Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი
Mkhare (region)
From the top to bottom right: Enguri River, Dadiani Palace, Mestia at night, Tetnuldi, Martvili Monastery
Country Georgia
CapitalZugdidi
Subdivisions1 city, 8 municipalities[1]
Government
 • GovernorGiorgi Guguchia (2 June 2021)
Area
[2]
 • Total7,468 km2 (2,883 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total308,358[3]
Time zoneUTC+4 (Georgian Time)
ISO 3166 codeGE-SZ
HDI (2021)0.765[4]
high · 5th

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (Georgian: სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი) is a region (Mkhare) in western Georgia with a population of 308,358 (2021[3]) and a surface of 7,468 km2 (2,883 sq mi).[2] The region has Zugdidi as its administrative center, while Giorgi Guguchia is governor of the region since June 2021.[5][6] Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti is compiled of the historical Georgian provinces of Samegrelo (Mingrelia) and Zemo Svaneti (i.e., Upper Svaneti).

Subdivisions

The region has one self governing city (Poti) and 8 municipalities with 143 administrative communities (temi),[2] totalling to 531 populated settlements:

Map Municipality
City of Poti
Abasha Municipality
Zugdidi Municipality
Martvili Municipality
Mestia Municipality
Senaki Municipality
Chkhorotsku Municipality
Tsalenjikha Municipality
Khobi Municipality

Geography

The Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Mkhare can be split into two historical regions; Svaneti and Samegrelo. In the northern part of Samegrelo lies the Egrisi Mountains. The municipalities of Chkhorotsqu, Martvili, and Tsalenjikha are located right next to the Egrisi mountain range in Northern Samegrelo. In the south lies the Kolkheti valley, which is a mostly flat region. The municipalities that lie in the valley are Zugdidi, Khobi, Senaki, Abasha, and the city of Poti. The west side of Samegrelo borders Apkhazeti right on the Enguri River and the east borders Imeretion the Tskhenistsqali River. The important Rioni River of West Georgia also passes through Samegrelo, flowing into the black sea in the coty of Poti. The other region; Zemo Svaneti, is located right next to the Northern Caucasus Mountain Range. Its only municipality is Mestia. Svaneti has the tallest mountain in Georgia, Mt. Shkhara, at 5,193 meters, or 17,037 feet.

Demographic

Population development of the region Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti[7]
1959 1970 1979 1989 2002* 2002** 2014 2021
Abasha Municipality 30,286 Increase 30,416 Decrease 29,246 Decrease 28,219 Increase 28,707 - Decrease 22,341 Decrease 19,560
Khobi Municipality 31,280 Increase 37,653 Increase 38,092 Increase 38,939 Increase 41,240 - Decrease 30,548 Decrease 27,806
Martvili Municipality 47,777 Increase 49,167 Decrease 47,797 Decrease 46,009 Decrease 44,627 - Decrease 33,463 Decrease 31,495
Mestia Municipality 16,311 Increase 17,801 Decrease 17,442 Decrease 14,776 Decrease 14,248 - Decrease 9,316 Increase 9,447
City of Poti 48,117 Decrease 45,979 Increase 48,508 Increase 50,922 Decrease 47,149 - Decrease 41,465 Increase 41,536
Senaki Municipality 47,553 Increase 50,336 Increase 50,774 Increase 52,681 Decrease 52,112 - Decrease 39,652 Decrease 34,315
Tsalenjikha Municipality 29,019 Increase 37,813 Increase 39,477 Decrease 38,643 Increase 40,133 - Decrease 26,158 Decrease 23,296
Chkhorotsku Municipality 27,647 Increase 30,784 Increase 31,404 Decrease 29,840 Increase 30,124 - Decrease 22,309 Decrease 21,361
Zugdidi Municipality 96,643 Increase 112,241 Increase 120,217 Increase 125,444 Increase 167,760 - Decrease 105,509 Decrease 99,542
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti 374,633 Increase 412,190 Increase 422,957 Increase 425,473 466,100 Decrease 416,349 Decrease 330,761 Decrease 308,358
* Research after 2014 census showed the 2002 census was inflated by 8-9 percent.[8]
**Corrected data based on retro-projection 1994–2014 in collaboration with UN[9]

Ethnic groups

According to the Georgian census of 2014,[2] 99.37% of the population is Georgian and 0.35% is Russian. Other ethnic groups living in the region include Ukrainians, Armenians, Abkhazians and Greeks.

Languages

Georgian is spoken by the entire population of the region and by the ethnic minorities like Russians and others. Mingrelian is a Kartvelian language spoken by the Mingrelians, a sub-group of Georgian people and native to Mingrelia.

Svan is also a Kartvelian language, spoken by the Svans, a sub-group of Georgian people native to Svaneti.

Religion

About 99% of the population identifies as Orthodox Christians. Small minorities of Armenian Christians and Roman Catholics also exist.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Regions and municipalities of Georgia" (in Georgian). Georgian Government. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  2. ^ a b c d "Main Results of the 2014 Census (Publication)" (PDF). Census.ge, National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) (in Georgian). 2016-04-28. p. 229. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  3. ^ a b "Population and Demography - Population as of 1 January by regions and urban-rural settlements". Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  5. ^ "Giorgi Guguchia Appointed Governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti". Georgia Today. 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  6. ^ "State Representative of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti". Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti website (in Georgian). 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  7. ^ "Divisions of Georgia". Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  8. ^ "Population Dynamics in Georgia - An Overview Based on the 2014 General Population Census Data" (PDF). National Statistics Office of Georgia, Geostat. 2017-11-29. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  9. ^ "Retro-projection of main demographic indicators for the period 1994-2014". National Statistics Office of Georgia, Geostat. 2018-05-18. pp. 3, Table 1. Retrieved 2022-02-04.

External links

42°30′N 41°51′E / 42.5°N 41.85°E / 42.5; 41.85


Administrative divisions of Georgia
Authority control databases: Geographic
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