Everything about Batum totally explained
Batumi (formerly
Batum or
Batoum) is a seaside city on the
Black Sea coast and
capital of
Adjara, an
autonomous republic in southwest
Georgia. It has a population of 121,806 (
2002 census).
Batumi, with its large port and commercial center, is also the last stop of the
Transcaucasian railroad and the
Baku oil pipeline. It is situated some 20 km (12 mi) from the
Turkish border, in a subtropical zone, rich in
citrus fruit and
tea. Industries included
shipbuilding, food processing, and light manufacturing.
History
Early history
Batumi is located on the site of the
ancient Greek colony in
Colchis called Bathus or Bathys - derived from the Greek phrase
bathus limen or
bathys limin meaning "deep harbour". Under
Hadrian (r. 117-138 AD), it was converted into a fortified
Roman port later deserted for the fortress of
Petra founded in the times of
Justinian I (r. 527-565). Garrisoned by the Roman/
Byzantine forces, it was formally a possession of the kingdom of
Lazica until being occupied briefly by the
Arabs who didn't hold it; in the 9th century it formed part of the
Bagratid monarchy of
Tao-Klarjeti, and at the close of the 10th century of the unified
kingdom of Georgia which succeeded it.
From 1010, it was governed by the
eristavi (viceroy) of the king of Georgia. In the late 14th century, after the disintegration of the Georgian kingdom, Batumi passed to the princes (
mtavari) of
Guria, a western Georgian principality under the nominal sovereignty of the
kings of Imereti.
A curious incident occurred in 1444 when the
Burgundian flotilla, after a failed
crusade against the
Ottoman Empire, penetrated the Black Sea and engaged in piracy along its eastern coastline until the Burgundians under the knight
Geoffroy de Thoisy were ambushed during their landing raid at the port of Vaty as Europeans then knew Batumi. De Thoisy was taken captive and released through the mediation of the
emperor John IV of Trebizond.
In the 15th century, in the reign of the prince Kakhaber Gurieli, the
Ottoman Turks occupied the town and its district, but didn't hold them. They returned in force a century later after the decisive defeat which they inflicted on the Georgian and Imeretian armies at
Sokhoista. Batumi was recaptured, first by the prince Rostom Gurieli in 1564, who lost it soon afterwards, and again in 1609 by Mamia Gurieli. Since 1627 Batumi was part of the Ottoman Empire. With the Turkish conquest the
Islamisation of the Adjara region, hitherto Christian began. It was completed by the end of the 18th century. Under the Turks, Batumi, a large fortified town (2,000 inhabitants in 1807 and more than 5,000 in 1877) was already an active port, the principle centre of the
Transcaucasian slave-trade.
Imperial Russian rule
In 1878, Batumi was annexed by the
Russian Empire in accordance with
Treaty of San Stefano between Russia and the Ottoman Empire (ratified on March 23). In exchange, according to a secret Anglo-Ottoman
Cyprus Convention, the British were to be allowed to occupy
Cyprus -
Cuprum probatum. Occupied by the Russians on 28 August 1878, the town was declared a
free port until 1886. It functioned as a center of a special military district until being incoprorated in the Government of
Kutaisi on June 12 1883. Finally, on 1 June 1903, with the
Okrug of
Artvin, it was established as the region (
oblast) of Batumi placed under the direct control of the General Government of Georgia.
The expansion of Batumi began in 1883 with the construction of the Batumi-Tiflis-Baku railway completed in 1900 by the finishing of the Baku-Batumi pipe-line. Henceforth Batumi became the chief Russian oil port in the Black Sea. The town expanded to an extraordinary extent and the population increased very rapidly: 8,671 inhabitants in 1882, and 12,000 in 1889.
War, Communism and Independence
During
1901, 16 years prior to the
Russian Revolution,
Joseph Stalin the future leader of the Soviet Union, lived in the city organizing strikes. Unrest during
World War I led to Turkey re-entering in April
1918, followed by the British in December, who stayed until July
1920.
Kemal Atatürk then ceded it to the
Bolsheviks, on the condition that it be granted autonomy, for the sake of the
Muslims among Batumi's mixed population.
