Georgia Country

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{{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = საქართველო Sakartvelo|conventional_long_name = Georgia|common_name = Georgia (country)|image_flag = Flag of Georgia.svg|image_coat = Georgia coa.png|image_map = Europe location GEO2.png|national_motto = Dzala ertobashia(Georgian language)"Strength is in Unity"|national_anthem = "Tavisupleba""Freedom"]1|demonym = Georgian|patron_saint = St. George, Virgin Mary|latd=41 |latm=43 |latNS=N |longd=44 |longm=47 |longEW=E|largest_city = capital|government_type = [Semi-presidential system Unitary state republic|leader_name1 = [Mikheil Saakashvili|leader_name2 = [Zurab Noghaideli|established_event1 = Georgian kingdoms of [Colchis and Caucasian Iberia|established_date1 = Circa2000 B.C. unified|established_date2 = [1008|established_event3 = Democratic Republic of Georgia [1918 [1991December 25 1991-->|percent_water =|population_estimate = 4,661,4732|population_estimate_rank = 117th|population_estimate_year = 2005|population_census =|population_census_year =|population_density_km2 = 64|population_density_sq_mi = 166 (ლ)|currency_code = GEL|country_code =|time_zone = UTC|calling_code = 995|footnote1 = Also [Abkhazian language within the Abkhazia.|footnote2 = From CIA World Factbook. Georgia, from CIA World Factbook Population figure excludes those parts of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that are not controlled by the Government of Georgia.-->GeorgiaGeorgia" shall be the name of the state of Georgia. Article 1, Constitution of Georgia. Retrieved from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Website (, transliteration as Sakartvelo) is a Eurasian country in the Caucasus located at the east coast of the Black Sea. It is bordered on the north by Russia, on the south by Turkey and Armenia, and on the east by Azerbaijan. It is a transcontinental country, located at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.As a transcontinental country, Georgia may be considered to be in Asia and/or Europe. The United Nations classification of world regions places Georgia in Western Asia; the Central Intelligence Agency CIA World Factbook , National Geographic, and Encyclopædia Britannica also place Georgia in Asia. Conversely, numerous sources place Georgia in Europe such as the BBC , Oxford Reference Online , Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and www.worldatlas.com.

Georgia is a representative democracy, organized as a secular Unitary state, semi-presidential republic. Georgia is currently a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the World Trade Organization and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and seeks integration with the EU and NATO.

Etymology slaying the Dragon. 15th century cloisonné enamel on gold. (National Art Museum of Georgia)

Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi (ქართველები), their land Sakartvelo (საქართველო), and their language Kartuli (ქართული). According to legend the ancestor of the Kartvelian people was Kartlos, the great grandson of the Biblical Japheth.

Ancient Greeks (Strabo, Herodotus, Plutarch, Homer, etc.) and Ancient Rome (Titus Livius, Cornelius Tacitus, etc.) referred to early eastern Georgians as Caucasian Iberians (Iberoi in some Greek sources) and western Georgians as Colchians. Braund, David. Georgia in Antiquity: A History of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562, pp. 17-18 .

In Old Persian Eastern lands of Georgia were called vrkan and their inhabitants vrk (origin unknown), which is the origin of the Old Armenian term virk for Kartli. In New Persian the term transformed into Gurğān (Gurgjan), or "Gurğ people", which may have led to the name of Georgian in Turkic and Slavic languages, and probably other European ones as well (probably via Turkish Gürcü ("Gurdju") /:tr:Gürcistan ). "History of Georgia", by Nodar Lomouri, professor, historian A New Theory on the Etymology of the Designations of the Georgians Although special popularity of the cult of St. George in Georgia probably influenced the spread of the term in the Western Europe.The terms Georgia and Georgians appeared in Western Europe in numerous medieval annals, including that of Crusaders and later in the official documents and letters of the Florence Cosimo de' Medici. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall , Christopher Hibbert. Jacques de Vitry and British traveler, Sir John Maundeville, stated that Georgians are called Georgian because they especially revere and worship St. George. Notably, the country recently adopted the five-cross flag. It has been argued that the flag was used in Georgia since the 5th century. David Marshall Lang, The Georgians, (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., 1966), 17-18.http://www.georgianweb.com/religion/stnino.html

Some also believed that Georgia was so named by the Greeks on account of its agricultural resources, since "Georgia" (γεωργία) means "farming" in Greek language. However, the true origin of the name Georgia is still disputed. {{cite book| last = Wilson| first = Nigel Guy| title = Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece| year = 2006| publisher = Routledge| isbn = 0415973341| pages = 320-->

History The history of Georgia and the Georgians nation dates back 5,000 years. Georgia in antiquity : a history of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562, Braund, David, 1957

The territory of modern-day Georgia has been Prehistoric Georgia since the early Stone Age. The classical antiquity saw the rise of the early Georgian states of Colchis and Caucasian Iberia, which laid the foundation of Georgian culture and eventual statehood. The Georgian nation first appears in written history in the 12th century B.C. Phoenix: The Peoples of the Hills: Ancient Ararat and Caucasus by Charles Burney , David Marshall Lang, Phoenix Press; New Ed edition (December 31, 2001) Archaeological finds and references in ancient sources reveal advancement of early Georgian political and state formations - their urban heritage and advanced metallurgy and goldsmith techniques that date back to the 7th century B.C. and beyond. Phoenix: The Peoples of the Hills: Ancient Ararat and Caucasus by Charles Burney , David Marshall Lang, Phoenix Press; New Ed edition (December 31, 2001) In the 4th century B.C. a unified kingdom of Georgia - an early example of advanced state organization under one king and the hierarchy of aristocracy, was established. Lives and Legends of the Georgian Saints, St Vladimirs Seminary Pr; N.e.of 2r.e. edition (March 1997)by David Marshall Lang from the Gelati Monastery, 14th–15th centuriesChristianity came to Georgia with its first missionaries and it was declared the state religion as early as 337 A.D. The conversion to Christianity provided a great stimulus to literature and the arts and helped to unify the country. Early and medieval Christian scholarship, the links with the rest of the Christian world and dynamic exchange with the Islamic world, together with the development of national literature and the political consolidation of the state in the 11th century A.D. culminated in a true renaissance in the 12-13th centuries A.D. Sketches of Georgian Church History by Theodore Edward Dowling

This early Georgian renaissance, which preceded its European analogue by several hundred years, was significant and was characterized by magnificent secular art and culture, the flourishing of a romantic- chivalric tradition, breakthroughs in philosophy, and an array of political innovations in society and state organization, including religious and ethnic tolerance. 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". This Golden Age was interrupted at its peak by the Mongol invasions of Georgia and Armenia in the 13th century A.D. Throughout the next six centuries, Georgia fell victim to repeated invasions by Persians and Ottoman Empire, resulting in the disintegration of the Georgian state into several small kingdoms. Due to this national crisis, in 1783 Georgia signed the Treaty of Georgievsk with the Russian Empire, placing the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti under the Russian protectorate. Despite Russia's commitment to defend Georgia, it rendered no assistance when the Turks invaded in 1785 and again in 1795. This period culminated in the 1801 Russian annexation of remaining Georgian lands and the deposing of the Bagrationi dynasty.

