The Lechkhumi uezd[a] was a county (uezd) of the Kutaisi Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It bordered the Terek and Kuban oblasts to the north, the Sukhumi Okrug to the west, the Zugdidi, Senaki, and Kutais uezds to the south and the Racha uezd to the east. The area of the uezd corresponded to most of the contemporary Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia. The administrative center of the Lechkhumi uezd was the town of Tsageri.[1]

Lechkhumi uezd
Лечхумскій уѣздъ
Coat of arms of Lechkhumi uezd
Location in the Kutais Governorate
Location in the Kutais Governorate
CountryRussian Empire
ViceroyaltyCaucasus
GovernorateKutaisi
Established1867
Abolished1930
CapitalTsageri
Area
 • Total4,873.05 km2 (1,881.50 sq mi)
Population
 (1916)
 • Total61,914
 • Density13/km2 (33/sq mi)
 • Rural
100.00%

History

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The Lechkhumi uezd was formed in 1867 as part of the Kutaisi Governorate in the territory during the time of the Russian Empire. In 1918, the Kutaisi Governorate including the Lechkhumi uezd was incorporated into the Democratic Republic of Georgia.[1]

Administrative divisions

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The subcounties (uchastoks) of the Lechkhumi uezd in 1913 were as follows:[2]

Name 1912 population Area
Alpanskiy uchastok (Алпанскій участокъ) 22,791 449.41 square versts (511.46 km2; 197.47 sq mi)
Svanetskiy uchastok (Сванетскій участокъ) 12,184 2,383.37 square versts (2,712.42 km2; 1,047.27 sq mi)
Tsagerskiy uchastok (Цагерскій участокъ) 23,264 1,449.10 square versts (1,649.17 km2; 636.75 sq mi)

Demographics

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Russian Empire Census

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According to the Russian Empire Census, the Lechkhumi uezd had a population of 47,779 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 23,522 men and 24,257 women. The majority of the population indicated Imeretian to be their mother tongue, with a significant Svan speaking minority.[3]

Linguistic composition of the Lechkhumi uezd in 1897[3]
Language Native speakers %
Imeretian 31,520 65.97
Svan 15,359 32.15
Jewish 441 0.92
Georgian 226 0.47
Armenian 91 0.19
Mingrelian 60 0.13
Russian 26 0.05
Ossetian 9 0.02
Kurdish 6 0.01
Avar-Andean 4 0.01
Tatar[b] 4 0.01
Ukrainian 2 0.00
Persian 2 0.00
Other 29 0.06
TOTAL 47,779 100.00

Kavkazskiy kalendar

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According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Lechkhumi uezd had a population of 61,914 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 32,691 men and 29,223 women, 60,945 of whom were the permanent population, and 969 were temporary residents:[6]

Nationality Number %
Georgians 60,407 97.57
Jews 1,372 2.22
Armenians 96 0.16
Other Europeans 25 0.04
Russians 14 0.02
TOTAL 61,914 100.00

Notes

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  1. ^
  2. ^ Before 1918, Azerbaijanis were generally known as "Tatars". This term, employed by the Russians, referred to Turkic-speaking Muslims of the South Caucasus. After 1918, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and "especially during the Soviet era", the Tatar group identified itself as "Azerbaijani".[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tsutsiev 2014.
  2. ^ Кавказский календарь на 1913 год, pp. 160–167.
  3. ^ a b "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  4. ^ Bournoutian 2018, p. 35 (note 25).
  5. ^ Tsutsiev 2014, p. 50.
  6. ^ Кавказский календарь на 1917 год, pp. 198–205.

Bibliography

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42°38′50″N 42°46′12″E / 42.64722°N 42.77000°E / 42.64722; 42.77000