Its root, kartvel-i (-), specifies an inhabitant of the core central-eastern Georgian region of Kartli, or Iberia as it is known in sources of the Eastern Roman Empire. [272] Additional projects also include the construction of the economically important KarsTbilisiBaku railway, which was opened on 30 October 2017 and connects much of the Caucasus with Turkey by standard gauge railway. [218] It was called South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast when Georgia was part of Soviet Union. It was named after George II of Great Britain. Ever since its turbulent founding in 1918, Georgia has been highly dependent on the German Empire, the primary nation guaranteeing Georgian independence. Mikheil Saakashvili was elected as President of Georgia in 2004. [322], Tbilisi has become the main artery of the Georgian educational system, particularly since the creation of the First Georgian Republic in 1918 permitted the establishment of modern, Georgian-language educational institutions. In the Middle Ages, the unified Kingdom of Georgia emerged and reached its Golden Age during the reign of King David IV and Queen Tamar in the 12th and early 13th centuries. The medals depict the famous statue "Motherland" Calls, which was . [271] Infrastructural development has also been high on the agenda for the railways, with the key Tbilisi railway junction expected to undergo major reorganization in the near future. [12] [13] It is a developing country with a very high Human Development Index. Scheduled and chartered passenger ferry services link Georgia with Bulgaria,[276] Romania, Turkey and Ukraine. Georgia has become more integrated into the global trading network: its 2015 imports and exports account for 50% and 21% of GDP respectively. Phoenix: The Peoples of the Hills: Ancient Ararat and Caucasus by Charles Burney, David Marshall Lang, Phoenix Press; New edition (31 December 2001), Thomas Stllner, Irina Gambaschidze (2014). The zone is made up mainly of beech, spruce, and fir forests. The alphabet probably was created soon afterward to . [329] Georgian culture was influenced by Classical Greece, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the various Iranian empires (notably the Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanian, Safavid, and Qajar empires),[330][331][332][333] and later, since the 19th century, by the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. Georgia is a representative democracy governed as a unitary parliamentary republic. Georgian wine making is a very old tradition and a key branch of the country's economy. However, subsequent Iranian and Ottoman invasions further weakened local kingdoms and regions. Burkhard Herbote, tourism Hero. Two major rivers in Georgia are the Rioni and the Mtkvari. Over. Georgia, Georgian Sakartvelo, country of Transcaucasia located at the eastern end of the Black Sea on the southern flanks of the main crest of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. "[128] In their 2022 report[update] Freedom House lists Georgia as a partly free country, recognizing a trajectory of democratic improvement surrounding the 201213 transfer of power, yet observing a gradual backslide in later years. Michael W. Hughey, Springer, Mar 29, 2016. [267] Other tourist attractions are Cave City, Ananuri Castle/Church, Sighnaghi and Mount Kazbek. [citation needed] The military budget of Georgia for 2021 is 900 ($280) million. (1996). [239] Throughout Georgia's modern history agriculture and tourism have been principal economic sectors, because of the country's climate and topography. Since the early 21st century visible positive developments have been observed in the economy of Georgia. Against the expectations of the then ruling United National Movement (UNM) of president Mikheil Saakashvili, the 6-party opposition coalition around newly found Georgian Dream won the parliamentary elections in October 2012, bringing an end to nine years of UNM rule and marking the first peaceful, electoral, transfer of power in Georgia. The penetration of humid air masses from the Black Sea is often blocked by mountain ranges (Likhi and Meskheti) that separate the eastern and western parts of the nation. In contrast with western Georgia, nearly 85 per cent of the forests of the region are deciduous. [298], The most widespread language group is the Kartvelian family, which includes Georgian, Svan, Mingrelian and Laz. Culture of Georgia - history, people, traditions, women, beliefs, food In 2019, Georgia ranked 61st on the Human Development Index (HDI). [citation needed] Three types of polyphony have developed in Georgia: a complex version in Svaneti, a dialogue over a bass background in the Kakheti region, and a three-part partially-improvised version in western Georgia. [306], Islam is represented by both Azerbaijani Shia Muslims (in the south-east) ethnic Georgian Sunni Muslims in Adjara, and Laz-speaking Sunni Muslims as well as Sunni Meskhetian Turks along the border with Turkey. Top 10 Georgia country facts. Sport is regaining its popularity in the country in recent years. [351], The most popular sports in Georgia are football, basketball, rugby union, wrestling, judo, and weightlifting. [47] The Golden age of Georgia left a legacy of great cathedrals, romantic poetry and literature, and the epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin, the latter which is considered a national epic. The Action Plan was formally approved at the EUGeorgia Cooperation Council session on 14 November 