Svans
Distribution of the Svan language in relation to other Kartvelian (South Caucasian) languages. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 14,000–80,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Georgia | 14,000–30,000 |
| Languages | |
| Svan, Georgian | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly † Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Georgian Orthodox Church) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Georgians, Laz and Mingrelians | |
The Svans (Svan: შვანარ, Shvanar; Georgian: სვანი, Svani) are an ethnic subgroup of the Georgians (Kartvelians) indigenous to Svaneti, a region in northwest Georgia. They speak the Svan language and are mostly bilingual also in Georgian. Both these languages belong to the Kartvelian (South Caucasian) language family. In the pre-1930 Soviet census, the Svans were categorized as a separate ethnic group (natsionalnost). The self-designation of the Svan is Mushüan, which is probably reflected in the ethnonym Misimian of the Classical authors.