Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''

mkhare A ''mkhare'' ( ka, მხარე, ''mxare'') is a type of administrative division in the country of Georgia (country), Georgia. It is usually translated into English as "region". According to presidential decrees issued in 1994 and 1996, Geo ...

'') 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 ...

, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the

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 ...

. The region has a population of 104,338 (2023), with Ozurgeti as the regional capital.

Geography

Guria is bordered by Samegrelo to the north-west,

Imereti Imereti ( Georgian: იმერეთი, ) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 mun ...

to the north, Samtskhe-Javakheti to the east, Ajaria to the south, and the

to the west. The province has an area of . Guria is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.

Administrative divisions

Guria is divided into 4 entities (3 municipalities and 1 city), including: * City of Ozurgeti * Ozurgeti Municipality *

Lanchkhuti Municipality Lanchkhuti ( ka, ლანჩხუთის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Lančxutis municip’alit’et’i'') is a district of Georgia, in the region of Guria. Its main town is Lanchkhuti. Lanchkhuti municipality is located in ...

* Chokhatauri Municipality

History

The territory that is now Guria was part of the kingdom of

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 ...

, best known in the West for the tale of the Golden Fleece. Following the collapse of the Colchian Kingdom it became part of the Kingdom of

Lazica The Kingdom of Lazica (; ; ), sometimes called Lazian Empire, was a state in the territory of west Georgia in the Roman era, Georgia in the Roman period, from about the 1st century BC. Created as a result of the collapse of the kingdom of Colc ...

in the first century BC. In antiquity the area was a significant source of iron, as early as the fifth century BC, and also copper and gold. The toponym "Guria" is first attested in the c. 800 Georgian chronicle of Pseudo-Juansher.Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), ''Studies In Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts'', p. 427. Peeters Bvba, . Historical Guria in modern international borders of Georgia

Historical Guria in modern international borders of Georgia

Guria first appears c. 1352 as a fief of the house of Vardanidze- Dadiani; and after 1463 it became a sovereign principality independent of the

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...

under a branch of that house, known thereafter by the name of

Gurieli The House of Gurieli () was a Georgia (country), Georgian princely (''mtavari'') family and a ruling dynasty (dukes) of the southwestern Georgian province of Guria, which was autonomous and later, for a few centuries, independent. A few ducal ru ...

. The principality, comprising modern Guria and much of

Adjara Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a ...

with the city of

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

, was subsequently reduced in size and devastated in a series of conflicts with the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. A

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

protectorate was established by the treaty concluded on June 19, 1810 between Mamia V Gurieli and the empire, and in 1829, during the regency for the last prince, the Gurieli

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, the principality was annexed by Russia. There were uprisings against Russian rule in 1819 and again in 1841. In 1840, Guria was made a county (''

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the R ...

'') and renamed Ozurgeti, after one of its main towns. In 1846, it was transferred to the new

Kutais Governorate The Kutaisi or Kutais Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917), Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of western Georgia (country), Georgia throughout most of its ...

. By 1904, the population was just under 100,000, occupying an area of approximately of mountains and swampy valleys, covered by corn fields, vineyards, and some tea plantations. It was the most ethnically homogenous of Georgian areas, with the peasantry and lesser rural nobility making up almost the entire population, with a high level of literacy and a relatively high degree of economic self-satisfaction. The peasant protest movement, which originated in 1902 and culminated in an open insurrection against the government during the

Russian Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

, was the most effective and organized peasant movement in the empire. The peasants’ self-government, the so-called Gurian Republic, survived into 1906, when it was crushed and Guria devastated by the

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beha ...

. The region was a native powerbase of the Georgian Social Democratic (Menshevik) Party which dominated the

Democratic Republic of Georgia The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა, tr) was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia (country), Georgia, which exist ...

from 1918 to 1921. Guria was a scene of guerrilla resistance to the militarily imposed

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

rule early in the 1920s. Under the Soviet government, Guria was an agrarian area divided into three administrative districts. In 1995, the Georgian government decreed the creation of the region (''

'') of Guria, restoring the province's historical name to official usage. The Orthodox churches of Likhauri and Shemokmedi are the main historical buildings in the province.

