The Aragvi ( ka, არაგვი) and its basin are in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

on the southern slopes of the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

. The river is long, and its basin covers an area of . The ground strata are mostly

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

, slate, and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The

Zhinvali Dam The Zhinvali Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Aragvi River in the Caucasus Mountains in Zhinvali, Georgia. The Zhinvali Hydroelectric Power Plant has two turbines with a nominal capacity of 65 MW each having a total capacity of 130 MW. Th ...

and its 130 MW

hydro-electric power station 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 an ...

generate much of Georgia's power, and its construction in 1986 formed the Zhinvali Reservoir, upon whose north-western shores rises

Ananuri Ananuri () is a castle complex on the Aragvi River in Dusheti Municipality Georgia, about from Tbilisi. History Ananuri was a castle and seat of the '' eristavis'' ( Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century ...

castle with its 17th-century Church of the Assumption.

Confusion over name and course

Given its etymology (see below; the word simply means "river"), the exact course of the Aragvi River is the source of some confusion. The river has several important tributaries, all called "aragvi": The Tetri Aragvi ("White Aragvi") flows from

Gudauri Gudauri ( ka, გუდაური) is a ski resort located on the south-facing plateau of Caucasus Mountains, The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia (country), Georgia. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the Ge ...

down to the town of

Pasanauri Pasanauri ( ka, ფასანაური, also spelled ''Passanauri'') is a small town ('' daba'') in Georgia, situated in the Dusheti district, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region. Pasanauri lies about north of the nation’s capital of Tbilisi, at e ...

, where it is joined by the Shavi Aragvi ("Black Aragvi"), the main river of

Gudamakari Gudamaq'ari (Gudamakari; ka, გუდამაყარი) is a small historical geographic area in northeast Georgia on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. Located along the river valley of Aragvi, it is bordered by Mtiul ...

to the north-east. Together, these two rivers continue as, simply, "the Aragvi"; from Pasanauri, the Aragvi flows south-east to the Jinvali Reservoir, where it is joined by the Pshav Aragvi (itself fed by the

Khevsur Khevsurians ( ka, ხევსურები) are an ethnic sub-group of Georgians, mainly living in Khevsureti, on both sides of the Caucasus Mountain Chain in the watersheds of the rivers Aragvi and Argun. There are some villages in Khevi, ...

Aragvi) ka, ხევსურეთის არაგვი, ''khevsuretis aragvi''. Source: approx. 42°33'45.75"N, 44°57'12.78"E before flowing south to merge with the

Mtkvari The Kura is an east-flowing river south of the Greater Caucasus Mountains which drains the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus east into the Caspian Sea. It also drains the north side of the Lesser Caucasus while its main tributary, the Ar ...

by Mtskheta, Eastern Georgia's ancient capital just north of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

Etymology

See არაგვი for the origin of the name.

Use and infrastructure

The high dam by Zhinvali is one of the largest in Georgia. Besides generating up to 130 MW of electricity, the waters of the Aragvi feed down a pipe to provide drinking water in Tbilisi and to irrigate fields.

Gallery

File:Zhinvali reservoir.jpg, Zhinvali reservoir File:Ananuridc.jpg,

castle File:Zhinvali Dam.jpg, Hydro-electric dam on the Aragvi File:Aragvi_Source_July2009.jpg, The Source of The Aragvi River to the North of Gudauri

Notes

Rivers of Georgia (country) {{Georgia-river-stub