Kutaisi Governorate

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Kutaisi Governorate
Кутаисская губернія
Coat of arms of Kutais Governorate.svg
Kutaisi Governorate ATD (1903-1917).png
Administrative map of the Kutaisi Governorate (1905–17)
Country Russian Empire
Viceroyalty Caucasus
Established1849
Abolished1917
CapitalKutais
(present-day Kutaisi)
Area
  Total
19,956.06 km2 (7,705.08 sq mi)
Highest elevation5,193 m (17,037 ft)
Population
 (1916)
  Total
1,034,468
  Density52/km2 (130/sq mi)
   Urban
8.51%
   Rural
91.49%

The Kutaisi or Kutais Governorate [a] was a province ( guberniya ) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of western Georgia throughout most of its existence, and most of the Artvin Province (except the Hopa and Yusufeli districts) of Turkey between 1878 and 1903. Created out of part of the former Georgia-Imeretia Governorate in 1846, the governorate also included Akhaltsikhe uezd before its cession to the Tiflis Governorate in 1867. The Kutaisi Governorate bordered the Sukhumi Okrug to the northwest, the Kuban Oblast to the north, the Terek Oblast to the northeast, the Tiflis Governorate to the southeast, the Batum Oblast to the southwest, and the Black Sea to the west. The governorate was eponymously named for its administrative center, Kutais (present-day Kutaisi). [1]

Contents

History

The Kutaisi Governorate was formed in 1846 as a result of the division of the Georgia-Imeretia Governorate. In 1883, the governorate included the Sukhumi Okrug and two districts (Artvin and Batum) of the then-abolished Batum Oblast. In 1903, the Artvin and Batum districts were detached and re-formed into the Batum Oblast. In 1905, the Sukhumi Okrug also received the status of a special district of the Russian Empire, tantamount to a governorate or oblast. [1]

Following the Russian Revolution, in 1918 the Kutaisi Governorate became part of the short-lived Georgian Democratic Republic. [1]

Administrative divisions

Kutaisi Governorate in 1883-1903 Kutais guberniya.jpg
Kutaisi Governorate in 1883-1903

The counties ( uezds ) of the Kutaisi Governorate in 1917 were as follows: [2]

NameAdministrative centrePopulationArea
1897 [3] 1916 [4] 18971916
Zugdidi uezd (Зугдидскій уѣздъ)Zugdid

(Zugdidi)

3,4074,000114,869127,9782,346.43 square versts (2,670.38  km2 ; 1,031.04  sq mi )
Kutaisi uezd (Кутаисскій уѣздъ)Kutais

(Kutaisi)

32,47658,151221,665291,9692,042.64 square versts (2,324.65  km2 ; 897.55  sq mi )
Lechkhumi uezd (Лечхумскій уѣздъ)Tsagery

(Tsageri)

687---47,77961,9144,281.88 square versts (4,873.05  km2 ; 1,881.49  sq mi )
Ozurgeti uezd (Озургетскій уѣздъ)Ozurgety

(Ozurgeti)

4,71011,19890,326115,3391,899.04 square versts (2,161.23  km2 ; 834.45  sq mi )
Racha uezd (Рачинскій уѣздъ) Oni 1,255---60,42188,1622,476.58 square versts (2,818.50  km2 ; 1,088.23  sq mi )
Senaki uezd (Сенакскій уѣздъ) Senaki 1,248---115,785159,6781,869.20 square versts (2,127.27  km2 ; 821.34  sq mi )
Shorapani uezd (Шорапанскій уѣздъ)Kvirily

(Zestaponi)

2,010---156,633189,4282,619.35 square versts (2,980.98  km2 ; 1,150.96  sq mi )

Demographics

Russian Empire census (1897)

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Kutaisi Governorate had a population of 1,058,241 on 28 January [ O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 549,504 men and 508,737 women. The majority of the populated indicated a Kartvelian language to be their mother tongue, principally comprising Georgian, Imeretian and Mingrelian. [5]

