Imereti (
Georgian: იმერეთი) is a
region of
Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the
Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 municipalities and the city of
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
, which is the capital of the region.
Subdivisions
The Imereti region has one self governing city (
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
) and 11 municipalities with 163 administrative communities (temi), totalling to 549 populated settlements:
* Eleven cities:
Baghdati
Baghdati ( ka, ბაღდათი, tr) is a town of 3,700 people in the Imereti region of western Georgia, at the edge of the Ajameti forest on the river Khanistsqali, a tributary of the Rioni.
Geography
The town is located at the edge of the ...
,
Chiatura,
Khoni,
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
,
Sachkhere,
Samtredia,
Terjola,
Tqibuli,
Tsqaltubo,
Vani and
Zestafoni;
* Three dabas:
Kharagauli,
Kulashi and
Shorapani (;
* Villages: 535
Economy
Aside from the capital
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbilis ...
, significant towns and regional centres include
Samtredia,
Chiatura (manganese production centre),
Tkibuli (
coal mining centre),
Zestafoni (known for metals production),
Vani,
Khoni, and
Sachkhere. Traditionally, Imereti is an agricultural region, known for its
mulberries and
grapes.
Demographics
The 800,000 Imeretians speak a
Georgian dialect; they are one of the local culture-groups of the ethnically subdivided
Georgian people
The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, G ...
.
Demographic
History
In late
antiquity
Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to:
Historical objects or periods Artifacts
*Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures
Eras
Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...
and early
Middle Ages the ancient western Georgian kingdom of
Egrisi
In Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia.
Its population, the Colchians are generally though ...
existed on the territory of Imereti. Its king declared
Christianity as an official religion of Egrisi in 523 AD. In 975-1466 Imereti was part of the
united Georgian Kingdom. Since
its disintegration in the 15th century, Imereti was an
independent kingdom.
In the 17th-18th centuries, the kingdom of Imereti experienced frequent invasions by the
Turks and paid patronage to the
Ottoman Empire until 1810, when it was invaded and annexed by the
Russian Empire. The last King of Imereti was
Solomon II (1789-1810).
From 1918 to 1921, Imereti was part of the independent
Democratic Republic of Georgia. Within the
USSR, the region was part of the
Transcaucasian SFSR from 1922–1936, and part of the
Georgian SSR from 1936–1991. Since Georgian independence in 1991, Imereti has been a region of Georgia with Kutaisi as the regional capital.
See also
*
Kingdom of Imereti
*
Administrative divisions of Georgia (country)
Notes
References
External links
Imereti.com - The Guide to Imereti, Georgia, SakartveloOfficial websiteCivil.GE
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Regions of Georgia (country)
Former provinces of Georgia (country)
Historical regions of Georgia (country)