![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/Kartvelian_languages.svg/640px-Kartvelian_languages.svg.png&w=640&q=50)
Mingrelians
Ethnographic group of Georgians / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Mingrelians[lower-alpha 1] (Mingrelian: მარგალეფი, romanized: margalepi; Georgian: მეგრელები, romanized: megrelebi) are an indigenous Kartvelian-speaking ethnic subgroup of Georgians[2][3][4][5][6][7] that mostly live in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (Mingrelian: სამარგალო, romanized: samargalo; Georgian: სამეგრელო, romanized: samegrelo) region of Georgia. They also live in considerable numbers in Abkhazia and Tbilisi. In the pre-1930 Soviet census, the Mingrelians were afforded their own ethnic group category, alongside many other ethnic subgroups of Georgians.[8][9]
![]() Distribution of Mingrelian in relation to the other Kartvelian languages | |
Total population | |
---|---|
c. 400,000 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Georgia 400,000[1] | |
Languages | |
Mingrelian, Georgian | |
Religion | |
Predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Georgian Orthodox Church) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Mingrelian.jpg/640px-Mingrelian.jpg)
The Mingrelians speak the Mingrelian language, and are typically bilingual also in Georgian. Both these languages belong to the Kartvelian language family.[10][11][12]