Meskhetians

Meskhetian or Meskhian
Georgian: მესხები *meskhebi*
	Distribution of the Meskhetian dialect
Total population
	c. 89,995 - 100,000
Regions with significant populations
	Georgia ; Samtskhe-Javakheti: 77 498 or 48,3 % (2014); Turkey ; Ardahan province: unknown
Languages
	Meskhetian dialect of Georgian language
Religion
	Predominantly † Georgian Orthodox Church; Catholic, Jewish and Muslim minority.

Meskhians (Georgian: მესხები, Meskhebi) are an ethnographic subgroup of Georgians who speak the Meskhetian dialect of the Georgian language, which among Georgia's regional dialects is relatively close to official Georgian. Meskhetians are the indigenous population of Meskheti, a historical region in southern Georgia.^[2]^[3] Today they are mainly followers of Georgian Orthodox Church, while part of them are Catholics.

^ Georgian census, 2014
^ "East of Center » Archive » Meskhetian Turks Bouncing From Exile to Exile". Retrieved 2016-06-10.
^ "ECMI - European Centre for Minority Issues: Publications". www.ecmi.de. Retrieved 2016-06-10.

[dm-1] Georgian census, 2014

[2] "East of Center » Archive » Meskhetian Turks Bouncing From Exile to Exile". Retrieved 2016-06-10.

[3] "ECMI - European Centre for Minority Issues: Publications". www.ecmi.de. Retrieved 2016-06-10.

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