The Colchis Lowland ( ka, კოლხეთის დაბლობი, ) is a geographical area in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, which consists of a coastal lowland plain of the eastern

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. Named after

Colchis In classical antiquity and Greco-Roman geography, Colchis (; ) was an exonym for the Georgian polity of Egrisi ( ka, ეგრისი) located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, centered in present-day western Georgia. Its population, the ...

, an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

name for this region, the lowland is nearly triangular, squeezed between the Greater Caucasus and Lesser Caucasus mountains, with its base leaning on the Black Sea and apex directed to the east, reaching the environs of the town of Zestaponi. To the northwest and southwest, respectively, the plain continues as narrow coastal strips in

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

and Adjara. The Colchis Lowland is formed by the combined

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...

s of the Rioni, Inguri, Khobi, Supsa, Chorokhi, and other rivers, which have sources in the Greater and Lesser Caucasus ranges. The lowland has an average elevation of 100 to 150 m, but some places are located below sea level. It is located in a damp subtropical climate zone, with an annual precipitation of about 1,500 mm. The surface of the lowland was formed in

Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as the Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division ...

and

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

. It has significantly been modified by human activity. The region's subtropical conditions have supported agriculture since ancient times; citrus fruits, tea, and tung are grown, mostly on the surrounding foothills. The wetter lowlands in the centre of the plain collect cold air, and frosts preclude the cultivation of more sensitive crops. Parts of the Colchis Lowland are included in a series of national parks and protected areas. Because of the region's biodiversity and range of ecosystems (including deciduous rainforests and wetlands, percolation bogs, and other mire types), part of the Colchis Lowland were inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 2021, as the Colchic Rainforests and Wetlands site.

References

{{coord missing, Georgia (country) Plains of Georgia (country) Coastal plains