Racha

Racha
რაჭა
Map highlighting the historical region of Racha in Georgia
Map highlighting the historical region of Racha in Georgia
Country Georgia
MkhareRacha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti
CapitalOni
Area
 • Total
2,893 km2 (1,117 sq mi)
Population
 • Total
15,000
 • Density5.2/km2 (13/sq mi)
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Racha (also Račha, Georgian: რაჭა [ˈɾät͡ʃ'ä], Račʼa) is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region (mkhare) as the municipalities of Oni and Ambrolauri. Native inhabitants of Racha are called Rachians, an ethnographic group of Georgians.

Racha occupies 2,854 km2 in the north-eastern corner of western Georgia. Spurs of the Greater Caucasus crest separates Racha from the Georgian historical regions of Svaneti and Lechkhumi on the north-west and from Imereti on the south, while the main Caucasus ridge forms a boundary with Russia’s North Ossetia. On the east, Racha is bordered by breakaway South Ossetia, officially part of Georgia's Shida Kartli region.