Svanetia

Svanetia (svänē`shə), mountainous region, in Georgia, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus. It is very difficult to access, and its inhabitants, the Svans, have retained many of their traditions. They speak a South Caucasian language, like the Georgians. The Svanetian Range, a spur of the central Greater Caucasus, extends c.50 mi (80 km) west from the main range near the Dykh-Tau and rises to 13,110 ft (3,996 m).