Mtkvari is the mother of Georgian rivers, but by many indicators (length, volume of water, energy potential) it is behind other rivers. It flows across the territories of several historical and geographic provinces of southern and eastern Georgia and large urban settlements thanks to which it played a role of important transit artery in the course of centuries.

Mtkvari is the biggest river in South Caucasus. Its overall length is 1200 km and its catchment area attains 200 thousand sq. km. Such tributaries as Paravani (near Khertvisi), Potskhovi (near Akhaltsikhe), Liakhvi (near Gori), Aragvi (near Mtskheta), Khrami, Iori and Alazani (near Georgia-Azerbaijan border), Araks (on the territory of Azerbaijan) and others flow into Mtkvari.

It flows into Georgia near Vardzia, in the roughly upright, canyon-like gorge. Canyon has been shaped between volcanic mountains of Erusheti and Javakheti volcanic upland. Its depth near hamlet of Apnia is 500 meters. From here up to the fortress of Tmogvi opens gorgeous panorama.

Among the Georgian lakes the biggest by area is Paravani lake, by water volume – Tabatskuri, by depth – Ritsa, and lake Paliastomi is noted for diversity of species.

Paravani is located in southern Georgia, on the volcanic plateau of Javakheti, between Abuli-Sam­sari and Javakheti slopes, 2073 meters above the sea level. Lake is outflowing. From it flows river Pa­ravani or Javakheti Mtkvari. It gets its feed basically from underground and snow-melting wa­ters. Underground water determines its temperature regime, that is why tem­perature of the lake water is always 1-20C higher than air temperature of the adjacent territory.

Big volume of Tabatskuri lake is caused by its surface area (14.2 sq. km) and depth (40 m). Like Paravani lake, it is a high mountain lake and is located on 1991 meters above the sea level, in southern Georgia, between Abuli-Samsari and Trialeti slopes. The lake mainly gets feed from snow-melting waters due to which the spread of the water level hovers around 2 meters. Temperature of its water even in summer months do not exceed +150C. Cold water is a good habitat for breeding trout which is caught in big volumes.

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