Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (Georgian: სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი) is a region (Mkhare) in western Georgia which includes the historical Georgian provinces of Samegrelo (Mingrelia) and Zemo Svaneti (i.e., Upper Svaneti) and has Zugdidi as its capital.
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti სამეგრელო-ზემო სვანეთი | |
---|---|
Mkhare (region) | |
Country | |
Capital | Zugdidi |
Subdivisions | 1 city, 7 municipalities |
Government | |
• Governor | Alexander Motserelia |
Area | |
• Total | 7,440 km2 (2,870 sq mi) |
Population (2014 census) | |
• Total | 331,145 |
• Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) |
ISO 3166 code | GE-SZ |
HDI (2017) | 0.757[1] high · 5th |
Subdivisions
Map | Municipality |
---|---|
City of Poti | |
Abasha Municipality | |
Zugdidi Municipality | |
Martvili Municipality | |
Mestia Municipality | |
Senaki Municipality | |
Chkhorotsku Municipality | |
Tsalenjikha Municipality | |
Khobi Municipality |
Geography
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti is traversed by two sections of the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Demographic
Ethnic groups
According to the Georgian census of 2002, 98.9% of the population is Georgian and 0.9% is Russian. Other ethnic groups live in the region, including 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 Mingrels, 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. A little minority of Armenian Christians and Roman Catholics also exist.
General information
The area of the region is 7,441 km2 (2,873 sq mi), the population is 330,000. The administrative center is Zugdidi. In the region, there are 500 populated areas, including:
- Seven cities: Abasha, Khobi, Martvili, Poti, Jvari, Zugdidi, Senaki
- Two dabas: Mestia, Chkhorotsku
- Villages: 491
References
- "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.