{{Infobox settlement | official_name = Tsalka Municipality | native_name = წალკის მუნიციპალიტეტი | native_name_lang = geo | image_skyline = Tsintskaro (Tsalka District).jpg | image_caption = Tsintskaro | imagesize = | image_flag = Flag of Tsalka Municipality.svg | flag_alt = | image_seal = COA of Tsalka.svg | seal_alt = | image_map = GEO-KKL-TS.svg | mapsize = | map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|41|35|N|44|05|E|region:GE_type:adm2nd_source:kolossus-itwiki|display=it}} | subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]] | subdivision_name = {{GEO}} | subdivision_type1 = [[Mkhare]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Kvemo Kartli]] | subdivision_type2 = Administrative centre | subdivision_name2 = [[Tsalka]] | government_footnotes = | government_type = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]] | governing_body = Tsalka Municipal Assembly | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Ilia Sabadze ([[Georgian Dream|GD]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tsalka.gov.ge/municipaliteti/gamgebeli1|title=Მერი}}</ref> | area_footnotes = <ref name=census2014detail /> | area_total_km2 = 1050.6 | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | population_as_of = 2021 | population_footnotes =<ref name=geostatpop/> | population_total = 19,679 | population_metro = | population_density_km2 = auto
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->| demographics_type1 = Population by ethnicity<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-ethnic-loc2014.htm |title=Ethnic composition of Georgia 2014 |website=mashke.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104125931/http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-ethnic-loc2014.htm |archive-date=2018-11-04 |url-status=live}}</ref> | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = [[Georgians]] | demographics1_info1 = 46.7 % | demographics1_title2 = [[Armenians]] | demographics1_info2 = 38.8 % | demographics1_title3 = [[Azerbaijanis]] | demographics1_info3 = 7.0 % | demographics1_title4 = [[Greeks in Georgia|Greeks]] | demographics1_info4 = 6.9 % | demographics1_title5 = | demographics1_info5 = | timezone = Georgian Time | utc_offset = +4 | timezone_DST = <!-- No DST in Georgia since 2005 --> | utc_offset_DST = | website = {{URL|www.tsalka.gov.ge}} | footnotes = | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 9 | mapframe-wikidata = yes }} __NOTOC__
'''Tsalka''' ({{lang-ka|წალკის მუნიციპალიტეტი|tr}}''; {{Langx|el|Δήμος Τσάλκας}};'' {{Langx|hy|Ծալկայի Շրջան|translit=Tsalkayi Šrǰan}}) is a municipality in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia's]] southern region of [[Kvemo Kartli]], covering an area of {{convert|1050.6|km²|0|abbr=on}}. As of 2021 it had a population of 19,679 people.<ref name=geostatpop /> The city of [[Tsalka]] is its administrative centre. The area of the municipality corresponds to the historical region of [[Trialeti]].
==Administrative divisions== Tsalka municipality is administratively divided into 30 communities (თემი, temi) with 40 villages (სოფელი, sopeli), three [[urban-type settlement]]s (დაბა, daba) and one city (ქალაკი, kalaki).<ref name=census2014detail>{{cite web|title=Main Results of the 2014 Census (Publication)|url=http://census.ge/files/pdf/2014-wlis-aRweris-ZiriTadi-Sedegebi.pdf|work=Census.ge, National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat)|pages=345–349|date=2016-04-28|access-date=2022-01-19|language=ka}}</ref>
* city: [[Tsalka]]; * daba: [[Bediani]], [[Khramhesi]] and [[Trialeti (town)|Trialeti]]. * villages: for example [[Beshtasheni]] and [[Sameba, Georgia|Sameba]].