A few decades later, Georgian society produced a modernist nationalistic elite which united Georgian society around the dream of the restoration of their once glorious state. In 1918, this dream was fulfilled and the Democratic Republic of Georgia(1918-1921) was established. This democratic experiment was short-lived, as in 1921 Georgia was Red Army invasion of Georgia by Bolshevik Russia. Georgia was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1922. Georgia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and, after a period of Georgian Civil War and severe economic crisis, Georgia was mostly stable by the late 1990s. The bloodless Rose Revolution of 2003 installed a new, pro-Western world reformist government that aspired to join NATO and attempted to bring the secessionist territories back under Georgia's control. These efforts resulted in a deterioration of Georgian-Russian relations, in part because of the continued presence of Russian troops. As of 2007, most Russian military forces have been withdrawn, with the last remaining base in Batumi scheduled for Russian withdrawal in 2008. Russia completes withdrawal from 1 of 2 remaining bases in Georgia

Georgia in antiquity and Caucasian Iberia

Two early Georgian kingdoms of late Classical antiquity, known to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome as Caucasian Iberia () in the east of the country and Colchis () in the west, were among the first nations in the region to adopt Christianity (in 337 AD, or in 319 AD as recent research suggests.).

In Greek Mythology, Colchis was the location of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts in Apollonius Rhodius epic tale Argonautica. 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. Known to its natives as Egrisi or Lazica, Colchis often saw Lazic War between the rival powers of Iran and the Byzantine Empire, both of which managed to conquer Western Georgia from time to time. As a result, those Kingdoms disintegrated into various feudal regions by the early Middle Ages. This made it easy for Arabs to conquer Georgia in the 7th century. The rebellious regions were liberated and united into a unified Georgian Kingdom at the beginning of the 11th century. Starting in the 12th century AD, the rule of Georgia extended over a significant part of the Southern Caucasus, including the northeastern parts and almost the entire northern coast of what is now Turkey.

Medieval Georgia

The Georgian Kingdom reached its zenith in the 12th to early 13th centuries. This period has been widely termed as Georgia's Golden Age or Georgian Renaissance. The revival of the Georgian Kingdom was short-lived however, and the Kingdom was eventually subjugated by the Mongols in 1236. Thereafter, different local rulers fought for their independence from central Georgian rule, until the total disintegration of the Kingdom in the 15th century. Neighbouring kingdoms exploited the situation and from the 16th century, the Persian Empire and the Ottoman Empire subjugated the eastern and western regions of Georgia, respectively.

The rulers of regions which remained partly autonomous entity organised rebellions on various occasions. Subsequent Persian and Turkish invasions further weakened local kingdoms and regions. As a result of wars against neighbouring countries, the population of Georgia was reduced to 250,000 inhabitants at one point.

Within the Russian Empire In 1783, Russia and the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, according to which Kartli-Kakheti received protection by Russia. This, however, did not prevent Tbilisi from being Battle of Krtsanisi in 1795.

, widely regarded as the "founding father" of modern Georgia, 1860

On December 22, 1800, Tsar Paul I of Russia, at the alleged request of the Georgian King Giorgi XII of Kartli-Kakheti, signed the proclamation on the incorporation of Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti) within the Russian Empire, which was finalised by a decree on January 8, 1801, Gvosdev (2000), p. 85 Avalov (1906), p. 186 which was confirmed by Tsar Alexander I of Russia on September 12 1801. Gvosdev (2000), p. 86 Lang (1957), p. 249 The Georgian envoy in Saint Petersburg reacted with a note of protest that was presented to the Russian vice-chancellor Prince Kurakin. Lang (1957), p. 251 In May 1801, Russian General Carl Heinrich Knorring dethroned the Georgian heir to the throne David Bagrationi and instituted a government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lasarev. Lang (1957), p. 247

The Georgian nobility did not accept the decree until April 1802 when General Knorring compassed the nobility in Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral and forced them to take an oath on the Imperial Crown of Russia. Those who disagreed were arrested temporarily. Lang (1957), p. 252

In the summer of 1805, Russian troops on the Askerani River near Zagam defeated the Persian army and saved Tbilisi from conquest.

In 1810, after a brief war, Anchabadze (2005), p. 29 the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti was annexed by Tsar Alexander I of Russia. The last Imeretian king and the last Georgian Bagrationi ruler Solomon II of Imereti died in exile in 1815. From 1803 to 1878, as a result of numerous Russian wars against Turkey and Iran, several territories were annexed to Georgia. These areas (Batumi, Akhaltsikhe, Poti, and Abkhazia) now represent a large part of the territory of Georgia.

The principality of Guria was abolished in 1828, and that of Samegrelo (Mingrelia) in 1857. The region of Svaneti was gradually annexed in 1857–59.

Brief independence period and Soviet era After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia declared independence on May 26, 1918 in the midst of the Russian Civil War. The parliamentary election was won by the Georgian Social-Democratic Party, considered to be a party of Mensheviks, and its leader, Noe Zhordania, became the prime minister. In 1918 a Georgian–Armenian war erupted over parts of Georgian provinces populated mostly by Armenians which ended due to British intervention. In 1918–19 Georgian general Giorgi Mazniashvili led a Georgian 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 independent Georgia. The country's independence did not last long, however.

leader of the anti-Bolshevik August Uprising in Georgia of 1924, venerated as national hero of Georgia In February 1921 Georgia Red Army invasion of Georgia by the Red Army. Georgian troops lost the battle and the Social-Democrat government fled the country. On February 25 1921 the Red Army entered the capital Tbilisi and installed a puppet communist government led by Georgian Bolshevik Filipp Makharadze, but the Soviet rule was firmly established only after the August Uprising in Georgia was brutally suppressed. Georgia was incorporated into the Transcaucasian SFSR uniting Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The TFSSR was disaggregated into its component elements in 1936 and Georgia became the Georgian SSR.

The Georgian-born communist radical Ioseb Jughashvili, better known by his nom de guerre Stalin (from the Russian language word for steel: сталь) was prominent among the Russian Bolsheviks, who came to power in the Russian Empire after the October Revolution in 1917. Joseph Stalin was to rise to the highest position of the Soviet state.

From 1941 to 1945, during World War II, almost 700,000 Georgians fought as Red Army soldiers against Nazi Germany. (A number The Georgian Legion (1941-1945) the German army). About 350,000 Georgians died in the battlefields of the Eastern Front (World War II). Also during this period the Chechen people, Ingush, Karachay and the Balkarian peoples from the Northern Caucasus, were deported to Siberia for alleged collaboration with the Nazism. With their respective autonomous republics abolished, the Georgian SSR was briefly granted some of their territory, until 1957.

The Dissidential movement for restoration of Georgian statehood started to gain popularity in the 1960s. Socialism in Georgian Colors: The European Road to Social Democracy, 1883-1917 by Stephen F. Jones Among the Georgian dissidents, two of the most prominent activists were Merab Kostava and Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Dissidents were heavily persecuted by Soviet government and their activities were harshly suppressed. Almost all members from Georgian dissident circles were imprisoned by the Soviet authorities.http://www.parliament.ge/pages/archive_en/history/his13.html From Georgian Parliament

The Georgian Eduard Shevardnadze, the USSR's minister for foreign affairs, was one of the main architects of the Perestroika reforms of the late 1980s. During this period, Georgia developed a vigorous multiparty system which strongly favoured independence. The country staged the first democratic, multiparty parliamentary elections in the Soviet Union on October 28, 1990. From November 1990 to March 1991, one of the leaders of the National Liberation movement, Dr Zviad Gamsakhurdia, was the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia (the Georgian parliament).

