Georgia (country)

42°00′N 43°30′E / 42.000°N 43.500°E / 42.000; 43.500

Georgia
საქართველო  (Georgian)
Sakartvelo
Motto: 
ძალა ერთობაშია
Dzala ertobashia
"Strength is in Unity"
Anthem: 
თავისუფლება
Tavisupleba
"Freedom"
Georgian territory under central control in dark green; uncontrolled territory in light green
Georgian territory under central control in dark green; uncontrolled territory in light green
Capital
and largest city
Tbilisi
41°43′N 44°47′E / 41.717°N 44.783°E / 41.717; 44.783
Official languagesGeorgian
Abkhaz
Ethnic groups
(2014[a])
Religion
(2014)
Demonym(s)Georgian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President of Georgia
Mikheil Kavelashvili
Irakli Kobakhidze
• Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia
Shalva Papuashvili
LegislatureParliament of Georgia
Establishment
• Colchis and Kingdom of Iberia
13th c. BC – 580 AD
• Kingdom of Abkhazia and Kingdom of the Iberians
786–1008
• Unification of the Georgian realm
1008
• Triarchy and collapse of the Kingdom of Georgia
1463–1810
• Georgia within the Russian Empire

12 September 1801
• Democratic Republic of Georgia

26 May 1918
• Red Army invasion of Georgia
25 February 1921
• Independence from the Soviet Union
 • Declared
 • Finalized


9 April 1991
25 December 1991
• Current constitution
24 August 1995
Area
• Total
69,700 km2 (26,900 sq mi) (119th)
Population
• 2022 estimate
Neutral decrease 3,688,647[a]
4,012,104[b] (128th)
• 2014 census
Neutral decrease 3,713,804[a]
• Density
57.6/km2 (149.2/sq mi) (137th)
GDP (PPP)2021 estimate
• Total
Increase $61.58 billion[a] (110th)
• Per capita
Increase $16,590[a] (83rd)
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate
• Total
Increase $17.85 billion[a] (124th)
• Per capita
Increase $4,808[a] (125th)
Gini (2020)Positive decrease 34.5[a]
medium
HDI (2019)Increase 0.812[a]
very high · 61st
CurrencyGeorgian lari (₾) (GEL)
Time zoneUTC+4 (Georgia Time GET)
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy
Driving sideright
Calling code+995
ISO 3166 codeGE
Internet TLD.ge, .გე
Website
www.gov.ge
  1. ^ Data not including occupied territories.
  2. ^ Data including occupied territories.

Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is situated on the coast of the Black Sea and borders Russia to the north, Turkey and Armenia to the south, and Azerbaijan to the southeast. It is largely encircled by the Greater and Lesser Caucasus mountain ranges.[source?]

During 1918–1921, and 1991–1995, its full name was the Republic of Georgia. Since 1995, it has been Georgia, as written in its constitution. It was part of the Russian Empire and later Soviet Union between 1921 and 1991, but now it is an independent republic. The capital city is Tbilisi. Almost 1.28 million people live there.

History

Before 15th century

The Georgians have existed as a nation since classical antiquity. Their capital Tbilisi, formerly named Tiflis, was founded in the 5th century, by King Vakhtang I of Iberia. Back then, western Georgia was colonized by the Roman Empire. The Arabs conquered it in 635 AD. Despite centuries of Islamization, the Georgian culture flourished via trade. In the 10th century, Arab influence diminished in the Caucasus.[source?] In 1008, the Kingdom of Georgia was formed. It was a major country in the region until the Mongol Empire invaded it in 1223. Georgia was part of the Mongol Empire for a century on and off until 1334, when King Giorgi V took over.[source?]

Early modern period

In the 1400s, Georgia dissolved into several principalities. In the 1500s, the Persians invaded eastern Georgia four times from 1541 to 1544. In 1555, the Kings of Kartli ruled through the will of the Persian Shahs (kings of a Persian empire).

Modern period

In 1783, the treaty of Georgievsk was signed between Catherine the Great of Russia and King Heraclius II, giving Russia the power to protect Georgia. Then, in 1798 the Persians burned Tbilisi to the ground. From 1811 to 1918, Georgia was under the Tsar of Russia. Their culture survived intact. From 1918 to 1921, Georgia was independent, but then conquered by the Soviet Union (USSR) and colonized, briefly interrupted by Nazi occupation in WWII, until the end of the USSR in December 1991.

Post-Soviet period: 1990s

In 1991, most Georgians voted to restore their sovereignty as a free nation. They then declared their independence. However, the re-established Republic of Georgia saw a bloody civil War that led to the downfall of first-ever president of Georgia Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Georgia was also involved in War in Abkhazia between 1992 and 1993. They went through a rough patch between 1994 and 1995 when the economy underperformed, despite significant improvements in final years of the 20th century.[source?]

