ABSTRACT
The Republic of Abkhazia lies in the north-west Transcaucasus. The north-western and northern border of the Republic of Abkhazia first runs along the River Psou and then along the crest of the main watershed-ridge of the Greater Caucasus. In this sector it borders the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions of the Russian Federation. In the east the border passes along the Abkhaz-Svanetian (SakJ'an) ridge, the southern spur of the K'odor (Panajw) ridge, and the lower course of the River Ingur. Here the Republic of Abkhazia borders the Republic of Georgia, specifically its ethnographic provinces of Svanetia and Mingrelia, In the south the territory of the Republic of Abkhazia is washed by the waters of the Black Sea.