Post-Soviet independence On 9 April 1989, a peaceful demonstration in the Georgian capital Tbilisi ended in a April 9 tragedy in which several people were killed by Soviet troops. This incident launched an anti-Soviet mass movement, soon shattered, however, by the in-fighting of its different political wings. Before the October 1990 elections to the national assembly, the Umaghiesi Sabcho (Supreme Council) — the first polls in the USSR held on a formal multi-party basis — the political landscape was reshaped again. While the more radical groups boycotted the elections and convened an alternative forum (National Congress), another part of the anticommunist opposition united into the Round Table—Free Georgia (RT-FG) around the former dissidents like Merab Kostava and Zviad Gamsakhurdia. The latter won the elections by a clear margin, with 155 out of 250 parliamentary seats, whereas the ruling Communist Party (CP) received only 64 seats. All other parties failed to get over the 5%-threshold and were thus allotted only some single-member constituency seats.

On April 9, 1991, shortly before the collapse of the USSR, Georgia declared independence. On May 26, 1991, Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected as a first President of independent Georgia. However, Gamsakhurdia was soon deposed in a bloody coup d'état, from December 22, 1991 to January 6, 1992. The coup was instigated by part of the National Guards and a paramilitary organization called "Mkhedrioni". The country became embroiled in a bitter Georgian Civil War which lasted almost until 1995. Eduard Shevardnadze returned to Georgia in 1992 and joined the leaders of the coup — Kitovani and Ioseliani — to head a triumvirate called the "State Council".

In 1995, Shevardnadze was officially elected as a president of Georgia, and reelected in 2000. At the same time, two regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, quickly became embroiled in disputes with local separatists that led to widespread inter-ethnic violence and wars. Supported by Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia achieved and maintained de facto independence from Georgia. More than 250,000 Georgians were Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia from Abkhazia by Abkhaz separatists and North Caucasians volunteers, (including Chechens) in 1992-1993. More than 25,000 Georgians were expelled from Tskhinvali as well, and many Ossetian families were forced to abandon their homes in the Borjomi region and move to Russia.

In 2003 Shevardnadze was deposed by the Rose Revolution, after Georgian opposition and international monitors asserted that the November 2 parliamentary elections were marred by fraud.http://eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112204a.shtml The revolution was led by Mikheil Saakashvili, Zurab Zhvania and Nino Burjanadze, former members and leaders of Shavarnadze's ruling party. Mikheil Saakashvili was elected as President of Georgia in 2004.

Following the Rose Revolution, a series of reforms was launched to strengthen the country's military and economic capabilities. The new government's efforts to reassert the Georgian authority in the southwestern autonomous republic of Ajaria led to a major Ajaria Crisis early in 2004. Success in Ajaria encouraged Saakashvili to intensify his efforts, but without success, in the breakaway South Ossetia.

Government and politics

Following a crisis involving allegations of ballot fraud in the 2003 parliamentary elections, Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as president on November 23, 2003 in the bloodless Rose Revolution. The interim president was the speaker of the outgoing parliament (whose replacement was annulled), Nino Burjanadze. On January 4, 2004 Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the National Movement - Democrats (NMD) (former United National Movement) won the country's presidential election and was inaugurated on January 25.Fresh parliamentary elections were held on March 28 where NMD secured the vast majority of the seats (with ca. 75% of the votes) with only one other party reaching the 7% threshold (the Rightist Opposition with ca. 7.5%). The vote is believed to have been one of the freest ever held in independent Georgia although an upsurge of tension between the central government and the Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze affected the elections in this region. Despite recognizing progress the OSCE noted the tendency to misuse state administration resources in favor of the ruling party.

The tension between the Georgian government and that of Ajaria grew increasingly after the elections until late April. Climaxing on May 1 when Abashidze responded to military maneuvers held by Georgia near the region with having the three bridges connecting Ajaria and the rest of Georgia over the Choloki River blown up. On May 5, Abashidze was forced to flee Georgia as mass demonstrations in Batumi called for his resignation and Russia increased their pressure by deploying Security Council secretary Igor Ivanov.

On February 3 2005, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania allegedly died of carbon monoxide poisoning in an apparent gas leak at the home of Raul Usupov, deputy governor of Kvemo Kartli region. Later, Zhvania's close friend and a long-time ally, Finance Minister Zurab Nogaideli was appointed for the post by President Saakashvili.

Since coming to power in 2003, Saakashvili has boosted spending on the country's armed forces and increased its overall size to around 45,000. Of that figure, 12,000 have been trained in advanced techniques by U.S. military instructors.* http://www.kyivpost.com/bn/24927/ - "Georgian president proposes military reserve system for defense, disaster response" Some of these troops have been stationed in Iraq as part of the international coalition in the region, serving in Baqubah and the Green Zone of Baghdad. In May 2005, the 13th Infantry Battalion ("Shavnabada") became the first full battalion to serve outside of Georgia. This unit was responsible for two checkpoints to the Green Zone, and provided security for the Iraqi Parliament. In October 2005, the unit was replaced by the 21st Infantry Battalion. Soldiers of the 13th battalion wear the "combat patches" of the American unit they served under, the U.S. 3d Infantry Division.The Georgian government claims to have restored "constitutional order" in the upper Kodori Gorge — the sole Georgia-controlled part of breakaway region Abkhazia. Tbilisi prepares to send Abkhaz government-in-exile to Kodori, Zaal Anjaparidze

Georgia has in the past few years significantly reduced corruption. Transparency International ranked Georgia at joint number 99th in the world in its 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (with number 1 being the least corrupt nation), giving it a List of countries by Corruption Perceptions Index (with number 10 being considered the best possible score). Corruption Perceptions Index 2006 This is a significant improvement on Georgia's 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index, where Georgia was rated joint 130th.

Foreign relations .

Georgia maintains good relations with its direct neighbours Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey and participates actively in regional organizations, such as the Black Sea Economic Council and the GUAM.http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/georgia/intro/index.htm Georgia also maintains close political, economic and military relations with Ukraine.

The growing US and European Union influence in Georgia, notably through the Train and Equip military assistance programme and the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, have frequently strained Tbilisi’s relations with Russia.

Georgia is currently working to become a full member of NATO. In August of 2004, the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia was submitted officially to NATO. On October 29, 2004, the North Atlantic Council of NATO approved the NATO#International Partnership Action Plans (IPAP) of Georgia and Georgia moved on to the second stage of Euro-Atlantic Integration. In 2005, by the decision of the President of Georgia, a state commission was set up to implement the Individual Partnership Action Plan, which presents an interdepartmental group headed by the Prime Minister. The Commission was tasked with coordinating and controlling the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan.On February 14, 2005, the agreement on the appointment of Partnership for Peace (PfP) liaison officer between Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization came into force, whereby a liaison officer for the South Caucasus was assigned to Georgia. On March 2, 2005, the agreement was signed on the provision of the host nation support to and transit of NATO forces and NATO personnel. On March 6-9, 2006, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi. On April 13, 2006, the discussion of the assessment report on implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan was held at NATO Headquarters, within 26+1 format. Georgia's way to NATO In 2006, the Georgian parliament voted unanimously for the bill which calls for integration of Georgian into NATO. The majority of Georgians and politicians in Georgia support the push for NATO membership. Currently, it is expected that Georgia will join NATO in 2009.

