TSKHINVALI

also spelled Cchinvali, formerly (193461) Staliniri, city, north-central Georgia, on the Bolshaya Liakhvi River. It is the leading city of an area populated by a Caucasian people known as Ossetians, or Ossetes. Tskhinvali has varied industries, including electrical and mechanical engineering and food-processing and wood-working concerns. It also has a local museum, a teacher-training institute, and a medical school. Pop. (1991 est.) 42,600.