Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti (Georgian: რაჭა-ლეჩხუმი და ქვემო სვანეთი, Rach’a-Lechkhumi da Kvemo Svaneti [ɾät͡ʃʼäle̞t͡ʃʰχumi d̥ä kʰʷe̞mo̞ s̪ʷän̪e̞t̪ʰi]) is a region (mkhare) in northwestern Georgia with a population of 28,500 (2021), making it the most sparsely populated region in the country. It has a nominal area of 4,954 km (1,913 sq mi), of which 4,600 km (1,800 sq mi) is de facto controlled by Georgia. The remainder is effectively under South Ossetian control. The region has Ambrolauri as its administrative center and Parmen Margvelidze is governor of the region since June 2021. Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti includes the historical provinces of Racha, Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti (or Lower Svaneti).
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👉 Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Georgia–South Ossetia border
The Georgia–South Ossetia separation line is a de facto boundary set up in aftermath of the 1991–1992 South Ossetia War and Russo-Georgian War, which separates the self-declared Republic of South Ossetia from the territory controlled by the Government of Georgia. South Ossetia, and those states that recognise its independence, view the line as an international border separating two sovereign states, whereas the Georgian government views it as an occupation line in accordance with the Georgian "Law on Occupied Territories of Georgia". The Constitution of Georgia does not recognize South Ossetia as having any special status within Georgia, therefore the line does not correspond to any Georgian administrative area, with the territory claimed by the Republic of South Ossetia shared out amongst several Georgian Mkhares: Shida Kartli, Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti and Mtskheta-Mtianeti.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti
- 👉 Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Georgia–South Ossetia border
- Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Georgian wine
- Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Shida Kartli
- Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Racha
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Georgian wine
Georgia is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world. The fertile valleys and protective slopes of the South Caucasus were home to grapevine cultivation and neolithic wine production (Georgian: ღვინო, ɣvino) for at least 8000 years. Due to millennia of winemaking and the prominent economic role it retains in Georgia to the present day, wine and viticulture are entwined with Georgia's national identity.
In 2013, UNESCO added the ancient traditional Georgian winemaking method using the Kvevri clay jars to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. The best-known Georgian wine regions are in the country's east, such as Kakheti (further divided into the micro-regions of Telavi and Kvareli) and Kartli, but also in Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, and coastal areas like Adjara and Abkhazia.
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Shida Kartli
Shida Kartli (Georgian: შიდა ქართლი, IPA: [ʃida kʰaɾtʰli]; lit. 'Inner Kartli') is a landlocked administrative region (mkhare) in eastern Georgia. It comprises a central part of the historical-geographic province of Shida Kartli. With an area of 5,729 square kilometres (2,212 sq mi), Shida Kartli is the 8th largest Georgian region by land area. With 284,081 inhabitants, it is Georgia's seventh-most-populous region. Shida Kartli's capital and largest city, Gori, is the 5th largest city in Georgia.
The region is bordered by Russia to the north, Georgian regions of Mtskheta-Mtianeti to the east, Kvemo Kartli to the south, Samtskhe-Javakheti to the southwest, Imereti to the west, and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti to the northwest. It consists of the following municipalities: Gori, Kaspi, Kareli, Java, Khashuri.
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti in the context of Racha
Racha (also Račha, Georgian: რაჭა [ˈɾät͡ʃ'ä], Račʼa) is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region (mkhare) as the municipalities of Oni and Ambrolauri. Native inhabitants of Racha are called Rachians, an ethnographic group of Georgians.
Racha occupies 2,854 km in the north-eastern corner of western Georgia. Spurs of the Greater Caucasus crest separates Racha from the Georgian historical regions of Svaneti and Lechkhumi on the north-west and from Imereti on the south, while the main Caucasus ridge forms a boundary with Russia’s North Ossetia. On the east, Racha is bordered by breakaway South Ossetia, officially part of Georgia's Shida Kartli region.