Linguistic composition of the Kutaisi Governorate in 1897 [5]
LanguageNative speakers%
Georgian 343,92932.50
Imeretian [b] 270,51325.56
Mingrelian 238,65522.55
Abkhaz 59,4695.62
Turkish 46,6654.41
Armenian 24,0432.27
Russian 19,2731.82
Svan 15,6691.48
Greek 14,4821.37
Jewish 7,0060.66
Ossetian 4,2400.40
Ukrainian 4,0080.38
Polish 1,9380.18
Kurdish 1,8240.17
German 1,0650.10
Persian 1,0220.10
Tatar [c] 7500.07
Estonian 6210.06
Lithuanian 4500.04
Romanian 1970.02
Belarusian 1620.02
Sartic 1560.01
Avar-Andean 1480.01
English 1350.01
Kazi-Kumukh 1110.01
Other1,7100.16
TOTAL1,058,241100.00
Religious composition of the Kutaisi Governorate in 1897 [8]
FaithMaleFemaleBoth
Number%
Eastern Orthodox 462,243438,687900,93085.13
Muslim 64,04353,577117,62011.11
Armenian Apostolic 11,6107,37018,9801.79
Judaism 4,6744,1908,8640.84
Armenian Catholic 2,6312,8945,5250.52
Roman Catholic 3,0651,1954,2600.40
Lutheran 9996761,6750.16
Old Believer 156922480.02
Karaite 2917460.00
Reformed 1513280.00
Buddhist 165210.00
Anglican 126180.00
Baptist 210120.00
Mennonite 5270.00
Other Christian denomination3360.00
Other non-Christian denomination1010.00
TOTAL549,504508,7371,058,241100.00

Kavkazskiy kalendar

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar , the Kutaisi Governorate had a population of 1,034,468 on 14 January [ O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 546,957 men and 487,511 women, 990,297 of whom were the permanent population, and 44,171 were temporary residents. The population total of the governorate is slightly less than in 1897 due to the province's administrative reorganization involving the detachment of the Artvin, Batum and Sukhumi okrugs (to be administered separately): [2]

Nationality Urban Rural TOTAL
Number%Number%Number%
Georgians 56,54364.20936,86998.99993,41296.03
Jews 11,34612.886,4500.6817,7961.72
Russians 14,50616.471,3790.1515,8851.54
Armenians 3,4163.881,1890.134,6050.45
Asiatic Christians 1,4501.65290.001,4790.14
Other Europeans 6540.743280.039820.09
Sunni Muslims [d] 700.08740.011440.01
Shia Muslims [e] 950.11380.001330.01
North Caucasians 00.00320.00320.00
TOTAL88,080100.00946,388100.001,034,468100.00

Notes

    • Russian: Кутаи́сская губе́рнія, romanized: Kutaísskaya gubérniya
    • Georgian :ქუთაისის გუბერნია, romanized:kutaisis gubernia
  1. Considered a dialect of Georgian.
  2. Before 1918, Azerbaijanis were generally known as "Tatars". This term, employed by the Russians, referred to Turkic-speaking Muslims of the South Caucasus. After 1918, with the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and "especially during the Soviet era", the Tatar group identified itself as "Azerbaijani". [6] [7]
  3. Primarily Turco-Tatars. [9]
  4. Primarily Tatars. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tsutsiev, Arthur (2014). Atlas of the Ethno-Political History of the Caucasus. Translated by Nora Seligman Favorov. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN   9780300153088.
  2. 1 2 Кавказский календарь на 1917 год, pp. 198–205.
  3. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  4. Кавказский календарь .... на 1917 год | Президентская библиотека имени Б.Н. Ельцина. 2021-11-04. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  5. 1 2 "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  6. Bournoutian 2018, p. 35 (note 25).
  7. Tsutsiev 2014, p. 50.
  8. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  9. 1 2 Hovannisian 1971, p. 67.

Bibliography

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