Mestia Municipality

Mestia Municipality
Symbols
flag coat of arms
Basic data
Country	Georgia
region	Mingrelia and Upper Svaneti
Seat	Mestia
surface	3045 km²
Residents	9316 (2014)
density	3.1 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	GE-SZ
Website	www.mestia.ge (Georgian)

Coordinates: 43 ° 0 '  N , 42 ° 36'  E

The municipality of Mestia ( Georgian მესტიის მუნიციპალიტეტი , Mestiis munizipaliteti ) is an administrative unit (roughly equivalent to a district ) in the Mingrelia and Upper Svaneti region in northwest Georgia . It roughly corresponds to the historic Upper Svaneti region (Georgian Semo Swaneti )

geography

The administrative center of the municipality of Mestia is the eponymous minor city (Georgian daba , დაბა ) Mestia . In the south to southeast, 3044.5 square kilometers municipality of which is municipality lentekhi the region Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti limited, in the southwest of the municipalities Tschchorozqu and tsalenjikha , also in the region Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, and in the west to the northwest of the de jure existing municipalities Gali , Otschamtschire and - for a short section -  Gulripschi of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia (de facto corresponding rajons of the Republic of Abkhazia , which is not under Georgian control and recognized by only a few states , as well as the Tkuartschal Rajon designated by this ). In the north, the municipality of Mestia borders the Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria republics of the Russian Federation .

The municipality occupies the upper valley of the Enguri and its tributaries from the source to the upper part of the Enguri reservoir . To the north, the area is bounded by the highest part of the main ridge of the Greater Caucasus , on whose ridge the state border with Russia runs. The highest peak Elbrus is a few kilometers beyond the border on Russian territory, but on the border the five-thousanders Shchara ( 5200  m , highest mountain in Georgia) and Dschangitau ( 5085  m , also Dschanga ); further to the west rises the 4737  m high Ushba (the heights of all the highest peaks in the Caucasus vary). Most of Georgia's glaciers are located in the area . In the northwest, the Kodori Mountains with the 3852  m high Maguaschircha branches off from the main ridge to the south along the border with Abkhazia .

The area is separated from the municipality of Lentechi in the south, corresponding to the historical region of Lower Svaneti (Georgian Kwemo Svaneti ), by the up to 4009  m ( Lahili or Laila) high Svaneti Mountains ; The western end of the Egrissi Mountains , which run parallel to the Swanetian Mountains and reach a height of 3,170  m in this area with two peaks (Samotscherchola and Didgali-Dudi), extends into the southwest part of the municipality up to the Enguri .

Population and administrative division

With 9,316 inhabitants (2014), the number of inhabitants has fallen by over a third compared to the previous census (14,248 inhabitants in 2002), more than twice the national average. Before that, the number of inhabitants had already declined since the 1970s (maximum 17,801 inhabitants in 1970).

Population development

Note: census data

The population is almost mono-ethnic Georgian (about 99.4% in 2002).

The largest towns besides the main town Mestia (1973 inhabitants) are Chaischi , Idliani , Ienaschi , Lachami , Maseri , Mazchwarischi , Nakra , Qari , Sgurischi , Uschchwanari and Zwirmi (2014), each with over 150 inhabitants .

The municipality is divided into the independent capital Mestia and 16 municipalities (Georgian temi, თემი ) with a total of 156 localities, four of which have no permanent residents:

local community	Number of towns	Population (2014)
Betscho	13	761
Chaischi	24	798
Ezeri	14th	480
Idliani	4th	355
Ipari	4th	236
Potash	8 1	75
Lachamula	11 2	249
Latali	11	779
Lendscheri	7th	657
Mulachi	11	608
Nakra	11 2	297
par	12	227
Tschuberi	10	945
Ushguli	5	228
Zchumari	6th	346
Zwirmi	5	302

¹ including two places without permanent residents

² of which a place without permanent residents

history

After the collapse of the Kingdom of Georgia, the area of ​​the municipality formed approximately in the current borders from the 16th century until the annexation by the Russian Empire in 1864 in the western part of the principality of Dadeschkeliani- Svaneti, in the eastern part an area without feudal rulers, the so-called Free Svaneti. Both were loosely associated with mingrelia in particular .

While it was part of the Russian Empire, Upper Svaneti formed the northern part of the Ujesds Letschchumi of the Kutais governorate with its seat in Zageri . In 1921 the area was spun off as Okrug Oberswanetien and converted into a Rajon in 1930 (Georgian ზემო სვანეთის რაიონი , Semo Swanetis raioni; Russian Верхне-Сванетский район , Werchne-Swanetski rajon ). In 1953 it was named Mestia after its main town. After Georgia gained independence, the Rajon was assigned to the newly formed Mingrelia and Upper Svaneti region in 1995 and converted into a municipality in 2006.

traffic

Only traffic artery of the municipality is the National Road SCH7 ( შ 7 ) derived from Zugdidi (there is the nearest train station) about Jvari the river Enguri and its right tributary Mulchuri as a good road to Mestia follows up. It then changes as an unpaved piste over the 1923  m high Ugyr Pass back into the Enguri valley and follows it to the highest village of Ushguli. The road leading from there over the 2623  m high Sagaro Pass between the Svaneti Mountains and the main Caucasus ridge to Lower Svaneti (municipality of Lentechi) is not passable in winter, depending on the snow conditions, but has been upgraded to the eastern end of the national road. From the Lasdili river on the other side of the pass, the road as Sch15 ( შ 15 ) leads down the Zcheniszqali river via Lentechi and Zageri and on via Zqaltubo to Kutaisi.

Web links

Commons : Municipality of Mestia  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the Municipality of Mestia (Georgian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Population Census 2014 ( Memento of the original from September 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English) 
2. ↑ Population Census 2002 ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)