Mingrelia

Mingrelia (mĭn-grē'lēə), lowland region, W Georgia, bordering the Black Sea. Tea and grapes are the chief products. Poti is the main port. The Colchis of the ancients, Mingrelia was a vassal principality (with Zugdidi as capital) under the Ottoman Empire. It was annexed to Russia in 1803. The Mingrelians (also called Megrelians) are closely related in culture and language to the Georgians.