Gali Municipality

Gali Municipality is an administrative-territorial unit of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia. De facto, the territory has been under Russian occupation since the early 1990s following the Abkhaz–Georgian conflict. The administrative center is the town of Gali.
The municipality shares borders with Ochamchire Municipality within Abkhazia and with Zugdidi Municipality of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti.

History

Historically, the territory of Gali was part of the Samurzakano region within the Sukhumi Okrug of the Kutaisi Governorate during the Russian Empire. In 1921, it was incorporated into the Abkhaz ASSR within the Georgian SSR, and in 1939 it was reorganized as Gali District.

Demographics

According to Georgian sources, the majority of the population are ethnic Mingrelians, who have faced displacement and repeated episodes of pressure and discrimination during and after the 1990s conflict. As of 2014, the population was estimated at about 29,000.