Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (Georgian: სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი [s̪äme̞ɡɾe̞ɫo̞z̪e̞mo̞ s̪ʷän̪e̞t̪ʰi]) 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.^[6][7] Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti is compiled of the historical Georgian provinces of Samegrelo (Mingrelia) and Zemo Svaneti (i.e., Upper Svaneti).

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
Capital	Zugdidi
Subdivisions	1 city, 8 municipalities[1]
Government
• Governor	Giorgi Guguchia (2 June 2021)
Area [2]
• Total	7,468 km2 (2,883 sq mi)
Population  (2021)
• Total	308,358[3]
Gross Regional Product [4]
• Total	₾ 3.28 billion (2022)
• Per Capita	₾ 10,904 (2022)
Time zone	UTC+4 (Georgian Time)
ISO 3166 code	GE-SZ
HDI (2021)	0.765[5] high · 5th

Subdivisions

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

• Eight cities: Abasha, Khobi, Martvili, Poti, Jvari, Zugdidi, Senaki and Tsalenjikha.
• Two dabas: Mestia, Chkhorotsku
• Villages: 521

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 Imereti on the Tskhenistsqali River. The important Rioni River of West Georgia also passes through Samegrelo, flowing into the black sea in the city 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[8]
	1959	1970	1979	1989	2002*	2002**	2014	2021
Abasha Municipality	30,286	30,416	29,246	28,219	28,707	-	22,341	19,560
Khobi Municipality	31,280	37,653	38,092	38,939	41,240	-	30,548	27,806
Martvili Municipality	47,777	49,167	47,797	46,009	44,627	-	33,463	31,495
Mestia Municipality	16,311	17,801	17,442	14,776	14,248	-	9,316	9,447
City of Poti	48,117	45,979	48,508	50,922	47,149	-	41,465	41,536
Senaki Municipality	47,553	50,336	50,774	52,681	52,112	-	39,652	34,315
Tsalenjikha Municipality	29,019	37,813	39,477	38,643	40,133	-	26,158	23,296
Chkhorotsku Municipality	27,647	30,784	31,404	29,840	30,124	-	22,309	21,361
Zugdidi Municipality	96,643	112,241	120,217	125,444	167,760	-	105,509	99,542
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti	374,633	412,190	422,957	425,473	466,100	416,349	330,761	308,358
* Research after 2014 census showed the 2002 census was inflated by 8-9 percent.[9] **Corrected data based on retro-projection 1994–2014 in collaboration with UN[10]

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, Apsuans 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 Christian. Small minorities of Armenian Christians and Roman Catholics also exist.

See also

• Administrative divisions of Georgia (country)