George W. Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531273.stm The street leading to Tbilisi International Airport has since been dubbed George W. Bush Avenue. Bush Heads to Europe for G - 8 Summit, The New York Times

From the European commission website: President Saakashvili views membership of the EU and NATO as a long term priority. As he does not want Georgia to become an arena of Russia-US confrontation he seeks to maintain close relations with the United States and European Union, at the same time underlining his ambitions to advance co-operation with Russia.http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/georgia/intro/index.htm

On October 2, 2006, Georgian and the European Union signed a joint statement on the agreed text of the Georgia-European Union Action Plan within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The Action Plan was formally approved at the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council session on November 14 2006 in Brussels. EU, Georgia Sign ENP Action Plan, Civil Georgia, October 2, 2006.

On February 2, 2007, Georgia officially became the most recent regional member of the Asian Development Bank. They currently hold 12,081 shares in the bank, 0.341 percent of the total.

Regions, republics, and districts Georgia is divided into 9 regions, 2 Autonomous entity republics (avtonomiuri respublika), and 1 city (k'alak'i). The Subdivisions of Georgia are further subdivided into 69 districts (raioni).

The nine regions are Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, and Shida Kartli.

:Currently, the status of South Ossetia, a former autonomous administrative district, also known as the Tskhinvali region, is being negotiated with the Russian-supported separatist government. Kodori Gorge is the only part of Abkhazia that remains under effective Georgian control.

The two autonomous republics are Abkhazia and Ajaria.

The one city is Tbilisi.

The Districts of Georgia are: Abasha, Adigeni, Akhalgori, Akhalkalaki, Akhaltsikhe, Akhmeta, Ambrolauri, Aspindza, Baghdati, Batumi, Bolnisi, Borjomi, Chiatura, Chkhorotsku, Chokhatauri, Dedoplistskaro, Dmanisi, Dusheti, Gagra, Gali, Gardabani, Gori District, Georgia, Gudauta, Gulripshi, Gurjaani, Java district, Georgia, Kareli district, Georgia, Kaspi district, Georgia, Kedi, Kharagauli, Khashuri district, Georgia, Khelvachauri, Khobi, Khoni, Khulo, Kobuleti, Kutaisi, Kvareli, Lagodekhi, Lanchkhuti, Lentekhi, Marneuli, Martvili, Mestia, Mtskheta, Ninotsminda, Oni, Georgia, Ozurgeti, Poti, Rustavi, Sachkhere, Sagarejo, Samtredia, Senaki, Shuakhevi, Sighnaghi, Sukhumi, Stepantsminda, Telavi, Terjola, Tetritskaro, Tianeti, Tkibuli, Tsageri, Tskhinvali, Tsalenjikha, Tsalka, Tskaltubo, Vani, Zestaponi, and Zugdidi.

The main cities of Georgia are:

Tbilisi 1,066,100 (metro area 1,270,800)
Kutaisi 183,300
Batumi 116,900

Other major cities include Chiatura, Gagra, Gori, Georgia, Poti, Rustavi, Sukhumi, Tkibuli, Tskaltubo, and Tskhinvali.

Geography and climate In the north, Georgia has a 723 km common border with Russia, specifically with the Northern Caucasus federal district. The following Russian republics/subdivisions — from west to east — border Georgia: Krasnodar Krai, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia-Alania, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan. Georgia also shares borders with Azerbaijan (322 km) to the south-east, Armenia (164 km.) to the south, and Turkey (252 km.) to the south-west.

Mountains are the dominant geographic feature of Georgia. The Likhi Range divides the country into eastern and western halves. Historically, the western portion of Georgia was known as Colchis while the eastern plateau was called Caucasian Iberia. Due to a complex geographic setting, mountains also isolate the northern region of Svaneti from the rest of Georgia.

The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range separates Georgia from the North Caucasus Republics of Russia. The southern portion of the country is bounded by the Caucasus Mountains. The Caucasus Mountains is much higher in elevation than the Caucasus Mountains, with the highest peaks rising more than 5,000 meters (16,400ft.) above sea level.

in the Khokh Range

The highest mountain in Georgia is Mount Shkhara at 5,201 meters (17,059 feet), and the second highest is Mount Janga (Jangi-Tau) at 5,051 meters (16,572 feet) above sea level. Other prominent peaks include Kazbek (Kazbek) at 5,047 meters (16,554 feet), Tetnuldi (4,974m./16,319ft.), Shota Rustaveli (4,960m./16,273ft.), Mt. Ushba (4,710m./15,453ft.), and Ailama (4,525m./14,842ft.). Out of the abovementioned peaks, only Kazbek is of volcanic origin. The region between Kazbek and Shkhara (a distance of about 200 km. along the Main Caucasus Range) is dominated by numerous glaciers. Out of the 2,100 glaciers that exist in the Caucasus today, approximately 30% are located within Georgia.

The term, Caucasus Mountains is often used to describe the mountainous (highland) areas of southern Georgia that are connected to the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range by the Likhi Range. 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, which lies immediately to the south of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains. 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 meters (approximately 11,000 feet) in elevation. Prominent features of the area include the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau, lakes, including Tabatskuri and Paravani, as well as mineral water and hot springs. The Southern Georgia Volcanic Highland is a young and unstable geologic region with high seismic activity and has experienced some of the most significant earthquakes that have been recorded in Georgia.

The Voronya Cave (aka Krubera-Voronia Cave) is the deepest known cave in the world. It is located in the Arabika Massif of the Gagra Range, in Abkhazia, Georgia, Caucasus. The height difference in the cave is 2,140 (± 9) metres. The same cave set the previous record for depth at 1,710 metres in 2001 by a Russian–Ukrainian team. In 2004 the penetrated depth was increased on each of three expeditions. At that point the Ukraine team crossed the –2000 m mark for the first time in the history of speleology. In October 2005, a new, unexplored part was found by CAVEX team, and the cave became even deeper. This expedition confirmed the depth of the cave which is now – 2,140 (± 9) metres deep.

Two major rivers in Georgia are the Rioni River and the Mtkvari River.

Landscape The landscape within the nation's boundaries is quite varied. Western Georgia's landscape ranges from low-land marsh-forests, swamps, and temperate rain forests to eternal snows and glaciers, while the eastern part of the country even contains a small segment of semi-arid plains characteristic of Central Asia. Forests cover around 40% of Georgia's territory while the alpine climate/subalpine zone accounts for roughly around 10% of the land.

