Editing Adjara (section)

== Demographics ==
According to the 2014 census, the population of Adjara is 333,953.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://census.ge/en/results/census|title=census - 2014 General Population Census Results|website=census.ge|access-date=2017-02-01|archive-date=2020-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214144947/http://census.ge/en/results/census|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Ethnic groups ===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = 
|label1 = [[Georgians]]
|value1 =96
|color1 = red
|label2 = [[Armenians]]
|value2 =1.6
|color2 = orange
|label3 = [[Russians]]
|value3 = 1.1
|color3 = blue
|label4 = other
|value4 = 1.3
|color4 = gray
}}

The [[Adjarians]] (Ajars) are an ethnographic group of the [[Georgian people]] who speak a group of local dialects known collectively as [[Adjaran dialect|Adjarian]]. The written language is [[Georgian alphabet|Georgian]].{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} Adjarians have been known as "Muslim Georgians".{{sfn|George|2009|p=23}} They were officially referred as such until the 1926 Soviet [[census]] which listed them as "Ajars" and counted 71,000 of them. Later, they were simply classified under a broader category of Georgians as no official Soviet census asked about religion.<ref name=Toft2003>{{Cite book |last=Toft |first=Monica Duffy|author-link= Monica Toft|url=http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/2171/1/32.pdf.pdf |title=The Geography of Ethnic Violence: Identity, Interests, and the Indivisibility of Territory |date=2003 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-12383-7 |language=en|page=108}}</ref> In independent Georgia, censuses do not include an "Adjarian" category, nor do they distinguish between ethnic Georgian Muslims and other Muslims, such as [[Azerbaijanis in Georgia|Azerbaijanis]].{{sfn|George|2009|pp=101–102}}

Ethnic minorities include [[Laz people|Laz]], [[Russians]], [[Armenians]], [[Pontic Greeks]], and [[Abkhaz people|Abkhaz]].<ref name="Adjarastat">{{Cite web|url=http://adjarastat.com/Docs/EROVNEBA.doc|title=Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Department of Statistics}} {{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Adjara<ref name="religion">{{Cite web|title=census - Demographic and social characteristics|url=http://census.ge/files/results/english/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls|access-date=2021-08-16|website=census.ge|archive-date=2016-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809001940/http://census.ge/files/results/english/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
|label1 = [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]]
|value1 = 54.5
|color1 = DodgerBlue
|label2 = [[Islam]]
|value2 = 39.8
|color2 = Green
|label3 = [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
|value3 = 0.3
|color3 = Red
|label4 = Others
|value4 = 5.3
|color4 = Silver
}}
[[Christianity]] spread to Adjara in the first century.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Burford|first1=Tim|last2=Chuang|first2=Nancy|title=Georgia|date=2024|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Georgia/oSwYEQAAQBAJ|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=9781804690710|page=293}}</ref> [[Andrew the Apostle]], who is believed to be a missionary of the [[Mother of God]] to Georgia and founder of the [[Georgian Orthodox Church]], entered Georgia from Adjara region and first preached [[Christianity]] there.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://agenda.ge/en/news/2015/1036#gsc.tab=0|title=Orthodox Georgians celebrate the day of Andrew the Apostle|location=Tbilisi, Georgia|work=Agenda.ge |date=12 May 2015|access-date=2022-12-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgiatoday.ge/st-andrews-day-celebrated-in-georgia/|title=St. Andrew's Day Celebrated in Georgia|location=Tbilisi, Georgia|work=Georgia Today|date=12 May 2023|access-date=2022-12-07}}</ref>

After Adjara was ceded to the Russian Empire in 1878 under the [[Treaty of Berlin (1878)|Treaty of Berlin]], those [[Adjarians]] who were Muslim were allowed to leave for Turkey.{{sfn|Hoch|Kopeček|2011|p=7}} While the Russian authorities supported the [[Russian Orthodox Church]]'s missionary efforts, they also tried to win the loyalty of Adjarians by building mosques and madrassas and supporting the local Muslim clergy.{{sfn|Sanikidze|2018|p=250}} As a result, many Adjarians emigrants, called [[Muhacir]], came back to Adjara.{{sfn|Sanikidze|2018|p=250}}

