(also Rachintsy), an ethnographic group of Georgians. The Racha live mainly in the basin of the upper Rioni River, in Ambrolauri and Oni raions of the Georgian SSR. They speak the Racha dialect of Georgian. In the past they were distinguished from other groups by certain local features in their way of life and in their culture. The Racha were known as skillful housebuilders.

mountain range in the Georgian SSR, in the southern part of the Greater Caucasus. The Racha Range has elevations to 2,862 m. It is composed primarily of limestones, porphyries, and tuffaceous shales. Karst has developed. The Shaorskaia Valley, a karst interior valley, has been made into a reservoir. The slopes are covered with broad-leaved forests (primarily beech), dark coniferous forests, and subalpine and alpine meadows. The Tkibuli coal deposit is located along the southwestern spur.