A municipality is a subdivision of Georgia, consisting of a settlement or community (თემი temi), which enjoy local self-government. A total of 69 municipalities are registered as of January 2019. Five municipalities are entirely located in breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and are effectively not governed by Tbilisi. The remaining 64 are divided over five self-governing cities (ქალაქი kalaki) and 59 self-governing communities.
Background The municipalities were first established in 2006. Most of them were successors to the earlier subdivisions, known as raioni (რაიონი), 'districts'. In addition, new municipalities were formed to govern those settlements in the disputed entities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that at the time remained under Georgia's control. After the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, Georgia treats these municipalities as parts of its occupied territories. The former districts not under Georgia's effective sovereignty at the moment of the local government reform of 2006 were not transformed into municipalities. Rather, the laws of Georgia include a notion that the final mode of subdivision and system of local self-government should be established after the restoration of the state jurisdiction over the occupied territories. Each municipality is divided into administrative units (ადმინისტრაციული ერთეული), which can comprise one or several settlements.
The municipalities outside the two autonomous republics of Adjara and of Abkhazia and the capital city of Tbilisi are grouped, on a provisional basis, into nine regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, and Shida Kartli.
List of municipalities as of 2019
+ Regions, municipalities, and districts of Georgia Municipality as of 2019 Corresponding district before 2006 Population (01.01.2021) 3,728,573 Tbilisi, City of 1,202,731 Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia n.a. 1. Azhara (Upper Abkhazia) Municipality n.a. — Gagra n.a. — Gali n.a. — Gudauta n.a. — Gulripshi n.a. — Ochamchire n.a. — Sokhumi n.a.Autonomous Republic of Adjara 354,905 1. Batumi, City of 172,063 2. Keda Municipality Keda District 16,700 3. Kobuleti Municipality Kobuleti District 71,843 4. Khelvachauri Municipality Khelvachauri District 52,737 5. Khulo Municipality Khulo District 26,626 6. Shuakhevi Municipality Shuakhevi District 14,936Region of Guria 107,101 1. Chokhatauri, Municipality of Chokhatauri District 17,851 2. Lanchkhuti Municipality Lanchkhuti District 29,893 3. Ozurgeti Municipality Ozurgeti District 59,357 Region of Imereti 481,473 1. Kutaisi, City of 134,378 2. Baghdati Municipality Baghdati District 18,363 3. Vani Municipality Vani District 21,241 4. Zestaponi Municipality Zestaponi District 55,142 5. Terjola Municipality Terjola District 31,427 6. Samtredia Municipality Samtredia District 43,448 7. Sachkhere Municipality Sachkhere District 34,848 8. Tkibuli Municipality Tkibuli District 17,898 9. Tsqaltubo Municipality Tskkaltubo District 46,803 10. Chiatura Municipality Chiatura District 38,231 11. Kharagauli Municipality Kharagauli District 18,571 12. Khoni Municipality Khoni District 21,123 Region of Kakheti 309,578 1. Akhmeta Municipality Akhmeta District 28,853 2. Gurjaani Municipality Gurjaani District 51,814 3. Dedoplistskaro Municipality Dedoplis Tskaro District 20,677 4. Telavi Municipality Telavi District 55,113 5. Lagodekhi Municipality Lagodekhi District 41,152 6. Sagarejo Municipality Sagarejo District 52,335 7. Sighnaghi Municipality 29,177 8. Qvareli Municipality Qvareli District 30,457Region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti 93,389 1. Akhalgori Municipality Akhalgori District n.a. 2. Dusheti Municipality Dusheti District 26,328 3. Tianeti Municipality Tianeti District 10,274 4. Mtskheta Municipality Mtskheta District 53,006 5. Kazbegi Municipality Kazbegi District 3,781 Region of Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti 28,500 1. Ambrolauri Municipality Ambrolauri District 10,405 2. Lentekhi Municipality Lentekhi District 4,027 3. Oni Municipality Oni District 5,563 4. Tsageri Municipality Tsageri District 8,505Region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti 308,358 1. Poti, City of 41,536 2. Abasha Municipality Abasha District 19,560 3. Zugdidi Municipality Zugdidi District 99,542 4. Martvili Municipality Martvili District 31,495 5. Mestia Municipality Mestia District 9,447 6. Senaki Municipality Senaki District 34,315 7. Chkhorotsku Municipality District 21,361 8. Tsalenjikha Municipality Tsalenjikha District 23,296 9. Khobi Municipality Khobi District 27,806Region of Samtskhe-Javakheti 151,110 1. Adigeni Municipality Adigeni District 16,092 2. Aspindza Municipality Aspindza District 10,587 3. Akhalkalaki Municipality Akhalkalaki District 41,026 4. Akhaltsikhe Municipality Akhaltsikhe District 39,463 5. Borjomi Municipality Borjomi District 24,998 6. Ninotsminda Municipality Ninotsminda District 18,944 Region of Kvemo Kartli 437,347 1. Rustavi, City of 130,072 2. Bolnisi Municipality Bolnisi District 56,036 3. Gardabani Municipality Gardabani District 80,329 4. Dmanisi Municipality Dmanisi District 20,922 5. Tetritsqaro Municipality Tetritsqaro District 22,485 6. Marneuli Municipality Marneuli District 107,824 7. Tsalka Municipality Tsalka District 19,679Region of Shida Kartli 254,081 1. Gori Municipality Gori District 120,569 2. Kaspi Municipality Kaspi District 41,795 3. Kareli Municipality Kareli District 40,689 4. Khashuri Municipality Khashuri District 51,028 5. Eredvi Municipality n.a. 6. Tighva Municipality n.a. 7. Kurta Municipality n.a. — Java District n.a.
Notes
See also List of cities and towns in Georgia Occupied territories of Georgia Administrative divisions of Georgia
References