Abkhazia

Abkhazia (Abkhaz ?????/Aphsny, Georgian ????????/Apkhazeti, Russian ????????/Abkhazia) is a region of 8,600 km² (3,300 sq.mi.) in the Caucasus. It is formally an autonomous republic within Georgia but is de facto independent, although not recognised as such internationally. The capital is Sukhum (Sokhumi)2.

Geography and demographics

Abkhazia covers an area of about 8,600 km² at the western end of Georgia, on the north shore of the Black Sea. The Caucasus mountains on the north and northeast divide Abkhazia from Circassia; on the southeast it is bounded by Mingrelia (Samegrelo); and on the southwest by the Black Sea.

Related Topics:
Black Sea - Caucasus mountains - Circassia - Mingrelia (Samegrelo)

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The republic is extremely mountainous (nearly 75% is classified as mountains or foothills) and settlement is largely confined to the coast and a number of deep, well-watered valleys. The climate is extremely mild, which in Soviet times caused it to become a popular holiday destination known as the "Georgian Riviera". It is also renowned for its agricultural produce, including tea, tobacco, wine and fruits.

Related Topics:
Tea - Tobacco - Wine - Fruit

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The demography of Abkhazia has undergone major changes since the 1990s. At the time of the last Soviet census in 1989, it had a population of about 500,000, of whom 48% were Georgians (principally Mingrels) and only 17% of whom were Abkhazians.

Related Topics:
1990s - 1989 - Georgians - Mingrel - Abkhazians

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In 1993, a major war led to Abkhazia breaking away from Georgia, during which virtually the entire Georgian population - about 250,000 people - were displaced in what was alleged to be a campaign of ethnic cleansing. The conflict has not yet been resolved, and Abkhazia's much-reduced population is now largely ethnically Abkhazian.

Related Topics:
1993 - Ethnic cleansing

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After the expulsion of the ethnic Georgians, the Abhazians become a relative ethnic majority in Abkhazia (45%), with Russians, Armenians, Georgians, Greeks, and Jews comprising most of the remainder of the population of Abkhazia.

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