2006, in Brussels. The country's Western orientation soon led to worsening relations with Russia, which culminated in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, and entrenched Russia occupation of a portion of Georgia. [119] Russian forces left the buffer areas bordering Abkhazia and South Ossetia on 8 October, and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia was dispatched to the buffer areas. [106], Russia accused Georgia of "aggression against South Ossetia",[107] and launched a large-scale land, air and sea invasion of Georgia with the pretext of "peace enforcement" operation on 8 August 2008. Tourist attractions include more than 2,000 mineral springs, over 12,000 historical and cultural monuments, four of which are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi and Gelati Monastery, historical monuments of Mtskheta, and Upper Svaneti). According to United Nations data, this totalled 625,000 by 2000, declining to 450,000 by 2019. [76] Georgia would remain an unindustrialized periphery of the USSR until the first five-year plan when it became a major centre for textile goods. Its name stemmed from the term 'Gorn', which was a designation given by Persians to Georgian people. The principality of Guria was abolished and incorporated into the Empire in 1829, while Svaneti was gradually annexed in 1858. why were chinese railroad workers called jakes . Document No. Of them, an estimated 350,000 were killed. [254] Georgia's economy is becoming more devoted to services (as of 2016[update], representing 59.4 per cent of GDP), moving away from the agricultural sector (6.1 per cent). Georgia - country - Communism Internationale The Kingdom of Georgia collapsed into anarchy by 1466 and fragmented into three independent kingdoms and five semi-independent principalities. After Stalin's death, Nikita Khrushchev became the leader of the Soviet Union and implemented a policy of de-Stalinization. [334], This long history has provided a national narrative which encompasses the successful preservation of unique culture and identity in a consistent territory, despite external pressures. [27] In fact, early metallurgy started in Georgia during the 6th millennium BC, associated with the Shulaveri-Shomu culture. The threshold for the proportional vote was lowered to 1%, which resulted in 9 parties being represented in parliament. Around 23,000 Georgians fled South Ossetia as well. The Democratic Republic of Georgia and its territorial losses after the Soviet invasion After occupation of Georgia by Lenin Russia, Communists began to depress the rival forces and to. [133] Georgian Dream was founded, led and financed by tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country's richest man who was subsequently elected by parliament as new Prime Minister. 1. Georgia's destiny will be shaped by its demography In the 1992 elections it won four MPs. [257], Georgia's telecommunications infrastructure is ranked the last among its bordering neighbours in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. [207][209], Since independence, Georgia maintained harsh policies against drugs, handing out lengthy sentences even for marijuana use. However, scholars agree that the word is derived from the Karts, one of the proto-Georgian tribes that emerged as a dominant group in ancient times. Once a Communist Backwater, Georgia Discovered the Benefits of Free Free shipping for many products! 1955 - Warsaw Treaty Organisation, or Warsaw Pact, set up. It is bounded on the north and northeast by Russia, on the east and southeast by Azerbaijan, on the south by Armenia and Turkey, and on the west by the Black Sea. [citation needed], In 2005, President Mikheil Saakashvili fired the entire traffic police force (numbering around 30,000 police officers) of the Georgian National Police due to corruption. [56], The rulers of regions that remained partly autonomous organized rebellions on various occasions. [151], Georgia maintains good relations with its direct neighbours Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, and is a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Community of Democratic Choice, the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development[152] and the Asian Development Bank. Other examples of Georgian ecclesiastic architecture can be found outside Georgia: Bachkovo Monastery in Bulgaria (built in 1083 by the Georgian military commander Grigorii Bakuriani), Iviron monastery in Greece (built by Georgians in the 10th century), and the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem (built by Georgians in the 9th century). Other popular sports in 19th century Georgia were polo, and Lelo, a traditional Georgian game very similar to rugby. Cross-dome architecture developed in Georgia during the 9th century; before that, most Georgian churches were basilicas. [270] Passenger services are operated by the state-owned Georgian Railway whilst freight operations are carried out by a number of licensed operators. Rights Watchdogs Urge Georgia To Consider Releasing Saakashvili 'On The population of the nation is about 3.718 million people. Georgia (the ex-Soviet Republic, not the U.S. state) is now a remarkable success story. One of the most famous late 19th/early 20th century Georgian artists was primitivist painter Niko Pirosmani. [193], The new Patruli force was first introduced in the summer of 2005 to replace the traffic police, a force which was accused of widespread corruption. On the other hand, Georgia, the