Georgia Regions

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and Azerbaijan, with Russia to the north and Turkey and Armenia to the south. Its first tier is twelve units: nine regions (mkhare), the capital Tbilisi, and the two autonomous republics of Abkhazia and Adjara.

The quiz: Name to place, on the map
Grouped by: The west, the east and the south, a conventional cut
In the game: 12 regions

Start

What you are looking at

The country runs west to east along the Greater Caucasus, so the map is a wide strip with the sea at the left edge. Western Georgia is the wet, green half around the Rioni river, from Abkhazia down the coast through Samegrelo and Guria to Adjara, with Imereti and the mountain region of Racha-Lechkhumi behind them. Eastern Georgia is drier: Kakheti, the wine country, in the far east, Mtskheta-Mtianeti in the mountains north of the capital, and Kvemo and Shida Kartli around Tbilisi.

Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) are outside Tbilisi's control, but they lie inside Georgia's internationally recognised borders, so the map draws them there. Abkhazia is a region of its own; the Tskhinvali region is counted in Shida Kartli, as Georgian law does, and the Georgia Municipalities quiz gives it a target of its own.

How to place one

Start with the three groups. Georgia has no official tier between the region and the country, so the quiz groups the twelve into the west, the east and the south, and you can drill one at a time. They are a way to learn the map, not a classification.
Walk the coast. Abkhazia, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Guria and Adjara follow the Black Sea from north to south, in that order.
Find the capital. Tbilisi is a small unit set inside Kvemo Kartli, and it is the one that gets a tap area.
Keep the two Kartlis apart. Shida Kartli (inner) is north of the capital and Kvemo Kartli (lower) wraps around it to the south and east.

Every region, by group

West6 regions: Abkhazia, Adjara, Guria, Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
East4 regions: Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida Kartli, Tbilisi
South2 regions: Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti

Worked examples

Tbilisi

The one inside another

Tbilisi is a city and a region at once, set in the valley of the Kura and surrounded on almost every side by Kvemo Kartli. At the size the whole country fits it is a few pixels wide, which is why the game gives it a tap area.

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti

The longest name

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti is the least populated region, high in the Greater Caucasus between Imereti and Russia. Its name is three historic provinces in a row, and it is the one most often cut short.

Frequently asked questions

How many regions does Georgia have?

Twelve at the first level: nine regions, the capital Tbilisi, and the autonomous republics of Abkhazia and Adjara. The Tskhinvali region is counted in Shida Kartli.

Why are Abkhazia and South Ossetia on the map?

Because they are inside Georgia's internationally recognised borders, even though Tbilisi does not control them. Leaving them out would leave two holes in the country, so the quiz draws them: Abkhazia as a region, and the Tskhinvali region as part of Shida Kartli.

For the tier below this one, see Georgia Municipalities.