Abasha

Located in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, Abasha Municipality covers 323 square kilometers and serves as a vital agricultural node. Its modern history is deeply intertwined with an unprecedented Soviet-era economic experiment initiated in the 1970s by Eduard Shevardnadze. By grouping regional agricultural institutions into a single management association and providing material incentives to laborers, Abasha became the site of the first semi-private enterprise structure in the Soviet Union since the era of Lenin. Today, the municipality operates across one city, 15 communities, and 35 individual villages. The settlement pattern indicates a profound reliance on the Tskhenis-Tsqali and Abasha river networks, which historically served as natural administrative borders and irrigation arteries. The village of Marani physically demarcates the border with Samtredia Municipality via the riverfront. The population of the municipality stood at 22,341 during the 2014 census.