Much of the natural habitat in the low-lying areas of Western Georgia has disappeared over the last 100 years due to the agricultural development of the land and urbanization. The large majority of the forests that covered the Colchis plain are now virtually non-existent with the exception of the regions that are included in the national parks and reserves (i.e. Paleostomi Lake area). At present, the forest cover generally remains outside of the low-lying areas and is mainly located along the foothills and the mountains. Western Georgia's forests consist mainly of deciduous trees below 600 meters (1,968 ft.) above sea level and comprise of species such as oak, hornbeam, Oriental Beech, elm, ash tree, and Sweet Chestnut. Evergreen species such as Buxus may also be found in many areas. Ca. 1000 of all 4000 higher plants of Georgia are endemic in this countryhttp://www.endemic-species-caucasus.info/. 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. Between 600–1,500 meters (1,968-4,920 ft.) above sea level, the deciduous forest becomes mixed with both broad-leaf and coniferous species making up the plant life. The zone is made up mainly of beech, Caucasian Spruce, and Nordmann Fir forests. From 1,500-1,800 meters (4,920-5,904 ft.), the forest becomes largely coniferous. The tree line generally ends at around 1,800 meters (5,904 ft.) and the alpine zone takes over, which in most areas, extends up to an elevation of 3,000 meters (9,840 ft.) above sea level. The eternal snow and glacier zone lies above the 3,000 meter line.

in KhevsuretiEastern Georgia's landscape (referring to the territory east of the Likhi Range) is considerably different from that of the west. Although, much like the Colchis plain in the west, nearly all of the low-lying areas of eastern Georgia including the Mtkvari and Alazani River plains have been deforested for agricultural purposes. In addition, due to the region's relatively drier climate, some of the low-lying plains (especially in Kartli and south-eastern Kakheti) were never covered by forests in the first place. The general landscape of eastern Georgia comprises numerous valleys and gorges that are separated by mountains. In contrast with western Georgia, nearly 85% of the forests of the region are deciduous. Coniferous forests only dominate in the Borjomi Gorge and in the extreme western areas. Out of the deciduous species of trees, beech, oak, and hornbeam dominate. Other deciduous species include several varieties of maple, aspen, ash, and hazelnut. The upper Alazani River Valley contains Taxus baccata forests. At higher elevations above 1,000 meters (3,280 ft) above sea level (particularly in the Tusheti, Khevsureti, and Khevi regions), Scots Pine and birch forests dominate. In general, the forests in eastern Georgia occur between 500–2,000 metres (1,640–6,560 ft) above sea level, with the alpine zone extending from 2,000/2,200–3,000/3,500 metres (roughly about 6,560–11,480 ft). The only remaining large, low-land forests remain in the Alazani Valley of Kakheti. The eternal snow and glacier zone lies above the 3,500 metre (11,480 ft.) line in most areas of eastern Georgia.

Fauna Due to its high landscape diversity and low latitude Georgia is home to a higher number of animal species, e. g. ca. 1000 species of vertebrates (330 birds, 160 fish, 48 reptiles, 11 amphibians). A number of large carnivores live in the forests, e. g. Persian leopard, Brown bear, {{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = საქართველო Sakartvelo|conventional_long_name = Georgia|common_name = Georgia (country)|image_flag = Flag of Georgia.svg|image_coat = Georgia coa.png|image_map = Europe location GEO2.png|national_motto = Dzala ertobashia(Georgian language)"Strength is in Unity"|national_anthem = "Tavisupleba""Freedom"]1|demonym = Georgian|patron_saint = St. George, Virgin Mary|latd=41 |latm=43 |latNS=N |longd=44 |longm=47 |longEW=E|largest_city = capital|government_type = [Semi-presidential system Unitary state republic|leader_name1 = [Mikheil Saakashvili|leader_name2 = [Zurab Noghaideli|established_event1 = Georgian kingdoms of [Colchis and Caucasian Iberia|established_date1 = Circa2000 B.C. unified|established_date2 = [1008|established_event3 = Democratic Republic of Georgia [1918 [1991December 25 1991-->|percent_water =|population_estimate = 4,661,4732|population_estimate_rank = 117th|population_estimate_year = 2005|population_census =|population_census_year =|population_density_km2 = 64|population_density_sq_mi = 166 (ლ)|currency_code = GEL|country_code =|time_zone = UTC|calling_code = 995|footnote1 = Also [Abkhazian language within the Abkhazia.|footnote2 = From CIA World Factbook. Georgia, from CIA World Factbook Population figure excludes those parts of Abkhazia and South Ossetia that are not controlled by the Government of Georgia.-->GeorgiaGeorgia" shall be the name of the state of Georgia. Article 1, Constitution of Georgia. Retrieved from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Website (, transliteration as Sakartvelo) is a Eurasian country in the Caucasus located at the east coast of the Black Sea. It is bordered on the north by Russia, on the south by Turkey and Armenia, and on the east by Azerbaijan. It is a transcontinental country, located at the juncture of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.As a transcontinental country, Georgia may be considered to be in Asia and/or Europe. The United Nations classification of world regions places Georgia in Western Asia; the Central Intelligence Agency CIA World Factbook , National Geographic, and Encyclopædia Britannica also place Georgia in Asia. Conversely, numerous sources place Georgia in Europe such as the BBC , Oxford Reference Online , Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and www.worldatlas.com.

Georgia is a representative democracy, organized as a secular Unitary state, semi-presidential republic. Georgia is currently a member of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the World Trade Organization and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and seeks integration with the EU and NATO.

Etymology slaying the Dragon. 15th century cloisonné enamel on gold. (National Art Museum of Georgia)

Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi (ქართველები), their land Sakartvelo (საქართველო), and their language Kartuli (ქართული). According to legend the ancestor of the Kartvelian people was Kartlos, the great grandson of the Biblical Japheth.

Ancient Greeks (Strabo, Herodotus, Plutarch, Homer, etc.) and Ancient Rome (Titus Livius, Cornelius Tacitus, etc.) referred to early eastern Georgians as Caucasian Iberians (Iberoi in some Greek sources) and western Georgians as Colchians. Braund, David. Georgia in Antiquity: A History of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562, pp. 17-18 .

In Old Persian Eastern lands of Georgia were called vrkan and their inhabitants vrk (origin unknown), which is the origin of the Old Armenian term virk for Kartli. In New Persian the term transformed into Gurğān (Gurgjan), or "Gurğ people", which may have led to the name of Georgian in Turkic and Slavic languages, and probably other European ones as well (probably via Turkish Gürcü ("Gurdju") /:tr:Gürcistan ). "History of Georgia", by Nodar Lomouri, professor, historian A New Theory on the Etymology of the Designations of the Georgians Although special popularity of the cult of St. George in Georgia probably influenced the spread of the term in the Western Europe.The terms Georgia and Georgians appeared in Western Europe in numerous medieval annals, including that of Crusaders and later in the official documents and letters of the Florence Cosimo de' Medici. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall , Christopher Hibbert. Jacques de Vitry and British traveler, Sir John Maundeville, stated that Georgians are called Georgian because they especially revere and worship St. George. Notably, the country recently adopted the five-cross flag. It has been argued that the flag was used in Georgia since the 5th century. David Marshall Lang, The Georgians, (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., 1966), 17-18.http://www.georgianweb.com/religion/stnino.html

