Coordinates: 42°11′3″N 41°38′10″E / 42.18417°N 41.63611°E / 42.18417; 41.63611 Rioni (რიონი) Phasysi River The Rioni in Kutaisi Country Georgia Cities Kutaisi, Vani, Samtredia, Poti Source Caucasus Mouth Black Sea  - location Poti  - coordinates 42°11′3″N 41°38′10″E / 42.18417°N 41.63611°E / 42.18417; 41.63611 Length 327 km (203 mi)

The Rioni or Rion River (Georgian: რიონი Rioni) is the main river of western Georgia. It originates in the Caucasus Mountains, in the region of Racha and flows west to the Black Sea. It enters the Black Sea north of the city of Poti (near ancient Phasis). The city of Kutaisi, once ancient city of Colchis, lies on its banks.

Known to the ancient Greeks as the Phasis River (Greek: Φᾶσις), it was first mentioned by Hesiod in his Theogony (l.340); later writers like Apollonius Rhodius (Argonautica 2.12.61), Virgil (Georgics 4.367) and Aelius Aristides (Ad Romam 82) considered it the easternmost limit of the navigable seas. Socrates, in Phaedo referred to the portion of the world he knew of as between the Pillars of Hercules and the River Phasis.

The name of the Pheasant is derived from the river or town of Phasis, as it was from here that the pheasant apparently spread to the west.1 River Description Rioni is the longest river not leaving the borders of Georgia (Country). Length of the river is 327 km and the are around 13400 km². It starts on the southern slopes of the Caucasus mountins at 2960 meters above the Sea level References ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Draft Revision, September 2009 v · d · e Rivers of Georgia Black sea basin Rioni  • Inguri  • Tskhenis-Tsqali  • Qvirila  • Supsa  • Bzyb • Kodori  • Adjaris-Tsqali  • Chorokhi  • Choloki  • Psou Caspian basin Alazani  • Mtkvari  • Khrami  • Iori  • Aragvi  • Algeti  • Great Liakhvi  • Ksani  • Tergi This Georgia location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · d · e