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Religion in Abkhazia

According to Fun Wiki, 75% of the population of Abkhazia are Orthodox, 10% are Sunni Muslims. There are also adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Jews and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Transport in Abkhazia

Abkhazia can be reached by plane, train, bus or car. If you are going to get to the republic not by plane, then the final destination will be the village of Vesyoloye in Sochi, where the checkpoint is located. Then you can get to the city you need by bus or taxi.

Inside Abkhazia, it is better to travel by bus, minibus or taxi. There is also a developed network of domestic airlines, but plane tickets are quite expensive. The railway communication of the republic is unreliable, trains they do not always follow the schedule, and the travel time can increase by several hours due to all sorts of reasons. You can travel between coastal cities on tourist cruise boats. Ferries also run between Abkhazia, Turkey and the Black Sea coast of Russia.

Plant and Animal World in Abkhazia

Over 55% of the territory of Abkhazia is covered with forests. Among the growing trees, oak, beech, hornbeam, chestnut, fir, and spruce predominate. Colchis forests grow in the southeast of Abkhazia. Their lower zone (up to 1000-1200 m) is dominated by broad-leaved species (oak, hornbeam, chestnut, maple, beech). This type of forest is characterized by an abundance of vines – ivy, clematis, and obitnik. Above the belt of the Colchis forests and up to the upper border of the forest (1700-1800 m), mixed forests are widespread, in which beech and spruce-fir forests are combined. At the upper border of the forest there are birch forests with an admixture of mountain ash and thickets of rhododendron. Subalpine and alpine meadows rise to 2800-3000 m, in the east – up to 3600 m above sea level. On the coast of Abkhazia there is subtropical vegetation, represented by fruit trees.

Bears, wild boars, lynxes, red deer, roe deer and tours live in the forests of the republic. Chamois and Caucasian black grouse are found in the highlands. In the rivers and lakes of Abkhazia, fish such as trout, salmon, carp and pike perch are found.

Minerals in Abkhazia

In Abkhazia there are small deposits of polymetallic, lead-zinc-silver and mercury ores, coal, barite and dolomite.

Banks in Abkhazia

Banks in Abkhazia are open on weekdays from 9:00 to 19:00.

Money in Abkhazia

The official currency of Abkhazia is the Georgian lari. However, in fact, the only means of payment in the republic is the Russian ruble, Georgian lari is not accepted for payment. 1 Russian ruble is equal to 100 kopecks. In circulation there are banknotes of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 rubles, as well as coins of 1, 5, 10 and 50 kopecks and 1, 2 and 5 rubles.

Foreign currency can be exchanged at exchange offices or banks. The exchange rate in Abkhazia is not favorable, so it is best to take rubles on a trip. Non-cash payment for services in the republic is poorly developed.

Rate: 1 Ruble of the Russian Federation (RUR) = 0.02 USD

Political State in of Abkhazia

Abkhazia is de facto an independent state. The independence of Abkhazia is not recognized by any UN member state. Formally, it is part of Georgia. Officially, Abkhazia is subordinate to the central government of Georgia, but in fact the Georgian authorities control only a small part of the republic – Upper Abkhazia. In fact, the head of the republic and government is the president, who is elected for a term of 5 years. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is concentrated in the hands of parliament and government.

Population in Abkhazia

Most of the population of the republic are Abkhazians. After numerous migrations of various peoples within the Caucasus, Georgians, Armenians and Russians also live here. A small percentage are Ukrainians, Belarusians, Greeks, Jews, Estonians, Bulgarians and Germans.

Language:
The official language of the republic is Abkhazian. The Abkhaz language belongs to the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of North Caucasian languages. In addition, the Russian language is used in the business sphere, and the locals understand Russian perfectly well.

Cuisine in Abkhazia

In the Abkhazian cuisine there are many vegetable dishes. Bean, kohlrabi, cabbage and beet dishes are especially popular. Be sure to try the national vegetable salad “achapa”, which is seasoned with adjika, walnuts and herbs; beans with nuts; bean pods with sour milk; boiled eggplants with nuts; nettle with nuts; field thistle with nuts; salted kohlrabi leaves with nuts; boiled pumpkin; corn on the cob and a favorite dish of the Abkhaz – boiled chestnuts with adjika and walnuts.

Meat dishes include mutton stew with spices, beef stew, fresh meat shish kebab, smoked meat and lamb roasted whole on a spit. It is worth noting that the local cuisine is not complete without spices, hot spices and sauces. Local cheeses and dairy dishes are very tasty – curd masses from precipitated whey, milk drinks, pickled cheeses, cheese bagels, pasty skinskin cheese and fresh milk cheese. On the table there is always “mamaliga” – a flour product made from corn flour, which is used instead of bread.

For dessert, they usually serve nut butter, cookies, baklava, halva, pies, khachapuri, muffins, marshmallow, molasses, cakes, jelly and jam.

Of the alcoholic beverages, Abkhazian wines are the most popular.