ABKHAZIA

Abkhazia, a country that “does not exist”.

Abkhazia, a small country in the South Caucasus, is a de facto state that proclaimed its independence from Georgia in 1993 and is not recognized by the majority of the international community. It’s located along the Black Sea coast, surrounded by palm trees and the towering Caucasus mountains.

The former Soviet Riviera was a popular vacation spot for the leaders of the USSR.

Today emptied of half of its inhabitants, this hidden gem of the Caucasus is populated by Abkhazians haunted by the fear of losing their own identity.

My posts on Abkhazia

Quick overview of Abkhazia

  • Population : about 240 000 
  • Minorities : Abkhazians, Russians, Armenians, Georgians, Circassians & a few Afro-Abkhazians
  • Capital : Sukhum (Sukhumi in Georgian)
  • Religions : Christian Orthodoxy & Sunni Islam
  • Protected areas : Ritsa National Park, Bichvinta-Miusera Nature Reserve, Pskhu-Gumista Nature Reserve
  • Must try food : mamalyga, ajika sauce khachapuri atchma
  • Best time to visit : summer
  • Border crossings : the Psou border with Russia & the Ingur border with Georgia
  • Hot springs in Abkhazia in the South Caucasus
  • Beach in Gagra on the Black Sea coast in Abkhazia
  • Transsiberian
  • The ruins of the abandonned georgian parliament covered of the Abkhazian flag in the city of Sukhum in Abkhazia in the South Caucasus
  • Headshape vases in the park of the Soviet saunatorium of Sukhumi in Abkhazia, Georgia in the South Caucasus
  • Old soviet plane at the abandoned airport in Abkhazia, South Caucasus