The Enguri ( ka, ენგური, tr, xmf, ინგირი, ingiri, ab, Егры, ''Egry'' russian: Ингури, ''Inguri'') is a river in western
Georgia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .
Statistical Yearbook of Georgia: 2020
National Statistics Office of Georgia, Tbilisi, 2020, p. 12. It originates near Ushguli in northeastern Svaneti and plays an important role providing hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
power to the area.
The river emerges from the high Caucasus near the highest mountain in Georgia, Shkhara, and winds through the mountain valleys to the northwest before turning southwest to empty into the Black Sea near Anaklia.
Since the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict, both Georgia and Abkhazia keep troops on the river; Russia also keeps peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
Within the United N ...
troops. The only legal crossing-point is the long Enguri Bridge, which was built by German prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
from 1944 until 1948. There are also a number of illegal connections across the river.
The river plays an important role in the Georgian energy production. In 1988 the Enguri Dam was built at a height of . At across and high, it is the largest construction in the Caucasus. It has a capacity of of water. The underground water works produce about 40% of the national energy. The capacity is 1,300 megawatts.
See also
*Abkhazia–Georgia border
The Abkhazia–Georgia separation line is a ''de-facto'' boundary set up in aftermath of the War in Abkhazia and Russo-Georgian War, which separates the self-declared Republic of Abkhazia from the territory controlled by the Government of Georgi ...
*Mulkhura
The Mulkhra or Mulkhura ( ka, მულხრა, მულხურა) is a river in Mestia Municipality, Georgia, right tributary of the Enguri. It is located in the region Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, in the northwestern part of the country, nor ...
References
External links
Die Brücke der Deutschen
Eurasian Magazine
{{Rivers of Georgia
Rivers of Abkhazia
Rivers of Georgia (country)
Abkhazia–Georgia (country) border
Tributaries of the Black Sea