Tsu Hin Bali
Tsuhin Bali is the capital of South Ossetia, in the center of Georgia. The nomenclature comes from the Kurtzhinvali, which means the land of trees in the Georgian language. From 1934 to 1961, it was called Stalineri, which was derived from the name of Iosif Stalin. It is about 100 km away from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. In 1989, the population was 42,934, of which 74% were Osetz and 16% were Georgia. As a result of the South Ossetia conflict, a considerable number of Georgian residents at that time were estimated to have declined in population as they left South Ossetia. With the conflict from 1990 to 1992, most of the towns were destroyed because the town became a place of engagement between separatist groups and Georgian government forces. Since 1994, Tschinvalley has been under the supervision of the European Security and Cooperation Organization and is managed by Georgia-Ossetia-Russia Peacekeeping Force. During the 2008 Summer Olympics, Georgia invaded South Ossetia, and 2,000 people were killed in Tschinvall.