" (PDF). National Statistics Office of Georgia, Geostat. 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  10. ^ "From Exile to Exile: The Perpetual Deportation of the Ahıska Turks". Genocide Watch. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  11. ^ "Meskhetian Turks Return to Lost Homeland in Georgia". Eurasianet. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  12. ^ "Meskhetian Turks: Still Struggling to Return to Their Homeland". Eurasianet. 2003-03-25. Retrieved 2022-02-15.

41°34′26″N 43°15′22″E / 41.57389°N 43.25611°E / 41.57389; 43.25611

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