BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees on Tuesday recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two breakaway regions of neighboring Georgia.

    Countries like the United States, Britain and France have voiceopposition and dissatisfaction over Russia's move.

    The following are some basic facts about Ahkhazia.

    Lying on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and bordering the Russian Federation to the north, Abkhazia is an autonomous republic of Georgia, with its capital in Sukhumi.

    Abkhazia covers an area of about 8,400 square kilometers and has a total population of about 200,000. Residents in this region include Abkhazians, Georgians and Russians.

    After the disintegration of the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Abkhazia started to pursue independence and finally declared its independence from Georgia in 1992. This has since caused armed conflicts between Georgia's central government and the local authority of Abkhazia, which led to the mass exodus of the Georgian population from Abkhazia.

    The two sides came to a ceasefire accord in May 1994 with the intermediation of the United Nations and Russia. Russian-dominated troops have since stationed in Abkhazia under the name of the CIS(Commonwealth of Independent States) peacekeeping forces.

    Abkhazia, having its own "national" flag, stamps and even a "ministry of foreign affairs," is now actually under an independent status, but its independence has not been recognized by the international community.

    A total of 80 percent of Abkhazia's territory is controlled by the local authority backed by Russia, leaving only 20 percent to the central government of Georgia.

    Mikheil Saakashvili, being elected Georgian president in January 2004, made the restoration of state sovereignty the top priority of his administration. He proposed a peace agreement which grants Abkhazia "high-level autonomy." However, the region still insisted on total independence. Therefore, serious tension remains the theme of the Abkhazia region.

    Overnight between Aug. 7 and 8, Georgian armed forces entered the breakaway region of South Ossetia and opened fire at the regional capital Tskhinvali, worsening the situation in the conflict-torn regions.

    Both houses of the Russian parliament approved on Aug. 25 an appeal to President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.