Etymology

Gomismta and the Lesser Caucasus mountains

The linguistic evidence for the above hypothesis is the Megrelian word for “heart” – “guri” (Georgian: “guli”).

Economy

Subtropic farming and tourism are a mainstay of the region's economy. Water is one of Guria's main assets. The province is famous for the mineral water of Nabeglavi, which is similar to

Borjomi Borjomi ( ka, ბორჯომი ) is a resort town in south-central Georgia with a population of 11,173 (as of 2024). Located 165 km from Tbilisi, it is one of the six municipalities of the Samtskhe–Javakheti region and is situated in the ...

in its chemical composition, and the

health resort of Ureki, which is rich in magnetic sand. Guria is also one of the largest

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

growing regions in Georgia.

Demographics

Ethnic and religious groups

According to the 2014 census, Guria has a population of 113.350 inhabitants, which accounts for 3.1% of the total population of

. 98% of the population is ethnic Georgian (mostly native ''Gurians''), 1% is ethnic

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

and the remaining 1% is composed of

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

and

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

and the majority of the population is Orthodox Christians (87%), followed by

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(11%).

Gurians

The Gurians or Gurulebi ( Georgian: გურულები) is one of the ethnographical groups of Georgians, inhabiting Guria. Gurians are Orthodox Christian and speak the Gurian dialect of the

Georgian language Georgian (, ) is the most widely spoken Kartvelian language, Kartvelian language family. It is the official language of Georgia (country), Georgia and the native or primary language of 88% of its population. It also serves as the literary langu ...

Politics

Administration

The administration centre is Ozurgeti. There are 194 populated areas, including: * City: 2 ( Ozurgeti, Lanchkhuti) * Daba: 7 ( Chokhatauri, Bakhmaro, Gomismta, Ureki, Naruja, Laituri, Kveda Nasakirali) * Villages: 185

Governors

To date, the following politicians have held the office of Governor of Guria: * 1995-1997 - Mikheil Chkuaseli * 1997-1998 - Oleg Nikoleishvili * 1998–2003 - Carlo Gujabidze * 2003-2004 - Vakhtang Goliadze * 2004-2005 - Bezhan Kalandadze * 2005-2006 - Aleko Tsintsadze * 2006-2008 - Mikheil Svimonishvili * 2008-2008 - Ramaz Nikolaishvili * 2008–2013 - Valeri Chitaishvili * 2013–2014 - Giorgi Chkhaidze * 2015-2017 - Gia Salukvadze * 2017-2018 - Merab Chanukvadze * 2018–2021 - Zurab Nasaraia * 2021–2021 - Giorgi Sakhokia * 2021–2025 - Giorgi Urushadze * 2025–Present - Giorgi Ghurjumelidze

Notable people

Ekvtime Takaishvili Ekvtime Takaishvili (sometimes anglicised as Euthymius Takaishvili, also spelled Taqaishvili, ; 3 January, 1862 – 21 February, 1953) was a Georgian historian, archaeologist, public benefactor and Eastern Orthodox saint. Born in the village of ...

(1862–1953), historian *

Noe Zhordania Noe Zhordania ( ka, ნოე ჟორდანია ; ; born – January 11, 1953)შველიძე დ., საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა (1918–1921): ენციკ� ...

(1868–1953), Prime Minister of the

from 1918 to 1921. * Pavle Ingorokva (1893–1983), historian, philologist, and public benefactor * Boris Paichadze (1915–1990), football player *

Eduard Shevardnadze Eduard Ambrosis dze Shevardnadze ( ka, ედუარდ ამბროსის ძე შევარდნაძე; 25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Soviet and Georgian politician and diplomat who governed Georgia (country), Georgi ...

(1928–2014),

's former president * Nodar Dumbadze (1928–1984), writer

References

{{coord, 41, 58, N, 42, 12, E, display=title, region:GE_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki Regions of Georgia (country) Historical regions of Georgia (country)