Kutaisi

Kutaisi (/kuːˈtaɪsiː/ koo-TY-see,[5] Georgian: ქუთაისი .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}pronounced [ˈkʰutʰaisi] ⓘ) is a city in the Imereti region of the Republic of Georgia. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the third-most populous city in Georgia after Tbilisi and Batumi. It lies 221 kilometres (137 miles) west of Tbilisi, on the Rioni River, and is the capital of Imereti. Historically one of the major cities of Georgia, it served as the political center of Colchis in the Middle Ages as the capital of the Kingdom of Abkhazia[6] and Kingdom of Georgia and later as the capital of the Kingdom of Imereti. From October 2012 to December 2018, Kutaisi was the seat of the Parliament of Georgia as an effort to decentralize the Georgian government.