Regions

12

• KakhetiThe eastern wine land; the Alazani valley, Telavi, Sighnaghi and Alaverdi make up the heart of Georgian winemaking.
• ImeretiA central-western region around Kutaisi; the Gelati and Bagrati monasteries, imeruli cheese and khachapuri.
• AdjaraAn autonomous republic in the south-west; subtropics, the resort city of Batumi, the boat-shaped Adjaruli khachapuri.
• Samegrelo-Zemo SvanetiThe west: lowland Samegrelo (Megrelian cuisine, Ojaleshi wine) and highland Upper Svaneti with the towers of Mestia.
• Kvemo KartliThe south-east by the Armenian and Azerbaijani borders; Dmanisi (the earliest hominins), the David Gareja monastery.
• Mtskheta-MtianetiFrom the ancient capital Mtskheta (Svetitskhoveli, Jvari) to the highlands of Kazbegi and Khevsureti.
• Shida KartliInner Kartli in the country's centre; the rock town of Uplistsikhe, Gori. Part of it (Tskhinvali) is outside Tbilisi's c
• Samtskhe-JavakhetiA southern highland; the Rabati fortress, the cave city of Vardzia, the high lakes of Javakheti.
• Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo SvanetiA mountainous north-west; the famed wines Khvanchkara and Tvishi, and Racha ham.
• GuriaA small western region by the sea: tea, citrus, the light red wine Chkhaveri.
• AbkhaziaAn autonomous republic in the north-west with a subtropical Black Sea coast. Currently outside Tbilisi's effective contr
• TbilisiThe nation's capital and a separate administrative unit, founded in the 5th century. Narikala, the old town, the sulphur