The Largest Cities In Abkhazia

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It has two disputed territories, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Abkhazia is in the northwest of Georgia, south of the Greater Caucasus. Georgia and Abkhazia have fought over the land, and Georgia and Russia have also fought. Abkhazia is made up of 3,344 square miles and is home to about 240,000 people.

There are seven administrative districts, called raions, named after the biggest cities in each. The list below shows which cities in Abkhazia have the most people.

Abkhazia’s Five Most Populous Cities

Sukhumi

Abkhazia’s capital and largest city are Sukhumi, home to about 39,000 people. The city is on the eastern side of the Black Sea. It has become a popular port and vacation spot because of its beaches, salt-water spas, sanatorium, and semitropical climate.

Sukhumi’s history goes back to about 600 BC when the Greeks moved there and called the area Dioscurias. But over time, the sea ate away at much of the city. In 1989, there was a big fight between Georgians and Abkhazians in Sukhumi.

In 1993, ethnic cleansing was used to get rid of Georgians. Most of Sukhumi’s people are Abkhaz, while about 2.8% are Georgian.

Tkvarcheli

With an estimated population of 17,000, Tkvarcheli is the second-largest city in Abkhazi. The town is on the Aaldzga River and is connected to the town of Ochamchire by railroad. Coal mining in the area helped the town grow and it was made a city in 1942.

After the War in Abkhazi, the Akarmara settlement in the city was abandoned and turned into a ghost town. In terms of the people who live there, Tkvarcheli is home to Abkhazi (42%), Russian (25%), and Georgian (5%). (23 percent ).

Ochamchire

The center of the Ochamchire District is the seaside city of Ochamchire. About 33 miles from Sukhumi, the city is on the bank of the Ghalidzga River.

Ochamchire started as a small port town. In 2010, about 14,300 people lived there, most of whom were Abkhazi. After the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, the number of people living in Ochamchire dropped quickly.

Gali

About 48 miles southeast of Abkhazia’s capital, Sukhumi, in the town of Gali, the center of the Gali District. With an estimated population of 10,800 people, Gali is the fourth largest city in Abkhazia. It became a town in 1932.

In the 1800s, Tlabgan Ketsba started the town of Gali, according to the local newspaper Izvestia. Before Russia’s veto of UNIMOG in 2009, the town was in the UN security zone.

Gudauta

Gudauta is a town in Gudauta District. It is about 30 mi northwest of Sukhumi. The Soviet Air Defense Forces base was in this town until 1982. After that, a unit of the Soviet Airborne Forces lived there.

The base has always been an essential part of the conflict in Abkhazia. With about 10,800 people, Gudauta is one of the most significant towns in Abkhazia.

About Abkhazia’s people

According to the 2011 census, about 240,700 people were living in Abkhazia. However, the Georgian government has questioned this number. The War in Abkhazia (1992–1993) significantly affected the people of Abkhazia because almost half of them had to leave their homes.

Even though the rest of the people are from many different ethnic groups, more than half of them are Abkhaz. There are also Georgian, Russian, and Hemshin Armenian people in Abkhazia.

List of Abkhazia’s most significant towns and cities