A mkhare (Georgian: მხარე, mxare) is a type of administrative division in the country of Georgia. It is usually translated into English as "region".
According to presidential decrees issued in 1994 and 1996,[citation needed] Georgia's division into regions is on a provisional basis until the secessionist conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are resolved. The regional administration is headed by a state commissioner (სახელმწიფო რწმუნებული, Saxelmćipo Rćmunebuli, usually translated as "governor"), an official appointed by the president.
The regions are further subdivided into municipalities.[1] There are nine regions in Georgia (see also map opposite):