Russian rule offered the Georgians security from external threats, but it was also often heavy-handed and insensitive. Burkhard Herbote, tourism Hero. ", "Ruling party in Georgia decisively wins parliament vote", "Georgian government offers concessions to end crisis", "Transparency International urges dialogue with civil society during political crisis in Georgia", "Georgian Dream, Opposition Reach Consensus over Electoral Reform", "Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili as first woman president", "Georgia protests: Tbilisi police fire water cannon at demonstrators", "New EU Proposal: Amnesty for Rurua, Melia, 2022 Snap Polls if GD Gets Less than 43% in Locals", "President Michel to Start Consultations after GD's EU-Brokered Deal Withdrawal", "Mikheil Saakashvili: Georgian ex-president arrested returning from exile", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the Republic of France", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the Federal Republic of Germany", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the State of Israel", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and Japan", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Visa Information for Foreign Citizens", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and the Republic of Turkey", "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Relations between Georgia and Ukraine", "Relations Between Georgia and the United States of America", "U.S. 1000 of all 4000 higher plants of Georgia are endemic to this country. [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. [129] In their Democracy Index 2021 report[update] the Economist Intelligence Unit classifies Georgia as a hybrid regime which is above the threshold for an authoritarian regime but below the threshold needed to be classified as a flawed democracy.[130]. [25][26], The territory of modern-day Georgia was inhabited by Homo erectus since the Paleolithic Era. Georgia . [334][335][336][337] This self-identity is stronger among the dominant ethnic Georgian population than in the country's minority groups. GCP 0001-01-01. [275] There are a number of seaports along Georgia's Black Sea coast, the largest and most busy of which is the Port of Batumi; whilst the town is itself a seaside resort, the port is a major cargo terminal in the Caucasus and is often used by neighbouring Azerbaijan as a transit point for making energy deliveries to Europe. [337], The Georgian language, and the Classical Georgian literature of the poet Shota Rustaveli, were revived in the 19th century after a long period of turmoil, laying the foundations of the romantics and novelists of the modern era such as Grigol Orbeliani, Nikoloz Baratashvili, Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, and Vazha-Pshavela. The alphabet probably was created soon afterward to . [311], Despite the long history of religious harmony in Georgia,[312] there have been instances of religious discrimination and violence against "nontraditional faiths", such as Jehovah's Witnesses, by followers of the defrocked Orthodox priest Basil Mkalavishvili. In turn, this has allowed them to benefit in recent years from increased energy exports from neighbouring Azerbaijan to the European Union, Ukraine, and Turkey. [231], Slightly more than 6,500 species of fungi, including lichen-forming species, have been recorded from Georgia,[232][233] but this number is far from complete. [37] In 337 AD King Mirian III declared Christianity as the state religion, giving a great stimulus to the development of literature, arts, and ultimately playing a key role in the formation of the unified Georgian nation,[38][39] The acceptance led to the slow but sure decline of Zoroastrianism,[40] which until the 5th century AD, appeared to have become something like a second established religion in Iberia (eastern Georgia), and was widely practised there.[41]. At its peak, its population was a little less than 4.5 million. Cuba is currently a communist country. Towards 778, Leon II (r. 780828) won his full independence with the help of the Khazars and was crowned as the king of Abkhazia. [298], The most widespread language group is the Kartvelian family, which includes Georgian, Svan, Mingrelian and Laz. [57] Eastern Georgia (Safavid Georgia), composed of the regions of Kartli and Kakheti, had been under Iranian suzerainty since 1555 following the Peace of Amasya signed with neighbouring rivalling Ottoman Turkey. [226], Much of the natural habitat in the low-lying areas of western Georgia has disappeared during the past 100 years because of the agricultural development of the land and urbanization. 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. 