Samtskhe-Javakheti

Samtskhe-Javakheti occupies Georgia's southwestern highlands, its Armenian-majority population creating ethnic dynamics that national politics must navigate. The region borders Turkey and Armenia, historical connections that persist despite modern state boundaries. Vardzia, the medieval cave monastery, provides the region's primary tourism attraction.

Agriculture focuses on potato production, the high-altitude plateau providing conditions that other regions cannot match. This specialization creates dependence on a single crop that market fluctuations expose. Livestock keeping supplements cultivation, with transhumant patterns that move animals to summer pastures.

The Armenian population's concerns about integration have occasionally generated political tension, though Georgia's inclusive policies have generally maintained stability. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline crosses the region, providing employment during construction and ongoing maintenance revenues. Whether Samtskhe-Javakheti can develop tourism beyond Vardzia—converting highland landscapes into visitor experiences—while managing demographic complexities shapes regional prospects.