When the
USSR collapsed,
Aslan Abashidze was appointed head of Adjara's governing council and subsequently held onto power throughout the unrest of the 1990s. Whilst other regions, such as
Abkhazia, attempted to break away from the Georgian state, Adjara maintained an integral part of the Republic's territory. However due to a fragile security situation, Abashidze was able to exploit the
central government's weaknesses and rule the area as a personal
fiefdom. In May 2004 he fled the region to Russia as a result of mass protests sparked by the
Rose Revolution in
Tbilisi.
Present Day
Batumi today is the main port of Georgia. It has the capacity for 80,000-tonne tankers to take materials such as oil. This oil originates from Azerbaijan and is shipped all over the world. Smaller oil exports also come from
Kazakhstan and
Turkmenistan. Additionally the city exports regional agricultural products. Since
1995 the freight conversion of the port has constantly risen, with an approximate 8 million tonnes in
2001. The annual revenue from the port is estimated at between $200 million and $300 million.
Since the change of power in Ajara, Batumi has attracted several international investors with real estate prices in the city trebling since 2001. Kazakh investors have reportedly invested $100 million to purchase more than 20 hotels in the Ajara region of Georgia. Construction of a number of new hotels will be launched in Ajara’s Black Sea resorts starting from
2007.
Batumi was also host to the Russian
12th Military Base. Following the Rose Revolution, the central government pushed for the removal of these forces, and in 2005 an agreement with
Moscow was reached. According to the agreement, the process of withdrawal was planned to be completed in a course of 2008, but the Batumi base was officially handed over to Georgia on
November 13,
2007, ahead of planned schedule.
Climate
Batumi lies at the northern periphery of the
humid subtropical zone. Batumi's climate is heavily influenced by the onshore flow from the Black Sea and the city is subject to the
orographic effect of the nearby hills and mountains, resulting in significant rainfall throughout most of the year, making Batumi the wettest city in both
Georgia and the entire
Caucasus Region.
The average annual temperature in Batumi is approximately 14.5 degrees Celsius. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 7.1 degrees Celsius. August is the hottest month with an average temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius and highest temperature reaches 32.5 degrees Celsius. The absolute minimum recorded temperature is -9 degrees Celsius and the absolute maximum is 41 degrees Celsius. The number of days with temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius is 239. The city receives 1958 hours of sunshine per year.
Batumi's average annual precipitation is 2,718mm. (107.0in.). September is the wettest month with an average of 335mm. (13.19in.) of precipitation, while May is the driest, averaging 92mm (3.62in.). Batumi generally doesn't receive significant amounts of snow (accumulating snowfall of more than 30cm.) and the number of days with snow cover for the year is 12. The average level of humidity ranges from 70-80%.
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average Temperature °C (°F) | 7.1 (44.7) |
7.2 (45) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.5 (52.7) |
20.8 (60.4) |
22.5 (68) |
27.8 (73) |
27.2 (73.8) |
25.3 (68.5) |
16.6 (61.9) |
12 (53.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
14.5 (58.1)
|
| Average rainfall: millimeters (inches) | 281 (11.06) |
228 (8.98) |
174 (6.85) |
122 (4.80) |
92 (3.62) |
163 (6.42) |
182 (7.16) |
255 (10.04) |
335 (13.19) |
306 (12.05) |
304 (11.97) |
276 (10.87) |
2,718 (107.01)
|
Transportation
The city is served by
Batumi Airport, one of three international airports in the country.
Demographics and religion
According to the 2002 Georgian census, Batumi had a population of 121,806 with
population density of 7293.8 per km
2. Ethnic groups include:
Landmarks
Attractions include the
Adjara State Museum,
Batumi Botanical Garden, which were started by professor Krasnov (brother of the general
Pyotr Krasnov),
aquarium,
circus, and a former resort area along the Black Sea coast.
Postage stamps
Sister Cities
Vanadzor, Armenia (2006)
Piraeus, Greece (1996)
Bari, Italy (1987)
Kislovodsk, Russia (1997)
Savannah, Georgia, USA
Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain (1987)
Trabzon, Turkey (2000)
Notable people
Notable people who are from or have resided in Batumi:
Sopho Khalvashi, first Georgian entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Katie Melua, singer
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, science fiction authors
William Horwood Stuart, British diplomat who was murdered here in 1906
Fyodor Yurchikhin, astronaut
Valery Meladze, singer
Odysseas Dimitriadis (1908-2005) Greek-Soviet music conductorFurther Information
Get more info on 'Batum'.
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