==Population== [[File:აიაზმის ღვთისმშობლის ეკლესია.jpg|270px|thumb|left|Church of the Virgin Mary in Ayazma]]
The population of Tsalka is 19,679 according to the 2021 estimate,<ref name=geostatpop>{{Cite web | url=https://www.geostat.ge/en/modules/categories/41/population | title=Population and Demography - Population by cities and boroughs (daba), as of 1 January | date=2021-01-01 | access-date=2022-03-06 | work=National Statistics Office of Georgia, Geostat | language=en }}</ref> which is a slight increase from the last census of 2014 (18,849). The ethnic composition is 46.7% Georgian, 38.8% Armenian, 7.0% Azerbaijani and 6.9% Greek. The population density is 18.7 people per square kilometer.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right" |- ! colspan=19 | Population Tsalka Municipality |- ! !! 1897 !! 1923 !! 1939 !! 1959 !! 1970 !! 1979 !! 1989 !! 2002<ref name="notecensus2002"/> !! 2014 !! 2021 |- ! Tsalka Municipality | - || - || 40,286 || {{increase}} 45,600 || {{increase}} 50,471 || {{decrease}} 48,580 || {{decrease}} 44,187 || {{decrease}} 20,888 || {{decrease}} 18,849 || {{increase}} 19,679 |- | [[Tsalka]] {{refn|Until 1932 Tsalka town was called Barmaksizi.}} | - || 1,650 || {{increase}} 4,875 || {{increase}} 7,065 || {{increase}} 5,819 || {{increase}} 6,245 || {{increase}} 8,043 || {{decrease}} 1,741 || {{decrease}} 2,326 || {{increase}} 3,136 |- | [[Bediani]] ([[Urban-type settlement|''daba'']]) | - || - || - || - || 2,435 || {{decrease}} 1,584 || {{decrease}} 1,263 || {{decrease}} 344 || {{decrease}} 148 || {{decrease}} 136 |- | [[Khramhesi]] (''daba'') | - || - || - || - || -|| - || -|| 118 || {{decrease}} 78 || {{decrease}} 62 |- | [[Trialeti (town)|Trialeti]] (''daba'') | - || - || - || 7,591 || 1,617 || {{decrease}} 1,435|| {{decrease}} 707 || {{decrease}} 434 || {{increase}} 510 || {{increase}} 627 |- | colspan=15 class="wikitable" style="align:left;text-align:left;background-color:#eaecf0"|Data: Population statistics Georgia 1897 to present.<ref name="popdivision">{{Cite web | url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-division.htm | title=Population divisions of Georgia | accessdate=2022-03-06 | work=Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR | language=en }}</ref><ref name="popcities">{{Cite web | url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-cities.htm | title=Population cities & towns of Georgia | accessdate=2022-03-06 | work=Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR | language=en }}</ref><ref name="etn1923">{{Cite web | url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-ethnic-loc1923.htm | title=Ethnic composition rural Georgia 1923 | accessdate=2022-03-06 | work=Population Statistics Eastern Europe and former USSR | language=en }}</ref> Note:{{refn|name="notecensus2002"|The 2014 census found an inexplicable gap with the data from the national statistical office Geostat. UN-assisted research has found the 2002 census was inflated by about 8-9 percent. See,<ref name=retro2017>{{Cite web | url=https://geostat.ge/media/20624/3.-Population-Dynamics_ENGL-_print_F.pdf | title=Population Dynamics in Georgia - An Overview Based on the 2014 General Population Census Data | date=2017-11-29 | access-date=2022-03-06 | work=National Statistics Office of Georgia, Geostat | language=en }}</ref> "1. Introduction", Page 1.}} |}
==Politics== '''Tsalka Municipal Assembly''' ([[Georgian language|Georgian]]: წალკის საკრებულო) is the representative body in Tsalka Municipality, consisting of 30 members which are elected every four years. The last election was held in [[2021 Georgian local elections|October 2021]]. Ilia Sabadze of [[Georgian Dream]] was reelected as mayor.
{| class="wikitable" ! style="background:#ccc" colspan="2" | Party ! style="background:#ccc" | 2017<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://cesko.ge/res/docs/danOK47.pdf | pages=24–26 | title=Protocol elected municipal council members and mayors 2017 | access-date=2022-03-03 | publisher=CESKO Central Election Commission | language=ka }}</ref> ! style="background:#ccc" | 2021<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://cesko.ge/static/res/docs/2021sakrebuloswevraddameradarcheulipirebi.pdf | pages=31–33 | title=Protocol elected municipal council members and mayors 2021 | access-date=2022-03-03 | publisher=CESKO Central Election Commission | language=ka }}</ref> ! style="background:#ccc" colspan="45" | Current Municipal Assembly |- | style="background-color: #2044bc | | [[Georgian Dream]] | style="text-align: right" | '''38''' | style="text-align: right" | '''20''' | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | | style="background-color: #2044bc" | |- | style="background-color: #e4012e | | [[United National Movement (Georgia)|United National Movement]] | style="text-align: right" | '''2''' | style="text-align: right" | '''6''' | style="background-color: #e4012e" | | style="background-color: #e4012e" | | style="background-color: #e4012e" | | style="background-color: #e4012e" | | style="background-color: #e4012e" | | style="background-color: #e4012e" | | || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- | style="background-color: #f1592a" | | [[Progress and Freedom]] | | style="text-align: right" | '''1''' | style="background-color: #f1592a" | | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- | style="background-color: #702F92" | | [[For Georgia]] | | style="text-align: right" | '''1''' | style="background-color: #702f92" | | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- | style="background-color: #ff0000" | | [[Strategy Aghmashenebeli]] | style="text-align: right" | '''1''' | style="text-align: right" | '''1''' | style="background-color: #ff0000" | | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- | style="background-color: lightgrey" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] | style="text-align: right" | '''2''' | style="text-align: right" | '''1''' | style="background-color: lightgrey" | | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- | style="background-color: #003876" | | [[Movement for Liberty - European Georgia|European Georgia]] | style="text-align: right" | '''1''' | | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- | style="background-color: #e7b031" | | [[Alliance of Patriots of Georgia|Alliance of Patriots]] | style="text-align: right" | '''1''' | | || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || |- ! colspan=2 | Total ! align=right | 45 ! align=right | 30 ! colspan=45 | |}
== See also == * [[List of municipalities in Georgia (country)]]
== External links == {{commons category|Tsalka Municipality}} * [https://tsalka.gov.ge/ Website Municipality]
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Districts of Georgia}}
[[Category:Municipalities of Kvemo Kartli]] [[Category:Long stubs with short prose]]
{{Kartli-geo-stub}}