Some also believed that Georgia was so named by the Greeks on account of its agricultural resources, since "Georgia" (γεωργία) means "farming" in Greek language. However, the true origin of the name Georgia is still disputed. {{cite book| last = Wilson| first = Nigel Guy| title = Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece| year = 2006| publisher = Routledge| isbn = 0415973341| pages = 320-->

History The history of Georgia and the Georgians nation dates back 5,000 years. Georgia in antiquity : a history of Colchis and Transcaucasian Iberia, 550 BC-AD 562, Braund, David, 1957

The territory of modern-day Georgia has been Prehistoric Georgia since the early Stone Age. The classical antiquity saw the rise of the early Georgian states of Colchis and Caucasian Iberia, which laid the foundation of Georgian culture and eventual statehood. The Georgian nation first appears in written history in the 12th century B.C. Phoenix: The Peoples of the Hills: Ancient Ararat and Caucasus by Charles Burney , David Marshall Lang, Phoenix Press; New Ed edition (December 31, 2001) Archaeological finds and references in ancient sources reveal advancement of early Georgian political and state formations - their urban heritage and advanced metallurgy and goldsmith techniques that date back to the 7th century B.C. and beyond. Phoenix: The Peoples of the Hills: Ancient Ararat and Caucasus by Charles Burney , David Marshall Lang, Phoenix Press; New Ed edition (December 31, 2001) In the 4th century B.C. a unified kingdom of Georgia - an early example of advanced state organization under one king and the hierarchy of aristocracy, was established. Lives and Legends of the Georgian Saints, St Vladimirs Seminary Pr; N.e.of 2r.e. edition (March 1997)by David Marshall Lang from the Gelati Monastery, 14th–15th centuriesChristianity came to Georgia with its first missionaries and it was declared the state religion as early as 337 A.D. The conversion to Christianity provided a great stimulus to literature and the arts and helped to unify the country. Early and medieval Christian scholarship, the links with the rest of the Christian world and dynamic exchange with the Islamic world, together with the development of national literature and the political consolidation of the state in the 11th century A.D. culminated in a true renaissance in the 12-13th centuries A.D. Sketches of Georgian Church History by Theodore Edward Dowling

This early Georgian renaissance, which preceded its European analogue by several hundred years, was significant and was characterized by magnificent secular art and culture, the flourishing of a romantic- chivalric tradition, breakthroughs in philosophy, and an array of political innovations in society and state organization, including religious and ethnic tolerance. 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". This Golden Age was interrupted at its peak by the Mongol invasions of Georgia and Armenia in the 13th century A.D. Throughout the next six centuries, Georgia fell victim to repeated invasions by Persians and Ottoman Empire, resulting in the disintegration of the Georgian state into several small kingdoms. Due to this national crisis, in 1783 Georgia signed the Treaty of Georgievsk with the Russian Empire, placing the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti under the Russian protectorate. Despite Russia's commitment to defend Georgia, it rendered no assistance when the Turks invaded in 1785 and again in 1795. This period culminated in the 1801 Russian annexation of remaining Georgian lands and the deposing of the Bagrationi dynasty.

A few decades later, Georgian society produced a modernist nationalistic elite which united Georgian society around the dream of the restoration of their once glorious state. In 1918, this dream was fulfilled and the Democratic Republic of Georgia(1918-1921) was established. This democratic experiment was short-lived, as in 1921 Georgia was Red Army invasion of Georgia by Bolshevik Russia. Georgia was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1922. Georgia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and, after a period of Georgian Civil War and severe economic crisis, Georgia was mostly stable by the late 1990s. The bloodless Rose Revolution of 2003 installed a new, pro-Western world reformist government that aspired to join NATO and attempted to bring the secessionist territories back under Georgia's control. These efforts resulted in a deterioration of Georgian-Russian relations, in part because of the continued presence of Russian troops. As of 2007, most Russian military forces have been withdrawn, with the last remaining base in Batumi scheduled for Russian withdrawal in 2008. Russia completes withdrawal from 1 of 2 remaining bases in Georgia

Georgia in antiquity and Caucasian Iberia

Two early Georgian kingdoms of late Classical antiquity, known to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome as Caucasian Iberia () in the east of the country and Colchis () in the west, were among the first nations in the region to adopt Christianity (in 337 AD, or in 319 AD as recent research suggests.).

In Greek Mythology, Colchis was the location of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts in Apollonius Rhodius epic tale Argonautica. 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. Known to its natives as Egrisi or Lazica, Colchis often saw Lazic War between the rival powers of Iran and the Byzantine Empire, both of which managed to conquer Western Georgia from time to time. As a result, those Kingdoms disintegrated into various feudal regions by the early Middle Ages. This made it easy for Arabs to conquer Georgia in the 7th century. The rebellious regions were liberated and united into a unified Georgian Kingdom at the beginning of the 11th century. Starting in the 12th century AD, the rule of Georgia extended over a significant part of the Southern Caucasus, including the northeastern parts and almost the entire northern coast of what is now Turkey.

Medieval Georgia

The Georgian Kingdom reached its zenith in the 12th to early 13th centuries. This period has been widely termed as Georgia's Golden Age or Georgian Renaissance. The revival of the Georgian Kingdom was short-lived however, and the Kingdom was eventually subjugated by the Mongols in 1236. Thereafter, different local rulers fought for their independence from central Georgian rule, until the total disintegration of the Kingdom in the 15th century. Neighbouring kingdoms exploited the situation and from the 16th century, the Persian Empire and the Ottoman Empire subjugated the eastern and western regions of Georgia, respectively.

The rulers of regions which remained partly autonomous entity organised rebellions on various occasions. Subsequent Persian and Turkish invasions further weakened local kingdoms and regions. As a result of wars against neighbouring countries, the population of Georgia was reduced to 250,000 inhabitants at one point.

Within the Russian Empire In 1783, Russia and the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti signed the Treaty of Georgievsk, according to which Kartli-Kakheti received protection by Russia. This, however, did not prevent Tbilisi from being Battle of Krtsanisi in 1795.

, widely regarded as the "founding father" of modern Georgia, 1860

On December 22, 1800, Tsar Paul I of Russia, at the alleged request of the Georgian King Giorgi XII of Kartli-Kakheti, signed the proclamation on the incorporation of Georgia (Kartli-Kakheti) within the Russian Empire, which was finalised by a decree on January 8, 1801, Gvosdev (2000), p. 85 Avalov (1906), p. 186 which was confirmed by Tsar Alexander I of Russia on September 12 1801. Gvosdev (2000), p. 86 Lang (1957), p. 249 The Georgian envoy in Saint Petersburg reacted with a note of protest that was presented to the Russian vice-chancellor Prince Kurakin. Lang (1957), p. 251 In May 1801, Russian General Carl Heinrich Knorring dethroned the Georgian heir to the throne David Bagrationi and instituted a government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lasarev. Lang (1957), p. 247

The Georgian nobility did not accept the decree until April 1802 when General Knorring compassed the nobility in Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral and forced them to take an oath on the Imperial Crown of Russia. Those who disagreed were arrested temporarily. Lang (1957), p. 252

In the summer of 1805, Russian troops on the Askerani River near Zagam defeated the Persian army and saved Tbilisi from conquest.

