During the Soviet-era, the Abkhaz ASSR was divided into six raions (districts) named after their respective capitals. The administrative divisions of the

disputed Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...

Republic of Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a 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 covers and has a population of around 245,000 ...

have stayed the same, with one exception: in 1995,

Tkvarcheli District Tkvarcheli District ( ka, ტყვარჩელის რაიონი, , ) is one of the districts of Abkhazia. It has no equivalent Georgian district, as it was newly formed in 1995 from parts of Ochamchira District and Gali District, ce ...

was created around the town of

Tkvarcheli Tkvarcheli ( ka, ტყვარჩელი ; , ''Tqwarchal''; Ткуарчал (Tkuarchal) , ''Tkvarcheli'') is a town in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. It is situated on the river Ghalidzga and a railway connects it with Ochamchir ...

from parts of the Ochamchira and Gali districts. The Georgian government, which claims Abkhazia as an

autonomous republic An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province or state. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Ma ...

but lacks control, has not changed the subdivisions from the Soviet-era.

Districts of Abkhazia

Districts are led by the Head of the Administration, who is simultaneously Mayor of the District's capital, except in the case of Sukhumi. The Head of the Administration is appointed by the President following consultations with the District Assembly. Previously, the Head was appointed from among the District Assembly members, but without consultations, but in practice the President would often appoint an acting Head from without who was subsequently elected to the assembly. The current procedure was adopted by the

People's Assembly of Abkhazia The People's Assembly – Parliament of the Republic of Abkhazia (, ka, აფხაზეთის ე.წ რესპუბლიკის სახალხო კრება, tr, ) is the unicameral legislature of the Abkhazia, Republic o ...

on 29 January 2016, over competing proposals to elect the Head directly by the District's population or by Assembly members, and after voting almost unanimously not to change the previous procedure on 30 July 2015. Abkhazia districts map numbered

* (1)

Gagra Gagra ( ka, გაგრა; Russian language, Russian and ) is a town in Abkhazia/Georgia (country), Georgia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Ga ...

* (2)

Gudauta Gudauta ( ka, გუდაუთა, ; , ''Gwdowtha''; , ''Gudauta'') is a town in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the capital of the eponymous district. It is situated on the Black Sea, 37 km northwest of Sokhumi, the capital of Abkhazia. It is the ...

* (3)

Sukhumi Sukhumi or Sokhumi is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the Capital city, capital and largest city of Abkhazia, a partially recognised state that most countries consider a part of Georgia (country), Georgia. The ...

* (4)

Gulripshi Gulripshi ( ka, გულრიფში, ; , ''Gwylryphsh''; , ''Gulrypsh'') is an urban settlement in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. It is located 12 km from Sokhumi, and is the capital of Gulripshi District. Nikolay Smetskoy buil ...

* (5) Ochamchira * (6)

* (7) Gali

Towns of Abkhazia

* Gali *

New Athos New Athos or Akhali Atoni is a town in the Gudauta Municipality of Abkhazia situated some from Sokhumi by the shores of the Black Sea. The town was previously known under the names Nikopol, Acheisos, Anakopia, Nikopia, Nikofia, Nikopsis, Absara ...

Ochamchire Ochamchire or Ochamchira ( ka, ოჩამჩირე, ; , ''Ochamchyra''; , ''Ochamchira'') is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast of Abkhazia, Georgia, and a center of an eponymous district. According to the 1989 Soviet population census ...

Pitsunda Pitsunda or Bichvinta ( ka, ბიჭვინთა, ; ; ) is a resort town in the Gagra District of Abkhazia/Georgia. Founded by Greek colonists in the 5th century BC, Pitsunda became an important political and religious centre of the region i ...

(since 2007) *

Urban settlements of Abkhazia

* Bzyb *

* Leselidze * Miusera *

Gantiadi Gantiadi ( ka, განთიადი ; ), or Tsandrypsh (; ), is an urban-type settlement on the Black Sea coast in Georgia (country), Georgia, in the Gagra District of Abkhazia, 5 km from the Russian border. Name Gantiadi in historical ...

Historic regions of Abkhazia

Abkhazia has traditionally been divided into several historical regions (they roughly correspond to modern districts that are given in parentheses): *

Sadzen Lesser Abkhazia ( Georgian: ჯიქეთი, Jiqeti) was the term used to refer to those lands of Abkhazia that were not subject to the direct control of the ruling Shervashidze dynasty. The area was part of the Black Sea Governorate during ...

(Gagra district and

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

region which is now in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

) * Bzyb (Gudauta district) * Gumaa (Sukhumi district) * Abzhywa (Ochamchira and partly Tkvarcheli districts) * Samurzakano (Gali and partly Tkvarcheli district) * Dal-Tsabal (Gulripshi district) These are the regions mentioned in the Abkhazian Constitution of 1994. According to the popular (but erroneousАргун Ю.Г. (''Argun Yu. G.'')
О Государственном флаге
(''On the state flag'' (XLVIII итоговая научная сессия (11-13 мая). тезисы докладов. - Сухум: АбИГИ, 2004, с. 3-4)) belief that the seven stripes of the Abkhazian flag correspond to the seven historical regions of the country, the seventh one represents Pskhu-Aibga.

References

{{Abkhazia-geo-stub

Districts of Abkhazia

Towns of Abkhazia

Urban settlements of Abkhazia

Historic regions of Abkhazia

See also

References