Post-Soviet period: 21st century

Since the 2000s, Georgia has been applying for EU and NATO membership. In 2008, Georgia was illegally invaded by Russia and lost 20% of her territory, with Abkhazia and South Ossetia having fallen under Russian occupation ever since.

2024 – present

Since 26 October 2024, the ruling party Georgian Dream (GD), beset with allegations of corruption and pro-Russian authoritarianism, has been accused of rigging the Georgian parliamentary election run on that day. The crisis came to a head when the GD government announced the postponement of EU membership talks until 2028, setting off an intense wave of pro-democracy protests unseen since the 2003 Rose Revolution. Of Georgia's 3.76 million population in 2024, over 100,000 have participated in at least eight Georgian cities.

Geography

A map of Georgia

Georgia is located next to the countries of Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It has a coastline along the Black Sea. It is located at the edge of Europe and Asia. Georgia has many mountains, whose highest point is 5,193 m above sea level. The mountains running through Georgia are called the Caucasus Mountains. The highest mountain in Georgia is Mount Shkhara at 5,193 m. The coastline of Georgia is 310 km long. Georgia has about 25,000 rivers. The largest river is the Mtkvari.[source?]

Divisions

Map of Georgia showing the occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region (South Ossetia)

Georgia is divided into 9 regions, 1 city, and 2 autonomous republics. These in turn are divided into 67 districts and 12 self-governing cities.

The region of Abkhazia declared independence in 1999. South Ossetia is officially known by Georgia as the Tskhinvali Region. Georgia considers both regions as occupied by Russia.

RegionCenterArea (km2)PopulationDensity
AbkhaziaSokhumi8,660242,862est28.04
AdjaraBatumi2,880333,953115.95
GuriaOzurgeti2,033113,35055.75
ImeretiKutaisi6,475533,90682.45
KakhetiTelavi11,311318,58328.16
Kvemo KartliRustavi6,072423,98669.82
Mtskheta-MtianetiMtskheta6,78694,57313.93
Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo SvanetiAmbrolauri4,99032,0896.43
Samegrelo-Zemo SvanetiZugdidi7,440330,76144.45
Samtskhe-JavakhetiAkhaltsikhe6,413160,50425.02
Shida KartliGori5,729300,382est52.43
TbilisiTbilisi7201,108,7171,539.88

Culture

About 4 million people live in Georgia. About 1.2 million live in Tbilisi.[source?] People from Georgia are called Georgians, most of whom speak Georgian as their first language, though some speak Azerbaijani, Armenian, Russian or other languages as well. Georgians use three alphabets, namely the Asomtavruli, Nuskhuri and Mkhedruli, with Asomtavruli being the very first Georgian alphabet, which was said to be invented by King Pharnavaz I of Iberia.[source?] The most famous person to have come from Georgia is Josef Stalin, Soviet Union's totalitarian communist dictator between 1922 and 1953. Most Georgians are Orthodox Christians, but there are Jews and Muslims as well due to partial Arab colonization in the Middle Ages. The currency of Georgia is the lari.

References

  1. ↑ "Article 8", Constitution of Georgia. In the Abkhazian Autonomous Republic (Abkhazian AR), also Abkhazian.
  2. ↑ "Constitution of Georgia" (PDF). Parliament of Georgia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "საქართველოს მოსახლეობის საყოველთაო აღწერის საბოლოო შედეგები" (PDF). National Statistics Office of Georgia. 28 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Demographic Portal". Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 "2014 General Population Census Main Results General Information — National Statistics Office of Georgia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2021". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "GINI index (World Bank estimate) - Georgia". data.worldbank.org. World Bank. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Human Development Report 2020" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "Population by regions". National Statistics Office of Georgia. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  10. ↑
  11. 1 2 3
  12. ↑
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "Statement on Georgia's Suspension of European Union Accession". U.S. Department of State. 30 November 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  15. ↑
  16. ↑
  17. ↑
  18. ↑
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ "Registry of Municipalities". National Agency of Public Registry. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  21. ↑ "Regions and territories: Abkhazia". BBC News. 8 February 2011. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  22. ↑ Abkhazia, S. Ossetia Formally Declared Occupied Territory. Archived 3 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine Civil Georgia. 28 August 2008.
  23. ↑
  24. ↑
  25. ↑
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ "Lari". საქართველოს ეროვნული ბანკი (National Bank of Georgia). Retrieved 2 December 2024.