9 also warned of "color revolution." This term originated in the first decade of this century, when a series of antiauthoritarian popular uprisings in former Soviet states became known by colorful names, including Georgia's Rose Revolution (2003), Ukraine's Orange Revolution (2004), and Kyrgyzstan's Tulip Revolution (2005). The new government's efforts to reassert Georgian authority in the southwestern autonomous republic of Adjara led to a major crisis in 2004. Russia withdrew all personnel and equipment from these sites by December 2007[91] while failing to withdraw from the Gudauta base in Abkhazia, which it was required to vacate after the adoption of the Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty during the 1999 Istanbul summit. On 26 May 2012, Saakashvili inaugurated a new Parliament building in the western city of Kutaisi, in an effort to decentralize power and shift some political control closer to Abkhazia. [30], Archaeological evidence indicates that Georgia has been the site of wine production since at least 6,000 BC, which over time played a role in forming Georgia's culture and national identity. [75] In 1920 Soviet Russia recognized Georgia's independence with the Treaty of Moscow. "[171] He was quoted as saying that if NATO accepts Georgian membership with the article on collective defence covering only Tbilisi-administered territory (i.e., excluding the Georgian territories Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both of which are currently Russian-supported unrecognized breakaway republics), "we will not start a war, but such conduct will undermine our relations with NATO and with countries who are eager to enter the alliance. 1955 - Nikolay Bulganin replaces Malenkov as prime minister. A period of unrest ensued, which ended as Abkhazia and eastern Georgian states were unified under a single Georgian monarchy, ruled by King Bagrat III of Georgia (r. 9751014), due largely to the diplomacy and conquests of his energetic foster-father David III of Tao (r. 9661001). [230] The Rioni River may contain a breeding population of the critically endangered bastard sturgeon. Romans erected the statue of the Iberian King Pharsman after he demonstrated Georgian training methods during his visit to Rome; Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union, democratic and economic reforms aimed at integration, first countries in the world to legalize cannabis, Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, Adapted Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Tensions between Georgia and Russia began escalating, ethnic cleansing against Georgians in South Ossetia, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Role of Georgia in the War in Afghanistan (20012021), Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Administrative divisions of Georgia (country), International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2014 General Population Census Main Results, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, secular and irreligious segments of society, one of the oldest wine-producing countries, Index of Georgia (country)-related articles, " ", "2014 General Population Census Main Results General Information National Statistics Office of Georgia", "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2022", "GINI index (World Bank estimate) Georgia", "2014 General Population Census Main Results", "Consolidating Parliamentary Democracy in Georgia", "U.S. and Allies Blame Russia for Cyberattack on Republic of Georgia", "Now that's what you call a real vintage: professor unearths 8,000-year-old wine", "Evidence of ancient wine found in Georgia a vintage quaffed some 6,000 years BC", The Gold Mine of Sakdrisi and Earliest Mining and Metallurgy in the Transcausus and the Kura-Valley System, "UNESCO Ancient Georgian traditional Qvevri wine-making method", "Georgia iii. In 2018, more than 1.4million tourists from Russia visited Georgia. [citation needed] The media environment of Georgia remains the freest and most diverse in the South Caucasus,[342] despite the long-term politicization and polarisation affecting the sector. The biggest part, 72% of the military budget is allocated for maintaining defence forces readiness and potency development. By the 1980s, an independence movement emerged and grew quickly, leading to Georgia's secession from the Soviet Union in April 1991. [58] Heraclius nevertheless stabilized Eastern Georgia to a degree in the ensuing period and was able to guarantee its autonomy throughout the Iranian Zand period. Georgia: in the mountains of poetry 3rd rev. [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. [248], Since coming to power the Saakashvili administration accomplished a series of reforms aimed at improving tax collection. [194] The police introduced a 0-2-2 (currently, 1-1-2) emergency dispatch service in 2004. [208] Georgian opposition leader Nino Burjanadze said the accusations of planning a coup were baseless, and that the protesters' actions were legitimate. [226], The landscape within the nation's boundaries is quite varied. Georgia (the ex-Soviet Republic, not the U.S. state) is now a remarkable success story. and Romans (Titus Livius, Tacitus, etc.) ["Flora of Spore Producing Plants of Georgia (Summary)"]. [225] The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range is much higher in elevation than the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, with the highest peaks rising more than 5,000 metres (16,404ft) above sea level. Rustavi International Motorpark originally built in 1978 was re-opened in 2012 after total reconstruction[356] costing $20million. Prominent features of the area include the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau, lakes, including Tabatskuri and Paravani, as well as mineral water and hot springs. Ca. [22] The Georgian circumfix sa-X-o is a standard geographic construction designating 'the area where X dwell', where X is an ethnonym. Zurabishvili was backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party. Georgia currently has four international airports, the largest of which is by far Tbilisi International Airport, hub for Georgian Airways, which offers connections to