Zugdidi Municipality

Zugdidi is a Municipality of Georgia, in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti. Zugdidi Municipality is located in the central part of western Georgia (area - 692 sq. km). Its western border follows the Black Sea coast (Ganmukhuri, Anaklia), the administrative strip of Abkhazia (Gali district) in the northwest, Tsalenjikha Municipality in the north and northeast, and it borders Chkhorotsqu Municipality and Khobi Municipality to the south. Zugdidi is the administrative center of both Zugdidi Municipality and Samegrelo Zemo-Svaneti region. Between 2014 and 2017 the city of Zugdidi was separated from the municipality and was a so-called "self-governed" city (or kalaki), but this administrative and governance reform was deemed too inefficient and expensive. History Ancient history The territory of Zugdidi municipality, due to its economic-geographical location, seems to have been inhabited since ancient times. Archaeological sites confirm that coastal wetlands originated in the recent geological past. It can be seen that during the flourishing of the Colchis culture in the fourth-third millennia of the old year the wetlands were significantly less.