| Akhalkalaki ახალქალაქი |
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  Akhalkalaki
ახალქალაქი |
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| Coordinates: 41°24′20″N 43°29′10″E / 41.40556°N 43.48611°E | |
| Country |  Georgia |
| Mkhare | Samtskhe-Javakheti |
| Population (2002) | |
| - Total | 60,975 |
| Time zone | Georgian Time (UTC+4) |
Akhalkalaki (Georgian: ახალქალაქი for New City; Armenian: Ախալքալաք, Akhalkalak) is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians after expulsion of Meskheti Turks in 1944. The city was passed from Ottomans to Russians after Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829). Under the Ottoman rule, the town was known as Ahılkelek and was a sanjak centre in Çıldır Eyaleti. On January 4, 1900, an earthquake destroyed much of the town and killed 1,000 people in the area [1].
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Transport
In April 2005, an agreement was signed to build a new railway connecting Turkey with Georgia and Azerbaijan, passing through Akhalkalaki. This would bypass an existing line through Gyumri in Armenia which has been closed for political reasons since the 1990s.[2] It is not clear where the break-of-gauge will be.
Bases
The city was a home to the Soviet-era 147th Motor Rifle Division (part of the 9th Army of the Transcaucasian Military District) up until the early 1990s. After the fall of the Soviet Union the Division became the Russian 62nd Military Base which was officially transferred, according to the Sochi agreement, to Georgia on June 27, 2007.[3]
References
- ^ The Annual Register of World Events, 1900 (Longmans, Green, and Co., 1901) p461
- ^ Railway Gazette International February 2009, p54
- ^ Russia Transfers Akhalkalaki Military Base to Georgia. Civil Georgia. June 27, 2007. Accessed on June 29, 2007.
External links
Coordinates: 41°24′20″N 43°29′10″E / 41.40556°N 43.48611°E
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