Georgia is the state situated in the western part of the South Caucasus, between Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountain Ranges and the eastern coast of the Black Sea.
Geography and Relief
Georgia is a mountainous country – over 80% of its area is occupied by mountains and hills. Almost third part of its territory is covered by dense forests. Northern board of the country is formed by Greater Caucasus Mountain Range which includes the highest peak of Georgia – Skhara (5208m). The southern part of Georgia is bounded by Lesser Caucasus Range. Mountains height of Lesser Caucasus Range rarely exceeds 3 thousand meters.
Georgia borders with Russia to the north and the east, with Turkey and Armenia– to the south and with Azerbaijan – to the east.
Total area of the country
Total area of Georgia is 69,700 square kilometres, including Abkhazia (8,600 sq km) and Tskhinvali region (3,9000 sq km) which have stayed outside Tbilisi’s control since early 1990s.
Political system
Georgia is the Democratic Republic and the state power is exercised in accordance with the principle of the separation of powers.
Religion
In Georgia is declared complete freedom of religious beliefs and conviction, at the same time the state acknowledges the exceptional role of the Georgian Orthodox Church in the history of the country.
83,4% of population of Georgia are Orthodox Christians, 10,7% – Muslims, 2,9 % – followers of Armenian Apostolic Church, 0,5% – Catholics, 0,3% –Jehovah’s Witnesses, 0,1% – Protestants, 0,03% – Jews.
State symbols
Flag of Georgia is a composition of five red crosses on the white background, symbolizing Christ and the Four Evangelists. Big St. George Cross divides the flag into four equal quarters and at the corners of them, there are smaller Bolnisi Crosses.
In heraldry white background is a sign of purity, wisdom, chastity and innocence, while the red signifies courage, love, justice and bravery.
Coat of arms of Georgia is a red shield with the image of the traditional patron of Georgia, St. George riding the horse and slaying the dragon.
It has two lions as supporters of the shield, which is surmounted with the royal crown of Georgia. The motto below the shield reads as “Strength is in Unity”. The modern coat of arm is mostly those of the medieval Georgian dynasty Bagrationi.
The state flag of Georgia with five crosses dates back to the XIIIth century AD and is the second oldest flag after the flag of Denmark.
Anthem of Georgia is one of the main symbols of the country. The title of the anthem is “Tavisupleba” which in Georgian means “Freedom”. Author of the lyrics is modern Georgian poet David Magradze who used quotations from the poems of Georgina classical poets – Akaki Tseretreli, Grigol Orbeliani, and Galaktion Tabidze.
The music of the anthem was adapted from two Georgian operas Daisi and Abesalom da Eteri, composed by Zacharia Paliashvili (1871 — 1933), the father of the Georgian classical music genre.
State language
According to the Constitution, the state language of Georgia is Georgian; Abkhazian is also the state language (in Abkhazia).
Currency
The only legitimate means of payment in Georgia is the national currency, Lari. It was put into circulation on October 2, 1995. Lari is old Georgian word denoting “hoard or property”.
Population
As of January 1st, 2017 population of the country is more than 3.7 million people. According to the latest population census conducted in November 2014:
86.8% of population are Georgians,
6.3% – Azeris,
4.5% – Armenians,
0.7% – Russians,
0.4% – Ossetians,
0.3% – Yezidis,
0.2% –Ukrainians,
0.2% – Kists,
0.1% –Greeks,
0.1% – Assyrians and others.
The census was conducted at the territory controlled by the Georgian authorities (87%).
Tbilisi, capital of Georgia
Tbilisi is the largest city of Georgia and its political, economic, industrial and cultural center. As of January 1st, 2017 the population of the capital is more than 1.1 million people.
Tbilisi was founded by King Vakhtang Gorgasali in the 5th century AD, on the bank of the largest river in the South Caucasus – the Kura. Today, the capital of Georgia is a colorful mix of ancient fortresses and majestic temples, old quarters, Soviet buildings and ultramodern business centers.
Transport and Communication
There are eight civil airports and heliports in Georgia, including three international airports in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Batumi.
