Batumi

Batumi is the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and the third-largest city of Georgia with population 160 000 people, located on the coast of the Black sea in the country’s southwest. It is situated in a Subtropical Zone at the foot of Caucasus. Much of Batumi’s economy revolves around tourism and gambling. (It is nicknamed “The Las Vegas of the Black Sea”), but the city is also an important sea port and includes industries like shipbuilding, food processing. Since 2010, Batumi has been transformed by the construction of modern high-rise buildings, as well as the restoration of classical 19th-century edifices lining its historic Old Town.

Batumi is located on the site of the ancient Greek colony in Colchis called “Bathus” , it was converted into a fortified Roman port. From the Xi century Batumi has got present name. In XVII century was conquered by Turkish. After the Russian- Turkish war in 1878 Batumi was annexed by Russia Empire.
The expansion of Batumi began in 1883 with the construction of the Batumi – Baku railway and the finishing of the Baku –Batumi pipeline. Henceforth, Batumi became the chief Russian oil port in the Black Sea.

On March, 1918, the city back to the Ottoman Empire and later from December 1918 was in hands of English forces who stayed until July 1920. Kemal Ataturk ceded the area to the Bolsheviks of the Soviet Union on the condition that it be granted autonomy, for the sake of the Muslims among Batumi’s mixed population.When Georgia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1989, Adjara remained as an integral part of the Republic’s territory.

Tourist attractions

  • Batumi Boulevard
  • Batumi Botanical Gardens
  • Dancing Fountains, Batumi
  • Dolphinarium
  • Piazza Square
  • Panoramic Wheel
  • Astronomical clock
  • Argo Cable Car
  • Europe Square
  • Alphabetic Tower
  • Fountain Of Neptun
  • Batumi Archeological Museum

 

Climate

Batumi has a humid subtropical climate. The city’s climate is heavily influenced by the onshore flow from the Black Sea and is subject to the orografic 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 Caucasius Region.

The average annual temperature in Batumi is approximately 14 °C.