many large European cities. [287] On the basis of that back-projection, Geostat has corrected its data for these years. Cart; vintage milk bottle caps [268], Today transport in Georgia is provided by rail, road, ferry, and air. [12][13] It is a developing country with a very high Human Development Index. One explanation put forward by UNFPA is that families of emigrants continued to list them in 2002 as residents for fear of losing certain rights or benefits. [211] In response to lawsuits from civil society organizations, in 2018 the Constitutional Court of Georgia ruled that "consumption of marijuana is an action protected by the right to free personality"[212] and that "[Marijuana] can only harm the user's health, making that user him/herself responsible for the outcome. The country then became embroiled in a bitter civil war, which lasted until nearly 1994. [267] Other tourist attractions are Cave City, Ananuri Castle/Church, Sighnaghi and Mount Kazbek. [352] Historically, Georgia has been famous for its physical education; the Romans were fascinated with Georgians' physical qualities after seeing the training techniques of ancient Iberia. The responsibility for such actions does not cause dangerous consequences for the public. It borders Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia and the Ottoman Empire to the south.. Based on this law, 300 medals were confiscated by the Georgian Customs. It was registered at the Ministry of Justice on 27 February 1998. [306][c] The Georgian Orthodox Church is one of the world's most ancient Christian Churches, and claims apostolic foundation by Saint Andrew. [233] According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are 4,300 species of vascular plants in Georgia. Iranian elements in Georgian art and archeology", Ethnic tensions: War in the Caucasus is Stalin's legacy, "Georgian World War II hero's remains return home". In the early 9th century the Abkhazian Church broke away from Constantinople and recognized the authority of the Catholicate of Mtskheta; the Georgian language replaced Greek as the language of literacy and culture. [103] According to Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer, the Ossetian provocation was aimed at triggering the Georgian response, which was needed as a pretext for premeditated Russian military invasion. Only those students who have passed the Unified National Examinations may enroll in a state-accredited higher education institution, based on ranking of the scores received at the exams. During the classical era, several independent kingdoms became established in what is now Georgia, such as Colchis and Iberia. [269] Positioned in the Caucasus and on the coast of the Black Sea, Georgia is a key country through which energy imports to the European Union from neighbouring Azerbaijan pass. The party was founded on 23 February 1992 as the Socialist Labour Party. Moscow's campaign to 'coerce Georgia to peace', "The Conflict Between Russia and Georgia", "Saakashvili Appeals for Peace in Televised Address", "The Goals Behind Moscow's Proxy Offensive in South Ossetia", "A Two-Sided Descent into Full-Scale War", "The Russian-Georgian War was Preplanned in Moscow", "Georgia Offers Fresh Evidence on War's Start", "Russian Federation: Legal Aspects of War in Georgia", "Abkhaz separatists strike disputed Georgia gorge", "I got my children out minutes before the bombs fell", "Russia opens new front, drives deeper into Georgia", "Amnesty International Satellite Images Reveal Damage to South Ossetian Villages After", "Rights Groups Say South Ossetian Militias Burning Georgian Villages", "Statement by President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev", "Russia Completes 'Most of Withdrawal' EU Monitors", "Moscow Says EU Monitors Fully Control 'Buffer Zones', "Resolution of the Parliament of Georgia on the Occupation of the Georgian Territories by the Russian Federation", "Abkhazia, S.Ossetia Formally Declared Occupied Territory", "Russian exiles get a chilly reception in Georgia VoxEurop", Georgia elects Salome Zurabishvili as first woman president, "Georgia opens new parliament in Kutaisi, far from the capital", "With loss of parliament, Georgia's second city prepares for a downgrade", "Georgia: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report", "Democracy Index 2021: the China challenge", "Saakashvili Concedes Defeat in Parliamentary Election", "Georgian tycoon Ivanishvili confirmed as prime minister", "Georgia: Conflict Rather than Cohabitation", "Georgia's Historic Transition Faces Crucial Tests In 2013", "Georgia PM ally Giorgi Margvelashvili 'wins presidency', "Irakli Garibashvili Named as Georgia's Next Prime Minister", "Did Georgia's 'Informal Leader' Pressure Prime Minister To Resign? It is part of the Caucasus region, bounded by the Black Sea to the west, by Russia to the north and northeast, by Turkey to the southwest, by Armenia to the south, and by Azerbaijan to the southeast. [178], Georgia applied for EU membership on 3 March 2022, soon after the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In comparison, that places Georgia in the top 50 out of 180 countries, among Central European and Mediterranean EU member states. [110], During the conflict, there was a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Georgians in South Ossetia,[111] including destruction of Georgian settlements after the war had ended. The Georgian army was defeated and the Social