Lechkhumi uezd

The Lechkhumi uezd^[a] was a county (uezd) of the Kutaisi Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It bordered the Terek and Kuban oblasts to the north, the Sukhumi Okrug to the west, the Zugdidi, Senaki, and Kutais uezds to the south and the Racha uezd to the east. The area of the uezd corresponded to most of the contemporary Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia. The administrative center of the Lechkhumi uezd was the town of Tsageri.^[1]

Lechkhumi uezd Лечхумскій уѣздъ
Uezd
Coat of arms
Location in the Kutais Governorate
Country	Russian Empire
Viceroyalty	Caucasus
Governorate	Kutaisi
Established	1867
Abolished	1930
Capital	Tsageri
Area
• Total	4,873.05 km2 (1,881.50 sq mi)
Population  (1916)
• Total	61,914
• Density	13/km2 (33/sq mi)
• Rural	100.00%

History

The Lechkhumi uezd was formed in 1867 as part of the Kutaisi Governorate in the territory during the time of the Russian Empire. In 1918, the Kutaisi Governorate including the Lechkhumi uezd was incorporated into the Democratic Republic of Georgia.^[1]

Administrative divisions

The subcounties (uchastoks) of the Lechkhumi uezd in 1913 were as follows:^[2]

Name	1912 population	Area
Alpanskiy uchastok (Алпанскій участокъ)	22,791	449.41 square versts (511.46 km2; 197.47 sq mi)
Svanetskiy uchastok (Сванетскій участокъ)	12,184	2,383.37 square versts (2,712.42 km2; 1,047.27 sq mi)
Tsagerskiy uchastok (Цагерскій участокъ)	23,264	1,449.10 square versts (1,649.17 km2; 636.75 sq mi)

Demographics

Russian Empire Census

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Lechkhumi uezd had a population of 47,779 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 23,522 men and 24,257 women. The majority of the population indicated Imeretian to be their mother tongue, with a significant Svan speaking minority.^[3]

Linguistic composition of the Lechkhumi uezd in 1897^[3]

Language	Native speakers	%
Imeretian	31,520	65.97
Svan	15,359	32.15
Jewish	441	0.92
Georgian	226	0.47
Armenian	91	0.19
Mingrelian	60	0.13
Russian	26	0.05
Ossetian	9	0.02
Kurdish	6	0.01
Avar-Andean	4	0.01
Tatar[b]	4	0.01
Ukrainian	2	0.00
Persian	2	0.00
Other	29	0.06
TOTAL	47,779	100.00

Kavkazskiy kalendar

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Lechkhumi uezd had a population of 61,914 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 32,691 men and 29,223 women, 60,945 of whom were the permanent population, and 969 were temporary residents:^[6]

Nationality	Number	%
Georgians	60,407	97.57
Jews	1,372	2.22
Armenians	96	0.16
Other Europeans	25	0.04
Russians	14	0.02
TOTAL	61,914	100.00

Notes

1. • Russian: Лечху́мскій уѣ́здъ, romanized: Lechkhúmsky uyézd
   • Georgian: ლეჩხუმის მაზრა, romanized: lechkhumis mazra
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".^[4][5]