Sukhumi Аҟәа, სოხუმი Akwa, Sokhumi |
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City | ||
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Location of Sukhumi in Georgia | ||
Coordinates: 43°00′12″N 41°00′55″E / 43.00333°N 41.01528°E | ||
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.