Ambrolauri Municipality ამბროლაურის მუნიციპალიტეტი | |
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 Shaori lake | |
 Flag  Seal | |
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| Country |  Georgia |
| Mkhare | Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti |
| Administrative centre | Ambrolauri |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Body | Ambrolauri Municipal Assembly |
| • Mayor | Zviadi Mkheidze (Georgian Dream) |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,142 km2 (441 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 10,405 |
| • Density | 9.1/km2 (24/sq mi) |
| Population by ethnicity[2] | |
| • Georgians | 99.7 % |
| • Russians | 0.1 % |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (Georgian Time) |
| Website | ambrolauri.gov.ge |
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TheAmbrolauri Municipality (Georgian:ამბროლაურის მუნიციპალიტეტი,romanized:ambrolauris munitsip'alit'et'i) is aself-governing subdivision in westernGeorgia. Its governing bodies are based in the city ofAmbrolauri. Together with the neighboring municipalitiesLentekhi,Oni, andTsageri, the Ambrolauri Municipality forms theregion ofRacha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti. The municipality has an area of is 1142 km2,[3] and population of 10,405 (2021[1]).
Ambrolauri is situated in the southern slope of theGreater Caucasus and borders various subranges of the Caucasus. Its southern geographical boundary is theRacha Range while its northern limit is theLechkhumi Range, where its highest mountain peaks are located. The municipality is crossed by theRioni and itstributaries: Krikhula, Znakura, Shareula, Lukhuni, Ritseula and Askistskali. Due to its mountainous character the agricultural land only occupies 240 km2 (21%) of the sparsely populated municipal territory. The municipality also contains rich deposits ofarsenic andgypsum.
The municipality was established as araion in 1930. Before that, its territory was part of Racha Uyezd inKutaisi Governorate and, between 1928 and 1930, of the short-lived Racha-Lechkhumi Uyezd, when it became an independent district (raion). From 1951 to 1953, it was part ofKutaisi Okrug. With the creation of administrative regions in 1995, Ambrolauri became part ofRacha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti. In 2006, the raion was transformed into a municipality.
Between 2014 and 2017, the city ofAmbrolauri, like six others, was separated from the municipality and was a so-called "self-governed" city (or kalaki). In 2017 this decision was reverted and the city Ambrolauri, like six other cities, lost its self-governing status again when the central government deemed this reform too expensive and inefficient.[4]
The Ambrolauri Municipality is administratively divided into 18 communities (თემი, temi) with 69 villages (სოფელი, sopeli). There is oneurban-type settlement (დაბა, daba) and one city (ქალაქი, kalaki).[5]
The population of Ambrolauri Municipality was 10,405 at the start of 2021,[1] which is a 7% decrease from the last census of 2014.[3]
According to the 2014 census, the ethnic composition is mono-ethnicGeorgian (Rachvelian sub-group), apart from a few dozen residents of mixed origin.[2] The population consists of followers of theGeorgian Orthodox Church.[6]
| Population Ambrolauri Municipality | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1897 | 1922 | 1926 | 1939 | 1959 | 1970 | 1979 | 1989 | 2002[7] | 2014 | 2021 | ||||||||
| Ambrolauri Municipality | - | - | - | 38,191 |  26,667 | 24,128 | 20,916 | 17,065 | 16,079 | [3] 11,186 | 10,405 | |||||||
| Ambrolauri | - | - | - | 1,104 |  3,043 | 2,317 | 2,639 | 2,933 | 2,541 | 2,047 | 2,015 | |||||||
| Kharistvala (daba) | - | - | - | - | 827 | 134 | 65 | 26 | 4 | 0 |  0 | |||||||
| Data: Population statistics Georgia 1897 to present.[8][9][10] Note:[7] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ethnicity | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Georgian | 9,113 | 99.72% |
| Russian | 11 | 0.12% |
| Ossetian | 3 | 0.03% |
| Armenian | 2 | 0.02% |
| Ukrainian | 5 | 0.05% |
| Greek | 2 | 0.02% |
| Other | 3 | 0.03% |
Ambrolauri Municipal Assembly (Georgian: ამბროლაურის საკრებულო,Ambrolauri Sakrebulo) is a representative body in Ambrolauri Municipality, consisting of 30 members which are elected every four years. The last election was held inOctober 2021. Zviadi Mkheidze of Georgian Dream was elected mayor for a second term.
| Party | 2017[13] | 2021[14] | Current Municipal Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgian Dream | 28 | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United National Movement | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For Georgia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lelo | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alliance of Patriots | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Georgia | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Labour Party | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Free Georgia | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 34 | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Agriculture, especiallyviticulture-viniculture andanimal husbandry, is the main activity of the population. The culture of fruit is developing in the mountainous zones. The main industries are wine factories and cheese factories. TheKhvanchkara wine is a key product from Ambrolauri, given the name of the village near Ambrolauri city. It is the only area in Georgia where this wine is allowed to be made.[15]
The municipality of Ambrolauri is well connected to the rest ofRacha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti as well as to the rest of Georgia. Through the municipality passes thenational route Sh16 (Kutaisi -AmbrolauriOni -Mamison Pass) which follows theRioni River upstream from Kutaisi and ends via Ambrolauri and Oni at the Mamison Pass on theRussian border. It is also known as theOssetian Military Road, which was originally constructed in the 19th century as an alternative route from Russia to Georgia, in addition to the existingGeorgian Military Road. Today the road ends at the de facto border with South Ossetia, shortly before the Mamison Pass and the Russian border.
Thenational route Sh17 connects the municipality with central Georgia viaTkibuli and theAmbrolauri Airport offers flights toNatakhtari Airfield, servicing the Tbilisi area. Since 1887, the nearest train station is in Tkibuli, the terminus of the railway line from Kutaisi.
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| Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia | |
|---|---|
| Autonomous Republic of Adjara | |
| Guria | |
| Imereti | |
| Kakheti | |
| Mtskheta-Mtianeti | |
| Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti | |
| Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti | |
| Samtskhe-Javakheti | |
| Kvemo Kartli | |
| Shida Kartli | |
42°31′18″N43°08′54″E / 42.5217°N 43.1483°E /42.5217; 43.1483