Democratic government fled the country. Archaeological research demonstrates that Georgia has been involved in commerce with many lands and empires since ancient times, largely due its location on the Black Sea and later on the historical Silk Road. Georgia was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic after 25 February 1921 when the Red Army entered its capital Tbilisi and installed a communist government led by Georgian Bolshevik Filipp Makharadze. [citation needed] The overall region can be characterized as being made up of various, interconnected mountain ranges (largely of volcanic origin) and plateaus that do not exceed 3,400 metres (11,155ft) in elevation. George V was the last great king of the unified Georgian state. Georgia's decision to boost its presence in the coalition forces in Iraq was an important initiative. The incorporation of the Golden Fleece into the myth may have derived from the local practice of using fleeces to sift gold dust from rivers. [80] In August 1991, Romania became the first country to recognize Georgia. Lore-based theories were given by the traveller Jacques de Vitry, who explained the name's origin by the popularity of St. George amongst Georgians,[16] while traveller Jean Chardin thought that Georgia came from Greek ('tiller of the land'). [1] Salome Zurabishvili is the current President of Georgia after winning 59.52% of the vote in the 2018 Georgian presidential election. [227], The west-central slopes of the Meskheti Range in Ajaria as well as several locations in Samegrelo and Abkhazia are covered by temperate rain forests. Georgia (excluding Abkhazia) was one of the six republics along with Armenia, Moldova and the Baltic States who boycotted participation in the March 1991 union-wide preservation referendum. 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. [132] The transition was set to start with the October 2012 parliamentary elections and to be completed with the 2013 presidential elections. Western Georgia's landscape ranges from low-land marsh-forests, swamps, and temperate rainforests to eternal snows and glaciers, while the eastern part of the country even contains a small segment of semi-arid plains. [239] Throughout Georgia's modern history agriculture and tourism have been principal economic sectors, because of the country's climate and topography. In 2021, Trkiye remained a transit point for FTFs departing Syria and Iraq. [217] In addition, another territory not officially autonomous has also declared independence. [62], On 22 December 1800, Tsar Paul I of Russia, at the alleged request of the Georgian King George XII, signed the proclamation on the incorporation of Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti) within the Russian Empire, which was finalized by a decree on 8 January 1801,[63][64] and confirmed by Tsar Alexander I on 12 September 1801. 1953 - Soviet Union explodes its first hydrogen bomb. The country has sizeable hydropower resources. In addition, 435 were wounded, including 35 amputees. As result of the mixed proportional-majoritarian system, with a threshold of 5% for the proportional vote and redefined majoritarian districts, only four parties entered parliament, with the Georgian Dream party gaining a constitutional majority of 77% (+36 seats). The only remaining large, low-land forests remain in the Alazani Valley of Kakheti. [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 architectural features of Georgia include Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi and the Old Town District. [316][317] Education in Georgia is mandatory for all children aged 614. [122][123] Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Georgia has topped the list of countries which Russian exiles departed to after the war began; Russians are allowed to stay in Georgia for at least one year without a visa, though many Georgians view the presence of more Russian citizens in Georgia as a security risk.[124]. There are several architectural styles for castles, towers, fortifications and churches. On 69 March 2006, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi. [357], Basketball was always one of the notable sports in Georgia, and Georgia had a few very famous Soviet Union national team members, such as Otar Korkia, Mikheil Korkia, Zurab Sakandelidze and Levan Moseshvili. Various historical regions of Georgia are known for their particular dishes: for example, khinkali (meat dumplings), from eastern mountainous Georgia, and khachapuri, mainly from Imereti, Samegrelo and Adjara. Neighboring large empires subsequently exploited the internal division of the weakened country, and beginning in the 16th century up to the late 18th century, Safavid Iran (and successive Iranian Afsharid and Qajar dynasties) and Ottoman Turkey subjugated the eastern and western regions of Georgia, respectively. [299][300][301][302][303][304] The official languages of Georgia are Georgian, with Abkhaz having official status within the autonomous region of Abkhazia. In 19181919, Georgian general Giorgi Mazniashvili led an attack against the White Army led by Moiseev and Denikin in order to claim the Black Sea coastline from Tuapse to Sochi and Adler for the independent Georgia. [48][49], David suppressed dissent of feudal lords and centralized the power in his hands to effectively deal with foreign threats. 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.
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