*** Welcome to piglix ***

Sukhumi

Sukhumi
Аҟәа, სოხუმი
Akwa, Sokhumi
City
Sokhumi Collage.jpg
Official seal of Sukhumi
Seal
Sukhumi is located in Abkhazia
Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is located in Georgia (country)
Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Location of Sukhumi in Georgia
Coordinates: 43°00′12″N 41°00′55″E / 43.00333°N 41.01528°E / 43.00333; 41.01528
Country Georgia
Partially recognized state Abkhazia
Settled 6th century BC
City Status 1848
Government
 • Mayor Adgur Kharazia
Area
 • Total 27 km2 (10 sq mi)
Highest elevation 140 m (460 ft)
Lowest elevation 5 m (16 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 62,914
Time zone MSK (UTC+4)
Postal code 384900
Area code(s) +7 840 22x-xx-xx
Vehicle registration ABH

Sukhumi or Sokhumi (Abkhaz: Аҟәа, Aqwa; Georgian: სოხუმი, [sɔxumi]; Russian: Сухум(и), Sukhum(i)) is the capital of the de facto independent Republic of Abkhazia. The majority of the international community consider it to be a part of Georgia, legally governed by the de jure Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, even though Georgia has no control over Sukhumi and the rest of Abkhazia (excluding Upper Abkhazia) ever since the 1992-93 war in Abkhazia. The city suffered significant damage during the Georgian–Abkhazian conflict in the early 1990s. The present-day population of 60,000 is only half the one at the end of the USSR era.

In Georgian, the city is known as სოხუმი (Sokhumi) or აყუ (Aqu), in Megrelian as აყუჯიხა (Aqujikha), and in Russian as Сухум (Sukhum) or Сухуми (Sukhumi). The toponym Sokhumi derives from the Georgian word Tskhomi/Tskhumi, meaning beech. It is significant, that "dia" in several dialects of the Georgian language and among them in Megrelian means mother and "skuri" means water. In Abkhaz, the city is known as Аҟәа (Aqwa) which according to native tradition signifies water.

In the ancient Greek sources (Pseudo-Skilak of Kariand- IV c. B. C. ) the city is referred to as Dioscurias. According to the antique traditions this name originates from the mythical Dioskouri, the twin brothers Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus. It was believed that the town had been established by Castor's and Pollux's coachmen, the Argonauts Telkius and Amphyst. However the names of the town may simply be the Greek comprehension of the old Georgian word combination.


...
Wikipedia

...