# Sukhumi

| Sukhumi სოხუმი, Аҟәа Sokhumi, Akwa |
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| Seal |
| location of Sukhumi within Abkhazia |
| Location o Sukhumi in Georgie |
| Coordinates: ﻿ / ﻿ |
| Kintra |  Georgie |
| Partially recognized country |  Abkhazie |
| Govrenment |
|  • Mayor | Alias Labakhua |
| Highest elevation | 140 m (460 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2011) |
|  • Total | 62,914 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (MSK) |
| Area code(s) | +7 840 22x-xx-xx |

**Sukhumi** (Abkhaz: Аҟәа, *Aqwa*; Georgie: სოხუმი, *Sokhumi*; Roushie: Сухум or Сухуми, *Sukhum* or *Sukhumi*) is the caipital o Abkhazie, a disputit region on the Black Sea coast. The ceety suffered hivily durin the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.

## Namin

In Abkhaz, the ceety is kent as Аҟәа (*Aqwa*) which accordin tae native tradeetion signifies *water*.

In Georgian, the ceety is kent as სოხუმი (*Sokhumi*) or აყუ (*Aqu*), in Megrelian as აყუჯიხა (*Aqujikha*), an in Roushie as Сухум (*Sukhum*) or Сухуми (*Sukhumi*). The etymology o the form *Sokhumi* is disputit. The ceety wis earlier kent in Turkis as *Suhum-Kale*, which can be read tae mean 'watter-sand fortress'. Alternatively, it haes been proposed that the ceety haed already afore been kent as *Tskhumi* in Georgian, an that aw thir forms (includin the Turkis) fynd thair oreegin herein. Tskhumi in turn then is derived frae the Svan leid wird for 'het', or the Georgian wird for 'hornbeam tree'. The competin etymologies hae been uised as putative evidence in the argument ower the ethnicity o Sukhumi's historical indwallers.

The endin -i in the abuin forms represents the Georgian nominative-suffix. The toun wis initially offeecially describit in Roushie as Сухум (*Sukhum*), till 16 August 1936 when this wis chynged tae Сухуми (*Sukhumi*). This remained sae till 4 December 1992, when the Supreme Cooncil o Abkhazie restored the "oreeginal" version, that wis approved in Roushie in hairst 2008, even tho Сухуми is an aa still bein uised.

In Inglis, the maist common form the day is *Sukhumi*, awtho *Sokhumi* is uised as well bi some soorces, includin *Encyclopædia Britannica* an *MSN Encarta*.

Historically, Sukhumi wis first cawed Διοσκουριάς (*Dioskurias*) bi the Greeks, then frae the time o Emperor o Rome Augustus onwards Σεβαστούπολις (Sebastopolis) till it became Suhum-kail unner the Ottomans.

## General information

Sukhumi is locatit on a wide bay o the eastren coast o the Black Sea an serves as a port, rail junction an a holiday resort. It is kent for its beaches, sanatoriums, mineral-watter spas an semitropical climate. Sukhumi is an aa an important air link for Abkhazie as the Sukhumi Dranda Airport is locatit nearbi the ceety. Sukhumi contains a nummer o sma-tae-medium size hotels servin chiefly the Roushie tourists. Sukhumi botanical garden wis established in 1840, ane o the auldest botanical gardens in the Caucasus.

The ceety haes a nummer o research institutes, the Abkhazian State University an the Sukhumi Branch o the Tbilisi State University (currently functionin in Tbilisi). In Soviet times, it contained a renouned ape breedin station. Frae 1945 tae 1954 the ceety's electron pheesics laboratory wis involved in the Soviet program tae develop nuclear wappens.

The ceety is a member o the International Black Sea Club.

## Twin touns - sister ceeties

* Podolsk, Roushie
* / Tiraspol, Transnistrie