In 1810, after a brief war, Anchabadze (2005), p. 29 the western Georgian kingdom of Imereti was annexed by Tsar Alexander I of Russia. The last Imeretian king and the last Georgian Bagrationi ruler Solomon II of Imereti died in exile in 1815. From 1803 to 1878, as a result of numerous Russian wars against Turkey and Iran, several territories were annexed to Georgia. These areas (Batumi, Akhaltsikhe, Poti, and Abkhazia) now represent a large part of the territory of Georgia.

The principality of Guria was abolished in 1828, and that of Samegrelo (Mingrelia) in 1857. The region of Svaneti was gradually annexed in 1857–59.

Brief independence period and Soviet era After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia declared independence on May 26, 1918 in the midst of the Russian Civil War. The parliamentary election was won by the Georgian Social-Democratic Party, considered to be a party of Mensheviks, and its leader, Noe Zhordania, became the prime minister. In 1918 a Georgian–Armenian war erupted over parts of Georgian provinces populated mostly by Armenians which ended due to British intervention. In 1918–19 Georgian general Giorgi Mazniashvili led a Georgian 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 independent Georgia. The country's independence did not last long, however.

leader of the anti-Bolshevik August Uprising in Georgia of 1924, venerated as national hero of Georgia In February 1921 Georgia Red Army invasion of Georgia by the Red Army. Georgian troops lost the battle and the Social-Democrat government fled the country. On February 25 1921 the Red Army entered the capital Tbilisi and installed a puppet communist government led by Georgian Bolshevik Filipp Makharadze, but the Soviet rule was firmly established only after the August Uprising in Georgia was brutally suppressed. Georgia was incorporated into the Transcaucasian SFSR uniting Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The TFSSR was disaggregated into its component elements in 1936 and Georgia became the Georgian SSR.

The Georgian-born communist radical Ioseb Jughashvili, better known by his nom de guerre Stalin (from the Russian language word for steel: сталь) was prominent among the Russian Bolsheviks, who came to power in the Russian Empire after the October Revolution in 1917. Joseph Stalin was to rise to the highest position of the Soviet state.

From 1941 to 1945, during World War II, almost 700,000 Georgians fought as Red Army soldiers against Nazi Germany. (A number The Georgian Legion (1941-1945) the German army). About 350,000 Georgians died in the battlefields of the Eastern Front (World War II). Also during this period the Chechen people, Ingush, Karachay and the Balkarian peoples from the Northern Caucasus, were deported to Siberia for alleged collaboration with the Nazism. With their respective autonomous republics abolished, the Georgian SSR was briefly granted some of their territory, until 1957.

The Dissidential movement for restoration of Georgian statehood started to gain popularity in the 1960s. Socialism in Georgian Colors: The European Road to Social Democracy, 1883-1917 by Stephen F. Jones Among the Georgian dissidents, two of the most prominent activists were Merab Kostava and Zviad Gamsakhurdia. Dissidents were heavily persecuted by Soviet government and their activities were harshly suppressed. Almost all members from Georgian dissident circles were imprisoned by the Soviet authorities.http://www.parliament.ge/pages/archive_en/history/his13.html From Georgian Parliament

The Georgian Eduard Shevardnadze, the USSR's minister for foreign affairs, was one of the main architects of the Perestroika reforms of the late 1980s. During this period, Georgia developed a vigorous multiparty system which strongly favoured independence. The country staged the first democratic, multiparty parliamentary elections in the Soviet Union on October 28, 1990. From November 1990 to March 1991, one of the leaders of the National Liberation movement, Dr Zviad Gamsakhurdia, was the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia (the Georgian parliament).

Post-Soviet independence On 9 April 1989, a peaceful demonstration in the Georgian capital Tbilisi ended in a April 9 tragedy in which several people were killed by Soviet troops. This incident launched an anti-Soviet mass movement, soon shattered, however, by the in-fighting of its different political wings. Before the October 1990 elections to the national assembly, the Umaghiesi Sabcho (Supreme Council) — the first polls in the USSR held on a formal multi-party basis — the political landscape was reshaped again. While the more radical groups boycotted the elections and convened an alternative forum (National Congress), another part of the anticommunist opposition united into the Round Table—Free Georgia (RT-FG) around the former dissidents like Merab Kostava and Zviad Gamsakhurdia. The latter won the elections by a clear margin, with 155 out of 250 parliamentary seats, whereas the ruling Communist Party (CP) received only 64 seats. All other parties failed to get over the 5%-threshold and were thus allotted only some single-member constituency seats.

On April 9, 1991, shortly before the collapse of the USSR, Georgia declared independence. On May 26, 1991, Zviad Gamsakhurdia was elected as a first President of independent Georgia. However, Gamsakhurdia was soon deposed in a bloody coup d'état, from December 22, 1991 to January 6, 1992. The coup was instigated by part of the National Guards and a paramilitary organization called "Mkhedrioni". The country became embroiled in a bitter Georgian Civil War which lasted almost until 1995. Eduard Shevardnadze returned to Georgia in 1992 and joined the leaders of the coup — Kitovani and Ioseliani — to head a triumvirate called the "State Council".

In 1995, Shevardnadze was officially elected as a president of Georgia, and reelected in 2000. At the same time, two regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, quickly became embroiled in disputes with local separatists that led to widespread inter-ethnic violence and wars. Supported by Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia achieved and maintained de facto independence from Georgia. More than 250,000 Georgians were Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia from Abkhazia by Abkhaz separatists and North Caucasians volunteers, (including Chechens) in 1992-1993. More than 25,000 Georgians were expelled from Tskhinvali as well, and many Ossetian families were forced to abandon their homes in the Borjomi region and move to Russia.

In 2003 Shevardnadze was deposed by the Rose Revolution, after Georgian opposition and international monitors asserted that the November 2 parliamentary elections were marred by fraud.http://eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav112204a.shtml The revolution was led by Mikheil Saakashvili, Zurab Zhvania and Nino Burjanadze, former members and leaders of Shavarnadze's ruling party. Mikheil Saakashvili was elected as President of Georgia in 2004.

Following the Rose Revolution, a series of reforms was launched to strengthen the country's military and economic capabilities. The new government's efforts to reassert the Georgian authority in the southwestern autonomous republic of Ajaria led to a major Ajaria Crisis early in 2004. Success in Ajaria encouraged Saakashvili to intensify his efforts, but without success, in the breakaway South Ossetia.

Government and politics

Following a crisis involving allegations of ballot fraud in the 2003 parliamentary elections, Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as president on November 23, 2003 in the bloodless Rose Revolution. The interim president was the speaker of the outgoing parliament (whose replacement was annulled), Nino Burjanadze. On January 4, 2004 Mikheil Saakashvili, leader of the National Movement - Democrats (NMD) (former United National Movement) won the country's presidential election and was inaugurated on January 25.Fresh parliamentary elections were held on March 28 where NMD secured the vast majority of the seats (with ca. 75% of the votes) with only one other party reaching the 7% threshold (the Rightist Opposition with ca. 7.5%). The vote is believed to have been one of the freest ever held in independent Georgia although an upsurge of tension between the central government and the Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze affected the elections in this region. Despite recognizing progress the OSCE noted the tendency to misuse state administration resources in favor of the ruling party.