Although Adjara's political and religious autonomy was guaranteed by the 1921 [[Treaty of Kars]],{{sfn|George|2009|p=105}}{{sfn|George|2009|p=100}} the [[Soviet anti-religious legislation|Soviet atheist ideology]] dampened religious practice in the region.{{sfn|George|2009|p=105}}

The [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|collapse of the Soviet Union]] and the re-establishment of Georgia's independence first led to an [[Islamic revival]].{{sfn|George|2009|p=121}} However, later Christianity has experienced a strong growth in Adjara, especially among the young.{{sfn|Sanikidze|2018|p=255}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Köksal |first1=Pınar |last2=Aydıngün |first2=Ayşegül |last3=Gürsoy |first3=Hazar Ege |title=Religious Revival and Deprivatization in Post-Soviet Georgia: Reculturation of Orthodox Christianity and Deculturation of Islam |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/politics-and-religion/article/abs/religious-revival-and-deprivatization-in-postsoviet-georgia-reculturation-of-orthodox-christianity-and-deculturation-of-islam/3733FD242B3627BF8509F501F522E0B3 |journal=Politics and Religion |year=2019 |language=en |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=317–345 |doi=10.1017/S1755048318000585 |s2cid=150339133 |issn=1755-0483|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Nevertheless, there still remain [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslim]] communities in Adjara, mainly in the [[Khulo district]].{{sfn|Sanikidze|2018|p=255}} The Turkish [[Directorate of Religious Affairs]] is active in Adjara.{{sfn|Sanikidze|2018|p=256}} According to [[Ghia Nodia]], many Adjarians are Muslims but they consider themselves [[Georgians|ethnic Georgians]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Nodia |first1=Ghia |author-link=Ghia Nodia |url= https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11871213.pdf  |title=The Political Landscape of Georgia: Political Parties: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects |last2=Scholtbach |first2=Álvaro Pinto |date=2006 |publisher=Eburon Uitgeverij B.V. |isbn=978-90-5972-113-5 |language=en|page=10}}</ref> According to the 2014 census, 54.5% of Adjara's population is Orthodox Christian, while 39.8% is Muslim, the rest includes atheists, adherents of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] and others.<ref name="pop"/><ref name="religion" /> In the main city, [[Batumi]], out of 152,839 inhabitants, 68.7% is [[Eastern Orthodox Christian]], and they primarily adhere to the national [[Georgian Orthodox Church]].<ref name="pop">[http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-religion2014b.htm georgia-religion 2014]</ref><ref name="geostat.ge">National Statistics Office of Georgia. [http://www.geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/census/2014/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls Population Census 2014: Population by Regions and Religion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914035909/http://www.geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/census/2014/22_Population%20by%20regions%20and%20religion.xls |date=14 September 2016 }}, Retrieved: 6 May 2016</ref> [[Islam in Georgia (country)|Muslims]] make up 25.3% of population,<ref name="pop"/> while there are also [[Roman Catholicism in Georgia|Catholic]], [[Armenian Apostolic]], Jehovah's Witness, [[Seventh-day Adventist]], and Jewish communities.<ref name="geostat.ge"/> In the second largest [[Kobuleti Municipality]], 65.1% of the population in Orthodox Christian, while 28.8% is Muslim. Muslims make up majorities mostly in the mountainous districts, they make up 94.6% of the population in [[Khulo Municipality]], 74.4% in [[Shuakhevi Municipality]], 62.1% in [[Keda Municipality]] and 56.3% [[Khelvachauri Municipality]].<ref name="religion" />
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+'''Religion by Adjara Municipalities (%)'''
! rowspan="2" |Municipalities
! colspan="2" |Orthodox Christians
! colspan="2" |Muslims
! colspan="2" |Irreligious
|-
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|[[Batumi|City of Batumi]]
|105,004
|68.7
|38,762
|25.3
|3,961
|2.5
|-
|[[Keda Municipality]]
|5,235
|31.2
|10,411
|62.1
|624
|3.7
|-
|[[Kobuleti Municipality]]
|48,696
|65.1
|21,573
|28.8
|2,728
|3.6
|-
|[[Khelvachauri Municipality]]
|18,618
|36.3
|28,841
|56.3
|1,816
|3.5
|-
|[[Shuakhevi Municipality]]
|3,532
|23.4
|11,193
|74.4
|76
|0.5
|-
|[[Khulo Municipality]]
|956
|4.1
|22,072
|94.6
|28
|0.1
|}