country in the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia, is a sovereign state. [93][96][97][98][99], On 7 August 2008, Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili announced a unilateral ceasefire and called for peace talks. As a result of incessant OttomanPersian Wars and deportations, the population of Georgia dwindled to 784,700 inhabitants at the end of the 18th century. Ca. [87], Following the Rose Revolution, a series of reforms were launched to strengthen the country's military and economic capabilities, as well as to reorient its foreign policy westwards. p. 65. Christianity and the Georgian language are particularly important national identifiers. The 1989 census recorded 341,000 ethnic Russians, or 6.3 per cent of the population,[288] 52,000 Ukrainians and 100,000 Greeks in Georgia. The high-water mark of Communist activity in Georgia occurred in the early 1930s, when the state's economy was suffering from the ravages of the Great Depression. [174] On 2 October 2006, Georgia and the European Union signed a joint statement on the agreed text of the GeorgiaEuropean Union Action Plan within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). [252] In 2015, the average monthly income of a household was 1,022.3 (about $426). Is Georgia in Europe or Asia? Georgian Culture, Geography and more The country has sizeable hydropower resources. [226], Because of its high landscape diversity and low latitude, Georgia is home to about 5,601 species of animals, including 648 species of vertebrates (more than 1% of the species found worldwide) and many of these species are endemics. This law prohibits communist symbolism and ideology along with fascist symbolism and ideology. [50], The 29-year reign of Tamar, the first female ruler of Georgia, is considered the most successful in Georgian history. New duties performed by the police include border security and customs functions and contracted security provision; the latter function is performed by the dedicated 'security police'. Other deciduous species include several varieties of maple, aspen, ash, and hazelnut. [191][192] A new force was then subsequently built around new recruits. The Constitution of Georgia guarantees freedom of speech. In 2005, the agreement on the appointment of Partnership for Peace (PfP) liaison officer between Georgia and NATO came into force, whereby a liaison officer for the South Caucasus was assigned to Georgia. The native name is Sakartvelo (; 'land of Kartvelians'), derived from the core central Georgian region of Kartli, recorded from the 9th century, and in extended usage referring to the entire medieval Kingdom of Georgia by the 13th century. Thousands of people gathered outside the Central Election Commission to demand a new vote. The climate of the region varies significantly with elevation and while much of the lowland areas of western Georgia are relatively warm throughout the year, the foothills and mountainous areas (including both the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains) experience cool, wet summers and snowy winters (snow cover often exceeds 2 metres or 6feet 7inches in many regions). Formerly Communist countries (by current name): Formerly part of the Soviet Union: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. [31][347][348][349] Local traditions associated with wine are entwined with its national identity. The opposition made accusations of fraud, which the Georgian Dream denied. [141][142][143] After international mediation to overcome the deep political crisis in the runup to the 2020 parliamentary elections an amended electoral system was adopted, specifically for the 2020 elections. Combined population of urban (23,433 in 1922) and rural (2,326 in 1917) communities. Georgia (country) - Wikipedia [321] Gross primary enrolment ratio was 117 per cent for the period of 20122014, the 2nd highest in Europe after Sweden. "Dictionary of the Fungi". [295][c], In the early 1990s, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, violent separatist conflicts broke out in the autonomous region of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region. [69], In the summer of 1805, Russian troops on the Askerani River near Zagam defeated the Iranian army during the 180413 Russo-Persian War and saved Tbilisi from reconquest now that it was officially part of the Imperial territories. . [181] STC Delta now produces a variety of military equipment, including armoured vehicles, artillery systems, aviation systems, personal protection equipment, and small arms. Since the fall of the USSR in 1991, Georgia embarked on a major structural reform designed to transition to a free market economy. As in the western parts of the nation, elevation plays an important role in eastern Georgia where climatic conditions above 1,500 metres (4,921ft) are considerably colder than in the low-lying areas. [226], The climate of Georgia is extremely diverse, considering the nation's small size. Main exports are ores, ferro-alloys, vehicles, wines, mineral waters and fertilizers. [148], In February 2021, Irakli Garibashvili became Prime Minister of Georgia, following the resignation of Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. Many Ossetians living in Georgia left the country, mainly to Russia's North Ossetia. [225] The area can be split into two separate sub-regions; the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, which run parallel to the Greater Caucasus Range, and the Southern Georgia Volcanic Highland.