The tension between the Georgian government and that of Ajaria grew increasingly after the elections until late April. Climaxing on May 1 when Abashidze responded to military maneuvers held by Georgia near the region with having the three bridges connecting Ajaria and the rest of Georgia over the Choloki River blown up. On May 5, Abashidze was forced to flee Georgia as mass demonstrations in Batumi called for his resignation and Russia increased their pressure by deploying Security Council secretary Igor Ivanov.

On February 3 2005, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania allegedly died of carbon monoxide poisoning in an apparent gas leak at the home of Raul Usupov, deputy governor of Kvemo Kartli region. Later, Zhvania's close friend and a long-time ally, Finance Minister Zurab Nogaideli was appointed for the post by President Saakashvili.

Since coming to power in 2003, Saakashvili has boosted spending on the country's armed forces and increased its overall size to around 45,000. Of that figure, 12,000 have been trained in advanced techniques by U.S. military instructors.* http://www.kyivpost.com/bn/24927/ - "Georgian president proposes military reserve system for defense, disaster response" Some of these troops have been stationed in Iraq as part of the international coalition in the region, serving in Baqubah and the Green Zone of Baghdad. In May 2005, the 13th Infantry Battalion ("Shavnabada") became the first full battalion to serve outside of Georgia. This unit was responsible for two checkpoints to the Green Zone, and provided security for the Iraqi Parliament. In October 2005, the unit was replaced by the 21st Infantry Battalion. Soldiers of the 13th battalion wear the "combat patches" of the American unit they served under, the U.S. 3d Infantry Division.The Georgian government claims to have restored "constitutional order" in the upper Kodori Gorge — the sole Georgia-controlled part of breakaway region Abkhazia. Tbilisi prepares to send Abkhaz government-in-exile to Kodori, Zaal Anjaparidze

Georgia has in the past few years significantly reduced corruption. Transparency International ranked Georgia at joint number 99th in the world in its 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index (with number 1 being the least corrupt nation), giving it a List of countries by Corruption Perceptions Index (with number 10 being considered the best possible score). Corruption Perceptions Index 2006 This is a significant improvement on Georgia's 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index, where Georgia was rated joint 130th.

Foreign relations .

Georgia maintains good relations with its direct neighbours Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey and participates actively in regional organizations, such as the Black Sea Economic Council and the GUAM.http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/georgia/intro/index.htm Georgia also maintains close political, economic and military relations with Ukraine.

The growing US and European Union influence in Georgia, notably through the Train and Equip military assistance programme and the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, have frequently strained Tbilisi’s relations with Russia.

Georgia is currently working to become a full member of NATO. In August of 2004, the Individual Partnership Action Plan of Georgia was submitted officially to NATO. On October 29, 2004, the North Atlantic Council of NATO approved the NATO#International Partnership Action Plans (IPAP) of Georgia and Georgia moved on to the second stage of Euro-Atlantic Integration. In 2005, by the decision of the President of Georgia, a state commission was set up to implement the Individual Partnership Action Plan, which presents an interdepartmental group headed by the Prime Minister. The Commission was tasked with coordinating and controlling the implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan.On February 14, 2005, the agreement on the appointment of Partnership for Peace (PfP) liaison officer between Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization came into force, whereby a liaison officer for the South Caucasus was assigned to Georgia. On March 2, 2005, the agreement was signed on the provision of the host nation support to and transit of NATO forces and NATO personnel. On March 6-9, 2006, the IPAP implementation interim assessment team arrived in Tbilisi. On April 13, 2006, the discussion of the assessment report on implementation of the Individual Partnership Action Plan was held at NATO Headquarters, within 26+1 format. Georgia's way to NATO In 2006, the Georgian parliament voted unanimously for the bill which calls for integration of Georgian into NATO. The majority of Georgians and politicians in Georgia support the push for NATO membership. Currently, it is expected that Georgia will join NATO in 2009.

George W. Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the country.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531273.stm The street leading to Tbilisi International Airport has since been dubbed George W. Bush Avenue. Bush Heads to Europe for G - 8 Summit, The New York Times

From the European commission website: President Saakashvili views membership of the EU and NATO as a long term priority. As he does not want Georgia to become an arena of Russia-US confrontation he seeks to maintain close relations with the United States and European Union, at the same time underlining his ambitions to advance co-operation with Russia.http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/georgia/intro/index.htm

On October 2, 2006, Georgian and the European Union signed a joint statement on the agreed text of the Georgia-European Union Action Plan within the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The Action Plan was formally approved at the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council session on November 14 2006 in Brussels. EU, Georgia Sign ENP Action Plan, Civil Georgia, October 2, 2006.

On February 2, 2007, Georgia officially became the most recent regional member of the Asian Development Bank. They currently hold 12,081 shares in the bank, 0.341 percent of the total.

Regions, republics, and districts Georgia is divided into 9 regions, 2 Autonomous entity republics (avtonomiuri respublika), and 1 city (k'alak'i). The Subdivisions of Georgia are further subdivided into 69 districts (raioni).

The nine regions are Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, and Shida Kartli.

The two autonomous republics are Abkhazia and Ajaria.

The one city is Tbilisi.

Tbilisi 1,066,100 (metro area 1,270,800)
Kutaisi 183,300
Batumi 116,900

BBC NEWS | Europe | Country profiles | Country profile: Georgia
Key facts, figures and dates ... Situated at the strategically important crossroads where Europe meets Asia, Georgia has a unique and ancient cultural heritage, famous traditions ...

Country profile: Georgia
Over the centuries, Georgia was the object of rivalry between Persia, Turkey and Russia, before being eventually annexed by Russia in the 19th century. Since emerging from the ...

Country Profile: Georgia
Country Profile: Georgia ... Area: 69,700 sq km Population: 4.4 million Capital City: Tbilisi (population: 1.5 million)

Georgia (country) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georgia (Georgian: საქართველო, transliterated as Sakartvelo) is a Eurasian country, chiefly located in the South Caucasus, at the juncture of Eastern Europe and ...

Georgia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Georgia has two principal meanings and many other meanings. The principal meanings are: Georgia (country) which was previously The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, part of the ...

Georgia Country Blog
If there is a great paradigm of our country that seems almost unnoticed, it is the urbanization of America. The arable lands are dissappearing into high rise condominiums and ...

Georgia Travel Guide, Travel Information Guide
Georgia Travel Guide, Travel Information Guide, Tourist information and holidays ... Formerly the holiday haunt of the privileged elite of the Soviet Union, Georgia is blessed with ...

DFID | Country Profiles | Europe | Georgia
News, programmes, case studies and publications about the country from the Department for International Development in the UK.

Georgia - definition of Georgia by the Free Online Dictionary ...
1. A country in the Caucasus on the Black Sea. It developed as a kingdom around the 4th century b.c. and reached the height of its prosperity in the 12th and 13th centuries.

BBC - Homepage
The US says Russia must withdraw its troops from Georgia "at once", after Georgia's ... Position Country G old S ilver B ronze T otal; 1: China: 26: 9: 6: 41: 2: USA: 15: 14: 19: 48: 3: Germany: 8: 2: 4: 14