Abkhazia, << ahb KAH zee uh >>, is a region at the western end of the Caucasus Mountains bordering the Black Sea. Abkhazia is officially part of Georgia. However, it declared its independence in 1992 and operates under its own government.
Abkhazia’s population was about 540,000 in 1990, but many of its people fled the fighting that broke out in the early 1990’s following its declaration of independence. The native language of Abkhazia is Abkhaz, which belongs to the Caucasian language family. A majority of people in Abkhazia are Eastern Orthodox Christians. Most of the remaining people are Muslims.
In the A.D. 780’s, Abkhazian ruler Leon II conquered what is now western Georgia and made it an independent kingdom. In 1008, Bagrat III, king of Abkhazia, united the rest of Georgia with his kingdom. Abkhazia fell to the Ottomans in the late 1500’s and to the Russians in the early 1800’s. In the 1860’s and 1870’s, Russia smashed a rebellion in Abkhazia and exiled about half its people to the Ottoman Empire.
Abkhazia fought against Georgia during the civil war in Russia (1918-1921). After the war, Abkhazia became part of Georgia in the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991, Georgia became independent. Abkhazia declared its independence from Georgia in 1992, and Georgian troops invaded. In 1993, Abkhazian forces, with aid from Russia, drove the Georgian troops out of Abkhazia. Peacekeeping forces have since helped to maintain a cease-fire, but talks to resolve the conflict have made little progress. In 2016, Russia and Abkhazia created a joint military force. The United States and Georgia do not recognize the agreement as legitimate or legal under international law.
See also Georgia.
