Republic of Abkhazia | |
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Anthem: Аиааира (Abkhaz) Aiaaira Victory | |
![]() Map of Abkhazia | |
![]() Location of Abkhazia | |
Capital and largest city | Sukhumi |
Official languages | Abkhaz, Russian1 |
Non-official languages | Armenian, Georgian, Mingrelian2 |
Demonym(s) | Abkhaz, Abkhazian |
Government | Unitary republic |
Aslan Bzhania | |
Badr Gunba | |
Alexander Ankvab | |
Partially recognised independence from Georgia and the Soviet Union[1][2][3] | |
• Georgian annulment of all Soviet-era laws and treaties | 20 June 1990 |
• Declaration of sovereignty3 | 25 August 1990 |
• Georgian declaration of independence | 9 April 1991 |
26 December 1991 | |
• Reinstatement of 1925 Constitution | 23 July 1992 |
26 November 1994 | |
3 October 1999 | |
• Act of state independence4 | 12 October 1999 |
26 August 2008 | |
Area | |
• Total | 8,432 km2 (3,256 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Estimate | Between 157,000 and 190,0006 180,0007 |
• 2015 census | 243,000 |
• Density | 29/km2 (75.1/sq mi) |
Currency | Russian ruble8 (RUB) |
Time zone | UTC+3 (MSK) |
Driving side | right |
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Abkhazia [4] is an unrecognised country in the Caucauses.
The country fought a war with Georgia for its independence in 1991, the Georgian–Abkhaz conflict. Since its declaration of independence from Georgia in 1991, it has been ruled by the partly-recognized Republic of Abkhazia.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
Georgia believes Abkhazia is part of its territory and has listed the province, in its official subdivisions, as an autonomous republic On 28 August 2008, the Parliament of Georgia passed a resolution declaring Abkhazia a "Russian-occupied territory".[11][12]
The Republic of Abkhazia, with Sukhumi as its capital, is formally recognised by Russia and by Nicaragua, and the de facto independent republics of South Ossetia and Transnistria.[13] The European Union, OSCE, and NATO recognise Abkhazia as an integral part of the territory of Georgia.[14][15][16][17]
The secessionist movement of the Abkhaz minority led to the Georgian–Abkhaz conflict. The War in Abkhazia resulted in a Georgian military defeat and the mass exodus and ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population from Abkhazia.
There was a 1994 ceasefire agreement. There is a UN-monitored and Russian-dominated CIS peacekeeping operation. The sovereignty dispute has not been resolved. The dispute is a source of conflict between Georgia and Russia.