Racha uezd

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Racha uezd

Overview
Racha uezd was a county (uezd) in the Kutaisi Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty in the Russian Empire. It existed from 1846 until 1930. The administrative center was Oni. The uezd covered about 2,818.5 square kilometers. In 1916 its population was about 88,162, and the area was entirely rural.

Geography
Racha uezd bordered the Terek Oblast to the north, Lechkhumi uezd to the west, Kutaisi uezd and Shorapani uezd to the south, and Gori uezd to the east. Its territory roughly corresponds to most of today’s Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region of Georgia.

History
The uezd was formed in 1846 on land from the historic region of Racha as part of the Kutaisi Governorate within the Caucasus Viceroyalty. In 1918, the Kutaisi Governorate, including Racha uezd, became part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia.

Administrative divisions
In 1913, Racha uezd was divided into two uchastoks (subcounties):
- Ambrolauri uchastok: about 41,638 people in 1912; area about 1,063.3 square kilometers.
- Onskiy uchastok: about 45,374 people in 1912; area about 1,755.2 square kilometers.

Demographics
1897 Russian Empire Census:
- Population: 60,421
- Native languages: Imeretian 44,652 (≈73.9%), Georgian 11,260 (≈18.6%), Ossetian 3,514 (≈5.8%), with smaller numbers of Jewish languages, Armenian, Mingrelian, Russian, Ukrainian, Greek, Avar, Polish, Svan, Abkhaz, German, Romanian, and others.
- The majority spoke Imeretian, with Georgian and Ossetian as significant minorities.

Kavkazskiy kalendar (1917):
- Population on 1 January 1916: 88,162 (44,741 men and 43,421 women)
- Permanent residents: 88,074; temporary residents: 88
- National composition: Georgians 88,065 (≈99.89%), Armenians 97 (≈0.11%)

Notes
Racha uezd was part of the Russian Empire’s administrative structure and played a role in the historical region of Georgia that later became part of the independent Georgian state.