In Georgia, there are two sea ports in Batumi and Poti.
Phone Code: + 995
Climate
The climate of Georgia is very diverse and it directly depends on the region – at the west dominates subtropical climate, while at the east its turns from subtropical to moderate.
During the summer on the whole territory of Georgia prevails the hot weather – average temperature in August is +23-26 °C.
The maximum amount of precipitation falls in autumn and winter. The winter in Georgia is mild, usually with a small number of precipitations. In December the average temperature decreases to 0-1°C.
Winter in mountainous areas is cold – the temperature can drop to —15-20 °C. Snow in the mountainous areas falls mainly in November and does not melt until the end of spring.
Flora and Fauna
Flora of Georgia is rather diverse with about 4,5000 spices of flowering plants. Georgia is home to endemic plant species such as boxwood, laurel, rhododendron, persimmon, and others
Fauna of Georgia is presented by over 100 species of mammals, 330 species of birds and 160 fish species. Ecosystems are dominated by large mammals such as beer wolf, fox, wild boar, deer, and roe deer.
Protected areas provide a home for 90 species of rare and endangered species which makes 67% of animals recorded in the Red List of Georgia, including leopard, gazelle and stripped hyena.
Sights
Georgia is rich in historical and cultural monuments created by the nature and the man. There are 14 State natural reserves, 10 National Parks, 13 Preserves, 41 Natural monument and 2 Protected Landscapes in Georgia.
One of the most interesting tourist destination is the unique cave complex of Vardzia (Southeast of Georgia), built during the reign of King Tamar in the 12th-13th centuries AD at an altitude of 1.3 thousand meters above sea level.
David-Gareji monastery complex, located in the desert steppe on the border with Azerbaijan, is considered as a masterpiece of Georgian art. David-Gareji, consisting of about 20 monasteries carved into the rocks, is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
On UNESCO’s World Heritage are also inscribed:
- Gelati monastery complex – the center of the clerical and cultural life founded by King David IV the Builder in 1106;
- Patriarchal Cathedral of the XI century Svetitskhoveli;
- Samtavro monastery of the XI century located in the ancient capital of Georgia – Mtskheta, where is kept one of the greatest relics of the Christian world – the Chiton of the Lord.
Among the most popular natural attractions of Georgia are the Okatse Canyon with the length of 16 kilometers and depth of over 50 meters and Prometheus Cave, with the total depth of about 11 kilometers. Both natural wonders are located in Western Georgia.
Natural wealth
Georgia is scanty in natural resources. In industrial volumes Georgia mines manganese and coal.
As the main natural property of Georgia are considered its thermal and mineral springs.
On the territory of the country are opened more than two thousand natural mineral springs – more than 730 kinds of mineral waters are used for balneological purposes and industrial bottling.
Unique properties of thermal waters were known even in ancient times – local people used them for the treatment of various diseases.
The famous resorts of Georgia are Borjomi, Tskhaltubo, Sairme, Nunisi, Utsera, Nabeglavi and Surami.
Mineral water from Borjomi resort is still considered as one of the best in the post-Soviet space.
Cuisine
Georgian cuisine is considered as one of the delicious in the world. There are over 250 kinds of cheese in Georgia. The most popular Georgian dishes are khachapuri, sulguni, pkhali, dolma, khinkali, chikhirtma, mstvadi, chashushuli, chakapuli and many others.
Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. Archeologists confirmed that already 8 thousand years ago in Georgia was cultivated vineyards and produced wine. In 2013, the traditional Georgian wine-making method in clay jug “kvevri” was recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Art
Georgian polyphony singing was recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the world polyphony. America’s space agency NASA sent Georgian song “Chakrulo” into the space as an example of musical skills of humanity.
A Georgian folk dance is called by international media “Eights Wonder of World”. It is known by the technique "topoint" – the art of dancing in soft leather ballet shoes on the fingertips.
Time zone
Georgia Standard Time (GET), UTC +4
Georgia doesn’t use Daylight Saving Time; permanent UTC offset is observed all year round. The IANA time zone identifier for Georgia is “Asia/Tbilisi”.
