Imereti Region
იმერეთის მხარე
Imeretis Mkhare |
 |
| Map highlighting the modern political subdivision |
| |
| Capital |
Kutaisi This image is a candidate for speedy
deletion. It will be deleted after 2007-06-02. |
| Governor |
Akaki Bobokhidze |
| Region ISO 3166 code |
GE-IM |
| Districts |
10 districts, 1 city |
| Area |
6,552 km² |
| Population |
700,000 (2002) |
| |
 |
| Map highlighting the historical region of Imereti in Georgia |
Imereti Province (Georgian: იმერეთი მხარე Imereti Mxare) is a
province in Georgia situated along the middle and upper reaches of the
Rioni river. It consists of the following Georgian administrative-territorial units:
- Kutaisi (city)
- Baghdati region
- Vani region
- Zestaponi region
- Terjola region
- Samtredia region
- Sachkhere region
- Tkibuli region
- Chiatura region
- Tskhaltubo region
- Kharagauli region
- Khoni region
The province's main city is Kutaisi; other urban industrial centers include Samtredia, Chiatura (manganese production centre), Tkibuli (coal mining centre), Zestaponi (known
for metals production), Khoni, and Sachkhere. Traditionally,
Imereti is an agricultural region, known for its mulberries and grapes.
The 800,000 Imeretians speak a Georgian dialect; they are one of the local culture-groups of the ethnically subdivided Georgian people. In late antiquity and early Middle Ages the ancient western Georgian kingdom of Egrisi 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 suffered frequent invasions by the Turks and recognized
to patronage of Ottoman Empire until 1810, when it was
occupied and annexed by the Tsarist Russian Empire. The last King of Imereti was
Solomon II (1789-1810). From 1918-1921, 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 in the Republic of Georgia with Kutaisi as the regional capital.
See also
External links
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