Imereti

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Imereti Region იმერეთის მხარე Imeretis Mkhare

Map highlighting the modern political subdivision

Capital	Kutaisi
Governor	Zurab Kajaia
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

The Imereti Province (Georgian: იმერეთი მხარე Imereti Mxare) in Georgia is situated along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni river. The province 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.

[edit] See also

Kingdom of Imereti

[edit] External links

Official website

	Subdivisions of Georgia
Autonomous Republics: Abkhazia¹ \| Adjara
Regions: Guria \| Imereti \| Kakheti \| Kvemo Kartli \| Mtskheta-Mtianeti \| Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti \| Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Samtskhe-Javakheti \| Shida Kartli²
City with special status: Tbilisi³ Notes: (1) A self-proclaimed republic which is de jure part of Georgia; (2) Officially includes also the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia; (3) Capital of Georgia

	Historical regions of Georgia
Abkhazia \| Adjara \| Guria \| Hereti \| Imereti \| Javakheti \| Kartli \| Kakheti \| Khevsureti \| Lechkhumi \| Mtiuleti \| Meskheti \| Pshavi \| Racha \| Samegrelo \| Tao-Klarjeti \| Tusheti