Lata (Abkhazia)

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{{Infobox settlement
| name = Lata
| native_name = {{native name|ab|Лаҭа}}<br />{{native name|ka|ლათა}}
| settlement_type = Village
| image_skyline = File:Lata_Palace.jpg
| image_caption = The [[Lata Palace]], a palace in the village.
| pushpin_map = Abkhazia
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Abkhazia
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[Abkhazia]]/[[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[Districts of Georgia (country)|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Gulripshi District|Gulripshi]]
| population_as_of =
| elevation_m = 304
| coordinates = {{coord|43|01|58|N|41|28|48|E|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Lata''' (Georgian: ლათა, Abkhazian: Лаҭа) is a village in the [[Gulripshi District]] of [[Abkhazia]], a region with disputed status in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. The village is located on the right bank of the Kodori River along the [[Sukhumi]]–[[Ochamchira]] road.<ref name="ლათა"/>

== Geography ==
Lata is situated in the [[Kodori Valley]], or [[Upper Abkhazia]], as the Georgian government refers to it. The village lies on the southern bank of the [[Kodori River]] and is approximately 52 km from [[Gulripshi]], the district center.<ref name="ლათა"/>

The village has a humid subtropical climate typical of coastal Abkhazia, with mild winters and warm summers. Nearby Gulripshi averages 6°C in January and 23°C in July, with approximately 1,400 mm of annual rainfall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gulripshi |url=https://georgianencyclopedia.ge/en/form_eng/597 |access-date=2026-03-28}}</ref>

== Administrative Status ==
De jure, Lata is part of Georgia's Gulripshi Municipality in the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia. De facto, it is controlled by the self-declared Republic of Abkhazia and administered as part of its Gulripshi District.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Ministry of Education and Culture of Abkhazia: Fortress in Lata village |url=https://abkhazheritage.org |access-date=2026-03-28}}</ref> The international community mostly recognizes Lata as part of Georgia, with only a few countries recognizing Abkhazia's independence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nino Lezhava, Georgia Hopes to Reverse Venezuela's Recognition |url=https://jamestown.org/program/georgia-abhkhazia |access-date=2026-03-28}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Early history ===
Lata appears on 19th-century maps and was noted in 1864 among Abkhaz *muhajir* settlements. In early Soviet records, it was part of the "Atara-Lata" community.<ref name="ლათა">{{cite web |title=ლათა |url=https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%9A%E1%83%90%E1%83%97%E1%83%90 |access-date=2026-03-28}}</ref> In 1943, Gulripshi District was created, including Lata.<ref>{{cite book |last=Abashidze |title=Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia, Vol.6 |year=1983 |pages=106}}</ref>

=== Post-Soviet conflict ===
During the 1992–1993 War in Abkhazia, Lata came under Abkhaz control. On 14 December 1992, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter evacuating civilians was shot down over Lata, killing 85–87 people, mostly women and children. Georgian and Abkhaz sources differ on responsibility.<ref>{{cite web |title=29 years since the Lata tragedy |url=https://dri.ge/lata-tragedy |access-date=2026-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Parliament expresses condolences on the Lata tragedy |url=https://apsnypress.info/news/lata-tragedy |access-date=2026-03-28}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
No reliable post-war census exists. Pre-1992, the village was majority ethnic Georgian, possibly with small numbers of Abkhazians and Armenians.

== Culture and Landmarks ==
* [[Lata Palace]]: Ruins of a medieval fortress outside the village.<ref name=":3"/>
* Cemetery: An old village cemetery with historic grave markers.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External Links ==
* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Lata_(Abkhazia) Wikimedia Commons category for Lata]

[[Category:Populated places in Gulripshi District]]
[[Category:Villages in Abkhazia]]
[[Category:Abkhazia–Georgia border conflicts]]